A very cold morning with few Moths.

Thursday 8^th October 2026.

A very cold dawn over Highland Road Cemetery.

A very cold and clear start to the day here in Southsea with temperatures only in low single figures. This reflected in the Moth numbers too with the lowest number this month. Pembroke Road, in Old Portsmouth, wasn’t much warmer either and I had to wear my damp gloves (due to yesterdays morning rain) throughout my first shift.

It is still dark when I take the dogs for their walk early in the morning and as I pass Highland Road Cemetery, I could just see dawn breaking in the east. 'Robins' were ticking and a few 'Herring Gulls' flew over, but the Feathered Ranunculus moth that was perched by the entrance of St. Margarets Church must have left overnight.

My Moth Box:

A Feathered Ranunculus moth.

Just a lowly 7 moths of 5 species this morning, all familiar Autumn moths including up to 3 Lunar Underwings. I read on the Hants Moths Facebook Page that a chap who ‘traps’ in Portchester had a Chevron Snout to his Box. I had never heard of this species until now and reading up on it, it is a very scarce immigrant moth from the Mediterranean area.

Above, one of three Lunar Underwings and below, a Turnip Moth.

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Lunar Underwing x3	Light Brown Apple Moth x1
Turnip Moth x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x1
Feathered Ranunculus x1

 

While checking the Moth Box, at least two Chiffchaffs were heard and one seen in the trees by my garden and a lone calling Greenfinch passed overhead unseen.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Though bright and sunny, it was damn cold on my first shift this morning and having this heavy cold does not help either. I’m back on antibiotics and so hopefully, could be gone within the next few days. A chilly north-westerly was blowing down Pembroke Road, but a total of 16 species recorded this morning wasn’t too bad.

Among the more familiar birds, a Jay was seen flitting about some of the trees opposite and a Song Thrush, first heard doing its familiar ‘sipp’ call somewhere in the tree canopy, then flew out and headed off west over Governor’s Green. A now familiar sight of Autumn migration with the thrushes and it shouldn’t be too long for my first Redwing of the year.

A Chiffchaff was heard a couple of times calling in the footpath adjacent to the Bowling Green, but no sightings today. A group of 6 Magpies flew out of the Holm Oaks, but the Carrion Crows didn’t take too kindly to them. Just the one Blackbird seen this morning and that looked like a juvenile bird sporting a dark bill. No Pied Wagtails on the Bowling Green this morning, though I did hear one flying over as did a Meadow Pipit.

The birds recorded this morning included the following:

• Herring Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Jay
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Pied Wagtail
• Meadow Pipit
• Blackbird
• Wren
• Robin
• Chiffchaff
• Blackbird
• Song Thrush