Thursday 18th June 2026.
My first Elephant Hawk-moth of the year.
The continued theme of overcast and a little bit damp first thing this morning was evident today and though the weather was cloudy throughout the morning, the sun eventually came through in the afternoon.
The Moth Box was on again overnight and continued to attract a large number of Moths again and, at last, my third Hawk-moth species of the year. I couldn't help notice how still it was this morning and like yesterday morning, there wasn't a breath of wind. Yesterday, I could actually hear a snail moving along on one of the fence panels and this morning, I could hear the beating wings of a small Moth somewhere behind the fence panel! I know my hearing is good, but I didn't know it was that good!
My Moth Box:
One of two Light Arches today.
As per usual, the trick is to tread carefully when entering the garden as the Moths can literally be anywhere and how I have not trodden on one this week is beyond my comprehension. For one reason or another, they do like to land on the patio close to the Box and so my big size 11 feet could easily squish one of the poor buggers! But this week, so far so good! Under a leaden sky with virtually no breeze whatsoever, I got to business in counting and recording the Moths.
My third Broad-barred White of the year.
My first Elephant Hawk-moth was the ‘star’ Moth this morning. It was perched on one of the outside egg trays, but it didn't linger that long as I heard the familiar whirr of wings and it was off to the back of the garden and out of sight. The only other new moth for the year was a pair of Light Arches, whereas its close cousin, the Dark Arches, hit a record 16 individual moths!
Clancy's Rustics are always welcome to my garden.
Other notable Moths included a Cypress Carpet, Broad-barred White and a Clancy’s Rustic.The pick of the ‘micro’ Moths was the Red-barred Tortrix. A final total of 88 moths of 30 species were recorded this morning, which included the following Moths:
This Darkling Beetle was a first for my garden.
The insects also attracted to the Moth Box overnight included a Lacewing and a Darkling Beetle. The dog Fox was back on my neighbours shed roof again, but it didn’t linger long and quickly disappeared into nearby gardens.
The dog Fox was back in my neighbours garden again today.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
An overcast morning in Pembroke Road this morning, but the Swifts didn't mind.
A fairly good total of bird species here in Pembroke Road today with up to 15 species seen between my first and second shifts here. This morning, a group of 6 Swifts flew overhead as I watched a pair skim low over the Holm Oak trees several times and eventually headed off north over the houses. Herring, Black-headed and Great Black-backed Gulls were seen throughout the shifts and a female Pied Wagtail was watched searching for food on the pavement opposite and even on the roof of the Bungalow on the opposite side of the road from where I stand. It looks as though she might have a brood to feed judging by the amount of insects she had in her bill.
The most unexpected sighing here in Pembroke Road today happened on my second shift when a small group of three Mallards flew over and headed towards Curtain Moat or perhaps to Portsmouth Harbour? Still, a good sighting for my ‘patch’ list here. The second shift didn't start all that well as a heavy rain shower came in and so I had to don my waterproof hat. However, it fizzled out around 3pm and got a lot warmer and even a Painted Lady butterfly flew in briefly but it would not settle to round off my Thursday here.
The Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly at Cowplain Marsh this afternoon.
Over at Cowplain Marsh (Andy Fisher’s garden), Geoff Farwell found a Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly by the Pond, a first for Cowplain Marsh! Back in my garden, a Painted Lady flew in briefly and landed on the Buddleia and also a Red Admiral popped in too on the same plants, but was far more obliging.
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