New Garden Moths

A couple of new moths for the garden among a good catch to 125W MV light. The relatively good conditions meant most people had their best night of the year so far - in my case 64 moths of 33 species. Most were year firsts and the two marked **, garden firsts.

0017 Common Swift (Hepialus lupulinus), 2
0779 Bryotropha affinis, 3
0977 Large Fruit-tree Tortrix (Archips podana), 1
1010 Red-barred Tortrix (Ditula angustiorana), 3
1011 Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, 1
1076 Celypha lacunana, 2
1082 Plum Tortrix (Hedya pruniana), 1
1083 Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana), 1
1376 Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata), 1
1392 Udea olivalis, 6
1707 Small Dusty Wave (Idaea seriata), 1
1728 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata), 1
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria), 1
1860 Green Pug (Chloroclystis rectangulata), 2
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata), 1
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi), 1
1991 Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor), 1
2007 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula), 1
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda), 1
2061 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda), 2
2089 Heart & Dart (Agrotis exclamationis), 6
2098 The Flame (Axylia putris), 1
2160 Bright-line Brown-eye (Lacanobia oleracea), 1
**2167 Tawny Shears (Hadena perplexa), 1
2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens), 2
2302 Brown Rustic (Rusina ferruginea), 1
2333 Large Nutmeg (Apamea anceps), 9
2334 Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens), 5
2337x Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.), 1
2380 Treble Lines (Charanyca trigrammica), 1
2387 Mottled Rustic (Caradrina morpheus), 1
**2439 Gold Spot (Plusia festucae), 1
2474 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis), 1

Click the pics for larger images.

Gold Spot (Plusia festucae)




Tawny Shears (Hadena perplexa)


Byotropha affinis


Large Fruit-tree Tortrix (Archips podana)


Red-barred Tortrix (Ditula angustiorana)


Pseudargyrotoza conwagana


Clypha lacunana


Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana)


Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata)


Udea olivalis


Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata)


Green Pug (Chloroclystis rectangulata)


Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi)


Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor)



Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula)


Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda)



The Flame (Axylia putris)


Bright-line Brown-eye (Lacanobia oleracea)


Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens)


Large Nutmeg (Apamea anceps)


Treble Lines (Charanyca trigrammica)


Mottled Rustic (Caradrina morpheus)


Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)


Nikon CP995

Woodston Ponds LNR

First visit for a while. Cuckoo, Garden Warbler, Nightingale and plenty of Reed Warblers about.

Nemophora degeerella, a small swarm of these amazing longhorn moths on a large, shady nettle patch.



Small China-mark (Cataclysta lemnata), male



Epiblema scutulana/cirsiana


Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella), pair in mating wheel.


Nikon CP995

Swaddywell Pit

A lunchtime lepidoptera and odonata spree with Mother Shipton the undoubted highlight for Weedon's World of Nature and me.

Mother Shipton (Callistege mi)


Burnet Companion (Euclidia glyphica)


Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)


Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)


The Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae)


Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata)


Crambus lathoniellus


Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)



Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)


Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)


Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera)



Nikon CP995

The Ardnamurchan Blog

The Arnamurchan blogs are arranged chronologically here.

Spotted in the Rain
Of Whinchats and Woolly Bears
First night's moths
Coldstream and Ockle
Second night's moths
Coldstream and Sanna (no pics)
The Achosnich Woodland Walk
Ardnamurchan Sunset
Third night's moths
Fourth night's moths
Ballamory and Minke Whale (no pics)
Final night's mothing
Saturday
What a farewell

What a farewell

The long journey home necessitated an early start so the scope had to unpacked when I noticed a large "something" cruising through the waters below the cottage. It turned out to be my first Basking Sharks: a full sized one and one rather smaller individual. Great scope views of the second largest fish in the world: the large dorsal fin moving smoothly through the water apparently chased from side to side by an erratic smaller brother. The digiscoped picture is a montage of two shots of the larger fish.

Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus)

Nikon CP995 + Leica APO77 + 20xWW

Saturday

Again there were many rafts of Manx Shearwaters and other seabirds in the Sound, an Arctic Tern and a Fulmar passed by and a couple of Harbour Porpoise and a Grey Seal completed the picture. The beetle shown was found in the garden.

Rhagium bifasciatum (a longhorn beetle)


Nikon CP995

Final night's mothing

After a break of one night I put the trap out for the last time on the penultimate night of our stay. The Yellow-ringed Carpet was the best of the bunch but it was nice to see another couple of Fox Moths. Unfortunately there were only a couple of wings left of my first Lunar Thorn.

1638 Fox Moth (Macroglossum rubi), 2
1722 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata), 1
1743 Yellow-ringed Carpet (Entephria flavicinctata), 1
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria), 1
1902 Brown Silver-line (Petrophora chlorosata), 1
1918 Lunar Thorn (Selenia lunularia), 1
2011 Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina), 1
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda), 2
2250 Dark Brocade (Blepharita adusta), 2
2289 Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis), 3
2302 Brown Rustic (Rusina ferruginea), 1
2334 Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens), 1

Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata)


Yellow-ringed Carpet (Entephria flavicinctata)


Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina)


White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda)


Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis)


Brown Rustic (Rusina ferruginea)


Nikon CP995

Ballamory and Minke Whale

Friday saw us heading off to the Isle of Mull. The ferry journeys between Kilchoan and Tobermory were fairly uneventful with a feeding party of Gannet and auks in the channel and 8 Eider and a Black Guillemot in Tobermory harbour. The woodland walk to Aros Park was also fairly quiet with a Spotted Flycatcher at the waterfall the highlight. As the sun came out in the early afternoon and Peregrine and Common Buzzard appeared above the town. Red-throated Diver and Common Sandpiper showed back at Kilchoan harbour.

The best sight of the week awaited us back at Coldstream Cottage as a spot of seawatching revealed a large cetacean sufacing with a slow flat roll showing a small dorsal fin. The large rafts of Manx Shearwaters lingering offshore were soon forgotten. Surely this was a rorqual whale! The Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) showed off and on from 17:30-22:30 often close in to the shore. The slow shallow roll was in stark contrast to the other smaller cetaceans I have seen. There was no blow visible but it occasionally lifted its head sllightly from the water before a roll. The porpoise-like fin was set well back on the body but the tail was never seen above the water.

While watching the whale a presumed Bottle-nosed Dolphin surfaced far out and a Harbour Porpoise was around later in the evening.

Fourth night's moths

Although it was raining throughout much of the next two days the nights were good for moths and some more interesting species turned up, like the heathland-dwelling Grey Scalloped Bar.

1638 Fox Moth (Macroglossum rubi), 1
1722 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata), 1
1724x Red/Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia/ferrugata), 2
1769 Spruce Carpet (Thera britannica), 1
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria), 1
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata), 1
1902 Brown Silver-line (Petrophora chlorosata), 2
1969 Grey Scalloped Bar (Dyscia fagaria), 1
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda), 2
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta), 1
2163 Broom Moth (Melanchra pisi), 4
2250 Dark Brocade (Blepharita adusta), 3
2334 Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens), 3
2450 The Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita), 1

Fox Moth (Macroglossum rubi)


Red/Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia/ferrugata)


Spruce Carpet (Thera britannica)


Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria)


Brown Silver-line (Petrophora chlorosata)


Grey Scalloped Bar (Dyscia fagaria)


White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda)


Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)


Broom Moth (Melanchra pisi)


Dark Brocade (Blepharita adusta)


Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens)

The Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita)

Nikon CP995

Third night's moths

Third night trapping on Ardnamurchan and warmer conditions encouraged more moths to emerge including one of the top five animals of the week - The Saxon.

1638 Fox Moth (Macroglossum rubi), 1 female (making a different female each of the three nights)
1768 Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata), 3
1902 Brown Silver-line (Petrophora chlorosata), 1
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi), 2
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda), 1
2163 Broom Moth (Melanchra pisi), 2
2250 Dark Brocade (Blepharita adusta), 6
2289 Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis), 1
2320 The Saxon (Hyppa rectilinea), 1

The Saxon (Hyppa rectilinea)


Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata)


White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda)


Broom Moth (Melanchra pisi)


Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis)


Nikon CP995