March 2009 moths (3 Viewers)

[Bennyboymothman]

Hi Sourton

That is a Clouded Drab, one of many forms.

Last night's catch consisted of

# 3x Common Quaker
# 4x Hebrew Character
# 2x Agonopterix heracliana
# 1x Red Chestnut [NFG]
# 1x Emmelina monodactyla
# 3x Early Grey
# 2x Small Quaker
# 5x Clouded Drab

the nice surprise was an Aberration of a Hebrew Character which was stunning.

 

[Angus T]

Not a Clouded Drab, but a Small Quaker

 

[Bennyboymothman]

So it is! :t:

 

[luke]

Last night just produced a single Clouded Drab (NFY) and two Common Quaker.

 

[Bennyboymothman]

Last night was a good night for species but quite low in numbers and probably near the max that my Garden would do this time of year

1x Emmelina monodactyla
1x Amblyptilia acanthadactyla
5x Early Grey
3x Small Quaker
1x Twin-spotted Quaker
5x Hebrew Character
4x Common Quaker
1x Pale Pinion

 

[Brian Stone]

Surprised to see no Clouded Drabs there. It's the most numerous moth at the moment in the Hampshire garden I am currently trapping in.

The orthosia-fest there was joined by single Oak Beauty and Chestnut last night.

 

[Bennyboymothman]

Me too Brian! Early Greys are doing exceptionally well and the catches are dominated by Hebrew Characters this year as opposed to Common Quakers last year.

 

[Brian Stone]

Just one Early Grey here, the only other non-Orthosia so far.

 

[Brian Stone]

Oo, I lied

Totted up the totals for last night and Clouded Drab way down. Small Quakers came from nowhere; there were none the previous night.

1930 Oak Beauty (Biston strataria) 1
2182 Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda) 13
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 9
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 3
2189 Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda) 5
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 5
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 1
2258 The Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 1

 

[MikeWall]

Hi, David,
I bought the book from an online source (the Book repository via Amazon).
I agree with Mike's comments, and it put me off buying the book. But when Graham Collins told me that he had written a very positive review for Atropos I decided to get it. It's a delightful book to look at. I think that it could be a help for IDing macros and larvae and with the micros it will at least help with some of the more distinctive species. What's frightening is how few of the macros I get right when I look at the photos and then try and name them - I realise that I'm still a beginner. Of course it's easier IDing ones in your own garden because after a few years you have a good idea of what to expect and you know what the moths in your area tend to look like. The red chestnut is an example. If one of the drab Scottish ones turned up in my garden I'm sure that it would throw me.
Ken

I still stand by what I said - my view for what it's worth is that the coverage should have been left as macros, or it at least should have carried a health warning re the micros that these are only a representative sample to genus level. The pics of the latter for the difficult groups, e.g. cochylids and other tortricidae - are too small to be of real use, the text is sketchy, and as far as I'm aware it regurgitates information from elsewhere, errors and all; I don't even think that the quality of many of the photos is that brilliant. With limited text I fear that a lot of knee-jerk idents are going to be made. There are obvious errors - e.g. both the Pyrausta purpuralis are aurata, which is just going to perpetrate the misidentification of this pair! Yes, it's a lovely coffee table book. But that's where I'd leave it...

Mike

 

[Davebutterflyman]

Pretty much blanked but i came in as it was far too cold so only managed Hebrew Character and Grey Shoulder-Knot.

 

[Bennyboymothman]

Trapping was abandoned last night as hail stones the size of pennies shattered my rain-guard

 

[Brian Stone]

2deg and windy so didn't bother but yesterday did find a Pale Pinion that must have been hiding somewhere in the kit from the previous night. Some non-orthosia pics attached.

 

[Surreybirder]

A short session this evening before it started raining quite heavily...

Oak beauty 1
Hebrew character 5
Small quaker 38
Common quaker 29
Early grey 1
Satellite 1

One of the common quakers was both darker and larger than most I get - at first I thought it might be a clouded drab but it's not (actually easier to tell on the photo than in life).

 

[luke]

The weather changed over night and this morning its raining and very windy, despite that i still caught a few moths.
2 clouded drab
2 Common Quaker
1 Early Grey.

 

[Bennyboymothman]

Not much about last night, rained all night and very windy, surprised anything turned up actually!

4x Hebrew Character
6x Common Quaker
3x Early Grey
1x Small Quaker
2x Clouded Drab

 

[crabplover]

Not much about last night, rained all night and very windy, surprised anything turned up actually

I think having a fully waterproof home made trap helps on nights like this:
80w mvb - Garden, Essex. 24-3-09 Min temp 6.2 degrees

15 Hebrew Character
5 Twin Spotted Carpet
4 Diurnia fagella
5 Clouded Drab
1 March Moth
10 Common Quaker
7 Small Quaker
1 Acleris cristana
1 Emmelina momodactyla
2 Agonopterix heracliana

 

[Bennyboymothman]

5 Twin Spotted Carpet

I think you mean Quaker

Nice catch! whereabouts are you in Essex?

 

[crabplover]

I think you mean Quaker

/QUOTE]

Doh ! yes Quaker indeed

I'm approx 3miles south west of Abberton Reservoir

 

[Bennyboymothman]

Ah yes near the infamous Bradwell-on-sea, you must get plenty of migrant activity then!