More Away Trapping

Thinking that we might well get another COVID lock-down, I made a last-minute decision to go out on Monday and went to the Grangelands SSSI in the Chilterns near Princes Risborough.  It was a warm, calm evening, perfect for trapping on a chalk grassland hillside with a splendid view over the Vale of Aylesbury.  The cattle on site moved well away from where I was trapping, the moon set early on and the silence was disturbed only by owls, edible dormice, the occasional Chiltern Railways train and the odd mountain-bike lunatic hurtling along the ridgeway in the dark.  I wasn't expecting much at all in the way of moths because most of the interesting chalk species there would be over by now, but it was a case of not wasting the opportunity to go somewhere - anywhere!  In fact it was quite an acceptable three-hour session with about 50 species coming to the MV lights, but nearly all of them were the usual autumnal suspects.  A Large Ranunculus was nice to see (I don't often get it at home, let alone while trapping away), while other species worthy of mention included Tachystola acroxantha, Pandemis cinnamomeana, Cydalima perspectalis, Galleria mellonella (seems to be doing very well at the moment), a late Juniper Pug and my first Chestnut of the season, while the Clifden Nonpareil which arrived as I was packing up means that this splendid species has been found at yet another new site.

Trapping at Grangelands, 21st September

Large Ranunculus, Grangelands 21st September

Last night I ran a couple of MVs at nearby Finemere Wood SSSI for the usual three hours in a final attempt to get a record of Clifden Nonpareil there, but it wasn't to be.  196 moths of 42 species was quite a reasonable result though, with Figure of Eight, Black Rustic & Lunar Underwing all well into double figures.  The rather nondescript tortrix Epinotia maculana came to one of the lights, a species which the books say starts flying in August although I've never ever seen it that early and most of my 60+ sightings have been in October.  Considering that most of the conifers in the wood have been removed, a count of five smart fresh-looking Pine Carpets seemed odd but they're obviously still using the very few remaining trees.  Amongst the regular autumnal species an early Red-line Quaker was my first of the season.

Epinotia maculana, Finemere Wood 22nd September

Red-line Quaker, Finemere Wood 22nd September

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks