Prominent Selection

In the full knowledge that I'd end up getting very wet, I ran a couple of MV traps in Bernwood Forest, Bucks for the usual three hours last night to make use of the last of this warm spell.  As usual the Met Office, even with all their supercomputers, were as incompetent as ever at predicting where the thunderstorms would go and the soaking actually didn't come until I started packing up, not my favourite time to get drenched!  However, there were plenty of moths around (about 40 species) and they included Lesser Swallow Prominent (1), Swallow Prominent (1), Scarce Prominent (9), Pale Prominent (1) & Great Prominent (36).  Scarce Prominent is always a good moth to find because it doesn't come back with a second brood later in the year like many of the others from that family.   Other species seen included Pammene giganteana, Scalloped Hook-tip & Least Black Arches, but perhaps the best from my point of view was a single very worn White-marked which I don't think has been recorded before at Bernwood.

Scarce Prominent, Bernwood 21st April

White-marked, Bernwood 21st April

Back home at Westcott the following species have been added to the garden year-list over the last few nights:  Pine Beauty & Nut-tree Tussock (18th), Aphomia sociella, Brindled Pug, V-Pug & Purple Thorn (all 19th), Brimstone Moth (20th) and Chinese Character, Oak-tree Pug, Waved Umber, Swallow Prominent & Least Black Arches (all 21st).  Despite the southerly winds there has been no sign of any interesting migrants as yet, though.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks