Westcott, Bucks

We barely avoided a frost in the garden last night so the catch was significantly reduced, just 13 moths of seven species, down from three-digit counts of anything between 20 and 40 species over the past couple of weeks.  The 125wt MV trap was put away for the winter at the end of September, so it is the twin-30wt actinic alone doing all the work now for the next six months or more.  Lunar Underwing is now almost over, having achieved a total of 823 individuals to date.  That might seem OK but the average here over 20 years is for around 1,200 annually and in two of the past five years it has put in counts of well over 2,000.  Centre-barred Sallow achieved its highest ever total here (324), Black Rustic has done quite well (380 to date) and Green-brindled Crescent (75 so far) seems on course for a reasonable year, but many of the autumnal species - in particular the other Sallows - haven't done all that well here in 2023.  I've only had single specimens of Brown-spot Pinion and Dusky-lemon Sallow so far and this cold snap could well mean that'll be it for both species this year.

The garden Clifden Nonpareil count for this season reached a pleasing ten individuals on the 13th, equalling the previous highest total achieved here in 2021.  I've also had the moth at four other sites in Bucks this year (on Stoke Common in the far south and, more locally, at Finemere Wood and in small tracts of woodland near Granborough and on the edge of Wing), so it really could turn up anywhere now.   

Newcomers for the year-list have comprised November Moth (8th), Pale November Moth (10th) and Yellow-line Quaker (10th).  Both of the Epirrita species had their octavals checked and I have had a couple of candidate Autumnal Moths too, one I don't see here very often, so they'll get checked in due course.  New for the season although not the year-list have been Dark Chestnut (2nd), Satellite (8th), Chestnut (10th) and Grey Shoulder-knot (13th).  

November Moth, Westcott 8th October

Yellow-line Quaker, Westcott 10th October

Satellite, Westcott 8th October

A good part of this period was brilliant for migrants but for the most part they managed to avoid Westcott!  I did have further examples of Vestal (7th) and Delicate (8th and 12th, taking the garden count to 14 this year), but that was all.

Delicate, Westcott 12th October

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks