May/June Moths (2 Viewers)

Farnboro John · May 13, 2020

andyadcock said:
Our recorder will only accept as an aggregate unless dissected but you do get individuals that are clearly much darker.

Still too cold and windy to trap here.

I would describe this as a classic ordinary Grey Dagger. Photo in due course. :t:

John

Andy Adcock · May 13, 2020

Farnboro John said:
I would describe this as a classic ordinary Grey Dagger. Photo in due course. :t:

John

Here's a couple from different ends of the spectrum from a few years ago.

Rubia · May 13, 2020

I think our county recorder will not accept agg. on some moths and requires gen. det. to accept records of -
Red Twin-spot/Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets Xanthorhoe spadicearia / X. ferrugata
November/Pale November/Autumnal Moths Epirrita dilutata/christyi /autumnata
Grey/Dark Daggers Acronicta psi/Acronicta tridens
Marbled/Tawny Marbled Minors Oligia strigilis/Oligia latruncula
I guess this will vary depending on which county you live in.

Farnboro John · May 13, 2020

andyadcock said:
Here's a couple from different ends of the spectrum from a few years ago.

Thank you. That does not change my description: today's moth is like the left-hand one in your photo. :t:

As I am only pursuing a hobby, I cannot justify dissection (and I wouldn't want to do it anyway). My mothing is catch-and-release, although looking out of the window later I often think I am actually providing a drive-through service for garden birds.

John

Andy Adcock · May 13, 2020

Farnboro John said:
Thank you. That does not change my description: today's moth is like the left-hand one in your photo. :t:

As I am only pursuing a hobby, I cannot justify dissection (and I wouldn't want to do it anyway). My mothing is catch-and-release, although looking out of the window later I often think I am actually providing a drive-through service for garden birds.

John

This is a common problem, one solution is to retain them and release at night, well away from the light to avoid retrapping the same moths.

Farnboro John · May 13, 2020

andyadcock said:
This is a common problem, one solution is to retain them and release at night, well away from the light to avoid retrapping the same moths.

Define well away... my own piecemeal experiments with felt-tip dots on wings suggest a fifty yard radius of the house is insufficient. Plus I haven't the time (or space in the fridge) to box up and retain large numbers of moths. I do try to get them into cover, but I see the birds hunting them down later. I appreciate the suggestion though.

Cheers

John

Andy Adcock · May 13, 2020

Farnboro John said:
Define well away... my own piecemeal experiments with felt-tip dots on wings suggest a fifty yard radius of the house is insufficient. Plus I haven't the time (or space in the fridge) to box up and retain large numbers of moths. I do try to get them into cover, but I see the birds hunting them down later. I appreciate the suggestion though.

Cheers

John

Away from direct sight of the light, opposite side of the building, they don't need to be in the fridge, preferably just dark.

As you say, it's just a buffet for birds if you leave them in a pile in the bushes or on thh grass.

Farnboro John · May 13, 2020

andyadcock said:
Away from direct sight of the light, opposite side of the building, they don't need to be in the fridge, preferably just dark.

As you say, it's just a buffet for birds if you leave them in a pile in the bushes or on thh grass.

I'll try putting them out the front again. We have a big bed of Red Valerian there now, that might keep a lot of them happy there.

John

Britseye · May 13, 2020

John, I'd appreciate a shot or two of your garden just to help with my creative visualisation process, if you don't mind? Did you say Otters in the stream at the bottom of the garden or was that a friends house? I'm getting really impatient to get out and see some moths somewhere sometime though I haven't yet worked out where I'm going to base myself for the summer in the light of all the complications presently in operation. Might just have to sit and scroll through my own pics from the last three summers, the way things are going. Bah!

Farnboro John · May 13, 2020

Hi Graham, as it happens I put front and back shots on the Garden list thread for this year:

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=384988&page=19

Post 453 refers.

The back garden is 40 feet long by 20 wide. About six feet of the end is cut off by the brick-built shed. In front of the shed is a Buddleia, up the right side are three Hollies and a Weeping Cherry. The rest is fairly chaotic at the moment. Beyond the garden is Cove Brook with bushes, brambles and some trees forming a green corridor right through Cove from South to North (back garden faces North, the brook bends round the end of our road then returns to its normal route): beyond that again is Cove Manor school with a playing field. Sadly no Otters. Nearest I've seen one is Basingstoke Canal near Dogmersfield.

The front is mostly council-owned grass (at least they cut it) with a short shingle bed now taken over by (deliberately introduced) Red Valerian, and a smallish paving slab patio/front step. The foxes are fed on the grass, they will sometimes come as close as the edge of the step.

Hope this helps.

John

Britseye · May 13, 2020

Farnboro John said:
Hope this helps. John

Yes, thanks, mate. So not entirely different from my mother's suburban location in Washington, Tyne & Wear where I'm currently housed. I'm not going to buy a trap here, though. I'm imagining there's some Lime Hawkmoths out there somewhere nearby which I still (desperately) need but don't want to hassle the neighbours unnecessarily! The volunteer organisation Workaway I joined to go to Gambia has lots of locations in the south-west England countryside that I hope to head to once the National Express buses get going again. I've been very spoiled for a moth-ing location in recent years by summering on a 110-acre farm near Saltash, Cornwall. The old dears I worked for have now moved to a much smaller place in Devon and I don't want to be imposing upon them in the current situation.

You've got some warmer nights coming again soon and less moon. Do it for me, John. Do it for me!

Farnboro John · May 14, 2020

Cold clear night last night. Two Heart and Darts the only moths this morning.

Tomorrow's another day....

John

Farnboro John · May 15, 2020

Another clear night but a few more moths this morning: three species only though. 5 Heart and Darts, 4 Shuttle-shaped Darts and a Poplar Hawk-moth.

John

Farnboro John · May 16, 2020

Not much today, a Maiden's Blush, Small Magpie and 3 Shuttle-shaped Darts. I'm hoping for better tonight.

John

Some pictures from recent nights:

Buff Tip
Spectacle
Poplar Hawk-moth
Grey Dagger

Steve Lister · May 16, 2020

Very disappointed to get just two moths this morning but a Yellow-barred Brindle is NFY.

Like John, hoping for a better session tonight.

Steve

Jabberwocky · May 16, 2020

26 moths last night, 13 species. Most numerous was Scalloped Hazel with 4. New for year were Red Twin-spot Carpet(3), White Ermine(2) and evergestis forticalis, the only micro last night.
Temperature was down to 5 degrees and similar is forecast for tonight so I shall wait until tomorrow to try again.

Lew

Paul Chapman · May 17, 2020

I see that I've not been back here for a while!

6th May - 8 moths of 6 species with White Ermine new for year.

7th May - 13 moths of 12 species with Tawny Marbled Minor (technically minor species), Vine's Rustic, Bee Moth & Dark Arches new for the year.

8th May - 16 moths of 13 species with Coronet, Iron Prominent, Cydia pomnella, Least Black Arches & Green Carpet new for the year.

9th May - a remarkable 50 moths of 37 species with a dozen new for the year with highlights being Figure of Eighty, Lunar Marbled Brown, Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Dark Swordgrass, Red-green Carpet & Gynnidomorpha vectisana.

10th May - a blank.....

11th May - 5 moths of 5 species with Spectacle new for the year.

12th May - 11 moths of 8 species with nothing new but Silver Y & Poplar Hawkmoth were highlights.

13th May - 2 moths of 2 species.

14th May - 12 moths of 10 species with Silver-ground Carpet new for the year.

15th May - 11 moths of 9 species with Lime-speck Pug new for the year.

Elsewhere on patch, the likes of Mullein Wave, Freyer's Pug, Setaceous Hebrew Charcter, Burnet Companion, Treble-bar, Yellow-barred Brindle, etc...

A few pics - Coronet, Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Pebble Prominent, Iron Prominent & Dark Sword-grass.

All the best

Paul

Paul Chapman · May 17, 2020

A few more pics - Figure of Eighty, Lunar Marbled Brown, Spectacle, White Ermine & Red-green Carpet.

All the best

Paul

Paul Chapman · May 17, 2020

Final set of pics bringing things up to date - Gynnidomorpha vectisana, Bee Moth, Freyer's Pug, Lime-speck Pug & Cydia pomonella.

All the best

Paul

Andy Adcock · May 17, 2020

Last night I had two moths, my earliest ever Flame Carpet, by a whole month and the first Bright-line Brown-eye of the year. The previous night I had nothing and looking at Steve's catch as he is fairly close to me, as with all things, the South seems more prosperous

May/June Moths (2 Viewers)

Well-known member

Worst person on Birdforum

Attachments

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes

Well-known member

Worst person on Birdforum

Well-known member

Worst person on Birdforum

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Worst person on Birdforum

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread