Friday 31st August 2007 Newington Thanet
It's
been very slow over here since I last reported in but I have had a few
bits of interest. Overnight I found a new Tortrix for the garden a Catoptria
falsella on one of the traps amongst a rather unremarkable catch.
I did get the first Large Thorn of the season and a Lobesia
littoralis. Other stuff I've taken lately has been Straw
Underwing on 28th then Green Carpet, Sharp-angled Peacock
and a second Tree-lichen Beauty on the 29th. The bulk of the
catches have been made up of lots of Setaceous Hebrew Characters,
Large Yellow Underwings and Vine's Rustic. Conspicuous by
their absence have been Garden Tigers (none) Toadflax Pugs (more none) and
things like Least Yellow Underwing have been extremely scarce with -
almost none!! Hopefully we will get a better autumn? (Phil M)
Friday 31st August 2007 Dumpton Thanet
Moths in my part of Dumpton were very poor last
night, so decided to look for leaf miners around the garden, only one I
could find was the Apple Leaf Miner (Lyonetia clerkella)
(Gadget)
Thursday 30th August 2007 Pegwell Trap
As I approached the Pegwell moth site this morning, a small moth was
flying in the sunlight, fortunately it landed on the gate post to reveal
that it was a Yellow V Moth (Oinophila v-flava) of which there have
been very few Kent records - exciting or what (I chose or what) (F Solly)
Thursday 30th August 2007 Dumpton Thanet
Within the last ten days a few more moth around just
a few bits of late Oak Hook-Tip & Pebble Hook-Tip up to 4
Old Lady in the traps a few Diamond Back moths, White Point but
only a few Silver Y's and Rush Veneers and within the last
three days up to 129 Setaceous Hebrew Character in the trap along
with 60 Large Yellow Underwings (Gadget)
Tuesday
28th August 2007 Westgate Thanet
Mothing
has been pretty dire in my garden recently. I did catch an interesting
micro overnight, Psychoides filicivora, which appears to be
rather rare in Kent. (Tim H)
Friday 24th August 2007 Newington Thanet
Quite
a few more moths about overnight as the wind dropped at long last. Not too
much variety but numbers was well up of some of the commoner species. The
only quality moth I caught was a migrant Tree-lichen Beauty only my
third ever back garden captures. The only other migrants I took were c12 Diamond-backed
Moths, 2 Rusty Dots and a single Dark Sword-grass. The
past few nights have been quite as you might expect with the gale force
northerly but I had caught a Pretty Chalk Carpet on the 19th plus a
Dioryctria abietella and an Old Lady on the 22nd.
(Phil M)
Thursday 23rd August 2007 Pegwell Bay & Leaf
Miners
Night of 22/8. A suggestion of some migration in the Pegwell trap with 1 Gem,
3 Dark Sword-grass, 1 Pearly Underwing, 3 Rusty Dot,
1 Rush Veneer and 2 Dioryctria abietella amongst a
surprising amount of junk.
Back
by popular demand (unlikely) and more interesting than paint drying
(doubtful) it’s... the leaf miner. You've been spared some of the
critters but no pain no gain as the saying goes. Another selection of the
delightful Phyllonorycters bred from mines. Phyllonorycter
platani from London Plane by Newington (Ramsgate)
railway bridge, Phyllonorycter corylifoliella, Hawthorn from
Pegwell Cliff-top and Phyllonorycter quinqueguttella from
Dwarf Sallow at Sandwich Bay. (F Solly)
Sunday 19th August 2007 Newington Thanet
Not very much going on as usual these past two nights
though numbers of commoner stuff did increase slightly overnight. The only
'bits' of note were singles of Purple Bar, Barred Rivulet,
Cream-bordered Green Pea and Small Ranunculus - though the
latter species is on the borderline of hardly even being worthy of mention
these days?? Only two years ago it was a rarity in Thanet now it's a
fairly regular visitor to the moth traps. I did catch a fairly dingy
looking Copper Underwing on the 7th of this month but after taking
photos forgot about it. After it coming to mind this evening I looked at
the close up photos of it's labial palps which were dark with pale tips
and it was a Svensson's Copper Underwing as had crossed my mind on
the 7th when I took the photos. The underside was incredibly bland by
comparison with Copper Underwing - luckily I had taken a photo of it's
underside through a perspex sheet which helped with it identification. I
added this last bit to my entry to add 'extra anorak boredom' - I trust it
had the effect I was hoping for? (t'was never a penalty) Phil M.
Saturday 18th August 2007 Kingsgate &
Pegwell Traps
Another week of rubbish mothing. Some overnight cloud and only a light
wind on 17/8. A lot more moths, although typically on Thanet at this
time of year mostly white trash. The only things of any note were 2 Archer's
Darts and a Peach Blossom at Pegwell (both scarce on Thanet)
and a Convolvulus Hawk Moth at Kingsgate. (F Solly)
Friday 17th August 2007 Newington Thanet
What
an awful summer we're having - I've hardly taken anything of note since I
last reported in. 'Bits' have included Leopard Moth on 10th, Feathered
Ranunculus on 11th, Small Ranunculus on 12th, Fern, Pebble
Prominent and Gold Spot on 13th, Iron Prominent and 2 Small
Ranunculus on 15th then Yellow Belle, Small Ranunculus
and Mathew's Wainscot on the 16th. The only rarity I've caught was
a Garden Dart on the 11th. Garbage! (Phil M) (Sober)
Saturday 11th August 2007 Beltinge
At last some moths! The nights of 7th, 8th and 9th
were completely blown out here with the moderate northerly winds. The
other side of the coin for exposed coastal sites. Best moth goes to a
cracking Wormwood, a new site species. 3 Small Scallops, 2 White-points,
Mullein Wave and a Lesser Swallow Prominent were the best of
the rest. (Barry H)
Wednesday 8th August 2007 Kingsgate & Pegwell Traps
No great shakes so far this month, an upsurge in numbers on the 5th but
quickly back to the pitiful numbers that seem to be the norm this year.
The Pegwell trap has tended to perform slightly better. Spice, as far as
it goes, has been provided by a Hoary Footman on 2/8, 6 Tree-lichen
Beauty on 5/8 and a Plumed Fan-foot on 7/8. Of the more usual
types, Oak Eggars have been more frequent than normal - up to five
as have Drinkers, seven so far - typically scarce on the chalk of
Thanet. A
couple of attractive micros on the 5th, a Eucosma pupillana
and the rather impressive Cynaeda dentalis. (F Solly)
Monday 6th August 2007 Newington Thanet
A
much better night overnight with 57 species of macro moth and many micros
getting into the garden. Top moth went to the Scarce Chocolate-tip
- only my second ever garden record, though I'm probably doing well to get
two records, as it's an extremely scarce moth in Thanet. Other 'back up'
included 2 Grey Pug, 1 Red Twin-spot Carpet, 1 Purple Bar,
1 Pale Prominent, 1 Gold Spot, 1 Small Fan-foot, 1 Rosy
Minor, 1 Platytes alpinella and 1 Aidina
microdactyla. Decent numbers of Geometrids turned up for the first
time all summer with 23 Riband Waves, 51 Least Carpets and
18 Brimstone Moths showing interest in the MV's. Only common stuff
but at least some species are starting to show up in normal sorts of
numbers. (Phil M)
Monday 6th August 2007 Westgate Thanet
I've been in Scotland for the last week or so, but I
suspect I haven't missed a great deal on the mothing front. It was
somewhat better last night, with the best moth a Clouded Magpie, a
pretty scarce moth in Kent, I believe.
(Tim H)
Monday 6th August 2007 Beltinge
It was much more humid overnight and the number of
species also rose, with 73 species of macro recorded tho not in big
numbers. The trap also held over a thousand beetles and emptying it was
not for squeamish! Best bits were Pine Hawk, Oak Hook-tip, Barred Rivulet
and a Small Scallop. 2 each of Rusty Dot, Rush Veneer and
Dark Sword grass. (Barry H)
Sunday 5th August 2007 Newington Thanet
A
few thingamy's appeared overnight. Of note: singles of Eudonia pallida,
Platytes alpinella, Orthopygia glaucinalis, Grey Pug, Small Waved
Umber,
Gold Spot and a Toadflax Brocade. The previous night was slightly naff but
I did get the migrant Pyralid - Palpita vitrealis amongst a few other
lesser beasts. I think it might pick up by the year 2031 at this rate??
(Phil M)
Sunday 5th August 2007 Beltinge
The past few nights have been clear and damp but
fairly warm. Moths just about worth noting Langmaids Yellow Underwing,
55 Silver Y, a handful each of Rusty Dots and Rush
Veneer, Dark Sword-grass, 3 White-points, Dark Spinach, Pebble
Hook-tip, 5 Star-Worts and Rosy Footman. Surely it
must pick up soon. (Barry H)
Friday 3rd August 2007 Newington Thanet
It's
still awful with hardly anything of note turning up at the traps. Top
‘bits’ from the past few nights has included Cochylis
atricapitana, Orthopygia glaucinalis, Fern, Small Ranunculus,
Straw Dot, Herald and a Lesser-spotted Pinion. (Phil M)
Thursday 2nd
August 2007 Beltinge
Night
of August 1st- 49 species of macro saw the usual fare, best were Barred
Rivulet, Straw Dot, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet and a late Clouded
Silver. Migrant types saw 10 Silver Y, 3 Rusty Dot, 9 Diamond-
backs and 1 Rush Veneer. (Barry H)
Thursday 2nd
August 2007 Dumpton Thanet
Night of 1st August moths worth of note: 3 Rusty dot Pearl, 5 Diamond
Back Moths, Straw Dot, Matthew's Wainscot, Small
Ranunculus, Popular Hawk Moth, (Gadget)
Wednesday 1st August 2007 Kingsgate & Pegwell Traps
Night of 31/7. The record for the poorest July night for moths was
broken on numerous occasions throughout the month. Last night was yet
another appalling night with the traps virtually empty. A splash of
migration at Pegwell with single Scarce Chocolate-tip, Tree-lichen
Beauty and Rusty Dot. (F Solly)
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