Marc Botham arranged to drop off a couple of MV lights at BBOWT's Warburg reserve near Nettlebed, Oxon last night and we met up there this morning to go through the contents. The hope was that despite all the rain we would find the nationally scarce Plumed Prominent on the wing by now at this, one of its best sites in the Chilterns. The moth is traditionally searched for from Bonfire Night onwards although in recent years I've had one or two wasted journeys to sites in Bucks this close to 5th November. Thankfully there had indeed been some early emergences at Warburg and each trap contained the moth (two in one and one in the other, all males).
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| Plumed Prominent, Warburg 6th November |
The cold and very wet conditions conspired to ensure that there was little in the way of a supporting cast, the only other species recorded being
Caloptilia betulicola,
Acleris ferrugana/notana, December Moth, Red-green Carpet, Northern Winter Moth, November Moth agg., Mottled Umber, Satellite & Chestnut. Surprisingly there was no sign of either Feathered Thorn or Sprawler which one might have thought would fly whatever the weather.
Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks
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