Chiffys & Garden Mothing

A major migrant fall in and around my garden today - with at least two Chiffchaffs .......  Okay, not exactly a classic fall. Maybe not even migrants. Who knows! There were definitely two together, but I strongly suspect that there were actually three knocking about.

Despite patience, stealth and oodles of fieldcraft, the blighters were constantly zipping about 'sweeo'ing to each other and this blurry 'about to vacate the dogwood' shot is the best I managed.

Yesterday morning I potted up a Phyllonorycter that I thought was another kleemannella, and then promptly forgot to check until today when I realised it wasn't. I managed a very poor shot, but everything fits for a worn Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella - a first for me and the garden. Not sure what other VC55 records there are, but it must be common as it is on birch.

The garden traps were uninspiring last night, with a first for the year Sallow conclusively closing the door on summer, and the only other moth of note being a second Mompha propinquella for the garden.

Total catch 168 of 31sp.
(125W MV 59 of 19, 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo 109 of 22)

0455 Ypsolopha scabrella 1
0462 Ypsolopha sequella 1
0647 Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella) 1
0888 Mompha propinquella 1
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 2
1036 Acleris forsskaleana 1
1042 Rhomboid Tortrix (Acleris rhombana) 1
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 3
1076 Celypha lacunana 1
1138 Epinotia nisella 1
1219 Lathronympha strigana 1
1260 Cydia splendana 1
1309 Agriphila geniculea 16
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 1
1707 Small Dusty Wave (Idaea seriata) 1
1728 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 8
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 2
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 3
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 3
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 6
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 48
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 40
2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata) 1
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 3
2133 Six-striped Rustic (Xestia sexstrigata) 1
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 9
2274 Sallow (Xanthia icteritia) 1 (NFY)
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 1
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 1
2353 Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea) 1
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 7

Sallow

Common Marbled Carpet

Garden Rose Tortrix

Mompha propinquella

Garden Mothing Update

Thought I ought to get the August records up to date and post a summary.

29/08/2011 : Total catch 161 of 36sp.
(125W MV 63 of 23, 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo 98 of 29)

0015 Orange Swift (Hepialus sylvina) 6
0332a Firethorn Leaf Miner (Phyllonorycter leucographella) 2
03xx Phyllonorycter sp. 1
0462 Ypsolopha sequella 1
0648 White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 1
0658 Carcina quercana 1
0695 Agonopterix alstromeriana 1
0706 Agonopterix nervosa 1
0969 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis corylana) 1
0972 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis heparana) 1
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 4
1138 Epinotia nisella 7
1139 Nut Bud Moth (Epinotia tenerana) 1 (NFY)
1309 Agriphila geniculea 32
1342 Eudonia angustea 1 (NFY)
1398 Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella) 1 (NFY)
1439 Trachycera advenella 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 1
1728 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 8
1742 Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata) 2
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 1
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 3
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 3
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 3
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 4
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 27
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 18
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 2
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 12
2297 Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) 2
2299 Mouse Moth (Amphipyra tragopoginis) 1
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 3
2353 Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea) 1
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 5
2389 Pale Mottled Willow (Paradrina clavipalpis) 1
2452 Red Underwing (Catocala nupta) 1

Red Underwing

Rush Veneer

Pale Mottled Willow

28/08/2011 : Total catch 157 of 25sp.
(125W MV 68 of 16, 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo 89 of 21)

0015 Orange Swift (Hepialus sylvina) 4
0125 Emmetia marginea 1
0422 Argyresthia albistria 2
0462 Ypsolopha sequella 1
0648 White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 2
0706 Agonopterix nervosa 1 (NFY)
0789 Bryotropha domestica 1
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 3
1138 Epinotia nisella 3
1309 Agriphila geniculea 36
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2
1728 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 3
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 3
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 4
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 2
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 36
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 25
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 1
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 1
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 14
2299 Mouse Moth (Amphipyra tragopoginis) 1
2300 Old Lady (Mormo maura) 2 (NFY)
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 7
2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1

Agonopterix nervosa

And for completeness, here's an overview of four trap dates I never got around to posting:

16/08/2011 : Total catch 88 of 30sp.
(125W MV 36 of 17, 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo 52 of 21)

First for year:
2299 Mouse Moth (Amphipyra tragopoginis) 1


17/08/2011 : Total catch 62 of 25sp.
(125W MV 26 of 12, 80W/11W Actinic/CFL combo 36 of 19)

First for year:
1632 Pale Eggar (Trichiura crataegi) 2


20/08/2011 : Total catch 314 of 54sp.
(125W MV 106 of 33, 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo 208 of 43)

First for year:
1207 Pine Leaf-mining Moth (Clavigesta purdeyi) 1
1336 Eudonia pallida 1
1914 Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria) 1
2353 Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea) 2
2361 Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) 1

Flounced Rustic

22/08/2011 : Total catch 340 of 53sp.
(125W MV 132 of 33, 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo 208 of 47)

FIRST FOR GARDEN:
0264 Bedellia somnulentella 1

Full listing for these four trap dates (sorted by total individuals): 804 of 75sp.

1309 Agriphila geniculea 180
1138 Epinotia nisella 84
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 56
0015 Orange Swift (Hepialus sylvina) 44
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 37
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 33
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 33
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 31
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 22
1439 Trachycera advenella 20
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 20
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 19
1305 Agriphila tristella 15
1304 Agriphila straminella 14
1728 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 14
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 13
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 11
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 11
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 11
0873 Blastobasis adustella 7
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 7
0455 Ypsolopha scabrella 6
0647 Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella) 6
1405 Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis) 6
1036 Acleris forsskaleana 5
1497 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 5
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 5
1632 Pale Eggar (Trichiura crataegi) 5
0648 White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 4
2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 4
2293 Marbled Beauty (Cryphia domestica) 4
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 4
2353 Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea) 4
0422 Argyresthia albistria 3
0462 Ypsolopha sequella 3
0658 Carcina quercana 3
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) 3
2297 Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) 3
2474 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis) 3
0441 Paraswammerdamia nebulella 2
1076 Celypha lacunana 2
1732 Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) 2
1738 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 2
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 2
1883 Yellow-barred Brindle (Acasis viretata) 2
1884 Magpie Moth (Abraxas grossulariata) 2
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 2
2133 Six-striped Rustic (Xestia sexstrigata) 2
2299 Mouse Moth (Amphipyra tragopoginis) 2
0264 Bedellia somnulentella 1
0411 Argyresthia goedartella 1
0695 Agonopterix alstromeriana 1
0787 Bryotropha terrella 1
0868 Helcystogramma rufescens 1
0870 Oegoconia quadripuncta 1
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 1
0892 Mompha subbistrigella 1
0969 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis corylana) 1
0972 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis heparana) 1
1207 Pine Leaf-mining Moth (Clavigesta purdeyi) 1
1336 Eudonia pallida 1
1344 Eudonia mercurella 1
1415 Orthopygia glaucinalis 1
1424 Endotricha flammealis 1
1707 Small Dusty Wave (Idaea seriata) 1
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 1
1742 Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata) 1
1811 Slender Pug (Eupithecia tenuiata) 1
1838 Tawny Speckled Pug (Eupithecia icterata subfulvata) 1
1914 Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria) 1
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 1
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 1
2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata) 1
2361 Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) 1
2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 1

Garden Rose Tortrix - a nicely pied individual

Odd Bits

I haven't updated on the garden mothing lately - mainly cause there's not been too much of interest and even less worth photographing. The most notable thing though was a full tick for me back on the 22nd that I forgot to mention, a Bedelia somnulentella. It was a spanking individual when I potted and scrutinised it, but less than pristine by the time I'd fannied about with it for half an hour trying to get a shot. I ended up with something just about identifiable but not worthy of posting here. To make amends I finally got around to looking for its mines on bindweed today whilst out and about on the ATB. Found a few vacated mines on Hedge Bindweed pretty easily - windows in the leaf with frass (and other detritus) stuck in silk on the underside.

Otherwise not much to get excited about, but there were a couple of Old Ladies in the traps last night - one was already a bit knackered, so I shot the other one.

This evening I nipped over to Jubilee Park again - only avian interest was c15 Swifts feeding low over the pool with a handful of Swallows also knocking about. All the Canada Geese vacated en masse and no sign of anything tagging along with them. The only things wading along the edge of the pool were a Pied Wag and big brown cow.

Only other thing of interest was a hoverfly I found roosting, which happily was identifiable on the basis of the yellow sides to the thorax and the wing versus abdomen length:

Male Sphaerophoria scripta

Many birders and naturalists of a certain age remember fondly the innumerable times in your youth when out in the local parks or countryside that you'd happen upon some illustrated reading material deposited by the Porn Fairy. Nowadays such finds are a thing of the past, and even worse if you do find some abandoned literature it's a fecking Argos catalogue.

Not left by the Porn Fairy, but actually left by some moronic twat who doesn't know what a bin is

Life In The Garden 28/08/2011

Been very lazy today; a good lie in, catching up on a couple of bits off of the Sky+ box (Torchwood and Dr Who), and going nowhere with the on-off crapness of the day's weather. Pottered in the garden a bit, and here's some random stuff:

Garden Spider

Rhingia campestris

Birch Catkin Bug (Kleidocerys resedae) - not a great shot but you get the gist.

This is new for me and the garden.

A currently unknown sawfly larva - one of a few I found feeding on the small garden birch. Any ideas?

Pill Woodlouse

Common Wasp

And a couple of moths not from today:

Firethorn Leaf Miner - found c20 of these resting on the garden fence yesterday afternoon, and I get the odd one in the traps so one of the neighbours must have something edible in their garden.

Pale Eggar

Listening to - NERO - Welcome Reality

This week I have mostly been listening to the newly released Welcome Reality by Nero. Excellent stuff provided you are partial to a bit of electronica with decent beat and bass and wibbly bits, and a nice vocal. Here's an album sampler giving a flavour of the whole thing - turn it up loud and damage your speakers.

And here's a Skrillex remix of Promises which I think was a great track in the popular music charts. (Looking forward to seeing Skrillex at Rock City in November by the way.)

And here's the original version:

Ah what the hell - here's some other recent stuff that I thoroughly like.

Dont watch if epileptic!

Inland Migratory Tendancies in Ross's Goose [Anser feckingplasticus]

Headed over to Jubilee Pool for a mooch about after dinner this evening - the first time I'd dropped in there since early March I think. Anyway, the pool was all but dried up so not much of interest on there apart from a few Lapwings knocking about the edges and the massed ranks of Canada's which I ignored. I carried on with my route which I'll come back to in a moment, but on the return approach to the pool I could see up ahead Colin Green and Pete Asher watching and photographing something. Unbefeckingleivable - it was the same small white pile-o-shit I'd photographed yesterday (albeit more distant and looking much wilder as a result).

Wild Ross's Goose

Using a combination of Google Maps, weather charts, plastic ruler and finger in air, I have established that this diminutive herbivore has travelled an immense 7miles in a south-westerly migratory route that will have required following the wild River Soar through the concrete jungle of Leicester. However this is pure conjecture, and only ringing recoveries and perhaps satellite tagging will provide the real story of the migratory tendancies of this species.

The great south-westerly migratory route of Ross's Goose

Back to more mundane matters, in between arriving and chatting with Colin and Pete, I walked along the bank of the soar. Nothing of massive avian interest, apart from a few Swallows overhead, a Swift moving ahead of a squall, and best of all a juv Reed Warbler milling about in the reeds. The latter was way to skittish to get anything resembling a photo - I did manage one shot but it is too embarrassing to post even here.

Otherwise, I also found a load of Prickly Lettuce growing long the bank and a quick check on the first clump revealed - yes - more Small Ranunculus larvae. Common as muck round here you know.

Small Ranunculus

I also noted some of this growing in the river:

Amphibious Bistort

And lots of this along the river:

Common Reed

And the skies looked good too.

Ross's

Nipped over to Birstall Meadows and WCPS after work in the vain hope that the deteriorating weather late afternoon would drop in a wader or two. No such luck. Only birds of note at Birstall were 3 Little Egrets milling about in the far corner, and the only waders here (and at WCPS) were Lapwings.

Almost immediately when I pulled up at WCPS it pissed down. I waited in the car for the squall to pass, and emerged to that distinct 'it's just rained heavily on dry tarmac covered in goose shit' smell. Talking of goose shit, almost immediately in front of me was this pile ....

Sporting a plain gold band on right leg, therefore clearly married

Mid November in Norfolk, in a shitty field with Pink-feet, and this is of course an immediately tickable wild Ross's. Probably.

Nothing else of real interest; a few Swallows over the water, a distant Common Tern, and a few gulls. I'm not a Larophile - I'd quite happily lump them into just four species: Small, Medium, Big and Ugly. As a good example, this brute got caught on the sensor - a transitional first-summer into second-winter Great Black-backed? I would not be surprised to find I'm wrong!

Warren Hills 17/08/2011

Time to catch up on some mothing action. Last Wednesday in less than ideal conditions, I cajoled Adrian into a quick effort at Warren Hills targeting Heath Rustic and Annulet. Warren Hills is part of the Charnwood Lodge reserve, and holds possibly the best area of heather in VC55 (though there is not that much of it). It was good to see the heather in full bloom, and there appeared to be a notable spread since a grazing policy in recent years.

Click for bigger

No success with either of the target scarce site specialities, but we managed a respectable 346 of 51sp in 2.5hrs. We ran a 125W MV light over a sheet, a 125W MV trap, a 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo and a 40W/20W CFL Actinic/CFL combo. Here's the full list:

0015 Orange Swift (Hepialus sylvina) 2
0018 Map-winged Swift (Hepialus fusconebulosa) 1
0464 Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella) 1
0873 Blastobasis adustella 3
0954 Eupoecilia angustana f. fasciella 3 (NFY subspecies)
0987 Ptycholomoides aeriferanus 1
1093 Apotomis betuletana 2 (NFY)
1134 Epinotia ramella 1 (NFY)
1260 Cydia splendana 2
1304 Agriphila straminella 8
1305 Agriphila tristella 4
1340 Eudonia truncicolella 5 (NFY)
1342 Eudonia angustea 1 (NFY)
1344 Eudonia mercurella 1
1702 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata) 3
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) 1
1738 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 1
1740 Galium Carpet (Epirrhoe galiata) 1
1756 Northern Spinach (Eulithis populata) 10
1757 Spinach (Eulithis mellinata) 4 (NFY)
1831 Ling Pug (Eupithecia absinthiata f. goossensiata) 1 (NFY subspecies)
1846 Narrow-winged Pug (Eupithecia nanata) 5 (NFY)
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
1914 Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria) 1 (NFY)
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
2000 Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius) 1
2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma) 1
2047 Scarce Footman (Eilema complana) 5
2050 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 3
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 14
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 7
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 4
2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata) 2
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 35
2118 True Lover's Knot (Lycophotia porphyrea) 8
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 11
2130 Dotted Clay (Xestia baja) 10 (NFY)
2133 Six-striped Rustic (Xestia sexstrigata) 6
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 7
2145 Nutmeg (Discestra trifolii) 1
2176 Antler Moth (Cerapteryx graminis) 149
2177 Hedge Rustic (Tholera cespitis) 1 (NFY)
2198 Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura) 1
2254 Grey Chi (Antitype chi) 2 (NFY)
2293 Marbled Beauty (Cryphia domestica) 1
2297 Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) 1
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 3
2342 Rosy Minor (Mesoligia literosa) 2 (NFY)
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 3
2350 Small Wainscot (Chortodes pygmina) 3 (NFY)

Narrow-winged Pug

True Lover's Knot

Galium Carpet

Dotted Clay

'Ling Pug'

Grey Chi

Hedge Rustic

Flame Shoulder - a really smart individual

Eudonia truncicolella - all in various states of wear and disrepair

Dirty Habit

Back to the Birdfair again today for a stint on the LROS stand. On the way to Rutland Water, I dropped into Eyebrook Res for a quick gander at the Cattle Egret - would have been rude not to. I pulled up by the modest crowd, checked with bins and could see the egret doing what they do best - standing still and looking boring as hell. You can see all of the finer plumage details, and a handy comparison to its common congener Little Egret, in this perfectly captured shot.

Click for a bit bigger if you like, but its still the indistinct white blob on the right.

I scoped it anyway, and it eventually did do something more exciting when it had a bit of a fly about, came down into cattle, hid for five minutes, then flew to the island where it looked boring for another 10 minutes or so, then flew off strongly at 12:05 and disappeared for a good few hours.

When it flew to the island, I had just packed up the scope and started the car to move further down the road when I noticed a full world birding first for me. As I waited to pull off, a car pulled up and a nun in full habit got out grabbing her bins as she did so. I really wanted to get out and grab a shot, but thought it best not to.

I have seen various films that involve nuns on extra curricular activities (mostly involving them doing the most ungodly things with candles), but never once have I seen a twitching nun. Bizarrely though, I have seen a birding monk at Charnwood Lodge. Wonder what my next ecumenical birding encounter will be, Pope with a Scope?

Life In The Garden 17/08/2011

WARNING - lots of photos follow of things that are not birds or moths. Or plants.

Having access to a digital camera and a wealth of on-line reference images and info, means that in this day and age it is easier than ever to become completely distracted for long periods of time, snap away at anything that moves, and identify it retrospectively. Or string it, depending on how good or bad the references are and your photographic skills ....... please let me know if anything below is more stringy than Rab C Nesbitt's vest.

Anyway, I innocently wandered into the garden on Wednesday morning to see if there were any hoverflies about, or maybe another Tree Bumblebee as last year. Before I knew it a couple of hours had passed, the camera battery was dead and I'd added 322 photos to the SD card. Most of the following are new for the garden and me (at least in the sense of trying to name them).
I'll start with hoverflies, headed up by a new one for me and the garden - newly identified thanks to the book I bought yesterday.

Myathropa florea

Volucella pellucens

Volucella inanis

Next up, true Flies. I only started taking shots of these when I noticed a garden first Mesembrina meridiana (which ironically evaded the camera) and lots of Sarcophaga sp. (which I did photograph but I've left them out this time). I grabbed a few shots of other flies, then realised one or two were different again, and before I knew it I was on a fly mission.

Calliphora vicina

Eriothrix rufomaculata

Tephritis formosa

Thaumatomyia notata?

Pollenia sp.

Neomyia viridescens

Lucilia sp.

Phaonia sp.

Face Fly (Musca autumnalis)

Before I end this overly long and illustrated post, some other bits ..

Viburnum Beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni) - destroying my Viburnum tinus

Common Flower Bug (Anthocoris nemorum)

I think this is Xanthoria parietina - a lichen living on a bit of dead Winged Spindle