Monday 27 June 2016

Dusky Brocade


Dusky Brocade - yet another common species that has somehow managed to steer clear of my trap until now!
 
As well as my first ever Dusky Brocade last night, the trap contained the following species - Foxglove Pug, Green Pug, Grey Pug, Common Pug, Riband Wave, Common Emerald, Snout, Ruddy Carpet, Yellow Shell, Common Marbled Carpet, Small Fan-foot, Elephant Hawkmoth, Eyed Hawkmoth, Heart and Dart, Heart and Club, Dark Arches, Common Wainscot, Smoky Wainscot, L-album Wainscot, White Ermine, Buff Ermine, Flame, Minor Agg, Buff Arches, Bright-line Brown-eye, Uncertain, Small Square-spot, Clouded Silver and Silver Y. A number of 'micros' were also trapped but, true to form, I couldn't identify most of them! Those photographed below are a work in progress.
 
 
Dark Arches


Barred Marble Celypha striana


Micro sp


Micro sp


Micro sp


Olive Pearl Udea olivalis


Large White Plume Moth


Silver Y - the only immigrant species trapped last night


Smoky Wainscot


L-album Wainscot - the second in two nights


Common Wainscot

Sunday 26 June 2016

Awkward Pug


Ingrailed Clay
 
Conditions didn't look too great when I set the trap last night but there was a decent collection of moths inside it this morning. Species included Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Eyed Hawkmoth, Lime-speck Pug, Grey Pug, Green Pug, Double-striped Pug, Common Wave, Riband Wave, Cinnabar, Peppered Moth, Snout, Yellow Shell, Heart and Dart, Spectacle, Minor Agg, Heart and Club, Ingrailed Clay, Buff Arches, Peach Blossom, Flame, Bright-line Brown-eye, Flame Shoulder, Dark Arches, L-album Wainscot, Smoky Wainscot, Buff Ermine, Barred Straw, Straw Dot, Bramble-shoot Moth, Small Magpie, Long-horned Flat-body, Meadow Grey, Common Plume and Beautiful Plume.
A brief look off Mudbank on this morning's rising tide produced 5+ Sandwich Terns, 1 Common Tern and an adult Mediterranean Gull amongst c50+ Black-headed Gulls.


This is probably just a Wormwood Pug (male?) but it doesn't quite tally with my memories (and photos) of last year's Wormwood Pugs which seemed much more fat-bodied (females?) and rested with the forewings angled subtly differently (see below). The wings of this pug had a more bleached-out/straw colouration thus raising the possibility of Bleached Pug, but it lacks any black-dotted cross lines and I think the wings are just too narrow. If anyone knows this species I'd appreciate some help.


Wormwood Pug photographed last summer.


Burdock Conch (Aethes rubigana) or Thistle Conch (Aethes cnicana)


Cochylis sp?


Long-horned Flat-body - Carcina quercana


Notocelia sp?


Micro sp


Beautiful Plume


Yellow Shell


L-album Wainscot - a largely coastal species, confined to the southern counties of England. I've trapped quite a few of these beautifully-marked moths but I never get bored of seeing them.

Friday 24 June 2016

Arctic Skuas


Micro sp - Gore Lane - markings-wise this could be Notocelia incarnatana but there's no pink flush so I'm not sure. Ideas welcome.
 
I had a quick look off Maer Rocks after work this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised at the number of birds around - 26+ Sandwich Terns, 1 Common Tern, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, c15+ Manx Shearwaters and, best of all, 2 dark phase Arctic Skuas doing what Arctic Skuas do - chasing terns. These are the first Arctic Skuas I've had in Exmouth this year. I had a mooch along Gore Lane afterwards and discovered good numbers of Wood Carpet along with 3 Painted Ladies and a few other common species. It was also good to see a Kestrel - the first one I've seen on Orcombe this year and hopefully a sign that breeding has taken place nearby.


Wood Carpet - several of these seen this afternoon along with smaller numbers of Common Carpet, Ruddy Carpet and Yellow Shell.


Common Marble - Celypha lacunana

Thursday 23 June 2016

More Moths


Barred Yellow
 
Another good night for moths with the trap pretty full again. Unfortunately I slept for longer than I'd anticipated so I had to go through the moths quickly before work. The species list included Eyed Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth (6), Figure of Eighty, Light Emerald, Peppered Moth, Haworth's Pug, Lime-speck Pug, Grey Pug, Green Pug, Common Pug, Riband Wave, Barred Yellow, Purple Bar, Brussels Lace, Willow Beauty, Single-dotted Wave, Small Fan-foot, Small Dusty Wave, Common Marbled Carpet, Brimstone, Common Carpet, Silver Y (3), Snout, Angle Shades, Cream-bordered Green Pea, Burnished Brass, Vine's Rustic, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Peach Blossom, Buff Arches, Heart and Dart, Dark Arches, Heart and Club, Minor Agg, Flame, Bright-line Brown-eye, Mottled Rustic, Straw Dot, Blood-vein, Small Square-spot, Clouded Silver, Clouded Border, Buff-tip and Smoky Wainscot. Also noted were good numbers of 'micros' but I've got to do some work on them. Amongst the familiar ones were Small Magpie, Garden Pebble, Bramble-shoot Moth, Diamond-back Moth and Codling Moth.


Cream-bordered Green Pea


Little Grey - Eudonia lacustrata.


Micro sp - a distinctive one and one that is totally unfamiliar so it might be a scarce one. Any thoughts much appreciated - Edit - Phtheochroa inopiana - many thanks to Ben Sale for ID.


Elm Button - Acleris kochiella


Meadow Grey - Scoparia pyralella


Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix?


Haworth's Pug


Codling Moth


Micro sp


Southern Bell - Crocidosema plebejana - a regularly-trapped species.


Micro sp


Light Emerald


Burnished Brass - a simply stunning moth and one I never tire of seeing.

Tuesday 21 June 2016

Today's Moths


July Highflyer
 
The moth trap was stacked full of common species last night (assuming none of the unidentified micros were rare). The haul included masses of Heart and Dart, Heart and Club, Dark Sword-grass, Dark Arches, Buff Arches, Peach Blossom, Minor Agg, Flame, Flame Shoulder, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Bright -line Brown-eye, Vine's Rustic, Mottled Rustic, White Ermine, Purple Bar, Common Marbled Carpet, July Highflyer, Yellow-barred Brindle, Straw Dot, Green Pug, Double-striped Pug, Grey Pug, Willow Beauty, Small Magpie, Bramble Shoot Moth, Elephant Hawkmoth (3), Eyed Hawkmoth (2), Blood-vein, Small Blood-vein, Beautiful Hook-tip, Lunar Thorn, Single-dotted Wave, Small Dusty Wave, Small Fan-foot, Snout, Small Square-spot, Clouded Silver and Clouded Border.
A quick search of the hedgerows along Gore Lane this afternoon revealed my first ever Wood Carpets (2), a Silver Ground Carpet, 2 Ruddy Carpets, a couple Painted Ladies and a Red Admiral.
On the bird front there was a single Black-tailed Godwit off Mudbank early this morning, a dozen Bar-tailed Godwits this evening and yesterday evening I counted 28 Sandwich Terns off there - a notable increase.


Beautiful Hook-tip


Bramble Shoot Moth - one of the few micro species I can recognise.


Lunar Thorn


Brown Elm Bell - Epinotia abbreviana


A micro 'micro' - any help with identification would be greatly appreciated.


Minor Agg


If Carlsberg did moths...................Buff Arches


A member of the Depressariidae or 'Flat-body' family. Any ideas?
Edit - presumed Coastal Flat-body Agnopterix yeatiana - thanks Nick.


The gorgeous Peach Blossom


This Dark Sword-grass and a single Diamond-back were the only immigrants trapped last night.


Ruddy Carpet - Gore Lane - a beautiful and quite scarce species.


The first of 2 Wood Carpets


The second of 2 Wood Carpets found this afternoon. A brand new moth for me. Compare with the main confusion species - Common Carpet (below), photographed on June 2nd this year, also on Gore Lane.