Birds, Leps, Observations & Generalities - the images and ramblings of Mark Skevington. Sometimes.

Monday 28 March 2011

County First

Put the garden traps out last night - though not sure why, the conditions were no better than the previous night. It was probably a subliminal reaction to the garden tick Mompha sturnipennella during the day. Incidentally, I have since been advised that there are only two previous VC55 records for that species - from 1984 and 1998.

Anyway, as I duly emptied the traps this morning I could think of mothing else than how good an extra half hour in bed would have been. Just as I'd finished and went to put the traps away, a previously unseen Caloptilia sp. flew up from the outside of MV trap and landed on the shed door. I potted it up, expecting it to be elongella or stigmella. It wasn't, and I was puzzled as it didn't look familiar at all. Duly fridged, I thought nothing more of it until I got home to photograph it ....


A quick review of web images and books, and I had the ID - Caloptilia falconipennella, albeit a worn one. Possibly rare, possibly overlooked. Mines Alder - like the big tall tree on the neighbour's front overhanging the embankment. It's a British, County and Garden tick all in one for me - and better still it's a first for VC55. Glad I bothered!

The rest of the catch was rubbish (apart from a yeartick Twenty-plume Moth and another spring Dark Chestnut - you wait for years and then ....).

Total catch 15 of 8 sp.(125W MV 11 of 7sp., 80W/100W actinic/tungsten 4 of 4sp.)
0289 Caloptilia falconipennella 1 (NFG)
1288 Twenty-plume Moth (Alucita hexadactyla) 1 (NFY)
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 3
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 3
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 3
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 1
2259 Dark Chestnut (Conistra ligula) 1

6 comments:

Paul Riddle said...

Don't really understand moths & creepy crawlies but any county first has to be good no matter what the species, well done mate!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, well done Mark. Caloptilia along with many other micros are a nightmare at staying still, even after being fridged.

Bennyboymothman said...

Well done on a County first Mark! a pretty non-descript moth other than that, bless it!

Skev said...

Thanks all,

Paul - the county firsts have been few and far between in the last couple of years. It's not so long ago that I could add a few new micros every year.

Dean - I find the Caloptilia spp. can be a pain like other micros, but once they are sat/stood still they can be okay for a few minutes.

Ben - big or small, dull or gawdy, always good to see something new (but I would prefer big and gawdy to small and dull!).

Stewart said...

Nice one Mark, I like those Caloptilias. Must keep a look out...

davidearlgray said...

Nice one Mark!