Broom Moth

Broom Moth - my very first record of what is essentially a common moth. No idea why it's taken this long.

 

A large number of moths (330+ of at least 65 species) in the trap that took me a long time to process this morning. The only new species was Broom Moth and the only immigrants were 1 Silver Y and 2 Rusty-dot Pearl. The rest of the haul included 1 Eyed Hawkmoth, 2 Brimstone Moth, 1 Common Carpet, 82 Heart and Dart, 5 Mottled Rustic, 18 Small Magpie, 12 Riband Wave, 8 Common Marbled Carpet, 3 Double-striped Pug, 17 Snout, 1 Thistle Ermine, 6 Grey Pug, 9 Willow Beauty, 7 Small Fan-foot, 1 Elder Pearl, 3 Garden Carpet, 4 Clouded Border, 5 Buff Ermine, 1 Bee Moth, 15 Minor Agg, 3 Common Wave, 1 Spectacle, 2 Uncertain, 11 Bright-line Brown-eye, 1 Elephant Hawkmoth, 2 Clouded Silver, 3 Green Pug, 28 Dark Arches, 1 Coastal Pearl, 6 Straw Dot, 1 Fan-foot, 4 Treble Brown-spot, 1 Small Angle Shades, 3 Buff Arches, 1 Common Emerald, 1 Single-dotted Wave, 1 Haworth's Pug, 1 Common Pug, 1 Olive Pearl, 19 Flame, 10 Uncertain/Vines Agg, 1 Figure of Eighty, 1 Lime-speck Pug, 1 Least Black Arches, 1 Flame Shoulder, 1 Small Dusty Wave, 1 Ruddy Streak, 1 Grey Arches, 2 Small Seraphim, 2 Bramble-shoot Moth, 1 Dusky Brocade, 2 Heart and Club, 1 Middle-barred Minor, 2 Large Yellow Underwing, 1 Treble Lines, 1 Small Square-spot, 1 Blood-vein, 1 Southern Bell, 1 Little Grey, 1 Hoary Bell, 1 Peach Blossom, 1 Barred Straw and 1 Barred Marble.

Broom Moth

Small Angle Shades - one of my absolute favourites - a really beautiful little moth.

Treble Brown-spot - one of four trapped last night

An unusually plain Shuttle-shaped Dart

Hoary Bell - Eucosma cana

Dusky Brocade - compare with yesterday's - a less strongly marked individual.

Dunlin and Moths

 

Dunlin - between Mudbank and West Lodge - quite long-billed with rufous crown and quite bright orangey scaps - possible alpina or just schinzii?

 

A couple hours spent on East Budleigh and Bicton Commons this morning - good to search for insects with Nick. We found a few more Silver-studded Blues and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and saw Green Hairstreaks, Red Admirals, Speckled Woods and Small Heaths. Moths included July Belle, Grass Wave and Common Heath. Quiet bird-wise but both Dartford warbler and Whitethroat in song up there, with Redpolls and Siskins over.

The contents of the moth trap included 1 Brimstone, 2 Bright-line Brown-eye, 1 Rusty-dot Pearl, 1 Small Fan-foot, 1 Dusky Brocade, 3+ Vine's Rustic, 1 Barred Yellow, 8 Minor Agg, 1+ Common Pug, 1 Green Pug, 1 Bramble-shoot Moth, 1 Brussels Lace, 7 Small Magpie, 35 Heart and Dart, 1 Elder Pearl, 3 Riband Wave, 7 Dark Arches, 4 Buff Ermine, 13 Flame, 2 Small Dusty Wave, 1 Double-striped Pug, 4 Snout, 1 Heart and Club, 2 Common Marbled Carpet, 1 Buff Arches, 1 Smoky Wainscot, 1 Setaceous Hebrew Character, 1 Bee Moth, 1 Middle-barred Minor, 2 Willow Beauty, 2 Clouded Border, 2 Light Arches, 4 Mottled Rustic, 2 Flame Shoulder, 1 Marsh Grey, 1 Peppered Moth, 2 Bordered Straw, 1 Straw Dot, 1 Meadow Grey, 1 Diamond-back Moth and 1 Yellow-spot Tortrix.

 

Grass Wave - Bicton Common

Yellow Shell - between Mudbank and West Lodge

 

Six-spot Burnet - between Mudbank and West Lodge

 

Presumed Cochylis dubitana

Small Fan-foot

Brussels Lace

Yellow-spot Tortrix - Pseudargyrotoza conwagana

Micro sp

 

Dusky Brocade

Silver-studded Blues

Silver-studded Blue

 

I finally found some Silver-studded Blues today but not in the usual spots. They were in a lovely little secluded clearing on the edge of East Budleigh Common, along with decent numbers of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries. I got carried away trying to photograph them and lost track of time. Love it when that happens.

 

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Heather Knot-horn - Pempelia palumbella

Common June Moths

Clouded-bordered Brindle

 

Trapped in the garden last night - 1+ Foxglove Pug, 1 Cypress Carpet, 51 Heart and Dart, 1 Light Emerald, 6 Riband Wave, 5 Garden Carpet, 8 Small Magpie, 2 Figure of Eighty, 1 Grey Pug, 10 Flame, 3 Common Marbled Carpet, 1 Light Arches, 1 Blood-vein, 2 Clouded Border, 1 Cinnabar, 8 Snout, 2 Straw Dot, 1 Lime-speck Pug, 3 Willow Beauty, 1 Small Dusty Wave, 1 Uncertain, 1 Bee Moth, 5 Minor Agg, 1 Heart and Club, 4 Bright-line Brown-eye, 2 Large Yellow Underwing, 7 Dark Arches, 1 Ruddy Streak, 3+ Vine's Rustic, 1 Clouded-bordered Brindle, 1 Thistle Ermine, 1 Freyer's Pug, 1 Barred Yellow, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Character, 1 Treble Lines, and 1 Mottled Rustic.

No immigrants last night but yesterday there was a single Silver Y and a single Rusty-dot Pearl in the trap, along with a very similar selection to last night's catch, with the addition of 1 Eyed Hawkmoth, 1 Coastal Pearl and 3 Buff Ermine.

Freyer's Pug

Light Arches

Thistle Ermine

Barred Yellow

Micro sp - c5mm long

Green Hairstreak

Lots of Green Hairstreaks after work this afternoon but I again failed to locate any Silver-studded Blues, despite covering Lympstone Common, East Budleigh Common and Bicton Common. The weather was perfect too. I did however manage to find a small colony of Clouded Buffs, close to yesterday's sighting, 5 Dartford Warblers, a few Redpolls and a Nightjar.

 

A rare glimpse of a Green Hairstreak's  upper wing. It's not green!

 

 

Large Skipper - this, half a dozen Small Heaths and 3 or 4 Speckled Woods were the only butterfly species noted in warm sunny weather.

 

Bee species or perhaps a good bee-mimic - not sure - East Budleigh Common.

Clouded Buff

Clouded Buff - male - Bicton Common

I had a stroll around Bicton Common after work this afternoon, chiefly to look for Silver-studded Blues. I failed to find any, in less than perfect conditions, but I was chuffed to find this beautiful Clouded Buff - a species that I've only ever seen once before and that was many years ago, somewhere in central France. A gorgeous combination of custard-yellow and pink renders it one of the more distinctive species. It is a heathland species and according to 'Waring and Townsend' the larvae feed on 'Heathers and various herbaceous plants, including Sheep's Sorrel, Devil's-bit Scabious, Common Dog Violet and plantains'. Several July Belle and a Grass Emerald were also found but the only butterfly I saw was a single Small Heath.

Birds seen included Redpoll and 4 Crossbill. A pair of Tufted Duck on Blackhill Quarry pools were accompanying two recently-fledged ducklings - a small brood but clear evidence of breeding!

 

 

Bee sp - a tiny species and one of two seen on Heather.

Heath Insects

Small Grass Emerald - it doesn't take long for the green to fade to almost white making it much more difficult to identify.

 

Very little birding done this weekend - just 4 Mediterranean Gull and 4 Sandwich Tern off Mudbank. Otherwise I've managed to do a little bit of mooching around the local heathland - mainly looking for insects but noting birds such as several Siskins, a few Redpolls, a couple Nightjars, Spotted Flycatcher, Little Grebe, Sand Martins and Dartford Warblers.

Mottled Beauty

A very worn male Common Heath

A relatively fresh male Common Heath

Bumblebee sp

Grass-veneer - Crambus pascuella

July Belle - Lympstone Common

Small Purple-barred resting on a spider's web - not caught by the spider I hasten to add.

Red-tailed Bumblebee on Common Spotted Orchid?

Cinnabar Moth - Bystock

Five or Six-spot Burnet caterpillar

Bumblebee sp - Bystock

Little Grey - Eudonia lacustrata - other moths trapped in the garden this morning included 1 Treble Brown-spot, 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Green Pug, 12 Vine's Rustic, 1 Garden Carpet, 5 Small Magpie, 3 Clouded Silver, 42 Heart and Dart, 1 Small Seraphim, 3 Snout, 1 Garden Pebble, 3 Pale Tussock, 1 Brimstone, 1 Spectacle, 3 Buff ermine, 3 Silver Y, 1 Straw Dot, 1 Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2 Flame, 2 Middle-barred Minor, 1 Dark Arches, 1 Southern Bell, 2 Flame Shoulder, 1 Mottled Rustic, 1 Rosy Footman, 1 Lime-speck Pug, 1 Poplar Hawkmoth, 1 Uncertain, 1 Small Dusty Wave, 3 Grey Pug, 1 Willow Beauty, 1 Foxglove Pug, 1 Bright-line Brown-eye and 2 Riband Wave - all common stuff!

 

 

Spotted Flycatcher - at least 2 pairs breeding on the edge of Lympstone Common