Thursday, 28 September 2023

Stainland.

 Sorry, I'm having a longish, troublesome, health issue. I don't think I'll be able to put whatever moths I found in September. on the blog. I'll be bouncing back at some point.

Gordon,

Wednesday, 27 September 2023

Lee Mount - 27th Sep

 Puzzling over this one - thought at first I was on for a new Species for here in Dark Chestnut but I'm leaning now towards a dark looking Chestnut - but I'm not sure at all. 

Any thoughts ?



Lee Mount

Last few days, not much doing at all. Actinic 22w does not seem to have pulled many in other than a 2 Mouse Moths, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, 2 Silver Y's, 1 Large Yellow Underwing, 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing, 1 Copper Underwing agg, 1 Red-green Carpet and a couple of Black Rustics. 
Micros Ypsolopha sylvella x 2 and Tachystola acroxantha x 2

Best of the bunch was this Barred Sallow


Friday, 22 September 2023

Setaceous Hebrew Character

 Always been a  regarded as a common moth in most of Yorkshire but never in Calderdale I have recorded 53 since 2003 and no records at all between  2000 - 2002 .... till this year with over 115 so far,??

Numbers to Northowram Moth trap......

21st Aug ...1

31st Aug ..2 

3rd Sept ...4

7th Sept ..21

8th Sept ..15 

9th Sept ..22 

10th Sept ...16

13th Sept ....12

20th Sept ...2

Wednesday, 20 September 2023

Delicate

 

  Another excellent moth The Delicate recorded by Anthony Arak at his Barkisland trap ,another migrant to add to  Calderdales growing list ...Astonishing the number of migrant moths that make it to the Pennine hills .....

Tuesday, 19 September 2023

Lee Mount - last few days...

 Not a lot doing at all and with all the rain I knocked the trap off. Back on again for a short while tonight 19th and see what the weather is going to do after today's full day of rain.

Been puzzling this micro since 9th Sept but couldn't work it out - even with it's rather strange stance. 
CF confirmed identification soon after I thought of drawing a blank over it !
Zelleria hepariella (NFS)

Just a Common Marbled Carpet on a window and a Silver Y each evening just on dusk - nectering on Verbena bonariensis.

Red Admiral and a Speckled Wood at Ogden yesterday.

Sunday, 17 September 2023

Clifden Nonpareil at Clock Face quarry

One to light in Anthony Arak's trap yesterday!
Enough to put a smile on anyone's face on a dull and damp autumn morning!




Wednesday, 13 September 2023

Beacon Hill

Small Copper 1,  Red Admiral 1,  Speckled Wood 3


Monday, 11 September 2023

Copper Underwing - differences !

A good few Copper Underwing to the trap in recent weeks with a max of  9 at any one time. I always log these as Copper Underwing agg as the differences are, I find, pretty tricky to differentiate between the two similar species. Even more difficult to check live moths !!

In the local church tower last week I found some recently dead ones so selected the best two and decided it might be worth checking the underside of the underwings to see if this was, as advised, the best way of separating the two species. I think I was just lucky as the two I looked at were different.

Copper Underwing

and below Svenssson's Copper Underwing





Friday, 8 September 2023

Early September

Quick summary 150 +  moths of 30 + species most nights in early September, 1st - 12th

 Setaceous Heberew Character x 22 ,9th Sept (dont think I've had that many in the last 10 years..!!)

Black Rustic x 17 on the 11th 

Silve Y x 18 on the 11th 

Ruby Tiger x 1 ,,,,,,,,,7th September

Vines Rustic x 2 7th 

Dusky Thorn ..x 1 ...3rd

Vestal x 1... 8th 

Wax Moth x 1 8th

Red Green , Flame , Green , Spruce , Grey Pine ,  Common Marbled , Common , Garden Carpets ....7th

Brown Spot Pinion , Beaded Chestnut , Black Rustic , Angle Striped Sallow , Barred Sallow , Frosted Orange   and Autumnal Rustic...

Copper Underwing agg.....20 + ....

Still getting 60 + LYU....

Small Autumnal Moth x 1 

Light Emerald on the 10th 

Wednesday, 6 September 2023

Speckled Woods Stainland.

 We have been away for  while. We got home to a computer / Internet connection problem, which took several days to resolve. THEN, I came down with a bug of some sort. Life can be so very varied and interesting. I have a few days of moths to report, I'll make a start on them tomorrow, 

For now, here is the butterfly count which I collected On Carr Hall Lane yesterday.

1 x Wall Brown

1 x Large White

35 x Speckled Woods, something of a record for me.


]

Speckled Woods

Bank Top 1,  Beacon Hill 5

Tuesday, 5 September 2023

Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey

WCBS - managed to find a decent day for this survey covering part of Cold Edge and Ovenden Moor - 24c but there was quite a breeze.

38 from 7 species. Surprisingly the most common butterfly was Wall Brown x 17, then Red Admiral x 9, Speckled Wood x 4, Peacock x 3, Small Copper x 3, Small Tortoiseshell x 1 Small White x 1

Lee Mount

Last few days - not a great deal doing other than a continuing stream of Large yellow Underwings and afew Lesser Yellow Underwings, Mouse Moths, Square-spot Rustics etc and last night Copper Underwing agg x 8.

At dusk there has been 2 Silver Y's nectering on Verbena but they 'leg it' as soon as I get the camera on them. They don't seem to come when it's totally dark either.

Otherwise the best of the bunch has been these four........

Purple Bar

Acleris emargana
 
Buff Footman - only 5th record for here

Stenolechia gemmella

Monday, 4 September 2023

New Bank

Painted Lady 1,  Red Admiral 4 

Thursday, 31 August 2023

Red Admirals

New Bank 2,  Listers Road 1


Tuesday, 29 August 2023

Langfield 27 08 23

 Cooler Temperatures ,still did okay though,fresh Small Autumnal Moth,Heath Rustic,Anomalous the picks.ps thought the Small Autumnal Moth was a Grey Mountain Carpet ( a target species ) until it opened its wings,still a nice record though.

Wednesday, 23 August 2023

Lee Mount etc...-23rd August

 This moth is always a bit special. Just the 4th record for here.

Purple Bar

Most others 'run of the mill' this morning including Mouse Moth x 3 and one each Riband Wave, Shuttle-shapped Dart and a Willow Beauty etc.

Fewer butterfly's the last few days but  a Holly Blue still at home and on Hunter Hill this afternoon (SE058297) just two species -- Wall Brown x 3 and Green-veined Whites x 5

Wall Brown


Monday, 21 August 2023

Lee Mount - 21st August

Another Yellow-barred Brindle - certainly a different one from 17th - lovely moth.
Large Yellow Underwing still in good numbers with 38 this morning
Spectacle x 1
+ a few other bits...
Hummingbird Hawmoth paid us a visit this afternoon - they don't stay long - photo best I could do !

Still got a Holly Blue and Speckled Woods.

Spectacle

Hummingbird Hawkmoth on Verbena bonariensis

Tawny Speckled pug


 First  Tawny Speckled Pug for a while , Flounced Rustics , Campion ,Yellow barred Brindle ,  Orange Swift , first Vines Rustic of the year , and 75 LYU..........