Newsflash - I've just been given permission by the local wildlife trust to trap in my local wood. I'm gonna put together a study of the moths, and am very excited. It's only a small piece of wood but it is really old so must have a good moth population. I've been birding there since I was little (saw my first Tawny Owl there) so it will be interesting to give something back. Hopefully the trust can use the data to safeguard it a bit more, before any more of it gets chopped down by [insert large supermarket chain here].
Trust it to be cold all next week though, but I don't think I'll be able to resist much past Saturday so I'll keep you posted on my moffing outside the garden!
Friday, 30 March 2012
March marches on
All this warm weather has been lovely, but comparing this years data with last years March records it appears that there is little to choose between them. The number of individual moths is actually down a little on last year despite the same number of traps but the number of species caught is up by 1 this year. Hopefully they'll turn up in April?
And now the results of the trap from last night 29th March 2012
Two new for years came in the form of Diurnea fagella and Early Thorn, both cracking moths in their own special ways!
2012
|
2011
| |||||
Number
caught
|
No
of traps
|
Avg
|
Number
caught
|
No
of traps
|
Avg
| |
March
|
88
|
8
|
11
|
132
|
8
|
16.5
|
| 2011 | 2010 | ||
| Agonopterix heracliana | 7 | Agonopterix heracliana | 2 |
| Amblyptilia acanthadactyla | 1 | Amblyptilia acanthadactyla | 1 |
| Chestnut | 1 | ||
| Clouded Drab | 13 | Clouded Drab | 20 |
| Common Quaker | 21 | Common Quaker | 45 |
| Diurnea fagella | 1 | Diurnea fagella | 1 |
| Double-striped Pug | 7 | ||
| Early Grey | 8 | Early Grey | 12 |
| Early Thorn | 1 | Early Thorn | 1 |
| Emmelina monodactyla | 7 | Emmelina monodactyla | 2 |
| Grey Shoulder-knot | 1 | ||
| Hebrew Character | 12 | Hebrew Character | 38 |
| Herald | 1 | ||
| March Moth | 1 | March Moth | 5 |
| Oak Beauty | 1 | Oak Beauty | 1 |
| Oak Nycteoline | 1 | ||
| Shoulder Stripe | 1 | ||
| Small Quaker | 2 | Small Quaker | 1 |
| Twin-spotted Quaker | 3 | Twin-spotted Quaker | 1 |
And now the results of the trap from last night 29th March 2012
Two new for years came in the form of Diurnea fagella and Early Thorn, both cracking moths in their own special ways!
16 moths in total were caught - 6 potted last night, 2 potted from sheds this morning and 8 actually in the trap, so at least my new trap design is working fairly well.
A good hatch of Hebrew Character appeared to be evident with 5 individuals caught, also had a return of two Common Quakers.
Moth yearlist = 22
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Heralding good times
27th March 2012
A firm favourite, since my interest in moths took over my life, arrived at the trap last night - this stunning Herald. A first for me after missing one at work a couple of years ago. It was resting on the shed wall, and was one of those "be careful while getting very excited about potting it up" moments (I realise that is quite a niche moment of excitement, in general circles, but I feel I'm among friends here!)
This March Moth is new for 2012. I caught 5 of these boys last year, all in March so it has a very accurate name. They have this fabulous way of rolling the wings tightly around their body when they come to rest. The photo, regretably, doesn't show this moth off to it's greatest potential. It has some very subtle patterning with white flashes at the ends of the wings, and delicate creamy undergarments.
And finally we come to this little teaser! It's either my 3rd Chestnut or my 1st Dark Chestnut. Which one is your money on? It's being investigated my the helpful people at Back Garden Moths, so hopefully there'll be an answer soon, although I suspect it may be one of those 'cut his bits off' jobs, and we'll never know for sure.
Trap contents were 14 in total, the second highest so far this year. Adding to the total were the second Twin-spotted Quaker for the year, Double-striped Pug (getting quite regular now), and 4 x Early Grey, plus the usual Orthosia. Still no Quakers though. What's happened to them all? Maybe the weather is too warm for them. Is that possible?
Moth Yearlist = 20
A firm favourite, since my interest in moths took over my life, arrived at the trap last night - this stunning Herald. A first for me after missing one at work a couple of years ago. It was resting on the shed wall, and was one of those "be careful while getting very excited about potting it up" moments (I realise that is quite a niche moment of excitement, in general circles, but I feel I'm among friends here!)
This March Moth is new for 2012. I caught 5 of these boys last year, all in March so it has a very accurate name. They have this fabulous way of rolling the wings tightly around their body when they come to rest. The photo, regretably, doesn't show this moth off to it's greatest potential. It has some very subtle patterning with white flashes at the ends of the wings, and delicate creamy undergarments.
And finally we come to this little teaser! It's either my 3rd Chestnut or my 1st Dark Chestnut. Which one is your money on? It's being investigated my the helpful people at Back Garden Moths, so hopefully there'll be an answer soon, although I suspect it may be one of those 'cut his bits off' jobs, and we'll never know for sure.Trap contents were 14 in total, the second highest so far this year. Adding to the total were the second Twin-spotted Quaker for the year, Double-striped Pug (getting quite regular now), and 4 x Early Grey, plus the usual Orthosia. Still no Quakers though. What's happened to them all? Maybe the weather is too warm for them. Is that possible?
Moth Yearlist = 20
Monday, 26 March 2012
Juxta-birding
A stunning weekend of beautiful sunshine yet annoyingly cold nights has produced several 'firsts'. My first Brimstone butterflies were seen in someone's front garden down my road whilst he sat watching TV completely oblivious to two superb butter-yellow males dancing under his window. My first wasp in the kitchen, not quite as pleasant as the Brimstone's but a sure sign of warmer times ahead. Our first trip to the park to play footie and throw the frisbee!
So it was quite an odd feeling this morning when, after dropping Jordan off at school, I popped in to Wilne Lane, and whilst listening to the Skylarks belting out their melancholy tunes and feeling the sun on the back of my neck I stood by the river watching my first Whooper Swan of the year. Lovely bird, no doubt. But not one I usually associate with blazing sun, and the signs of Spring all around me.
Also on the river were a pair of Goosander who, in typical style, only let me get to a certain distance before belting off down stream. Here they are zipping past me! Just left of the Swan (Mute not Whooper).
So it was quite an odd feeling this morning when, after dropping Jordan off at school, I popped in to Wilne Lane, and whilst listening to the Skylarks belting out their melancholy tunes and feeling the sun on the back of my neck I stood by the river watching my first Whooper Swan of the year. Lovely bird, no doubt. But not one I usually associate with blazing sun, and the signs of Spring all around me.
Also on the river were a pair of Goosander who, in typical style, only let me get to a certain distance before belting off down stream. Here they are zipping past me! Just left of the Swan (Mute not Whooper).
Also heard a Green Woodpecker, but it wouldn't be seen. I think I'm never going to see one this year (cue the Green Woodpecker population to go into hiding now).
Bird Yearlist = 124
Sunday, 25 March 2012
New trap designs
24th March 2012 -
The MV bulb switch-over has inspired more trapping ideas. Thoughts move to trapping at work, trapping in local woods, and definitely can't wait to get some warmer nights to see how the garden reacts to the MV blast!
In the meantime we have to put up with these horrid cold nights, and not a lot arriving at the trap (although it's making me wonder whether the meagre totals I'm getting would be simply non-existant using the Actinic setup?)
Anyway, yesterday plans came to fruition of a Robinson-style trap. A plastic crate obtained from work had a funnel installed and the MV hung via a tripod of garden canes over the top. I had this on for a few hours last night, and after some VERY patient waiting, I managed 1 x Clouded Drab actually in the trap, and 5 others to the sheds/sheet. I was a bit dissappointed by this as I wanted to try and work out whether the new set-up would work or not, but there just wasn't enough flying round to even judge whether the trap would actually trap anything!
We'll just have to wait and see...
The MV bulb switch-over has inspired more trapping ideas. Thoughts move to trapping at work, trapping in local woods, and definitely can't wait to get some warmer nights to see how the garden reacts to the MV blast!
In the meantime we have to put up with these horrid cold nights, and not a lot arriving at the trap (although it's making me wonder whether the meagre totals I'm getting would be simply non-existant using the Actinic setup?)
Anyway, yesterday plans came to fruition of a Robinson-style trap. A plastic crate obtained from work had a funnel installed and the MV hung via a tripod of garden canes over the top. I had this on for a few hours last night, and after some VERY patient waiting, I managed 1 x Clouded Drab actually in the trap, and 5 others to the sheds/sheet. I was a bit dissappointed by this as I wanted to try and work out whether the new set-up would work or not, but there just wasn't enough flying round to even judge whether the trap would actually trap anything!We'll just have to wait and see...
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Another foggy night
Friday 23rd March -
Putting your hopes in the weatherman/weather websites is proving to be the wrong thing to do at the moment. Last night I was promised (maybe that's where I'm going wrong!) that the temperatures would stay above 9 degrees, and that the sky was going to be cloudy. "Tonight is a good night to test the MV properly" I thought. As I arrived home after Scouts, watching the temperature plummet through the early evening I stood watching the trap for an hour. A Small Quaker arrived about 2215, and two Emmelina were on the shed walls waiting for me, but for that hour I got bored!
So I decided to call it quits at 2330. I picked my way through the eggboxes and managed a fairly respectable 10 moths in total. Not bad for the temperature and conditions (it was misty in patches under a clear sky).
The Small Quaker is new for the year.
Also in the trap were:
1 x Hebrew Character
5 x Common Quaker
1 x Clouded Drab
2 x Emmelina monodactyla on sheds
1 x Small Quaker potted from the sheet
Moth Year list = 18
Putting your hopes in the weatherman/weather websites is proving to be the wrong thing to do at the moment. Last night I was promised (maybe that's where I'm going wrong!) that the temperatures would stay above 9 degrees, and that the sky was going to be cloudy. "Tonight is a good night to test the MV properly" I thought. As I arrived home after Scouts, watching the temperature plummet through the early evening I stood watching the trap for an hour. A Small Quaker arrived about 2215, and two Emmelina were on the shed walls waiting for me, but for that hour I got bored!
So I decided to call it quits at 2330. I picked my way through the eggboxes and managed a fairly respectable 10 moths in total. Not bad for the temperature and conditions (it was misty in patches under a clear sky).
Also in the trap were:
1 x Hebrew Character
5 x Common Quaker
1 x Clouded Drab
2 x Emmelina monodactyla on sheds
1 x Small Quaker potted from the sheet
Moth Year list = 18
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Possibly too cold?
So plans were hatched to launch the MV bulb on the neighbourhood! My trap sits at the top of the garden and so is confined by a shed on each side and a tall thick hedge on the far side, with the only open side being the garden itself. The light from the MV bulb would however be so bright that it would be shining straight back down the garden and into my neightbours windows...not something I was comfortable with. However, the white sheet that I normally use to attract moths was stretched across the gap between the two sheds and stopped the majority of the light annoying people. It did of course also stop some of the light reaching into the garden, which in summer might be a problem to passing moths, but for now I'm happy with the plan.
Unfortunately I think the cold night (7 degrees from 2100 and dropping to 4 by morning) meant that the catch was small. 11 moths of 7 species. One of these was a new for year Grey Shoulder-knot which was found on the shed wall above the trap this morning. Beautiful delicate little creature, and only the third for the garden!
Others in the trap/potted up were the usual suspects -
2 x Agonopterix heracliana
2 x Hebrew Character
2 x Common Quaker
2 x Clouded Drab
1 x Emmelina monodactyla
1 x Early Grey
Moth year list = 17
Unfortunately I think the cold night (7 degrees from 2100 and dropping to 4 by morning) meant that the catch was small. 11 moths of 7 species. One of these was a new for year Grey Shoulder-knot which was found on the shed wall above the trap this morning. Beautiful delicate little creature, and only the third for the garden!
Others in the trap/potted up were the usual suspects -
2 x Agonopterix heracliana
2 x Hebrew Character
2 x Common Quaker
2 x Clouded Drab
1 x Emmelina monodactyla
1 x Early Grey
Moth year list = 17
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)