Sunday 31st
Not any warmer but more cloud cover increased the catch to 499 of 93 species. Copper Underwing was new for the year. There was one each of the scarce Pigmy Footman and Dioryctria sylvestrella. The latter seems to have established itself in the area after having been only a migrant a few years ago.
Saturday 30th
Slightly cooler and so a bit quieter. Three hundred and ninety-three moths of 65 species. Common Rustic agg. (61) finally took over from Dark Arches (46) as the most frequent.
Friday 29th
The night temperature did not drop below 15.9°C and so there was a fairly busy trap but only Crescent and Marbled Beauty were new. Diamond-backs continue to trickle through with 23 last night and there were also 3 Rush Veneers.
Thursday 28th
An excursion into pines to the north of the Estate produced several new macros for the year last night, including Buff Footman, Wormwood and Tawny-speckled Pugs, Oak Eggar and Barred Rivulet, while back at HQ Small Wainscot and Straw Underwing were recorded, along with the locally very scarce Wormwood.
Wednesday 27th
Last night produced an influx of 15 Garden Tigers and another Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing, along with an Ear Moth.
Tuesday 26th
The last couple of nights have been a bit fresher but new species for the year have included Square-spot Rustic, Rosy Rustic and Flounced Rustic. You don’t get more rustic than that.
Saturday 23rd
A couple of degree drop in temperature reduced numbers and variety. A Pigmy Footman was pick of the bunch.
Friday 22nd
The warm nights are continuing to deliver a good variety of moths. There have been widespread reports of Catoptria verellus and one finally showed up in our trap, it is the first record for the observatory. There were also 2 Evergestis limbata. Least Yellow Underwing and Knotgrass were new for the year. Several Sitochroa palealis, a distinctive and large pyralid, were reported from the meadows.
Thursday 21st
Another warm night yielded 94 species of moth. Although there were no new macros there was another Dingy Shell. There was one example of the very local Pima boisduvaliella and only the second observatory record of Acrobasis consociella.
Wednesday 20th
There was no cloud to obscure the full moon but numbers were well up on yesterday. Marbled Green and Small Rivulet were new for the year. Dingy Shell seems to be having a good season with our 3rd of the year. The very local Anerastia lotella was a new micro for the year along with three Platytes alpinellas and a Catropia pinella.
Tuesday 19th
A full moon last night probably subdued things a bit, but this morning’s haul included a few new macros for the year in Maple Prominent, Silky Wainscot and Dun-bar.
Monday 18th
Another warm night did not yield quite as many moths but Beautiful Hook-tip, recorded here only five times previously, Striped Wainscot and Tree-lichen Beauty were new for the year.
Sunday 17th
The warm nights continue to increase activity and there were at least 488 moths of 122 species last night. Varied Coronet and Fen Wainscot were new for the year.
Saturday 16th
The overnight temperature stayed well above single figures at 16.7°C and increased effort to coincide with our second Moth Night of the year, particularly a session in the Whitehouse, resulted in a host of new moths for the year – 24 in all. Significant species included Small Emerald, Small Phoenix (recorded here only four times previously), Silver Barred, Lunar-spotted Pinion and Haworth’s Pug (only the Bay’s 4th record). Two Pigmy Footman of the pygmaeola form were also notable. The variety of smaller species was even better including local species such as Anania perlucidalis, Aphomia zelleri, Vitula biviella and Evergestis limbata.
Thursday 14th
Last night’s minimum of below ten degrees didn’t do numbers any favours, but a Dusky Sallow was recorded for the first time this year.
Wednesday 13th
To emphasise the unpleasant nature of this morning, the thermometer actually dropped from its dawn reading and numbers were unsurprisingly hardly anything to write home about, though they did include the first Double Lobed of the year.
Monday 11th
Rosy Minor, L-album Wainscot and Olive appeared on the 9th, with Archer’s Dart and Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing last night.
Saturday 9th
Friday 8th
Another degree rise in temperature and another increase in moth numbers. This time about 507 moths of 91 species. New for the year in the macros were Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing, V-pug, Pigmy Footman,Southern Wainscot, Ruby Tiger and Double Square-spot. Amongst the smaller moths 2 Sciota adelphella and a Cosmopterix lienigella were of note.
Thursday 7th
The night temperature is creeping back into double figures and so moth numbers are increasing. Last night there were 397 moths of 70 species. Dark Arches led the way with 86 followed by 70 Large Yellow Underwings. The highlights were a Shore Wainscot and a Kent Black Arches.
The previous night there were 53 Water Veneers in the trap but it is an ephemeral creature and there were none last night.
Monday 4th
Last night’s collection was again affected by curmudgeonly temperatures, though it did include White Satin for the first time this year.
Sunday 3rd
Even cooler last night- 8.7°C- and so even quieter in the trap. For this year 2 Elephant 2 Eyed and a Poplar Hawk were of note.
Saturday 2nd
The first session of the new month attracted new species for the year in Sallow Kitten and White-line Dart, while the macro total for the year to the end of June was 179, very similar to the cool and unhelpful springs that we experienced in 2012, 2013 and last year.