A trip to Pets at Home in Weymouth and an opportunity to have a look across Radipole Reserve. New bird species for me here were Common Tern (which was catching food and then flying east over Weymouth!), 2 juvenile Reed Warblers being fed by the adults and a Coot.
Other bits and bobs here a Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue Damselfly and a Southern Hawker.
Radipole Reserve
A pair of Great Crested Grebes
The male with a fish
Two juvenile Reed Warblers
A Common Blue Damselfly
Wakeham
Well the moth trap was an instant success. I put it out at 9:45pm last night and within seconds there were moths attracted to it. I was up at 3:45am to switch it off before the birds got to it and even as I was walking up the garden there were moths still flying around it.
A couple I recognised straight away were Brimstone and Heart & Dart. Having put a net curtain over them and placed the trap in the shed it was back to bed.
A few hours later and with jam jars to the ready, it was time to start potting them. After a couple of hours of ID'ing them the final total was 50 moths of 19 species. Not bad for my first mothing session on Portland.
If I've got this right I even got a rarity in the shape of a Starry Pearl, Cynaeda dentalis. What a great start for moth records on the island.
Here is the list and a big thank you to my good friend Nigel Sluman in helping me out with a good number of these which I struggled to ID.
ID No - Species - (Number Recorded)
Moth 1 - Willow Beauty, Peribatodes rhomboidaria - (6)
Moth 2 - The Uncertain, Hoplodrina octogenaria - (1)
Moth 3 - Shuttle-shaped Dart, Agrotis puta - (1)
Moth 4 - Ruddy Streak, Tachystola acroxantha - (1)
Moth 5 - Starry Pearl, Cynaeda dentalis - (1)
Moth 6 - Buff Ermine, Spilosoma lutea - (1)
Moth 7 - Thistle Ermine, Myelois circumvoluta - (1)
Moth 8 - Knot Grass, Acronicta rumicis - (1)
Moth 9 - Common Wainscot, Mythimna pallens - (2)
Moth 10 - Setaceous Hebrew Character, Xestia c-nigrum - (1)
Moth 11 - Garden Grass-veneer, Chrysoteuchia culmella - (1)
Moth 12 - Common Marbled Carpet, Dysstroma truncata - (1)
Moth 13 - Cinerous Pearl, Anania fuscalis - (1)
Moth 14 - Large Twin-spot Carpet, Xanthorhoe quadrifasiata - (1)
Moth 15 - Plum Tortrix, Hedya pruniana - (1)
Moth 16 - Rustic Shoulder-knot, Apamea sordens - (1)
Moth 17 - Garden Grass-veneer, Chrysoteuchia culmella - (1)
Moth 18 - Grey Pug, Eupithecia subfuscata (1)
Moth 19 - Heart & Dart, Agrotis exclamationis - (25)
Moth 20 - Brimstone Moth, Opisthograptis luteolata - (1)
Moth 1 - Willow Beauty
Moth 2 - The Uncertain, Hoplodrina octogenaria
Moth 3 - Shuttle-shaped Dart, Agrotis puta
Moth 4 - Ruddy Streak, Tachystola acroxantha
Moth 5 - Starry Pearl, Cynaeda dentalis
Moth 5 - Starry Pearl, Cynaeda dentalis
Moth 6 - Buff Ermine, Spilosoma lutea
Moth 6- Buff Ermine, Spilosoma lutea
Moth 7 - Thistle Ermine, Myelois circumvoluta
Moth 7 - Thistle Ermine, Myelois circumvoluta
Moth 8 - Knot Grass, Acronicta rumicis
Moth 9 - Common Wainscot, Mythimna pallens
Moth 9 - Common Wainscot, Mythimna pallens
Moth 10 - Setaceous Hebrew Character, Xestia c-nigrum
Moth 11 - Garden Grass-veneer, Chrysoteuchia culmella
Moth 11 - Garden Grass-veneer, Chrysoteuchia culmella
Moth 12 - Common Marbled Carpet, Dysstroma truncata
Moth 13 - Cinerous Pearl, Anania fuscalis
Moth 14 - Large Twin-spot Carpet, Xanthorhoe quadrifasiata
Moth 14 - Large Twin-spot Carpet, Xanthorhoe quadrifasiata (as above)
Moth 15 - Plum Tortrix, Hedya pruniana
Moth 16 - Rustic Shoulder-knot, Apamea sordens
Moth 17 - Garden Grass-veneer, Chrysoteuchia culmella
Moth 18 - Grey Pug
Moth 19 - Heart & Darts
Moth 20 - Brimstone
Moth 20 - Brimstone (same moth as above)
Also this Ichneumon sp.
And another!
As above!