Moths of July 2010 (1 Viewer)

Oleander · Jul 10, 2010

Last night was good with about 100 moths and a few new for the year. Garden Tiger was a nice surprise and that plus another new was the only ones I got any photos of.

I have very much trouble when it comes to photo moths and would like some help. It doesn't matter if I have the moths in the fridge all day long or have them in the freezer. The freezer either makes them super active or kills them. Now when it is this hot outside they start to warm up their wings as soon as I step outside the door.

I have no good place to photo them either. I want to have a natural light , but in shadow the pictures get kind of dull and in sunlight they get too bright so you can't see the true colours of the moths.

Do you have any tips for me to be able to get some good shots of my moths?

Surreybirder · Jul 10, 2010

Oleander said:
Last night was good with about 100 moths and a few new for the year. Garden Tiger was a nice surprise and that plus another new was the only ones I got any photos of.

I have very much trouble when it comes to photo moths and would like some help. It doesn't matter if I have the moths in the fridge all day long or have them in the freezer. The freezer either makes them super active or kills them. Now when it is this hot outside they start to warm up their wings as soon as I step outside the door.

I have no good place to photo them either. I want to have a natural light , but in shadow the pictures get kind of dull and in sunlight they get too bright so you can't see the true colours of the moths.

Do you have any tips for me to be able to get some good shots of my moths?

It might be good to start a 'sticky' on moth photography. I have learnt a bit by trial and error. I'm not much of a photographer but I'd say that one of the most important things is to try and photo them as early in the day as possible before they warm up too much. I also try and get a record shot of them in the egg tray or in the pot before I pose them on a leaf as I've lost quite a few in the process of transferring them.
I try and avoid using flash because it can burn out the colours... but if I have to, I put a transluscent screen between the flash and the moth to disperse the light. If it comes out a bit dark I can lighten it on the computer. I take the photos in our conservatory - that way I can usually recatch any that escape even if I have to wait till dark. Of course, the spiders always get a few but I don't know a fool-proof method.
I agree, direct sun-light isn't usually very good. Perhaps you need to build a garden shed with plenty of windows so you can have daylight and shade at the same time!?
I think there are some good pieces on techniques on the www although some of them are far too technical for me!
Ken

dantheman · Jul 10, 2010

Oleander said:
The freezer either makes them super active or kills them.

Awkward, depending on size of moth/species ... I wait until they've keeled over (a couple of minutes or more) and you then usually have a few minutes before they come around ... not sure if any permanent damage occurs though. And you have to hope the phone doesn't ring or something and you forget all about them whilst they're in there ...

Surreybirder · Jul 10, 2010

I got a few new for year last night - various micros that I'm struggling with plus V-pug and dun-bar. There seem to be a lot of swallow-tailed moths around my garden at the moment. But quite a few of the other species are getting very worn. I guess they survive longer in this hot weather - and the rate of emergence of new moths becomes less (you seem to get most when a warm day follows a period of cool/wet weather).
My county recorder has sent a message round saying that he'll only accept rustics and uncertains that are dissected - so I have kept one from last night to see what he makes of it.
Ken

Surreybirder · Jul 10, 2010

dantheman said:
Awkward, depending on size of moth/species ... I wait until they've keeled over (a couple of minutes or more) and you then usually have a few minutes before they come around ... not sure if any permanent damage occurs though. And you have to hope the phone doesn't ring or something and you forget all about them whilst they're in there ...

Don't they tend to look rather unnatural when they are half-frozen?

dantheman · Jul 10, 2010

Surreybirder said:
Don't they tend to look rather unnatural when they are half-frozen?

Oops. Might be talking about different things ... I'm referring more to those awkward ones which need a good look at the underwing etc, rather than for photos per se, although I've been trying to get pics of the underwing for my own benefit. And touching on the ethics of moth trapping/handling here. Which also probably needs its own thread!!

antshrike69 · Jul 10, 2010

Lots of moths here last night included my second Dingy Shell and Silky Wainscot - both different individuals to the singles recorded of each species the night before which is quite odd.

NFG (four so far):

Elachista maculicerusella
Batrachedra praeangusta
Conobathra repandana
Scarce Silver-lines

Plus the usual Privet, Lime and Poplar Hawks. I also had a Pebble Prominent - prominent numbers are much lower this year than 2009 here.

SveinB · Jul 10, 2010

Surreybirder said:
It might be good to start a 'sticky' on moth photography............
Ken

I agree.

Svein B

Tri-Counties Birder · Jul 10, 2010

A good night last night at one ot the best examples of chalk grassland in the country - Box Hill. I had to leave early, but I still got three brand new species, as well as some scarce species such as Kent Black Arches. The new ones were Shaded Pug and Small Purple-barred, as well as two pug which look very much like Triple-spotted - a Surrey rarity, they will need to be gen. deted.

Good Mothing

antshrike69 · Jul 11, 2010

Nice work Sean! Love the Small Purple-barred.

It was much cooler here last night and numbers were down considerably. One new macro for the garden list however - Brown Scallop.

The two highlights were both non-moth. The first was a commotion amongst the blackbirds, including the recent fledglings (reared and fattened on moths I might add) - investigation revealed a Tawny Owl sat in the tree next to one of the Robinsons. My first visual garden record for years.

The other highlight was this monster Brown Hawker which came as a bit of a shock when I removed the egg box overlying it.

SveinB · Jul 11, 2010

A few photos of moths from the last week

Brown-line Bright-eye
Gold Spangle
Ghost Moth (male)
Map-winged Swift
Eana argentana

Photos in order as listed above

Svein B

antshrike69 · Jul 11, 2010

I've just had my first Lesser Wax Moth during a hive inspection in the garden. Only the 3rd county record but surely massively under-recorded.

Surreybirder · Jul 11, 2010

antshrike69 said:
I during a hive inspection ...

Now that's what I call dedication! o

I had a reasonable catch in a short session last night. Following sp new for year:
yellow-tail
buff arches
July highflyer
brown scallop (different from one shown above - I think mine must have been males)
scarce footman (didn't get this at all last year!)
marbled white-spot
Eucosma cana (tbc)
drinker
small fan-footed wave

plus various other micros - some of which will need dissection.
I had my third ever small angle-shades but more colourful than others I've had. In fact to start with I thought it might be something rarer.
A few pix below:
Ken

Surreybirder · Jul 11, 2010

Just netted a Hedya salicella in the garden - another year tick.
Ken

Oleander · Jul 11, 2010

I'm kind of tired of going through every moth in the trap, so I just recorded the new or interesting ones from last night:

2 Poplar Hawk-moth (one female which is now in a container with some aspen leaves)
1 Brunished Brass
1 Garden Tiger
1 Boarmie Tiger [nfy]
1 Satin Lutestring [nfy] (ID-forum)
1 Small Angle Shades
1 Coronet sp. [ID-forum]

The Garden Tiger didn't come to the trap, I actually netted it at the meadow near my garden. As soon as I stepped out on the meadow (at about 2am, with net and pot) I heard something underneath a sallow tree, checked it out and saw two Garden Tigers. I only got one, the other one flew off.

I am very excited about the Poplar Hawk-moth. My Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillars are fine and have been growing a lot, and I hope I can bring both species to the adult stage!

Tri-Counties Birder · Jul 11, 2010

Oleander said:
I'm kind of tired of going through every moth in the trap, so I just recorded the new or interesting ones from last night:

2 Poplar Hawk-moth (one female which is now in a container with some aspen leaves)
1 Brunished Brass
1 Garden Tiger
1 Boarmie Tiger [nfy]
1 Satin Lutestring [nfy] (ID-forum)
1 Small Angle Shades
1 Coronet sp. [ID-forum]

The Garden Tiger didn't come to the trap, I actually netted it at the meadow near my garden. As soon as I stepped out on the meadow (at about 2am, with net and pot) I heard something underneath a sallow tree, checked it out and saw two Garden Tigers. I only got one, the other one flew off.

I am very excited about the Poplar Hawk-moth. My Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillars are fine and have been growing a lot, and I hope I can bring both species to the adult stage!

Excuse my ignorance, but whats a Boarmie Tiger? Is it a typo?

Oleander · Jul 11, 2010

Hi, Sean!

John (Reader) ID'd it for me last year apparently:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=143324&page=10&highlight=boarmie

Arichanna melanaria is its scientific name, but I can't find anything about a Boarmie Tiger. It must have been some kind of misunderstanding last year.

billsbirding · Jul 11, 2010

My last few traps have been quite calm, with relitively low numbers (not counting the 100 odd Water Veneer in the trap!). New moths for the garden are Black Arches (aka Smiley face moth ), Blackneck, V-Pug, Small Seraphim, Mottled Beauty and a number of micros including Wax Moth and Catoptria falsella.

antshrike69 · Jul 11, 2010

Surreybirder said:
Now that's what I call dedication! o

Ken

:-O I've just started beekeeping this year and have two small colonies of bees. Our mentor visited today to check the hives were ok. We opened the first and I spotted the moth on one of the wax frames. He immediately squashed it. When I told him the significance he was very apologetic and more than a little bemused! I suspect both species of Wax Moth will be unwelcome in the garden after the first record of each...
Still it was number 550 for the garden list!

antshrike69 · Jul 11, 2010

billsbirding said:
My last few traps have been quite calm, with relitively low numbers (not counting the 100 odd Water Veneer in the trap!).

I know what you mean! They've been emerging from our pond in numbers over the last week or two, although I generally find them fluttering in the grass around the trap - they seem weedy little moths and very few make it into the trap itself.

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