Back Yard Moths

Birds really are taking a back seat at the moment with the current hot weather but back yard mothing is keeping me occupied.

It was back to work on Tuesday 20th July after my annual leave and with the hot weather it was not a joy.  I must have drunk my body weight in water from the cooler but my pee was still like toothpaste and after 12 and a half hours of hot and sweaty work I arrived home tired and cranky. I wasn't going to get the moth box out but it was a very hot and airless night and so I decided to make the most of it. 

I was up early the next morning, around 5am, and it was delightfully cool as I sorted out the moth trap. It was nice to see Birdy 2021 on the flat roof enjoying a drink from the water bowl put out for him and he was joined by one of the adults which kept very quiet for a change. 

The moth box was full, the best night of the year so far, and the most obvious moths were 5 Jersey Tiger Moths flitting about in the trap, my first of the year. 

Jersey Tiger Moth

Also present were 5 Peppered Moth, again my first of the year and much more docile and accommodating than the Jersey Tigers.

Peppered Moth

There were a total of 34 species in the trap with the highlights being 2 Marbled Green, 4 Coronet, Swallow-tailed Moth, Brussels Lace, Knot Grass, Clouded Border, Cabbage Moth, Nut Tree Tussock, Common Carpet, Bird Cherry Ermine, Acrobasis advenella, Dioryctria abietella and Cydia splendana. 

Swallow-tailed Moth

Brussels Lace

Knot Grass

Nut Tree Tussock

Common Carpet

Bird Cherry Ermine

Acrobasis advenella

Dioryctria abietella

Cydia splendana

The biggest surprise was a Black Rustic, a moth that is usually on the wing in September/ October.

Black Rustic

Despite the pleasent and cool conditions at such an early hour it quickly became another baking hot and sunny day and so I had a quiet time trying to keep cool before heading off to work for a night shift. I had hoped it would be a bit cooler at night than the previous days shift had been but it didn't prove to be so and it was another hot and sweaty and uncomfortable shift and I was glad to get home the next morning. Yet another hot day ensued but with cooler and breezier weather forecast for the following day I had the moth box out in the back yard again that night and on waking at 5am on Friday 23rd July the moth box was full yet again. 

It was indeed noticeably cooler and with quite a strong breeze as I sorted out the trap and it was all very refreshing. The trap held just 2 Jersey Tiger Moths and a Peppered Moth this time but there were a total of 28 species all together.

The highlights were 2 Marbled Green, a Coronet, a Dot Moth, a Dunbar, a Single-dotted Wave, a Dingy Footman, a Common Footman, a Buff Ermine and a Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing.

Single-dotted Wave

Dingy Footman

Common Footman

Buff Ermine

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Spindle/Apple Ermine

After sorting out the moths I headed out to Wembury for a walk, enjoying the fresh breeze and cloudy skies although it still felt quite warm. Gatekeeper, Ringlet and Meadow Brown were flitting about but in much lower numbers than seen in the heat and sunshine of last Monday and a single Speckled Wood was also noted. A single Common Lizard was also seen basking on a wooden fence post, probably enjoying the cooler weather conditions as much as I was.

I wasn't expecting much in the way of bird life but was very pleasently surprised with a definite feel of autumn in the air despite the heat wave weather. The tide was dropping and along the beach were the usual Oystercatcher with a Whimbrel, 2 Common Sandpiper, a Redshank, 2 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone and 12 Dunlin along with 3 Little Egret and 4 female Mallard.

Gulls were roosting on the rocks and amongst the mostly Herring Gulls of various ages were Great Black-backed Gulls including a few juveniles, a few dark looking juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls, quite a few juvenile Black-headed Gulls mixed in with the adult birds and at least 5 Mediterranean Gulls including a nice looking juvenile.

Mediterranean Gulls with Herring Gull

Black-headed Gull

Despite scanning through all the Gulls with my tired eyes I couldn't find any Yellow-legged Gulls this time but I did find something yellow, a very smart juvenile Yellow Wagtail feeding along the beach and being constantly harassed by the Pied Wagtails also feeding nearby. It was very flighty due to all the attentions from the Pied Wagtails and I eventually lost sight of it when it was flushed off by a walker.

Yellow Wagtail

Another interesting sighting was a family group of 5 Mistle Thrush feeding in the horse field, 2 adults with 3 well grown fledglings and presumably locally bred.

Mistle Thrush

Stonechat, Whitethroat, Cirl Bunting and Linnet were all noted along the footpath too and despite having a very interesting and enjoyable walk I was glad to return home for a quiet afternoon of just mooching about after all the recent heat.

Cirl Bunting