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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

August moths (1 Viewer)

A good night for me last night, although nothing like the scale of thread 19...an excellent haul by anybody's standards! (fingers x'd that I might get another one this year).

Circa 20 plus species to include Iron and Coxcomb Prominents, 5 Brimstones, (5 Hornets all moribund this am)+ 2 Lifers...Pyrausta aurata and Gypsy Moth

Cheers
 

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James Hunter said:
In the last week I've been invaded by Jersey Tigers: largest count was 182 in one night - the photo shows around 90 in view before I opened the trap.

The Gold Spot is from Wicken Fen and the Epinotia ramella was NFG last night

Regards

James
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An incredible number of Jersey Tigers. I've seen a handful around London this season. Where in the UK was this James?
 
aeshna5 said:
An incredible number of Jersey Tigers. I've seen a handful around London this season. Where in the UK was this James?
Click to expand...

Dartford Kent - my garden is 100 yards from Dartford Heath

To answer Mark's query my trap is a skinner trap using 2 x 30w actinic tubes - they are mounted on a wooden baton - you can see the clips in the picture.

in 18 months at my current address I've had 450+ species to this trap

Regards

James

ps only 65 Jersey Tigers last night!
 
Thanks James, I can see the setup now you've explained it. However, I wonder if the baton helps retain more moths in the trap? I have a very similar trap but the two tubes are vertical and slotted-in at the sides with nothing beneath. As the light then shines into the trap, are moths actually drawn back out I wonder?
 
KenM said:
A good night for me last night, although nothing like the scale of thread 19...an excellent haul by anybody's standards! (fingers x'd that I might get another one this year).
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On the heels of my previous post.....''The Gods have Answered'' :eek!:
 

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I work at our local airport and found plenty of Rush Veneers and Silver Ys in the passenger walkways yesterday. ( They were attracted to the lights, they hadn't flown in from Alicante.) Had high hopes when I put the trap out last night but a pretty ordinary night with just a single migrant, a Diamond-back Moth, amongst the 24 species.

Reached 4000 moths for the year though. How many of you count every moth or do you just count the species? I've never really had the time before but this year I've meticulously recorded every one. It's probably more important to record the fluctuations in the common local moth populations than record the rarities for your garden. Would you agree?
 
smokenack said:
Reached 4000 moths for the year though. How many of you count every moth or do you just count the species? I've never really had the time before but this year I've meticulously recorded every one. It's probably more important to record the fluctuations in the common local moth populations than record the rarities for your garden. Would you agree?
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I'm afraid I'm ''lapsed'' on the counting! However I agree that from a stats. perspective you are making an ''historical'' contribution to the local record book, and as such, this should be deemed worthwhile.

However, FWIW I wouldn't make a distinction between ''regular and rare'', as species fluctuate over time, expanding and contracting...as they do.

Cheers
 
KenM said:
However, FWIW I wouldn't make a distinction between ''regular and rare'', as species fluctuate over time, expanding and contracting...as they do.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I don't know about that Ken. I have species that I consider my regular, resident moths such as Heart and Dart, Willow Beauty, Riband Wave etc and then there are other species that I have recorded just once or twice including 'rarities' such as Dewick's Plusia, Clancy's Rustic, Plumed Fan-foot etc. These are just wanderers that happened to be attracted to my light as they passed by. The regular locals live around here. The rarities though interesting and exciting don't count in any way in demonstrating how the local moth poulations are doing but counting the individual 'common' species does. Mind you this year it seems as if Plumed Fan-foot may be becoming one of my residents.

One of the best nights of the year last night, 208 moths of 53 species, 2 NFG with one tortrix still to ID.
 
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smokenack said:
I work at our local airport and found plenty of Rush Veneers and Silver Ys in the passenger walkways yesterday. ( They were attracted to the lights, they hadn't flown in from Alicante.) Had high hopes when I put the trap out last night but a pretty ordinary night with just a single migrant, a Diamond-back Moth, amongst the 24 species.

Reached 4000 moths for the year though. How many of you count every moth or do you just count the species? I've never really had the time before but this year I've meticulously recorded every one. It's probably more important to record the fluctuations in the common local moth populations than record the rarities for your garden. Would you agree?
Click to expand...

I do try to count, certainly the macros, must confess to being a bit lax on the micros when I'm in a hurry (ie any weekday!). However, I've never tried to add up how many moths I've seen in total - I guess it would only be relevant for comparison if divided by the number of nights' trapping it covers?
 
I record all my trapping sessions on spread sheets which makes it easy to keep a record of totals etc. It also makes it easy to compare year for year. For example I have only recorded Prays fraxinella twice, once on 20.08.10 and again last night 20.08.15. These comparisons interest me. The 2010 record was of the dark form, is this considered a distinct species nowadays?
 
I can also at the click of the mouse tell that Epiphyas postvittana has been my commonest moth this year both by numbers counted and nights trapped, 428 on 51 nights. I'm not surprised by this but I am surprised that my 9th commonest moth so far this year by individuals counted is the Clay with 98. I like this sort of thing and yes I need to get out more.
 
MSA said:
I do try to count, certainly the macros, must confess to being a bit lax on the micros when I'm in a hurry (ie any weekday!). However, I've never tried to add up how many moths I've seen in total - I guess it would only be relevant for comparison if divided by the number of nights' trapping it covers?
Click to expand...

When trapping back in the UK I used to count everything but over here less so, in part due to the fact that surprisingly few moths turn up in anything other than singles. There are notable exceptions such as 40+ Hyles livornicoides in one session but in general whilst I can easily get 50+ species I suppose no more than five of them actually turn up in numbers greater than 1 and I virtually never get into double figures for a species so I now just make a note of any unusual numbers
 
From 310 moths of 58 species on Friday night to 30 moths of 16 species last night.

Does a day's heavy rain waterlog and kill the moths or do they just sit tight until they dry out?
 
smokenack said:
I record all my trapping sessions on spread sheets which makes it easy to keep a record of totals etc. It also makes it easy to compare year for year. For example I have only recorded Prays fraxinella twice, once on 20.08.10 and again last night 20.08.15. These comparisons interest me. The 2010 record was of the dark form, is this considered a distinct species nowadays?
Click to expand...

This is now known as Dark Ash Bud Moth (Prays ruficeps). I had this for first time this year and was totally stumped. I had to post it to a local online moth forum to get an ID as it's not illustrated in my guides, even as a distinct form.
Thought birding was bad enough for splitting!
 
Hi
Just to add a rider to this. I believe that ruficeps has been accepted in some parts of Europe for a number of years and it is possibly not the same as the dark form (rustica) of fraxinella but both species may occur in the UK.
Martin
 
Quite quiet lately. A few Rusty Dot Pearl, Dark Sword Grass and Silver Y being the only migrants and the first Yellow Belle last night since 2010. 5036 moths counted for the year now over 87 nights.
 
First time I have had the trap out for a week last night. 95 moths of 18 species. Best for me were single Tissue and Centre-barred sallow, both only my second ever.

Four Old Ladies was odd - usually I only catch odd ones each year but this month I have caught at least one every time the trap has been out.

Steve
 
Our third (or fourth) patch record of Jersey Tiger to my garden trap overnight. We have had three and there is an additional record for the patch in the county atlas seen by others.

Our second was also this year by day at some allotments in Clevedon earlier in the month. It colonised South Somerset during the last decade quite successfully and is plainly heading north.

All the best
 
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honeym said:
Hi
Just to add a rider to this. I believe that ruficeps has been accepted in some parts of Europe for a number of years and it is possibly not the same as the dark form (rustica) of fraxinella but both species may occur in the UK.
Martin
Click to expand...

I consider that I have had both forms of fraxinella and ruficeps locally. Not all dark fraxinella types on my patch are ruficeps certainly.

All the best
 
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