June Moths (1 Viewer)

[Farnboro John]

Bumper night last night, 46 individuals of 27 species, 11 NFY - Small Elephant, Silver-ground Carpet, Willow Beauty, Common White Wave, Pale Prominent, Straw Dot, White Ermine, Grey/Dark Dagger, Coronet, Small Angle Shades & Clouded-bordered Brindle.
And I am now in a race with our local Blackbird to get to the moths on the wall first. Caught him in the act this morning, don't know how many he snaffled before I chased him away, but I do know that an 04:30 alarm is too late to beat him to it.

In my case its the Robin, Blue Tit and Great Tit. The Robin is smartest, he sits and watches as I identify and release. I'd put money on his brood making it.

John

 

[Andy Adcock]

In my case its the Robin, Blue Tit and Great Tit. The Robin is smartest, he sits and watches as I identify and release. I'd put money on his brood making it.

John

It's mentioned in various guidelines as 'good practice', that emptying your trap each day should be done with a view to not, providing an easy meal for birds. One of the ways suggested is to release moths at a different place each day because the birds do actually learn our behaviour and before long, they are sat waiting for you to arrive with their breakfast.

Another way would be to release your catch pre-dawn to give them a fighting chance of finding a good hidey hole before the birds awake.

 

[Farnboro John]

It's mentioned in various guidelines as 'good practice', that emptying your trap each day should be done with a view to not, providing an easy meal for birds. One of the ways suggested is to release moths at a different place each day because the birds do actually learn our behaviour and before long, they are sat waiting for you to arrive with their breakfast.

Another way would be to release your catch pre-dawn to give them a fighting chance of finding a good hidey hole before the birds awake.

Some of these people should try having a proper job that leaves you only a few minutes in the morning to carry out everything to do with the trap and living in a small terraced house with zero options for changing locations before they write unmanageable cock like that.

John

 

[Andy Adcock]

Some of these people should try having a proper job that leaves you only a few minutes in the morning to carry out everything to do with the trap and living in a small terraced house with zero options for changing locations before they write unmanageable cock like that.

John

Let 's say you discover a colony of a county rarity, yours is the only site and you catch them every night, they'll soon be an extinct, County rarity.

This is of course an extreme example but guidelines are given so as to not make a meal of any uncommon species you may catch and though many of us do, there is also one train of thought that we shouldn't trap, every night at the same location.

 

[KenM]

No chance of supplementing Poecile and Robin offspring here!
.....a single H&D plus...”drumroll” Maiden’s Blush not to mention the pug sp high on the wall!!!!

 

[Rubia]

10/06. I missed the 9th, due to dipping a bird (no names, no pack drill), when people locally reported a fantastic night. Last night was fairly average, I had nothing new for the garden, though I have got a couple of as yet un-Ided micros. NFY - 2 Elephant Hawks, Grey Pug, Homoeosoma sinnuella, Epinotia bilunana & Flame shoulder. 75 moths of 42 species.
Also NFY - Rustic, Ingrailed Clay, Pea Moth and Codling Moth.

 

[Andy Adcock]

A couple of year ticks amongst a very, routine catch, Sycamore and Small Dusty Wave

No chance of supplementing Poecile and Robin offspring here!
.....a single H&D plus...”drumroll” Maiden’s Blush not to mention the pug sp high on the wall!!!!

I had what I thought was a very interesting moth last night and it too, was out of reach. Neccessity being the mother of invention, aided and abetted by my OCD in being absolutely unable to not, try and catch it, lead to this contraption which proved to be successful, the moth was a very, very, tatty White Ermine.

It's a spirit level with a specimen pot on the end, the level wasn't long enough on it's own so I extended it with an old walking aid.

 

[Farnboro John]

Great improvisation! BTW, I rarely trap more than a couple of nights on the bounce due to life factors and weather, so I probably won't cause local extinctions. I release into cover so the birds do have to work at it!

Cheers

John

 

[Steve Lister]

Almost my best catch of the year this morning, with 21 moths of 11 species. Five new for the year = Epiblema foenella (a very smart micro and only my 2nd here , the first in 2006), Foxglove Pug, Clouded Silver, Willow Beauty and Middle-barred Minor.

Steve

 

[Surreybirder]

Great improvisation! BTW, I rarely trap more than a couple of nights on the bounce due to life factors and weather, so I probably won't cause local extinctions. I release into cover so the birds do have to work at it!

Cheers

John

Would it not be possible to keep the moths until dusk and then release them if you don't trap every night?

 

[Farnboro John]

Would it not be possible to keep the moths until dusk and then release them if you don't trap every night?

No, because they get id'd in place on the egg boxes and then immediately released into cover. I do not attempt to box up 50 or more moths and Marion would go ballistic if I tried to put them all in the fridge: one or two she is prepared to live with.

John

 

[Rubia]

I pot all my moths, no matter how great the number, and fridge them whenever I run till dawn. If I stop in the night they go to the front garden, so they can disperse. The fridged moths get released at least 100yds away into a hedge, one hour after dark. That way none go to feed birds and there is little risk of retrap, so they can get on with their sex lives and make more moths. And yes, I have a full time job plus am involved in other activities (leading wildlife walks, pheromone trapping beetles, wildlife surveying). But it can be done.

I've just caught a Lobster Moth, new for the garden, what a superb moth. The kind that makes a night brilliant.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Numbers remains steady at 20-30 moths per night comprising the usual stuff but my light has competition in the from of a streetlight which is a real nuisance.

New for the year last night, Common Footman, Lime-speck Pug and Willow Beauty.

 

[Farnboro John]

I pot all my moths, no matter how great the number, and fridge them whenever I run till dawn. If I stop in the night they go to the front garden, so they can disperse. The fridged moths get released at least 100yds away into a hedge, one hour after dark. That way none go to feed birds and there is little risk of retrap, so they can get on with their sex lives and make more moths. And yes, I have a full time job plus am involved in other activities (leading wildlife walks, pheromone trapping beetles, wildlife surveying). But it can be done.

I've just caught a Lobster Moth, new for the garden, what a superb moth. The kind that makes a night brilliant.

I'm sure that works for you but my moth trap is essentially a lobster pot - I put it out, go and do a load of other stuff and when I get up in the morning I clear it before work. Plus, and I want to emphasise this, the fridge - a small one in a small kitchen - is for human food (and chicken for foxes) and I have to remain on speaking terms with my wife......

Cheers

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Friday morning's catch of 13 spp included another three NFY: Maiden's Blush (2), Small Seraphim (ID courtesy of Andy) and Flame.

Numbers:

Shuttle-shaped Dart 3
Treble Lines 7
Heart and Dart 18
Pale Mottled Willow 3
Turnip 2
Vines Rustic 4

There was also a moth I have so far failed to identify. It's in the fridge, along with another that to me looks the same, caught on Saturday morning (Sunday I'll be out from early so no trap tonight). I'll post photos under ID later.

Moving swiftly on to Saturday morning, 63 moths of 19 spp, four NFY: Small Clouded Brindle, Tawny-barred Angle, Common Pug and Riband Wave.

Numbers:

Sycamore 2
Heart and Dart 29
Treble Lines 8
Shuttle-shaped Dart 5
Poplar Grey 3

Cheers

John

 

[Andy Adcock]

I'm sure that works for you but my moth trap is essentially a lobster pot - I put it out, go and do a load of other stuff and when I get up in the morning I clear it before work. Plus, and I want to emphasise this, the fridge - a small one in a small kitchen - is for human food (and chicken for foxes) and I have to remain on speaking terms with my wife......

Cheers

John

Imagine the size of fridge and kitchen you could have had if you hadn't blown all that money on twitching

 

[Farnboro John]

Imagine the size of fridge and kitchen you could have had if you hadn't blown all that money on twitching

Imagine the wife I could have had....

 

[Andy Adcock]

Imagine the wife I could have had....

You've done well to keep it to one (?), most of us haven't, the 'marriable' ones that is

 

[Rubia]

11/06. 59 moths of 28 species. It was an extremely disappointing night overall (I was up there till 3am, mostly working on data input with trips out to check the wall), and it was only saved by the wonderfulness of that fresh and perfect Lobster.
NFY - Turnip, Marbled Minor and Bright-line Brown-eye.
Off to look for Grey Carpet in the Brecks shortly, though I have only a limited plan so mostly a random hunt.

 

[Steve Lister]

Almost doubled my best catch of the year today, with 41 moths of 14 species. NFY were a Small Ranunculus, Mottled Pug (2) and what I will call Tawny Marbled Minor. 13 Heart+Darts, 5 Garden Carpets and 5 Common Pugs made up the bulk of the catch.