Trapping results at home 29/03 & 30/03

30/03 Very wet overnight, Engrailed 1, Early Tooth-striped 1, Engrailed 1, Grey Shoulder-knot 1, Common Quaker 27, Small Quaker 5, Clouded Drab 13, Twin-spotted Quaker 7, Hebrew Character 9, Chestnut 1.


29/03 March Moth 1, Early Tooth-striped 2, Mottled Grey 1, Shoulder Stripe 1, Pale Pinion 1, Early Grey 5, pine Beauty 1, Small Quaker 7, Common Quaker 80, Twin-spotted Quaker 7, Clouded Drab 15, Hebrew Character 4, 

Clough Wood 29/03 19:45 - 22:00

Good numbers and variety but nothing new;
Diurnea fagella 6, Oak Beauty 4, March Moth 3, Engrailed 11, Shoulder Stripe 8, Water Carpet 1, Mottled Grey 1, Early Tooth-striped 4, Brindled Pug 6, Small Quaker 8, Common Quaker 85, Clouded Drab 6, Twin-spotted Quaker 6, Hebrew Character 8, Satellite 1, Chestnut 1.

A couple of quiet nights with Red Chestnut last night

28./03 Diurnia fagella 1, Early Tooth-striped 1, March Moth 3, Early Thorn 1, Red Chestnut 1, Small Quaker 6, Common Quaker 27, Twin-spotted Quaker 3, Clouded Drab 8, Hebrew Character 7
27/03 Diurnia fagella 1, Emmelina monodactyla 3, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1, Oak Beauty 1, March Moth 1, Early Thorn 1, Small Quaker 2, Common Quaker 16, Twin-spotted Quaker 2, clouded Drab 6, Hebrew Character 3, Early Grey 1.
26/-3 Mottled grey 2, Small Quaker 4, Common Quaker 20, Twin-spotted Quaker 6, Clouded drab 8, Hebrew Character 3, Early Grey 1.

Red Chestnut

Pale Pinion and Pine Beauty new for the year

Another good catch overnight added Pale Pinion and Pine Beauty to the year list the rest of the catch;
Engrailed 2, Early Thorn 1, march Moth 1, Mottled Grey 1, Shoulder Stripe 1, Small Quaker 12, Common Quaker 42, Clouded Drab 11, Twin-spotted Quaker 10, Hebrew Character 8, Early Grey 6.

Pine Beauty 

Pale Pinion

Pale Pinion

Halldale Wood 25/3 19:00 - 21:00

The variety of moths was a little disappointing but still reasonable numbers. Caught bothMottled Grey and Early Tooth Striped together which makes a useful comparison;
Oak Beauty 3, March Moth 1, Engrailed 6, Early Tooth-striped 2, Mottled Grey 1, Brindled Pug 1, Small Quaker 14, Common Quaker 65, Twin-spotted Quaker 10, Clouded Drab 7, Hebrew Character 8, Chestnut 1.

Early Tooth-striped & Mottled Grey

First Early Thorn

In addition to the first Early Thorn of the year;
Emmelina mondactyla 2, Diurnea fagella 1, March Moth 5, Small Quaker 5, Common Quaker 24, Twin-spotted Quaker 6, Clouded Drab 11, Hebrew Character 13, early Grey 2, Chestnut 1.

Early Thorn

Acleris cristana Clough Wood 20/3

Took me a few days to identify this Acleris cristana, it's rather worn but still shows the distinctive raised scale tufts it was taken at Clough Wood on the 23rd.
Last nights catch in the garden produced good numbers again but no additions to the year list.
Diurnea fagella 3, Agonopterix heracliana 1, yellow Horned 1, march Moth 6, Dotted Border 1, Engrailed 1, Early Grey 1, Grey Shoulder-knot 1, Common Quaker 36, Small Quaker 4, Clouded Drab 12, Twin-spotted Quaker 7, Hebrew Character 7.

Acleris cristana

Clough Wood 19:00 - 21:00

Cooled down rapidly after a very warm day, started with the temperature at 8 Centigrade finished at 4 Centigrade. Added two new moths for the year Water Carpet and Early Tooth-striped. Totals were;
Tortricodes alternella 3, Agonopterix heracliana 1, Yellow Horned 1, March Moth, Shoulder Stripe 1, Engrailed 6, Satellite 1, Common Quaker 40, Small Quaker 8, Clouded Drab 12, Twin-spotted Quaker 6, Hebrew Character 4, Chestnut 2.

Early Tooth-striped

Early Tooth-striped

Water Carpet

Water Carpet

Nothing new at home

Oak Beauty 1, Yellow Horned 2, Engrailed 1, March Moth 9, Shoulder Stripe 1, Early Grey 2, Common Quaker 20, Small Quaker 6, Twin-spotted Quaker 6, Clouded Drab 6, Hebrew Character.

Three new micro's for the year

Good moth numbers again which included three new micro's for the year; Diurnea fagella, Alucita hexadactyla and Caloptilla stigmatella, plus Oak Beauty, Yellow Horned 3, Engrailed 1, March Moth 2, Dotted Border 1, Twin-spotted Quaker 28, Small Quaker 5, Clouded Drab 9, Common Quaker 56, Hebrew Character 10, Chestnut 1.

Diurnea fagella

Alucita hexadactyla the Twenty-plume Moth

Alucita hexadactyla

Caloptilla stigmatella

I was lucky to spot this tiny moth which measures no more than 6mm from head to wing tips.

Caloptilla stigmatella

First Early Grey

Not unexpected but  the Early Grey arrived with a good selection of other species including the brown form of Hebrew Character which is unusual for me and the typical grey form of Mottled Grey, totals;

Emmelina Monodactyla 1, Oak Beauty 1, Yellow Horned 1, March Moth 3, Engrailed 1,Dotted Border 1 Small Quaker 5, Common Quaker 36, Twin-spotted Quaker 16, Clouded Drab 7, Hebrew Character 6.

Early Grey

Mottled Grey

Mottled Grey

Hebrew Character brown variation

Hebrew Character

Clough Wood 18:30 - 20:30 a much better couple of hours

A warmer evening proved much more rewarding at Clough Wood today;
Agonopterix heracliana 3, Oak Beauty 4, Yellow Horned 6, March Moth 8, Shoulder Stripe 8, Brindled Pug 4, Engrailed 18, Common Quaker 85+, Small Quaker 22, Hebrew Character 12, Clouded Drab 4, Twin-spotted Quaker 18, Satellite 9, Chestnut 3.
Quite a bit of variation in the Shoulder Stripe.

Shoulder Stripe

Engrailed the dark form is unusual in the first generation

Engrailed

Brindled Pug

Brindled Pug

Eleven species but nothing new at home

Emmelina monodactyla 2, Agonopterix heracliana 1, Oak Beauty 1, March Moth 2, Dotted Border 2, Yellow Horned 1, Common Quaker 3, Small Quaker 1, Twin-spotted Quaker 3, Clouded Drab 4, Hebrew Character 9.
A Red Kite today over Beeley Triangle.

Clough Wood 18:30 - 20:15

The temperature hovered around 5 Centigrade, and produced a few moths but nothing new;
Tortricodes alternernella 1, Oak Beauty 3, March Moth 3, Common Quaker 2, Small Quaker 1, Hebrew Character 2 Chestnut 1, the site is in a poplar plantation so could produce Lead-coloured Drab, I'll try again when it's a bit warmer. This Small Quaker is much better than the one caught at home.

Small Quaker

A second Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Not much else overnight with the temperature dropping to -2 Centigrade but a second acanthadactyla, this one appears a little grey with more distinct body and leg markings, otherwise;
Oak Beauty 1, Twin-spotted Quaker 1, Common Quaker 6.

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Emmelina monodactyla new for the year

In what was otherwise a cold and disappointing night Emmelina monodactyla was the highlight, other moths were;
Dotted Border 2, Engrailed 3, March Moth 3, Common Quaker 10, Clouded Drab 6, Hebrew Character 2 plus 1 Agonopterix heracliana.

Emmelina monodactyla

Last nights moth catch 16/03

March Moth 1, Common Quaker 21, Twin-spotted Quaker 2, Hebrew Character 2, Clouded Drab 3.

Last nights moth catch 15/03

15/03 Agonopterix heracliana 1, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1 ,Oak Beauty 1, March Moth 3, Engrailed 5, Dotted Border 2, Common Quaker 22, Twin-spotted Quaker 8, Clouded Drab, Hebrew Character 4.

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla - new for the garden

Not sure of the current status in Derbyshire but this is the first time I have caught Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Two locally scarce moths - Mottled Grey

A better night last night, mist developed overnight raising the temperature to about 5 Centigrade.

14/03 Oak Beauty 3, March Moth 1, Mottled Grey 1 f.nubilata, Common Quaker 4, Twin-spotted Quaker 2, Clouded Drab 1, Hebrew Character 2, Grey Shoulder-knot 1

I have only recorded Grey-shoulder-knot in the last 3 or 4 years as it has spread northwards and I do not record Mottled Grey every year although it's probably reasonably common bordering the moors. It has a rather shiny wing surface when fresh making photography a bit difficult.

13/03Oak Beauty 2, Hebrew Character 1.

Mottled Grey f. nubilata

This shot is taken in daylight

Two locally scarce moths - Grey Shoulder-knot

Grey Shoulder-knot

A very dark Oak Beauty

I catch quite a few Oak Beauties but the one caught this evening was a particularly dark individual.

Oak Beauty

Small Quaker

11/03 Engrailed 1, Dotted Border 1, Yellow Horned 1, Common Quaker 14, Small Quaker 1, Clouded Drab 7, Chestnut, Hebrew Character 2, Satellite 2.
10/03 Clouded Drab 1, Common Quaker 2.

Small Quaker

Yellow Horned added to the year list

Much milder with a minimum temperature of 7 Centigrade but very windy.


09/03 Clouded Drab 4, Common Quaker 7, Chestnut 1, Yellow Horned 1, March Moth 1, Agonopterix heracliana 1.
08/03 Twin-spotted Quaker 2, Common Quaker 5, Hebrew Character 2, Oak Beauty 1.

Yellow Horned

A more distinctly marked Twin-spotted Quaker

Twin-spotted Quaker

Twin-spotted Quaker

First for the year, not a clearly spotted individual.

Twin-spotted Quaker

Still cold

06/03 Dotted Border, Common Quaker, and Clouded Drab
07/03 Dotted Border, and single March Moth.

Too cold for moths

Some blue sky today but remaining cold, met Ken Smith late afternoon and he pointed out the first returning Stonechat of the spring, I came across another pair on Bent Lane and watched 32 Waxwing go to roost, presumably the birds seen yesterday.


05/03 Common Quaker 3, Chestnut 2 - still very cold overnight, and not much warmer during the day.

Mandarin on the river

The Mandarin is well established as a breeding bird on the River Derwent but not always easy to see.

Mandarin - pair

Mandarin

Waxwings brighten the day

Temperatures hovered around zero last night, so for the first time for several weeks no moths. A party of 29 Waxwing seen from the garden brightened up an otherwise very grey and damp start to the day.

Waxwing

Dotted Border form fuscata

Only a single moth last night but the first Dotted Border of the dark form fuscata this year.

Dotted Border f. fuscata

Dribs but no Drabs

It's remained cool for the last couple of nights;
01/03 March Moth 3, Dotted Border 2, Hebrew Character 2, Chestnut 2.
28/02 Chestnut 1, Engrailed 1.