30th April

Garden moth trap: NFY's were Cochylis atricapitana and Poplar Hawk-moth. Last night Anthophila fabriciana seen on the dog walk circuit.

29th April

Puss Moth

White Colon

White-letter Hairstreak larva

Garden moth trap: New for year were White Colon, Swammerdamia pyrella, Vine's Rustic, Puss Moth, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Sycamore.

Yesterdays Phyllonorycter is rajella

28th April

Puss Moth via P.Chapman Garden

Phyllonorycter rajella

Coleophora serratella larval case on Birch

I haven't been out birding and heard little from local birders.

Garden Moth trap: Iron Prominent NFY. I potted a Phyllonorycter whilst walking the dog. ID TBC - Edit 30/4/11; ID'd as P.rajella

Weston Airfield: Yesterday larval cases of Coleophora serratella

23rd April

Bucculatrix nigricomella

Stigmella perpygmaeella

Garden Moth trap: NFY's were Currant Pug and Mompha epilobiella. Yesterday evening an Incurvaria masculella caught in the garden was a garden tick. An unid'd moth from friday was identified as Bucculatrix nigricomella by David Agassiz.

I dissected a Stigmella caught on thursday in Chesham Road South which turned out to be purpygmaeella

22nd April

Lunar Marbled Brown

Esperia sulphurella

Sand Point: Sea fog and a light NE wind. Ideal conditions but the action only got as far as Berrow. Nothing of note at the point or Middle Hope. Lepidoptera however was different with Pyrausta despicata netted.

Garden moth trap: NFY's were Lunar Marbled Brown, Angle Shades, Spectacle and Swallow Prominent. Esperia sulphurella in the house was a garden tick.

21st April

Bucculatrix thoracella

Luffia ferchaultella

Sand Point: Combined reports with A.Hockey and myself: 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Little-ringed Plover, 10 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Tree Pipit, 3 Redpoll, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 5 Wheatear, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 House Martin, 1 Garden Warbler. 11 Whimbrel in the bay.

Garden moth trap: Pebble Hook-tip, Pale Prominent, Caloptilia syringella, Bucculatrix thoracella

20th April

Flame Carpet

Green-brindled Crescent larva

Adela reaumurella

Brean Down: clear sky and a cold N wind. Quiet again here 7 Tree Pipit, 5 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Redpoll, 2 Wheatear, 2 Garden Warbler. Off the end 2 Gannet and 170 Dunlin through. Lepidoptera here produced Epiblema Uddmanniana larval spinning, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Esperia sulphurella and 20 Adela reaumurella, Orange-tip, Speckled Wood and Green-veined White.

Sand Point. All per A.Hockey: 1 Whinchat, 1 Common Sand, 2 Gropper, 6 Wheatear, 15 Whitethroat, 2 White Wagtail.

Weston old tip: Orange Sallow larva and Epiblema rosaecolana larva found.

Garden moth trap: Flame Carpet, Red Twin-spot Carpet NFY.

19th April

Anchor Head: Sea fog and a light NE wind. Sea watching produced a dark phase Arctic Skua giving excellent scope views as it flew up river close to the pier. Also 13 tern sp up river and a trickle of Swallows, Sand Martins, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 1 House Martin north.

18th April

May Highflyer

Garden moth trap: A good surge in moths last night. NFY's were May Highflyer (also NFG), Garden Carpet, Cameraria ohridella, Red-green Carpet and Syndemis musculana

Shapwick Heath

Grey Birch

Acrolepia autumnitella

Micropterix tunbergella

A visit this afternoon with David Agassiz to Shapwick Heath for lepidoptera produced the following: Acrolepia autumnitella, Anthophila fabriciana, Grey Birch, Brown Silver-line, Luffia ferchaultella, Coleophora gryphipennella (larval case),

17th April

Barn Swallow

Common Redpoll

Yellow Archangel

Brean Down: It's days like this that make me glad I've expanded my interests. 1 Cuckoo, 1 Common Redpoll, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Grasshopper Warbler.

On the Redpoll note the cold tones surrounding the ear coverts, lack of warm tones on the flanks eliminating cabaret.

Weston woods moths: Scorched Carpet, Least Black Arches and White-pinion Spotted all NFY

16th April

Cream-spot Tiger larva

Brown-tail larva

White Rock-rose

Brean Down: Quiet again here 7 Grasshopper Warbler, 3 Wheatear, 1 Siskin, 1 Redpoll. Lepidoptera: 1 Pyrausta purpuralis NFY and Cream-spot Tiger larva NFY

Sand Point: Per B.Blake 15 Whitethroat, 5 Gropper, 1 Siskin, 2 Swallow

Garden moth trap: NFY were Flame Shoulder and Shuttle-shaped Dart.

15th April

Oak-tree Pug

Brean Down: Quiet here 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit and a Sedge Warbler

Garden moth trap: 2 Oak-tree Pug (NFY), 1 Common Pug, 2 Muslin Moth, 1 Streamer the best of the bunch.

13th April

Anchor Hd: 1 Sandwich Tern up river at 8:30

Garden moth trap: 1 Turnip Moth NFY

12th April

Anchor Head: 1 Gannet and 1 Great Skua up river at 8:35am

Garden moth trap: 1 Dark Sword-grass in the trap, a fresher specimen than yesterdays.

11th April

Dark Sword-grass

Barn Swallow

Garden moth trap: Ruby Tiger and Dark Sword-grass the best of the nights catch.

10th April

Pine Beauty

Bee-fly

Brean Down: Bright sunny day with a moderate NNE wind. 4 Common Scoter still of Fiddler's Point, 3 Tree Pipit. Visible migrants involved small numbers of the following species: Woodpigeon, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch, Linnet, Lesser Black-back Gull, Alba wagtail. Lepidoptera on the down included Holly Blue, Green-veined White and Orange-tip

Sand Point: Per P.Marshall: 1 Redstart, 1 Gropper, 1 Yellow Wag, 3 Tree Pipit, 1 Brambling, 2 Wheatear, 10+ Whitethroat, 2 Redpoll, 4 Siskin, 14 Swallow, 9 Sand Martin

Per P.Gregory: Sand Point this morning: 1 Pied Fly, 4 Tree pipits, 2 Yellow wags, Merlin, 5 whitethroats, 1 gropper, 8 Swallows, 3 Sand martins, 1 white wag, 1 Wheatear, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Brambling, 4 redpolls

Garden moth trap: Pine Beauty was a first garden record.

9th April

Whitethroat

Common Redpoll

Rabbit enjoying the sun.

Brean Down: Bright sunny cloudless day with a barely noticeable SE breeze. No vismig this morning but plenty of night migrants on the down: 7 Grasshopper Warbler, 5 Whitethroat, 2 Common Redpoll, 4-5 Redstart, 1 Pied Flycatcher and 10 Wheatear. 4 Common Scoter in Weston Bay 3M + 1F.

Sand Point: All per P.Gregory and B.Blake 3 groppers, 4 redstart, 3 whitethroats, merlin, 15+ willow w, 30+ chiffs, no hirundines. Also a Tree Pipit and a Yellow Wag.

Garden Moth trap: 1 Shoulder-stripe my 16th NFG this year.

Sand Point moth trap: 1 Dark Sword-grass and an interesting tort not id'd yet were the only highligths of a 2 hour trapping session last night.

8th April

Mottled Grey

Dark Dagger (confirmed by gen ex)

Agonopterix subpropinquella form f.rhodochrella

Sand Point: Whitethroat per A.Clark

Garden moth trap: Mottled Grey and Agonopterix subpropinquella both new for the garden. Yesterdays dagger confirmed as male Dark Dagger by genitalia examination

7th April

Mompha subbistrigella

Garden moth trap: Herald Hoffmannofila pseudospretella and Knot Grass NFY

6th April

Brean Down: 5 Grasshopper Warblers and a fall of Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap noted. 100 Woodpigeon and a trickle of Swallows through.

Garden moth trap: Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella the first migrant of the year. One of 10 micro species caught last night. NFG was Mompha subbistrigella. On the macro front Common Pug and Pale Mottled Willow NFY.

3rd April

Caloptilia stigmatella

Acleris cristana

Brean Down: Light southerly wind clear with high cloud and colder than yesterday. Very quiet this morning 1 Wheatear, 1 Swallow, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Redpoll.

Garden moth trap: Caloptilia stigmatella NFG

Weston woods moths: A good catch with NFY's coming only from the micros A.cristana and A.literana. Macros well represented with 10 Brindled Beauty, 6 Brindled Pug, 1 Chestnut, 3 Powdered Quaker, 10 Diurnea fagella including a dark form, 5 Small Quaker, 5 Hebrew Character, 1 Early Thorn, 1 Double-striped Pug, 3 March Moth, 5 Common Quaker, 2 Engrailed.

2nd April

Brindled Pug

Nut-tree Tussock

Brean Down: A light to moderate southerly until mid morning when it changed to moderate westerly. Birds quite plentiful until the wind change. 350 Sand Martin, 25 Swallow, 1 House Martin, 40 Willow Warbler, 5 chiffchaff, 5 Blackcap, 2,500 Herring Gull, 3 Tree Pipit, 5 Siskin, 1 Redpoll, 50 Goldfinch, 20 Linnet, 10 Alba wagtail.

Anchor Hd: 12pm to 1:30pm 12 tern sp up river. Terns seemed to head back down river closer in after wind started to drop allowing 2 Common Tern and 3 Sandwich Tern to be id'd.

Bleadon moth trap: First time trapping here: 3 Diurnea fagella, 2 Shoulder-stripe, 4 Water Carpet, 9 Engrailed, 1 Nut-tree Tussock, 1 V-Pug, 10 Common Quaker, 10 Clouded Drab, 15 Hebrew Character, 20 Streamer, 8 Brindled Beauty, 1 Early Thorn, 1 March Moth, 1 Twin-spotted Quaker, 1 Dotted Border, 1 Brindled Pug