First up, I joined a small gathering of moth recorders at Rutland Water last
week in the hope of picking up a couple of reedbed wainscots that I'm yet to
see (Obscure & Webb's). Sadly no joy on that front, and the conditions
were not ideal with it cooling quite quickly and rain due in the early hours, but
nonetheless another great session - so good to be out by a mothing sheet
again. The group split up into three areas, and I joined Adrian Russell in
what seemed to be a perfect spot immediately alongside Lagoon 3 and close to
Shoveler Hide. We ran a sheet and I walked a trap out along the edge of the
reedbed. The constant chattering of Common Terns, Oystercatchers and Lapwings
was a great backdrop as we set up.
There was plenty of activity at the sheet and over the trap, though it all
seemed to die down a little as the night wore on.
Still, great to see a few species again that I don't generally get in the
garden and haven't seen for a while, including Chilo phragmitella, Slender
Brindle and these three:
Southern Wainscot
Brown-veined Wainscots
Eudonia pallida
But the first moth of the night was a Gelechiid on the sheet that may yet turn
out to be one of the most interesting of the c73sp. once checked ....
Probably Caryocolum fraternella
More recently, last night I headed out for a couple of hours to again walk
around a site near Dunton Bassett with Graham Calow and Craig Mabbett.
Another peaceful and productive walk, with a fair number of leaf mines
collected. The site really is unusual, with very rough scrub at the back of
an industrial estate with HGV parking, leading down to managed carp fishing
lakes. The site seems to be a magnet for unusual, and often escaped, flora -
perhaps dragged in on the wheels of lorries etc.
I'll leave out leaf mines for the moment, though a few were new for me.
Instead here's a couple of damselflies (all were a bit sluggish loafing on
waterside vegetation after rain) and a spanking sawfly larva ....
White-legged Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
Craesus septentrionalis - a good number defoliating a small Alder
sapling
A new one for me
The peak period for leaf-mining and galls will be upon us before long ....
I was overly optimistic last night about how much time I'd have this morning. I was up before 5am to empty the garden moths traps, but I was completely knackered and went back to bed for a 'lie in' at 05:45 but didn't wake up again until gone 9.
I've got the boxes and vanes for two new traps coming thanks to Adrian Russell (a 250W MV & a 160W MBT) so I needed to sort out a control box for the former and egg trays / sheets for both. I also had a fridge full of moths from the the last few days to photograph quickly, I needed to load up the car, I've had to clear out some memory cards etc - all in preparation for this afternoon and tonight at Ketton. If the building heat and humidity we currently have holds it will be a monster list in the morning.
Anyway, I've still got four nights garden trapping to enter into MapMate and summarise - but it's going to have to wait now. In lieu of the data, here's the pics instead.
Peach Blossom - smart
Buff Arches - ditto
Blood-vein - pretty in pink
Barred Yellow - high-vis
Common Emerald - still green when fresh
Varied Coronet
Tawny Marbled Minor?? Probably
Marbled Minor?? Probably - but I always aggregate these unless gen detted
Eudonia pallida - pleased to take this again after it being a garden tick last year
I ran two traps overnight, trying again for Haworth's Pug and The Fern. Success on the former this time, but still no Fern - maybe I missed it this year.
2 x 125W MV traps
Total catch 588 of 119sp.New for site:
Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis) 1
Muslin Footman (Nudaria mundana) 1
Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola) 2
Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis) 1
Other highlights:
Isophrictis striatella 4
Eudonia pallida 5
Hellinsia osteodactylus 4
Small Emerald (Hemistola chrysoprasaria) 6
Haworth's Pug (Eupithecia haworthiata) 5
Highest counts:
Eucosma campoliliana 75
Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 61
Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 31
Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura) 27
Haworth's Pug - resident at this site in the 1940's, I rediscovered it here in 2003
Eudonia pallida - surely now resident at this site
Small Emerald - another Traveler's-Joy feeder
Cochylis roseana - a Teasel feeding beauty
Hellinsia osteodactylus - I recorded the first for VC55 from here in 2005
Isophrictis striatella - I recorded the first for VC55 from my garden in 2002
Brown-line Bright-eye - smart
