Garden Moth Update - 23rd July 2017

I switched on my moth light on 23rd July 2017.

Willow Beauty 2
Riband Wave (non-banded) 2
Riband Wave (banded) 2
Marbled Beauty 4
Brown House Moth 2
Mother of Pearl 1
Blastobasis adustelle 3
Bird Cherry Ermine 1
Large Yellow Underwing 4
LesserYellow Underwing 1
Dark Arches 1
Eudonia lacustrata 1
Common Footman 1
Straw Underwing 1
Bryotropha domestica 1
Agriphila straminella 1
Scrobipalpa acuminatella 1

Straw Underwing

Mother of Pearl

WeBS at North Gare Sands & Seaton Sands on 23rd July 2017

On Sunday 23rd July 2017 I did my WeBS Count at North Gare Sands and Seaton Sands. Before starting the bird count I looked for Butterflies and Cinnabar Moth larvae on the walk to North Gare breakwater.

6-spot Burnet Moth 2
5-spot Burnet Moth 3
Cinnabar Moth larvae 32
plus 1 unidentified larvae

5-spot Burnet Moth

6-spot Burnet Moth

Cinnabar Moth larvae

unidentified larvae

 North Gare Sands WeBS

Cormorant 9
Ringed Plover 4
Guillemot 4
Eider 5
Common Tern 50
Sandwich Tern 300
Oystercatcher 230
Knot 42
Black headed Gull 4
Turnstone 1
Sanderling 11
Arctic Skua 2
Little Tern 4

Seaton Sands WeBS

Common Tern 4
Cormorant 5
Arctic Skua (dark phase) 1
Sandwich Tern 8
Great-crested Grebe 1

GMS Week 20 & 21 - 13th & 21st July 2017

The moth trapped was switched on 13th July for GMS Week 20 and an overnight temperature of 12.7C was recorded.

Bird-cherry Ermine 2
Light Brown Apple Moth 1
Chrysoteuchia culmella (Garden Grass-veneer) 3
Swallow-tailed Moth 1
Pale Mottled Willow 1
Dark Arches 4
Large Yellow Underwing 9
Double Square-spot 1
Eudonia lacustrata 1


For GMS Week 21, the overnight temperature was 15.8C on 21st July 2017.

Eudonia lacustrata 3
Diamond-back Moth 1
Brown House Moth 1
Blastobasis adustella 4
Red-barred Tortrix 1
Riband Wave (NB) 1
Scalloped Oak 1
Light Emerald 1
Marbled Beauty 2
Dark Arches 7
Smoky Wainscot 1
Large Yellow Underwing 7
Lesser Yellow Underwing 1
Poplar Grey 1
White Satin Moth 1
Bryotropha Affinis 1
Scobipalpa Acuminatelle 2
Bryotropha Domestica 1

Smoky Wainscot

Poplar Grey

White Satin Moth

Moth Update - VC60

Back mothing in Nether Kellet, Lancashire on 8th July 2017 produced the following species.

Small Fan-footed Wave 1
Small Fan-footed Wave (f. fimbriolata) 1
Swallow-tailed Moth 1
Riband Wave (NB) 4
Large Yellow Underwing 10
Snout 1
Barred Yellow 1
Brimtsone Moth 1
Light Arches 1
Small Magpie 1
Green Pug 1
Muslin Footman 1
Pataswammersamia Nebulella 2
Red-barred Tortrix 1
Bee Moth 1
Sandy Carpet 1 (new moth for me)
Common Carpet 1
Cnephasia sp (close to asseciana) 1
Blastodacna Hellerella 1
Common White Wave 1

Sandy Carpet

Light Arches

Common White Wave

Green Pug

Swallow-tailed Moth

Garden Moth Update - GMS Week 19

On Wednesday 5th July, I switched on my moth trap for Week 19 of the Garden Moth Scheme. The overnight minimum temperature was 12.7C.

Eudonia lacustrata 5
Willow Beauty 1
Straw Dot 1
Single-dotted Wave 2
Uncertain 1
Scalloped Oak 3
Large Yellow Underwing 1
Double Square-spot 1
Blastodacna hellerella 1
Chrysoteuchia Cumella 2
Common Footman 1
Gysonoma Dealbana 1

Single-dotted Wave

Double Square-spot

Scalloped Oak

Willow Beauty

Gysonoma Dealbana

Garden Moth Update - GMS Week 18

On 1st July I switched on my moth trapped for Week 18 of the Garden Moth Scheme, having missed last week I hoped for a good count.

Blastobasis adustella 1
Red-barred Tortrix 2
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 1
Celypha lacunana 1
Spotted Magpie 1
Single-dotted Wave 1
Riband Wave (non-banded) 1
Garden Carpet 1
Straw Dot 1
Common Footman 2
Dark Arches 1
Dot Moth 1
Clay 2
Heart & Dart 2
Flame Shoulder 1
Large Yellow Underwing 1
Lesser Yellow Underwing 1
Double Square-spot 1
Eudonia lacustrata 2
Blastodacna hellerella 2
Large Twin-spot Carpet 1
Celypha striana 1


A good count of species, but only single figures of each.

Clay

Dot Moth

Straw Dot

Blastodacna hellerella

Orchid Walk at North Gare on 27th June 2017

On behalf of the Teesmouth Field Centre and a local project called River Tees Rediscovered I help lead an Orchid Walk for members of the general public to enjoy an evening amongst the flowers.

The North Gare grasslands were covered in Orchids and despite a chilly evening we all enjoyed our selves very much. We spotted five species of Orchid; Common Twayblade, Common Spotted Orchid, Marsh Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid and Bee Orchid.

Marsh Orchid

Marsh Orchid

Pyramidal Orchid

Common Spotted Orchid

Common Spotted Orchid

Marsh Orchids

Restharrow

Common Twayblade

Sea Milkwort

Yarrow

Bee Orchid

Quaking Grass

Lady's Bedstraw

We also spotted some Burnet Moths resting in the vegetation.

Six-spotted Burnet Moth

Empty case

Narrow-bordered Five-spotted Burnet Moth

Leighton Moss afternoon

On Wednesday 21st June a Caspian Tern was reported at Leighton Moss, seen from the causeway hide. We went to the reserve and were lucky to watch the bird flying around for about 1.5 hours, before it disappear from view. The bird didn't come close enough for my small camera, but I got a distant record shot.

After leaving the Causeway hide we went back to the Visitor Centre and the bird feeding area. There were quite a few birds feeding in the early evening sunlight. Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Bullfinch, Robin, Pheasant, Greenfinch and Coal Tit.

Caspian Tern

Robin (juvenile)

Bullfinch

Whilst walking through the garden area, we spotted a Nettle-tap Moth on a Daisy.