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

August Moths (1 Viewer)

Definitely an error or a glitch ... anyway, fun as it is, a bit of side-track. Still 0, whereas there should be more than 77, if Mr Google is anything to go by in terms of relative abundance (Gaussian Temporal Distribution or not)?



Moth Trap List - I've always thought of it as some kind of scientific pursuit, although not allowing for weather or other variables, so probably really pointless to worry about it too much. Will probably keep 'moths encountered but not directly through trapping' as an extra (they tend to be random, as opposed to effort-related).
 
A lot quieter last night, cooler and windy. 71 moths of 28 species. Only new garden moth was Plain Wave (seems to have taken a while to get this given massive numbers of Ribands in the past), also a lifer. Only other decent moth was Yellow-barred Brindle.
I think of my list as a garden list but it includes anything on the property overall (including the bedroom ceiling).
My garden is moderate sized, weedy (I call it 'rewilded', I'm sure my neighbors don't though!) but immediately surrounded by agricultural land (a farm that sprays everything in sight) with small wooded areas not too far away. There is a small river in the valley below and a marshy area away to the north. Soil is clay with flints but chalky areas give rise to calcareous flora fairly close.
My vestal was very pale in colour, both the wing overall and the bars.
 
An interesting catch this morning, despite it being a lot cooler and windier than Friday night. Total 93 moths of 25 species.

Just two NFY, Red Underwing and Flounced Rustic, but the first four of the autumn brood of Vine's Rustic - much nicer moths than the Uncertains and Rustics that they replace.

LBB Yellow Underwings showed a big increase to ten but other YU species still very scarce compared to most years.

Steve
 
Steve Lister said:
An interesting catch this morning, despite it being a lot cooler and windier than Friday night. Total 93 moths of 25 species.

Just two NFY, Red Underwing and Flounced Rustic, but the first four of the autumn brood of Vine's Rustic - much nicer moths than the Uncertains and Rustics that they replace.

LBB Yellow Underwings showed a big increase to ten but other YU species still very scarce compared to most years.

Steve
Click to expand...

Here too Steve and I aslo realised I'm not seeing any Common Marbled Carpets, I think I've had two in total but none for weeks.
 
Rubia said:
I think of my list as a garden list but it includes anything on the property overall (including the bedroom ceiling).
My garden is moderate sized, weedy (I call it 'rewilded', I'm sure my neighbors don't though!) but immediately surrounded by agricultural land (a farm that sprays everything in sight) with small wooded areas not too far away. There is a small river in the valley below and a marshy area away to the north. Soil is clay with flints but chalky areas give rise to calcareous flora fairly close.
My vestal was very pale in colour, both the wing overall and the bars.
Click to expand...

Thanks, sounds like a good variety of habitat. Common Wainscot on the inside of the back door last night here.

9th August - checked c7:15, dry

42 of 17; 12 Flame Shoulder, 9 LYU, 5 Brimstone

Rosy Rustic (2) and Uncertain probably new. Should really get a spreadsheet or something going.
 
Only trapped till about one last night (this morning even), on account of forecast thunderstorms in the wee small hours that ultimately failed to materialise. Large Yellow Underwings still managed to get up to 31, with 7 Copper Underwing (agg if you insist, but each one I've taken a closer look at so far has been regular) and 6 Lesser Broad etc also chipping in numbers. Beautiful Hook-tip & Gold Spot among the highlights, but stealing the show was my first ever Black Arches! Nearly didn't get it, it landed on the back wall too high to reach and I had to grab a chair out of the kitchen to reach it.

Extra value was added as I closed the trap down and I had Dunlin calling overhead! Sounded like maybe 2 or 3, absolute garden mega-tick!
 

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dantheman said:
Thanks, sounds like a good variety of habitat. Common Wainscot on the inside of the back door last night here.

9th August - checked c7:15, dry

42 of 17; 12 Flame Shoulder, 9 LYU, 5 Brimstone

Rosy Rustic (2) and Uncertain probably new. Should really get a spreadsheet or something going.
Click to expand...

If you pm me an e-mail address, I'll send you the excel sheet I use.

What I tend to do as I've been trapping so long, is take last years list, copy it, change the date and remove all the old data, apart from the species information. This way, a typical catch for each month is always prtetty much represented and save re-entering it all.
 
Last night only produced one new garden moth - Rush Veneer. Total for the night was 200 moths of 46 species.
Of the 200, 60 were Common Wainscots (far to many, looking at each one drives you mad [not that I'm claiming sanity to start with]). Jersey Tigers slowly building at 9. First V-pug of year. Yellow-barred Brindle and Iron Prominent the two better moths. A female Gypsy Moth in with the males.
 
Pleased that the storms avoided Lufbra, even though I had to break off from emptying the trap due to a quick shower.

Highlight was my first Crescent in my long time here - did catch odd ones at the other end of town when my garden backed onto the Grand Union Canal. Also NFY were Canary-shouldered Thorn and Orange Swift, both of which I catch only occasionally, and Agriphila inquinatella.

Total 82 of 35 species.
 
Last night was big on numbers but thin on quality. 387 moths of 50 species. 158 Common Wainscot! 34 Jersey Tigers. Only new was a Buff Footman. 2 Orange Swift and a Tawny-barred Angle (both only seen once before).
 
Rubia said:
Last night was big on numbers but thin on quality. 387 moths of 50 species. 158 Common Wainscot! 34 Jersey Tigers. Only new was a Buff Footman. 2 Orange Swift and a Tawny-barred Angle (both only seen once before).
Click to expand...

How times change! Just a few years ago you'd have been leaping with excitement getting a Jersey Tiger. There are some phenomenal counts this year. Have been seeing it in the garden by day.
 
Another half-session on Tuesday night, with an impressive lightning show from about 11:00 encouraging me to shut things down around midnight. Pretty lively up till then, highlights included three Dusky Thorns, Iron Prominent, Flame & Common Carpets, Yellow Shell, July Highflyer, eight Copper Underwings (pale palps to the fore - they seem pretty chilled when they sit on the wall, and have been allowing me to lean in close with headtorch on to check this) and a couple each of Flame Shoulder and Double Square-spot. A fruitful night for new species too, with long expected Ruby Tiger, Square-spot Rustic, Cloaked Minor and three very dapper Blue-bordered Carpets. Also, one of the Copper Underwings was sporting dark palps with sharp whitish tips - Svensson's! All of the above was noted while keeping an eye on the trap before closing it down. The following morning the contents of the trap consisted of (drum-roll please)..... fifteen Large Yellow Underwings. Definitely worth a bit of proactive trapping in pots for the fridge the night before. (I even watched the Ruby Tiger go in, and then re-emerge a short time later. Fortunately I was ready for it!)
 

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JWN Andrewes said:
Another half-session on Tuesday night, with an impressive lightning show from about 11:00 encouraging me to shut things down around midnight. Pretty lively up till then, highlights included three Dusky Thorns, Iron Prominent, Flame & Common Carpets, Yellow Shell, July Highflyer, eight Copper Underwings (pale palps to the fore - they seem pretty chilled when they sit on the wall, and have been allowing me to lean in close with headtorch on to check this) and a couple each of Flame Shoulder and Double Square-spot. A fruitful night for new species too, with long expected Ruby Tiger, Square-spot Rustic, Cloaked Minor and three very dapper Blue-bordered Carpets. Also, one of the Copper Underwings was sporting dark palps with sharp whitish tips - Svensson's! All of the above was noted while keeping an eye on the trap before closing it down. The following morning the contents of the trap consisted of (drum-roll please)..... fifteen Large Yellow Underwings. Definitely worth a bit of proactive trapping in pots for the fridge the night before. (I even watched the Ruby Tiger go in, and then re-emerge a short time later. Fortunately I was ready for it!)
Click to expand...

This is a very unreliable feature, certainly wouldn't get accepted in Notts on that basis but yours does look like the Waring illustration too.
 
Last edited:
andyadcock said:
This is a very unreliable feature, certainly wouldn't get accepted in Notts on that basis but yours does look like the Waring illustration too.
Click to expand...

FWIW the underside of the underwing looked spot on too but I didn't get a pic of that. It also looked markedly different from all the ones with paler palps, much duskier, without the paler buff tones. I'll let the recorder do what he likes with it, but I'm having it! :t:
 
An interesting catch that kept me busy for a few hours this morning - largely due to none of my books showing Prays ruficeps, a new one for me.

All these rare migrants that I have hardly ever heard of are steering well-clear of Lufbra, just four Silver Ys and a single Diamond-backed.

NFY were a few micros and Small Square-spot.

Total 137 of 45 species, my highest of the year.
 
A good night for me in Herts with 4 garden ticks and a few other decent moths; pleasing as I was being disheartened by the vast number of common species in the last few days with few decent moths. New for garden - Marbled Beauty, Six-striped Rustic, Square-spot Rustic and (well chuffed with this one) Palpita vitrealis. The latter is very beautiful through a lens. A late Coronet. Also -Burnished Brass, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, 2 White-point, Purple Bar, Iron Prominent, Dusky Thorn, 2 Small Waved Umber. Total was 224 moths of 47 species. Big hits - 44 Common Wainscots and 27 Jersey Tigers. Giving tonight a miss as catching up, plus its been wet and thundery this evening.
 
andyadcock said:
If you pm me an e-mail address, I'll send you the excel sheet I use.

What I tend to do as I've been trapping so long, is take last years list, copy it, change the date and remove all the old data, apart from the species information. This way, a typical catch for each month is always prtetty much represented and save re-entering it all.
Click to expand...

Thanks Andy, will do.
 
It's just dawned on me how long it is since I updated on here. I have trapped most nights except the wettest ones.

3/8 to 6/8 I trapped every night but had low catches and nothing very interesting. 7/8 I had a presumed Birch Mocha (tentative advice, or so it seemed to me, from Paul).

8/8 was the night of the tiger, with my first ever Jersey Tiger spotted sitting on the trap through the window, and very quickly transferred into the fridge. I still only got a couple of photos before it whirred off the next day. A Maple Prominent was another nocturnal visitor gone the next morning. Other discoveries the next morning (that is the morning of 8/8!) were limited to NFY Straw Dot, Dusky Thorn and Square-spot Rustic.

10/8 yielded more NFY: Pebble Hook-tip, Flounced Rustic, Tawny-barred Angle and a male Gypsy Moth. Shuttle-shaped Darts hit 20.

11/8 numbers were down but a Lesser Swallow Prominent and a Pine Hawk-moth generated interest.

12/8 my first look in the morning revealed a massive brown moth on the trap wall - a Red Underwing, NFY and definitely appreciated. Even more so was a Cypress Pug which was a tick - yayy! 17 Tree-lichen Beauties were beaten by 20 Shuttles but well clear of 9 Large Yellow Underwings - though perhaps not on mass....

Today a V-pug was about the best of the bunch but 2 White Points were out of the ordinary.

I really look forward to the morning check these days!

John
 
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