Skinner & Waring

Hi all
You might or might not be aware that a new revised and updated edition of both of these books is being published. Skinner is now published by Apollo Books in Demark and is out now at £48 HB only. The revised edition of Waring is due on the 31st May and will cost £29.95 SB and £45.00 HB.

Should any of you want copies I can obtain these for you at trade price. I am not sure of the exact cost per volume as this depends on how many are ordered and P&P costs. It will however be significantly less expensive than buying them at full price. If you want a copy of either book let me know and I will order you a copy. Its perhaps best if I can mail them all to one address as you can then share P&P costs to reduce the amount or I might be able to send them back to Yorkshire with Sue where you can pick them up.

Both books are worth buying if you are serious about your moffing as both are much enlarged with many more photos and drawings included and up to date information on migrants and new species to Britain.

April 2001 in Elland

Hi Guys
I picked a year at random from my Park Road back garden records for April 2001. This shows whats likely to be around in woodland in Calderdale in April most years. My back garden backed onto Park Wood and thus was exceptionally rich in woodland species. If you find this list useful I can extract each month as it starts and put up a list of what I recorded for that month. The list below is from the garden Robinson trap but I can widen this to all species recorded in the month if this would be of use.

Notice the high numbers of "Orthosia" spp. This is typical of my garden records in early spring where Orthosia are around in huge numbers in or near woodland.

0006 Eriocrania subpurpurella 8

0283 Caloptilia betulicola 1

0461 Ypsolopha ustella 3

0464 Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella) 1

0663 Diurnea fagella 3

0688 Agonopterix heracliana 12

0697 Agonopterix arenella 2

1044 Acleris ferrugana 1

1524 Emmelina monodactyla 3

1722 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata) 1

1746 Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 2

1775 Mottled Grey (Colostygia multistrigaria) 2

1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 135

1858 V-Pug (Chloroclystis v-ata) 1

1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 2

1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 2

1919 Purple Thorn (Selenia tetralunaria) 2

1927 Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) 1

1947 Engrailed (Ectropis bistortata) 7

2182 Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda) 144

2186 Powdered Quaker (Orthosia gracilis) 2

2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 2279

2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 118

2189 Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda) 182

2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 129

2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 15

2256 Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) 35

2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 70

Last Week in Hebden Bridge

Moths trapped 20th - 25th April 2009

Pale Pinion 5
V-pug 1
Small Quaker 1
Brindled Pug 13
Hebrew Character 8
Clouded Drab 4
Common Quaker 14
Purple Thorn 1
Early Tooth-striped 5
Double-striped Pug 1
Unknown Pug 2
Early Thorn 1

Total 56

Winston

Cunnery Wood/Shibden..Field Trip No4

Met up with chris today and had a look at Cunnery wood a good mix of trees (elm,oak,sallow,birch,beech) and a small pond.We have decided to run the traps there next wenesday night 6th May at 9-11 weather permitting.Its opposite the top car park at shibden.Peacock,Speckled Wood,small white,Er.sub,Nettle Tap and a large Hawthorn Shield Bug were seen today.All welcome.

No idea!

This was on the sheet by the trap this morning, I guess its a Pug sp. but how on earth do you take it beyond that?!

News from todmorden

Beetle photo for Paul

Green Hairstreaks,

elachista+canapennella

Withens Clough Car park

Meet tonight 8.30 to 9ish ,all welcome.

Hipperholme

Ran the moth trap on Friday night, 4 hebrew characters and two others that I am having trouble identifying.

Top image I have no idea, bottom image I thought might be a satinwave but not too sure. Any help to identify them welcomed.

Midgley 25th April 2009

Another new one last night, Iron Prominent (we think!) plus an interesting micro moth, not sure what it is so any suggestions welcome!

Also photos from Wednesday at Midgley and Monday at Withens Clough, sorry for the dealy but was having problems with the computer.

Caloptilia syringela - Hebden Bridge

Nice to follow charlie's post with this one as todays highlight for me and another micro. I was sat this evening in the last sun enjoying a pint after work and saw something landing on a leaf out the back door. Shot out with a pot and bingo! it was a micro. Now, I believe this is a very common chap but if he were scalled up to macro moth size he would surely rival the most spectacular of species.

This species is completely new to me and I only managed to identify it by remembering it was the same shape and stance as the Caloptilia we cought on the field trip to Withens res' so I am learning from our trips. also managed to get a pic of him too so extra chuffed

Winston

Yorkshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation

I've put a new link up to the Yorkshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation under Yorkshire Butterflies.This is a great site run by Lee and Jax Westmorland from Scarbrough its full of very usefull information and a very good sightings page.
Founded in 1981, the Yorkshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation is one of the largest geographically as the county of Yorkshire measures approximately 150km north to south and 170km east to west!
From its humble beginnings with eighteen members, the branch has grown steadily to more than five hundred members today.
The branch works closely with the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union and promotes the jointly administered but independent recording scheme known as ButterflyNet Yorkshire, with a co-ordinator in each of Yorkshire's five vice counties and species co-ordinators for the county as a whole.
The branch magazine Argus is published regularly and details of both it and our other publications can be found on this site.

Midgley Moth Night Wednesday 22nd

Another good night with the following caught:

1 Twenty-plume Pug
2 Double Striped Pug
2 Autumn Green Carpet
3 Early Grey
1 Common Quaker
2 Hebrew Characters
1 Brindled Pug
1 Swallow Prominent
1 Unknown Pug Sp.

Will put photos on later, seem to be having problems with it at the moment!

Purple Thorn

Lovely rich colours in the first generation of these splendid moths. This one came to the Skinner Trap last night.

Winston

Emperor Revisited

Hi All

Set out again today to try and see the elusive Emperor Moth at Whiteholm Drain. The weather became cloudy again but strong sunny spells remainedall afternoon. Two possible sightingsin the distance of large orange looking insects flying really powerfully, then a third. I was off after this one. With me I had a large fishermans landing net with a 9 foot pole! After leaping over ditches and through muddy pools I made one final dive and had the Emperor in the net. This net is so big that I could put the camera under it too to get the pics shown here, enjoy.

Paul has made some comments on my last post to help us understand how this species operates.

Possibly the most impressive thing I have ever seen.

Also 1 x Common Heath, 1x Eriocrania sp, 1x unk micro oh and 2x redshank (also new)

Yours (in excitement) Winston

125 Emmetia marginea

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The Emmetia marginea emergad today that me and Charlie found on North loop on Febuary 11th.Above are pics of the larvae in the leaf and the ejected frass.
Found 3 Coleophora cases on juncuss yesterday which all had larvae in and all turned out to be Coleophora glaucicolella,

Emperor Anticlimax

After recent brilliant reports of multiple Emperor Moth sightings I planned to go to Whiteholm Drain to see some for myself. Preparing to set off about 2pm the clouds thickened but I thought this was just a passing band of cloud. I arrived at the parking spot and had lost my shadow but it was still reasonable. Saw my first Swallow of the year on the reservoir but by now things were looking grim. Started to rain and wind got up too. In my sodden fleece, desparingly I trudged back.

I will return however!

It is now 6pm, glorious sunshine !
Winston

Emperor

Photo taken yesterday on Ovenden Moor just above Ogden res'r.
by Jan and DJ Sutcliff of the Halifax Birdwatchers club.Thanks Dave and Jan

Beechwood Park

A quick walk around Beechwood Park to check on some of the work undertaken over the last few months,

4 male orange tips
1 small tortoiseshell

Also good views of blackcaps and lots of warblers and chiffchaffs

It might be worth taking the traps up there one night and seeing what is around. If you want to arrange a night then let me know. Also would love to do some trapping in Cunnery Wood if anyone is interested.

Chris

Lesser Swallow Prominent

Managed some better photos this morning! Thanks for the ID, couldn't find it last night in book.

Withens Clough Car park

Not one moth for the first hour and just about to pack up and this lot dropped in a great night.(Water Carpet and Red Chestnut above pics by BrianL)
282 Caloptilia elongella 1
663 Diurnea fagella 1
697 Agonopterix arenella 2
1722 Xanthorhoe designata Flame Carpet 1
1750 Lampropteryx suffumata Water Carpet 2
1761 Chloroclysta miata Autumn Green Carpet 3
1881 Trichopteryx carpinata Early Tooth-striped 11
1917 Selenia dentaria Early Thorn 1
2139 Cerastis rubricosa Red Chestnut 7
2187 Orthosia cerasi Common Quaker 6
2190 Orthosia gothica Hebrew Character 1
and 1 Chestnut