The fantastic weather continues.

Days like these make you happy to be alive, with the trees and fields looking at their peak under cloudless skies.  Thursday night saw a visit to the east end of Sessay Wood, and had similar numbers to two days previous.  The highlight was a small tortrix which I am sure is Pammene obscurana, photo id agreed by HEB but specimen retained for Harry to gen.det. it (too small for me to have a go!).  There have been about four previous records in Yorkshire, including another of mine nearby at Pilmoor.  Also of note was an Epinotia demarniana (I have had these regularly in this area), and four Orange Footman.

Pammene obscurana (tbc)

This photo taken through plastic cover so moth could not escape before confirmation, hence not as sharp as one would like.

Last night was spent at Staveley NR, the first time I have trapped there at this time of the year.  It started off a beautiful calm evening, but after midnight the temperature dropped, and a cool easterly wind picked up making it feel rather chilly.  On checking the traps after just over 3 hours they were bereft of any numbers so decided to call it a day.  Little of note trapped, although Eyed Hawk-moth always good to see, and ten Rustic Shoulder-knot were my first for the site, as was a late Powdered Quaker.

What a difference a few days makes...

Having been out trapping only for a few hours since the last batch of half decent weather at the end of March, I have been out for the last two nights in the Pilmoor area.  Tuesday night was a harsh reminder of why I don't enjoy trapping at Pilmoor in early summer, being eaten alive by the Noseeums, which have obviously benefited from the monsoon that was April.....  Still, putting that to one side, I caught 116 of 35 species, including several notables: a first for VC62 a Lobesia reliquana, a 6th County record of Ancylis laetana, a new 10k square record for Seraphim and the 12th VC62 record of Orange Footman, of which 8 of the previous records are mine.

Last night was spent nearby at Low Wood, Sessay, where the trapping was nearly as good but no sign of the dreaded biting bugs.  With about a 100 moths of 30 species, with notables including a new one for me, Epinotia subocellana, a couple of scarce Monopis weaverella, and a couple more Orange Footman to add to the list.  Perhaps the most interesting event of the night was the noise of munching coming from a big old oak, and at least 30 larvae that descended from the tree on to the sheet, which by the end of the night was covered in larval droppings that pattered down like raindrops.  I would expect the larva to be of Green Oak Tortrix, but am not as yet convinced.

Lobesia reliquana

Ancylis laetana

Seraphim  

Monopis weaverella

Larvae sp, yet to be identified. 

Epinotia subocellana

Getting fed up now.....

For one who does not have the luxury of a garden bigger than a garden bench surrounded by street lighting, the lack of reasonable weather to get me out trapping overnight is completely depressing.  If it had not been for the huge amount of text to enter onto Yorkshire Moths, I think I would have been tearing my hair out by now.

Having said all that, it is great to have many summer migrant birds in, the pick being a Blue-headed Wagtail at Allerton tip, a silent Cuckoo flying over at Minskip on Friday, then yesterday at Nosterfield NR a pair of superb summer-plumage Black-necked Grebes and a Knot.  An hour today spent walking round some pools near Whixley looking for a new trapping site, found several Orange-tip butterflies, and an Anthophila fabriciana or Nettle-tap as it is sometimes known (on checking Yorkshire Moths, a new 10km square record).  A site with with good potential.

Let us hope that the weather improves in the next week or two....

End of April round-up

What a dreary month, with nothing but rain, and when it wasn't raining it was windy or cold.  The only mothing attempt was on Saturday 28th April when rather than an attempt to catch loads of moths was more of an effort to avoid 16 teenagers having a 'party' at the house.  Fearing the worst and avoiding the loud music (?) I set up a light at Sessay Wood.  Just the 5 moths, so hardly a success, but did avoid the havoc going on at home.

Very few migrants around, a few Swallows, and Chiffs and Willows, but to be honest, I have spent most of the days avoiding the weather and working on the Yorkshire Moths website.  It is coming on a treat, and am getting a good amount of positive feedback.  The photo resource now stands at 1782 photos, representing 1071 species, and although most are of adults, there are 22 larva and 72 leaf mines, cases and webs.

Another couple of weeks work to get all of the accounts in, and will then need to look at the next project.....Dorset?

Been a busy two weeks.....

I have not posted for a while due to being tied up with preparing data for the new website for the status and distribution of moths in Yorkshire.  This was launched officially on Saturday evening, and has generated a fair bit of interest so far.

Visit http://www.yorkshiremoths.info and have a look.

Yorkshire was lucky in that it had 1.5 million moth records sitting in a MapMate database, and using additional software developed by MapMate and their expertise provided a platform on which to make all that information available via the web.  I am pleased with the result and hope that others do too.

A catch up of the last two weeks.

A visit to Pilmoor on the evening of 29th March was brought to an abrupt halt when the oil warning light came on  on the generator and it promptly stopped.  A shame really, as there were plenty of moths about, and caught 50 of 12 species in about an hour.

A return visit the following night, after topping up the oil, produced fewer moths, but 15 species, including a Lead-coloured Drab, from under the aspen trees and at the same site as last year.

Lead-coloured Drab

The only other note of interest was while walking across the bridge over the River Ure in the town, I looked over the parapet and saw a couple of Kingfishers eyeing up a two groups of writhing full grown 2' eels with 10-15 in each group seemingly fixed in one location.  It gave the impression of a mass of male grass snakes fighting over a female, which cannot be true as eels migrate to the Sargasso Sea to breed.  Interesting behaviour nevertheless.

It's official spring is here!

Following an overnight frost down to -1 here in Langthorpe, the temperature is now a creditable +19, with wall-to-wall sunshine.  In the early afternoon, I went for a stroll at Pilmoor, looking for Orange Underwings, and concentrated on the area of aspen, the foodplant of Pale Orange Underwing.

Aspen, among the birch.

At least four Orange Underwing were seen, three on the track and one on the SSSI heathland.  Single Peacock, Orange Tip and Brimstone were all seen on the track  Several Chiffchaff were heard singing, and a couple of Marsh Tits sneezed away in the undergrowth.

Orange Underwing

Orange Underwing

Pilmoor SSSI

Pilmoor SSSI