Moths of April 2010 (1 Viewer)

[davidg]

Got the trap out at the moment, with a possible Pale Mottled Willow and Common Pug inside. I usually take photos of the moths in the trap, but I have heard somewhere on here that if you store them in the fridge it will keep them calm. Won't it kill a small pug, and is 3C an ok temperature or is that too cold? ... Also, if I put them in those urine sample size containers will they have enough oxygen to survive the night? ... I don't like killing moths

A few hours in the fridge won't cause any harm. Be aware though that this doesn't seem to do the trick for all moths - lots of geometers calm down whilst in the fridge but when taken out wake up very quickly and are more active than ever. A puff of gas (CO2) will do the trick and is also harmless.

David

 

[Surreybirder]

I don't keep them in the fridge - I just keep them in pots and then photo them in the a.m.
first lunar marbled browns of the year last night.
Ken

 

[antshrike69]

David's right - geometers often seem to be very excitable after being in the fridge and can get very hyperactive after.
How do you use CO2 David?
It was busier here last night than the previous evenings, but still quiet.
NFY were Brimstone, Garden Carpet and the first Caloptila of the year.

 

[socksitis]

What a night!
Had some 74 moths plus two in the fridge
12 Hebrew Character
2 Angle Shades
7 Chestnut
3 Small Quaker
18 Mottled Grey
4 Common Quaker
1 Lead Coloured Drab
4 Red Chestnut
1 Flame Shoulder
1 Brindled Beauty
1 Engrailed NFY
2 Twin Spotted Quaker NFY
5 Early Thorn
2 Dark Sword Grass NFY
2 Clouded Drab
1 Water Carpet
2 Grey Shoulder Knot NFY
3 early Grey
1 Common Pug NFY

 

[THE WANDERER]

Small catch last night but included my first Chocolate-tip (a real beauty), 2 Streamers and Pale Mottled willow (NFY)

 

[antshrike69]

Small catch last night but included my first Chocolate-tip (a real beauty)

One of my favourite moths!

 

[Tri-Counties Birder]

My first decent catch for some time last night included one new for garden, as well as two new for the year, also a quite surprising catch of Brindled Pugs:

17 Brindled Pug
11 Common Quaker
9 Hebrew Character
4 Clouded Drab
1 Powdered Quaker
1 Small Quaker
1 Nut-tree Tussock NFY
1 Iron Prominent NFY
1 Brindled Beauty NFG

Also, a Twenty-plume Moth and two black burrying beetles.

 

[sacha]

My first decent catch for some time last night included one new for garden, as well as two new for the year, also a quite surprising catch of Brindled Pugs:

.

That is a lot of Brindled Pugs!

I didn't get that many moths last night but it include a new one for me (Streamer)

Streamer x1 NFG
Hebrew Character x6
Com Quaker x2
Small Quaker x1
Frosted Green x1 NFY
Brindled Beauty x3
Grey Shoulder Knot x1
Early Grey x1

Sacha

 

[davidg]

How do you use CO2 David?

Hi Jonathan,

Somewhere on BirdForum there is a thread about this, but damned if I can find it!

There's a nifty little gadget called a Sparklets Corkmaster which is like a large hypodermic syringe in which you can fit a small CO2 cylinder. The idea is to stick it through the cork in a bottle of wine, inject CO2 under pressure and eject the cork. Used a little more gently the thing can be used to puff a bit of CO2 over a moth and anaesthetise it for long enough to examine it and/or take some photos.

The corkmaster and CO2 cartridges are available on Ebay for just a few pounds - search for 'sparklets'.

David

 

[joshjenkinsshaw]

Hi Jonathan,

Somewhere on BirdForum there is a thread about this, but damned if I can find it!

There's a nifty little gadget called a Sparklets Corkmaster which is like a large hypodermic syringe in which you can fit a small CO2 cylinder. The idea is to stick it through the cork in a bottle of wine, inject CO2 under pressure and eject the cork. Used a little more gently the thing can be used to puff a bit of CO2 over a moth and anaesthetise it for long enough to examine it and/or take some photos.

The corkmaster and CO2 cartridges are available on Ebay for just a few pounds - search for 'sparklets'.

David

Could this be it David? http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=149067

 

[davidg]

No, this was it: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=150954&referrerid=962

I found it by searching for 'sparklets'!

David

 

[Bennyboymothman]

Grey Birch was a new Moth for me tonight, a local species here in Essex, trapped in mature birch and oak Woodland.

 

[antshrike69]

Hi Jonathan,
There's a nifty little gadget called a Sparklets Corkmaster which is like a large hypodermic syringe in which you can fit a small CO2 cylinder.

The corkmaster and CO2 cartridges are available on Ebay for just a few pounds - search for 'sparklets'.

David

Thanks David - I always wondered how you got such good pics of micros when half mine escape

Last night here was low on numbers but high on quality.
Highlights:

Argyrotaenia ljungiana 2 NFY
Purple Thorn male - very fresh and a beautiful individual
Lunar Marbled Brown NFG - nice newly-emerged male
Lime Hawk Moth - NFY first hawk of the year and a pristine male to boot

 

[Surreybirder]

A bit better last night with intermittent cloud cover. I had three new for year:
Alucita hexadactyla
Eriocrania subpurpurella
nut-tree tussock
Ken

 

[Oleander]

Haven't gone through my catch yet, but it was a great night. Some kind of Thorn sat on one of the eggboxes, new species. And a lot of other moths, but I missed out on a lot too. When I turned the trap off at around 7.30 am I found moth wings all over the lawn, and when I picked some up to see what species they were I think I found a forewing of a Scarce Prominent. I lost if before I came up with the idea to photo it...

I got to get up earlier in the morning! :-C

 

[Bennyboymothman]

That's a shame! i'd get up waaay earlier than that if you don't want to miss out on more Moths!
Currently getting up at about 5.20am here in the UK.

 

[Marcus Lawson]

I had a very good weekend as I got up early on Saturday morning to visit Sissinghurst castle where a couple of friends run multiple traps, highlights for me were:
Powdered Quaker 2
Brindled Beauty 2
Lead-coloured Drab 1
Streamer 1
Nut-tree Tussock 2

Sadly in my haste to get there I forgot my camera :-C but thankfully I took it with me on Sunday when they had left three moths in pots for me to have a look at, which were:
Herald
Scalloped Hook-tip
Scarce Prominent

My garden trap in Paddock Wood had the following on Sunday morning:
Pale Tussock 1 (stunner B )
Brimstone 1
Hebrew Character 6
Powdered Quaker 1
Clouded Drab 1

Monday morning:
Hebrew Character 2
Powdered Quaker 1
Early Thorn 1

Lots of photos on the blog linked below.

 

[Oleander]

Haven't gone through my catch yet, but it was a great night. Some kind of Thorn sat on one of the eggboxes, new species. And a lot of other moths, but I missed out on a lot too. When I turned the trap off at around 7.30 am I found moth wings all over the lawn, and when I picked some up to see what species they were I think I found a forewing of a Scarce Prominent. I lost if before I came up with the idea to photo it...

I got to get up earlier in the morning! :-C

I think I managed to ID all the moths (some flew away, they were very warm) and I got one new for the year.

36 Hebrew Character
24 Chestnut
10 Early Grey
9 Pine Beauty
9 Common Quaker
6 Oak Beauty
6 Small Quaker
5 Clouded Drab
3 Early Thorn [nfy]
2 Red Chestnut
1 Lead-coloured Drab

I don't know if I ID'd the Thorns right, but I have attached a photo. Can someone correct me if I am wrong?

Also attached a micro, if someone is interested in ID

 

[rob lee]

Looks like Semioscopis steinkellneriana.

 

[Oleander]

Looks like Semioscopis steinkellneriana.

Thanks Rob