Back home today, but not without a 'year-tick'!

 Saturday 30th May 2026.

Though a bright start at 6am this morning, it was around 9 degrees centigrade and I could see mist low over the village to the east and the fields to the south, which resulted in very few Moths this morning. It is our last day here in the beautiful Chittlehampton as we make our way home back to Southsea today. It has been a superb, relaxing week and with Jackie with us, it really has been enjoyable. Though we never visited many places this week in Devon, just relaxing in the Bungalow and its garden has been superb and we were so lucky with the weather again.

My Moth Box:

My first Riband Wave for the year. A very common Moth and I should be getting plenty of these in Southsea over the coming months.

Sadly, there was a low turn out of Moths overnight, though I expect a lot of them would have flown off as dawn’s light would have been probably before 5am and it was very cool. Nevertheless, I still got another Moth that was new for the year; a Riband Wave and the rare migrant moth, Bordered Straw, was nothing to be sniffed at! Up to 3 Buff-tips were still present as was the Knot Grass. It has been a superb week for the Moths here in this garden in Chittlehampton of which I have seen two Moths that have been ‘Lifers’ and plenty of Moths that were new for the year too. Thank you Chittlehampton and Becky and I hope to see you again next year. 

Above, my second Bordered Straw of the week and below, one of three Buff-tip moths this morning.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS

Riband Wave * x1

Bordered Straw x1

Heart & Dart x1

White Ermine x1

Pale Tussock x1

Buff-tip x3

Knot Grass x1

Orange Footman x1

As we say goodbye for another year to this beautiful garden and the pleasure the wildlife here has brought us, I look forward to our stay hopefully next year.