31th July

Archer's Dart

Garden moth trap: Highlights were Archer's Dart and Bulrush Wainscot.

29th July

Ear Moth

Maple Pug

Dusky Sallow

Rhyacionia pinicolana

A few more from Christon and Maple Pug from garden probably over looked in previous years.

Garden moth trap: Bordered Beauty NFY

Christon Plantation 27th July

Last nights top prize - Antler Moth

Tawny Speckled Pug

Barred Hook-tip

Slender Brindle

Tawny-barred Angle

Christon Plantation: Around 75 species recorded in 1.75 hrs with a single 125W MV bulb suspended over a sheet. Highlights were Slender Brindle, Antler Moth, Tawny-barred Angle, Tawny Speckled Pug and Rhyacionia pinivorana.

Full list here: http://www.birdlist.co.uk/ChristonPlantation-27-7-11.html

Garden moth trap: Nutmeg NFG and Least Yellow Underwing.

27th July odd macro forms

Oak Eggar

Dark Arches f.aethiops (Darker northern form)

White-line Dart (Darker inland form)

Marbled Green f.impar

Weston: A Crossbill heard calling briefly outside from office window. Yesterday P.Gregory had a flyover at Worle.

Garden moth trap: Plenty of moths but nothing of great interest although an Oak Eggar was a surprise this morning. The previous 3 nights saw 3 moths causing initial interest before proving to be odd forms of common species, a reflection of the northerly winds of recent days.

24th July

Large Tabby Aglossa pinguinalis

Garden moth trap: Large Tabby Aglossa pinguinalis NFG overnight along with year ticks Square-spot Rustic and Blastobasis adustella.

Dark Green Fritillary

Dark Green Fritillary

Grayling

Brean Down: On the down this morning 2 Wheatear and a Siskin. A northerly passage of Swallow and Sand Martin. Lepidoptera: Chalkhill Blue, Marbled White, Green-veined White, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Grayling, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Dark Green Fritillary. Moths included 6-spot Burnet, Silver Y and Pyrausta cingulata.

River Axe: 6 Common Sandpiper

Garden moth trap: Homoeosoma sinuella NFG. Migrant counts: 1 Dark Sword-grass and 4 Silver Y.

22nd July

Teleiodes luculella

Garden moth trap: 4 new for the garden over night: Mottled Beauty, Oak Hook-tip, Buff Footman and Teleiodes luculella.

20th/21st July

Lyonetia clerkella larva on Birch

Peppered Moth dark form

Garden moth trap: A slight pick up in moths over the last two days. Of interest a dark form Peppered Moth, Sallow Kitten and Small Rivulet. 5 Silver Y over last two days.

18th/19th July

Arctic Tern

Arctic Tern

18th July

Sand Bay/Point: A light passage of Curlew heading up river in one's and two's including 2 Whimbrel. An Arctic Tern gave excellent views off the end of Sand Point and over Sand Bay marsh this evening.

Garden moth trap: Silver Y and Plutella xylostella the only migrants in the trap over the last two days.

18th July

Comma Hawk Nephele Comma

Unidentified

Unidentified

Above some moth pictures from the archive. These were taken in the Gambia in 2009.

18th July

Axe Estuary/River 195 Redshank and a Sanderling

17th July

Anchor Head: 130 Manx Shearwater, 1 Fulmar, 1 Kittiwake.

16th July

Sand Point: Sea watching this afternoon produced 5 Manx Shearwater and a Gannet down channel an hour and a half after low tide. The birds were drifting down presumbly on their way out after coming in with this mornings tide. Also a Sand Martin west.

Garden moth trap: 3 Silver Y presumably brought down by yesterday evenings rain. A Bordered Straw was recorded in Somerset. NFY's Mother of Pearl, Cloaked Minor

15th July

Crescent Dart

Traps a little quieter than previous nights with no notable captures. None for years and then 2 in two nights, this is the second of the two Crescent Darts caught in the garden.

Mere Wainscot

Mere Wainscot

A remote trapping session at Crook Peak on Monday 11th resulted in a very good catch which included this Mere Wainscot, a very rare species in the county. The larvae feed on Wood Small-reed which is present in the area so could be as much a local as wanderer or migrant.

Previous records from information available:

VC6 2; 1 in 1957 and 1 in 1960

VC5 1; 1 in 1991

Migrant moths

Small Marbled

The Olive

Wormwood Pug

A good selection of moths in the garden trap this morning. Long over due was my first Crescent Dart. A rather moth eaten specimen but an addition to the garden list all the same. Migrant numbers were up with 2 Small Marbled, 1 Udea ferrugalis, 1 Dark Sword-grass and a Silver Y.

Bilberry Tortrix

Bilberry Tortrix Aphelia viburnana

Pine-shoot Moth Rhyacionia buoliana

A moth caught on 1st July was determined over the weekend as Bilberry Tortrix Aphelia viburnana. According to literature this species has no confirmed records in the Bristol District. Other recent garden highlights include Coleophora glaucicolella, a third Small Ranunculus and Rhyacoliana buoliana

9th July

Cleg Fly Haematopota pluvialis (Thanks Julian)

This mornings bird flushers.

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull, happy before being flushed.

River Axe: Some bird news today. This mornings count resulted in 2 Common Sandpiper, 52 Redshank, 2 Curlew, 550 Black-headed Gull, 3 juv Mediterranean Gulls. The female Wigeon still on UV pools amongst the Mallard.

8th July

Oncocera semirubella

Catoptria falsella

Nymphula stagnata

Here are a couple of micro's from the Budapest trip. The semirubella caught me out as I was looking through Crambidae photos when I should have been looking at Pyralidae. The stagnata from Shapwick Heath on 25th May.

7th July

Agonopterix nervosa

Cooler temperatures overnight and time to turn off the moth trap lights for a few days for me. The sparrows must be wondering where all the moths are this morning. A chance now to catch up with the backlog of determinations. Today's Oecophoridae was caught last Friday (1st). A new one for me and number 410 for the garden life list Agonopterix nervosa.

6th July

Phycitodes binaevella

Epinotia tenerana

A little quiet in the trap last night so here's a couple from the weekend.

5th July

Small Ranunculus

Phtheochroa inopiana

2 Small Ranunculus in the trap last night. Also Miller, Poplar Grey, Trachycera suavella, Acleris variegana.

Garden list now in the 400 club

Red-barred Tortrix

Friday nights catch put the garden list over 400 species. Number 400 was Red-barred Tortrix, not uncommon but a nice looking tort and a lifer also.

Last nights catch equalled any of this years best nights with 3 new macro's for the garden Obscure Wainscot, Shoulder-striped Wainscot and Ghost Moth. Other highlights from last night were the third White Colon this year for the garden, Small Mottled Willow, Haworth's Pug, another Coleophora deauratella and Zeiraphera isertana.

Unexpected in the moth trap

House Sparrow

Small Mottled Willow

Both of these were in the moth trap on friday morning!

Grapholita's

Grapholita funebrana

Grapholita janthinana

Two new for the garden from last weekend; Grapholita's janthinana and funebrana.