Wednesday 21 October 2020

Westcott, Bucks

It seems that this year is far from over yet.  The past seven nights have been quite good in the garden, culminating in an interesting catch of 115 individuals from 34 different species last night (20th) even though there was nothing new amongst them.  In fact the only moths new for the garden year-list over this past week have been as follows:  (14th) Sprawler; (16th) Acleris sparsana; (18th) Pale November Moth.

Sprawler, Westcott 14th October

Acleris sparsana, Westcott 16th October

The Sprawler seemed quite early but on looking back at my own records I see that this one equals my earliest date (14th October 2006) and it often appears during the third week of the month.  The Pale November Moth sighting resulted from me deciding to check all seven males which came to the trap on the 18th and they proved to be November Moth (3) and Pale November Moth (4), so job done for this year and they'll all go down as the aggregate from now on.  If it appears at all, Autumnal Moth can wait until I get an obvious candidate as per the markings mentioned in the field guide.   

Proving the point about how reasonable the catches here have been, the following is a list of all 55 adult species seen here over the past seven nights (14th to 20th October inclusive):

15.010

Caloptilia stigmatella

20

41.003

Blastobasis lacticolella

16

17

19

45.044

Emmelina monodactyla

18

19

49.039

Epiphyas postvittana

14

17

18

19

20

49.069

Acleris sparsana

16

49.070

Acleris rhombana

17

49.071

Acleris emargana

18

49.077

Acleris variegana

15

18

20

62.075

Hypsopygia costalis

20

70.070

Mallow

16

19

70.077

Pine Carpet

16

70.095

Red-green Carpet

15

16

18

19

20

70.097

Common Marbled Carpet

14

16

17

20

70.106

Winter Moth

17

70.107

November Moth (and agg.)

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

70.108

Pale November Moth

18

70.244

Feathered Thorn

16

20

70.258

Willow Beauty

19

20

70.283

Light Emerald

20

72.002

Straw Dot

16

19

20

72.013

Yellow-tail

20

73.015

Silver Y

17

19

73.033

Figure of Eight

14

15

18

19

73.065

Sprawler

14

73.068

Green-brindled Crescent

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

73.095

Pale Mottled Willow

18

19

20

73.113

Angle Shades

14

19

73.123

Rosy Rustic

15

19

73.180

Barred Sallow

14

15

16

17

18

19

73.181

Pink-barred Sallow

14

15

16

17

18

19

73.182

Sallow

14

15

16

19

20

73.183

Dusky-lemon Sallow

18

73.186

Beaded Chestnut

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

73.189

Red-line Quaker

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

73.190

Yellow-line Quaker

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

73.192

Brick

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

73.193

Lunar Underwing

14

15

16

19

20

73.194

Chestnut

14

15

16

17

19

73.195

Dark Chestnut

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

73.201

Pale Pinion

16

73.202

Grey Shoulder-knot

18

73.206

Blair's Shoulder-knot

16

17

18

19

20

73.210

Satellite

16

19

20

73.224

Merveille du Jour

17

18

19

20

73.225

Brindled Green

20

73.233

Black Rustic

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

73.297

White-point

20

73.319

Turnip Moth

19

20

73.325

Shuttle-shaped Dart

15

16

18

19

20

73.327

Dark Sword-grass

20

73.342

Large Yellow Underwing

14

16

18

20

73.343

Broad-bordered Yellow U'wing

20

73.345

Lesser Yellow Underwing

18

19

20

73.357

Square-spot Rustic

18

73.359

Setaceous Hebrew Character

14

18

19

20


Winter Moth (17th) and Pale Pinion (16th) were new for the current season although both were seen back in the Spring.  The Winter Moth is actually my earliest ever record, beating the previous one by five days.  It doesn't normally appear until the first week of November.  The Yellow-tail last night would seem to be an attempt at a second brood, something I've noticed before in 2014, 2017 and 2018.

Winter Moth, Westcott 17th October

Yellow-tail, Westcott 20th October

Although we've had south to south-easterly winds for the last three nights the only obvious migrant here was last night's very dark female Dark Sword-grass, although other possibles have included Turnip, Angle Shades and Pale Mottled Willow.  Four Angle Shades together on the 19th was definitely unusual here.  

Dark Sword-grass, Westcott 20th October

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks

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