30th August

Sand Bay/Point: Small numbers of Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Sanderling on the beach. 25 Blackcap, 20 Chiffchaff, 5 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Tree Pipit 4 Wheatear and 150 hirundines.

29th August

Sanderling

5 Sanderling and a Turnstone amongst the Dunlin and Ringed Plover in Sand Bay this evening.

28th August

Phyllonorycter nicellii leaf mine on Hazel

Very quiet around Weston at the moment. A few waders have been on the move making landfall along the east coasts and filtering through the country but with no suitable freshwater sites on the patch it's going to be grim. Waders counted along the coast included 400 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper and 2 Sanderling on the Axe and a Bar-tailed Godwit in Sand Bay. Small numbers of Dunlin recorded flying west out of Woodspring Bay and Sand Bay suggesting these birds could well have been overland passage migrants.

A new moth discovered in Weston. This vacated leaf mine of Phyllonorycter nicellii was found in Weston Woods yesterday morning.

25th August

Stigmella perpygmaeella on Hawthorn

Stigmella microtheriella on Hazel

Some leaf mines discovered whilst walking the dog.

24th August

Parornix anglicella on Hawthorn a bonus NFG

Phyllonorycter quercifoliella

Acleris rhombana

Weston moths 22nd August: I ran a trap in several locations on 22nd with varied results. Highlights below

Weston Woods:

Clouded Magpie 2

Phyllonorycter quercifoliella 1

Sand Point:

Mocha 1

Acleris rhombana 10

Galium Carpet 1

Sand Bay:

Nutmeg 1

Archer's Dart 50

Tawny-speckled Pug 1

Burnished Brass 1

Magpie 1

Coleophora sp

Canary-shouldered Thorn

23rd August

Eudemis profundana

Sand Bay/Point: 10 Whitethroat, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Whimbrel

22nd August

Eucalybites auroguttella a feeder on St John's Wort

Garden moth trap: Udea ferrugalis new for the year and the first migrant for some time. Low pressure has been building in the Bay of Biscay and currently over France where it's due to reach us tonight. With it a warm front will bring rain and perhaps some interesting birds and/or moths. Fingers crossed.

A good night for micros

Epinotia ramella

Epinotia nisella

Cochylidia rupicola

Good conditions saw in increase of moths in particular some nice micros.

18th August

Scalloped Hook-tip

A fall of hirundines this evening due to the prolonged spell of rain with 100 over Weston including 30 Swift and 100 over Sand Point. The latter site also hosted a Wheatear and a Whimbrel.

Sand Point 14th August: 1 Great Skua (B.Britton)

Weston STW: There are a number of potential new moths for Weston at the sewage works in particular the spread of a number of Wainscots from the Berrow area so I tried for an hour last night whilst the temperatures were still warm enough. A single MV ran bringing in a small flurry for 20 minutes it soon died down. Oak Eggar and Poplar Hawk-moth were nice to see making up the best of a poor catch and then flew in a Scalloped Hook-tip. This moth is common nationally but largely restricted to Somerset locally. There is a report of one at Brean Down in 2000 but the validity of this record is uncertain.

17th August - Weston Moth List

Weston moth list since the beginning of time now online: Weston Moth List I make it 834 species. Too far off to reach 1,000 in my life time or is it?

Sand Bay/Point: 5 Yellow Wagtail, 26 Ringed Plover, 6 Dunlin and a Turnstone on this mornings high tide.

Worle Hill moths: 3 Annulet, 1 Bordered Pug the highlights.

Coleophora saxicolella

Coleophora saxicolella

Coleophora saxicolella female genitalia plate

Another Coleophora saxicolella caught on 5th August. The larval foodplant is Orache and Goosefoot which could be present at Weston airfield where I caught last years saxicolella.

13th August

Vapourer larva on rubus

Coleophora probably either glaucicolella or alticolella

Gynnidomorpha vectisana

Eucosma tripoliana

Mothing at Sand Bay yesterday evening in the marsh produced a few Saltmarsh specialities featured above. The larva although distinctive doesn't seem to fit anything in my book. It was found last weekend feeding on rubus.

10th August

Presumed Stigmella alnetella or glutinosae mine on Alder

Weston STW: 4 Common Swift and a Greenshank (A.Hockey)

Sand Bay: Vacated larval mines found this morning on Alder look to be either Stigmella alnetella or glutinosae

8th August

Autumn Ladies Tresses

Middle Hope: 1 Wheatear and 6 Raven (A.Hockey)

Bit quiet on the moth and birding front currently but this Autumn Ladies Tresses was one of many at Sand Point yesterday, one of the last Orchids of the year to flower.

6th August

Bordered Pug

Brean Down: 10 Sand Martin and a handful of Swallows south.

Garden moth trap: Another new garden tick, this time a Bordered Pug. A Swallow Prominent was also trapped overnight.

5th August

Welcome garden addition of Antler Moth

Small Ranunculus larva

Garden moth trap: Overnight winds consistently WSW all night so it was a surprise to get an influx of moths from the Mendips. The give away clue was a very welcome garden tick of Antler Moth and Slender Brindle. It may be possible that the previous nights rain had caused a dispersal so it will be worth checking conditions leading up to future dispersals. This is the third such event to happen this year. Also of note 7 Silver Y in the trap, the single highest overnight count of the year so far.

4th August

Merrifielda leucodactyla

Udea lutealis

Garden moth trap: Prolonged periods of rain overnight. 5 Silver Y, my 9th Small Ranunculus and 2nd Archer's Dart of the year were the highlights. The coleophora on 2nd August posting was determined as C.lineolea.

Mendip Mothing

Narrow-winged Pug

True Lover's Knot

Schreckensteinia festaliella

Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana

Grass Emerald

Another good night on the Mendips. A dozen new species for me including: Grass Emerald, Dotted Clay, True Lover's Knot, Satin Beauty, Narrow-winged Pug, Udea lutealis, Zeriaphera ratzeburgiana, Mompha raschkiella, Schreckensteinia festaliella, Merrifieldia leucodactyla. Other highlights included 3 Antler Moth, Larch Pug, and Fox Moth larvae.

2nd August

Oxyptilus laetus

Svensson's Copper Underwing

Coleophora lineolea

Garden moth trap: Svensson's Copper Underwing, Red Underwing, Oxyptilus laetus, Coleophora lineolea,

1st August

Atlas Moth the largest moth in the World

Dioryctria abietella

Garden moth trap: 3 NFG's last night Dioryctria abietella, Dog's Tooth and Rosy Minor.