Hardcastle Craggs

Red sword Grass

Yellow Horned

Big night in Midgley

A very good night for us last night with the following caught

Mottled Grey 1

Engrailed 2

Small Quaker 4

Early Grey 1

Hebrew Character 3

Twin spot Quaker 2

Common Quaker 41

Clouded Drab 9

Last night in Luddenden

great night in Luddenden, my best ever in March, included these three micro's, any ideas?












also

Chestnut 5
Hebrew Character
Small Quaker 5
Twin-spotted Quaker 4
Clouded Drab 4
March Moth 2
Common Quaker 38

Hardcastle Craggs

Another Engrailed from the Craggs on Sunday night.Loads of moths about tonight at 13 degrees.Gonna meet at 6.30 in top car park on Thursday night...all welcome...I carnt give anyone a lift there but can give anyone a lift back.......

Orange Underwing

On what must have been the warmest and sunniest day of 2011 so far I spent an enjoyable afternoon in the steeply sloped Knott Wood. Target species, 1661 Orange Underwing Archiearis parthenias. I have spent three years now trying to get a photograph of this species in their brief window of flight during March and April to no avail. Last Saturday I saw about 5 on the wing. Always hard to decide how many individuals are in the area. Today I never saw more that 6 in flight at once but there were possibly 15 in the area. Every now and again one would come close and I had a sweep at it with a large keep net on a 10ft pole. Many attempts were made! After 15 mins I managed to get one. 90 mins later another and then as I was about to leave at 3:30 things livened up and I got 2 more in quick succession. The second one caught had lost almost all its scales but the others were in good condition. I released them onto their favourite birch trees to take the photographs shown here. These medium sized moths are impressive flyers and are great to watch as they perform spiralling courtship displays not unlike the speckled wood butterfly. They have a distinctly orange appearance on the wing but seldom reveal the orange hind wings when settled. The underside of the hind wings are especially vivid.

A plea for Toads!

Hi all,

Apologies for the off-topic post, I promise my next one will be about moths! I did see my first butterfly today, however it was from quite a distance so I couldn't identify it...

The first Toads have been on the move in the area and I wondered if any of you night-time 'Moffers' would be interested in helping out with some night-time amphibians. We're extending a plea for volunteer Toad patrollers at some of Calderdale's Toad Crossing sites. We need some extra hands (and buckets!) to help the Toads cross the roads.

Five sites around Calderdale have been identified where Toads are at a high risk from traffic:
- Hebble End in Hebden Bridge
- Lumbutts/Mankinholes
- Hebden Hey in Hebden Wood
- Woodhouse Road in Todmorden
- Washer Lane in Sowerby Bridge

New 'Toad Crossing' road signs will be going up at Lumbutts and Hebble End as soon as possible, encouraging road users to drive carefully, but we still need volunteers! Particularly at the Woodhouse Road and Hebble End sites.

If you're interested and could spare the odd evening to help with some Toad transportation please get in touch with Hugh Firman at the Countryside Services. By email; Hugh.Firman@calderdale.gov.uk, or phone; 01422 393214.

Thanks!
Christine.

Hardcastle craggs .Turns up trumps

A steady 9 degrees at hardcastle craggs last night ,we ran two traps and recorded the following..
Common Quaker      70
Twin -spotted Quaker  47
Small Quaker               13
March Moth                  9
Hebrew Character       9
Couded drab              9
Mottled Grey            5
Dotted Border          6
Satellite                     6
Chestnut                17
Red Sword Grass      2
Pine Beauty               1
Red Green Carpet    4
 Engrailed                 4
Pale brindled Beauty   1
Brindled Pug             1
Ypsolopha   ustella         1
Agonoptrix her           1
Emelina Monodactyla    1

Actinic Moth Trap for sale

As new actinic moth trap with new bulb and rain guard..rarely used £50.00 ono.......Leave message or e-mail me at andrewcockorft@talktalk.net........................      Also today the first  3 Orange Underwings flying in the bright sunshine at EGP this afternoon my earliest record of this species ...

Ruby Cat

Thought this was a gonna last week and nearly discarded it as a lost cause ,but thankfully today it was on the move....

Moths of the Season

A good article from Steve whitehouse at Birdguides..
http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2611

one to look out for... 666....Semioscopis avellanella

Not recorded locally to my knowledge ,,but must be here http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=5714 found in the same habitat as yellow Horned..

Sunday night

Meeting at hardcastle craggs sunday about 6.30 all welcome...Went to bare head tunnel today and found only 10 heralds..1 small quaker and 5 Common Q's tonight so far......

THE SEPARATION OF MALE BRINDLED BEAUTY (Lycia hirtaria), PALE BRINDLED BEAUTY (Phigalia pilosaria) & SMALL BRINDLED BEAUTY

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/4BOCTSVvQzOttoyjsYbbDHU0dSiaHDeppWPNVh2UCbg_2PEQdGvdpCFWJ1pzIyhKZfuEG5bFfQSTSW9MWnQFXTCuu1Q51lUCzM5B/Keys/Separation%20of%20SBB%20-%20PBB%20-%20BB.pdf
An excellent article  by Jon Clifton  on the above species can be see here
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/0CSBTSsKDxIxdc2F33Kdy2_ypPYQo7vri1_rZStASDebU5Xah0ZGPwceajUyl7bAWCWGHgsLxHTljqT_aa0SuGfkdmyg96xdmpq2/Keys/Separation%20of%20SBB%20-%20PBB%20-%20BB.pdf
Thanks to Charlie Fletcher and Yorkshire moths for the link.

Saturday night in Luddenden

at last some Moths in the warmer weather included one of my faves,
this Red Sword Grass

plus


Common Quaker 4
Clouded Drab
Hebrew Character
Chestnut 2
March Moth 3




















also this cat for i.d,

I found this crawling up my trap last week any ideas?

GMS and a 1497 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

688 Agonopterix heracliana

1497 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Did my GMS last night as I had a few electrical problems on Friday.
12 common Quaker
2 Clouded drab
2  Hebrew Character
3 March Moth
1 Satellite
1 Chestnut
1 Dotted Border
4 Agonoptix heracliana

Yellow horned

As Winston pointed out, more orange horned than yellow?

Midgley GMS

1 Yellow horned
2 Clouded Drab
1 Hebrew Character

Hardcastle craggs last night and Mad March Moffers

A good turn out of moths and Moffers despite the cold , wet and windy weather.
Satellite  4
Common Quaker  12
Twin Spotted quaker   5
March moth    5
Small quaker   1
Engrailed        1
Dotted Border   2 (tree searching)
Diernea Fagella  1
Agonoptrix Arnella  1
Totricodes alternella  3
Ypsolopha ustella      1,
Winston, Nick,Nick,Bri ,Sandra,Christine and Andy..Cheers all

Migrating moths and songbirds travel at similar rates

An interesting study was published on speeds of migrating moths yesterday


showing that Silver Ys migrate at the same speed as Willow Warblers if they have

a favourable wind:(thanks Charlie fletcher and yorkshire Moths )

http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/food-security/2011/110309-pr-migrating-moths-songbirds.aspx

Basic Moth Trapping...Part one from Birdguides

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2578

One to look for....Luffia lapidella f.ferchaultella ..

http://www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds2/mothimagesluffialapidellaferchaultella.htm
Needle and Haystack

Friday evening

This fine Dotted Border landed on the house window last night a real suprise with  temps at - 2 .Meeting in Hardcastle Craggs car park on friday evening about 6.30 weather permitting...all welcome

Bare Head Tunnel ...2

Went back to Bare Head tunnel today with camera and torch and found 12 Heralds in the tunnel.there were a four a three and 5 singles.

Bare Head Tunnel..Shibden

(Pic by Darrel ...nicked from The With Blogg)
Had a walk down Bare head Tunnel today at the top of Shibden and found 2 Heralds inside..Fantastic to see them in natural hibernation. Also lots of sallow/catkins just starting to show....Also 2 ....688 Agonopterix heracliana...to the housse window last night.
.

GMS

Poor start up here in Midgley, no moths at all. Anybody else get anything?

Clouded Drab

Hi All, Parking the car in Hebden last night this Clouded Drab fluttered down in front of the car. After rescuing it before parking on top of it It proved to be not so drab after all.

Tiny Yellow Underwing

Can anyone i.d. this micro, I've named it a Tiny Y.U. because of the yellow underwings, I caught two on Monday night, the only Moths I've had this week

Eriocrania

If any one is interested in local micro's ..charlies blogg is a real treat at the moment.The eriocrania are a well represented family locally and a good way to start an interest in local micros..They are a small group but all very beautifully coloured..


http://charlielepidopteraofcalderdale.blogspot.com/

Hardcastle Craggs

Tree searchring with torch..

Dotted border  5
Spring Usher    1
Chestnut          2
Pale Brindled Beauty   1

At Light

Satellite 1

2 moths in the road at luddenden 2 Mottled Grey..AC,BL and NCD

Luddenden - this week

Pretty good in Luddenden this week with eight species of Macro and two Micro (I'm not sure if these are the same species), can anyone i.d. the Micro's please

Last night in Hebden Bridge

Little things to get excited about!

For the last 4 years (as far as I can remember) I have had only one Dotted Border visit the skinner trap per year. And each year I have failed to get a photograph of this very flighty (in my experience) species. On previous years the subjects have been completely uncooperative and shot off at the first sign of a camera or, on one occassion comitted suicide in the canal. Last night I came home about midnight after work and obviously everything was sopping wet. There were three moths however -

1 x Chestnut

1 x 1025 tortricodes alternella

And yes...

1 x 1934 Agriopis marginaria Dotted Border.

A better pic this time of a rather worn specimen. More pleased with the pic of t. alternella, which again although common is not a regular visitor here. I think it shows some nice detail. Winston

Last Nights Moths and a blast fof spring..

A nice spring day with heavy overnight rain in Northowram produced in the trap---

   283 Caloptilia  betulicola/elongella (type) x 1
1070 Tortricodes alternella 1

Dotted Border x3 (2 melanic)
Mottled grey   x 1
Pale Brindled beauty  x 1
Satellite x 1
Chestnut x 2
March Moth x 2
Red Green carpet x 1

Cat at pellon today

 Found this on the pavement at Pellon today, any ideas ?Nick D............

Last night in Midgley...

Hurrah, Spring is here! Last night produced 1 March Moth, 4 Chestnuts, 1 Dotted Border and 2 to ID tonight when I have more time. Not a bad start for us! The Dotted Border is a nice one to start the year with.

1070 Olethreutes mygindiana

Nice to see the first berrys on cowberry today on the local moors and the larvae of 1070 Olethreutes mygindiana in the folded leaves(thanks Wild Yorkshire for the tip off  ).This Red Green Carpet was my first moth last night to the garden trap and my earlieat by 4 weeks!!!!.

Update...field trip to hardcastle craggs on sat Night top car park by river...meet 6ish.....

One to look out for...

One good moth to look out for now is Small Brindled Beauty. It is very rarely
recorded in the county but should be flying now and for the next month or so in
mature oak woodland. Very few people start trapping in woodland until later in
March when it has probably stopped flying. The distribution in the county is
very poorly known, but we have scattered records across VC61,62 and 64. It
hasn't been seen in VC63 since Porritt's day. It would be rather nice to find
it in some new places.
 
Taken off Yorkshire Moth Yahoo group.Thanks Charlie Fletcher..Broadhead clough springs to mind.

Last Night in Hebden Bridge

Hi all, I have been looking forward to writing that title all winter now and hope tonight will be the first of many reports of 2011.

Last night trapped from dark till midnight.So far tonight , .Winston

(8:30pm) 4 x March Moth

(10:30pm) 7x March Moth
(11:15pm) 9x March Moth

(all on window and not in trap)

plus 1x Pale Brindled Beauty

2x chestnut