Falkland, 25/09/2015

Overnight moth trapping with one MV Robinson trap set up and only checked in the morning

LYU: 15
Common Marbled Cazrpet: 1
Rosy Rustic: 3
Silver Y: 2
Mouse Moth: 1
Lesser Yellow Underwing: 2
Green-brindled Crescent: 2 (new for palace/hectad)
Canary-shouldered Thorn: 1 (new for palace/hectad)

A lot of wasps in the trap making working difficult. One nice micro got away while I attempted to pot it between clumps of wasps. Didn't get stung though and a lot of them made off as soon as the light was off.

Canary-shouldered Thorn

Green-brindled Crescent

Mouse Moth

Silver Y

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Cullaloe, 01/09/2015, 20:30-21:45

Some nice year additions with Sallow, Rosy Minor, Dark Marbled Carpet and Small Wainscot. Camera issues so dodgy mobile shots mostly, except for those photographed in the morning

Sallow - plain form

Sallow - fancy form

Rosy Minor

Rosy Minor

Small Wainscot

Dark Marbled Carpet

Dark Marbled Carpet

Dark Marbled Carpet

Square Spot Rustic (thx, DD)

Useful ID assistance - Northumberland Moths

This looks like a useful ID resource from Northumberland moths

http://www.northumberlandmoths.org.uk/idtips.php

I'll have to stick it on the links so it doesn't get lost

Mossmorran 31st July

Head torch 21:45-22:30

An intended trip to Falkland vanished away under rain but Mossmorran remained clear for a brief spell allowing a few nice moths to be picked up. Hoped for a Single-dotted Wave as it would have been a new hectad record, but none were forthcoming.

Dark Arches (1)
Snout (1)
Flame Shoulder (1)
Antler (2)
Shoulder-striped Wainscot (2)
Burnished Brass (1)
Clouded Border (2)
July Highflyer (5)
Pretty Pinion (1) (photographed this time)  
Small Fan-footed Wave (2) 

Agriphila tristella, Common Grass-veneer, were out and about in numbers, there was a Pandemis heparana, Dark Fruit-tree Tortri, and some moss moths (i.e. Scopariinae), one of which I took and have no final determination on yet - a Eudonia or Scoparia.

July highflyer

Small Fan-footed Wave

Antler

Pretty Pinion

Burnished Brass

Mossmorran 29th July, lunchtime, Ingrailed Clay

Adding to a surprising list of daytime species this lunchtime was this Ingrailed Clay, nectaring on Creeping Thistle. A new one for me at Mossmorran, though we had one at Cullaloe last weekend.

Cullaloe, 24/07/2015 (Pinion-streaked Snout)

A nice list of 60 spp with TB, running three MVs and an acticnic heath trap. Sadly I forgot my camera so only weak phone cam pics available. Best of the night was a Pinion-streaked Snout, which I think is only the 3rd Fife record and a new hectad record. There were 12 new species for the reserve and a fair few for me.

Here's a selection:

Poplar Hawk

Buff Tip

Com White Wave and Campion

P-streaked Snout

Swallowtail

Single-dotted Wave

Barred Red

Suspected

Six-striped Rustic

Peppered

Pebble Prominent

Garden Tiger

Iron Prominent

July Highflyer

Large Emerald

Mottled beauty

Purple Bar

Mossmorran, 21/07/2015

22:00-23:00 headtorch

Gold Spangle (1)
Common Wave (3)
Light Emerald (1)
Yellow Shell (3)
July Highflyer (1)
Snout (5)
Riband Wave (1)
Small Fan-footed Wave (1)
Clouded Border (3)
Shoulder-striped Wainscot (1)
Small Dotted Buff (2)
Gold Spot (1)
Shaded Broad-bar (3)
Garden Carpet (1)
Silver-ground Carpet (2)

One interesting thing about guerrilla mothing with a headtorch is that you observe behaviour rather than just a box full of moths. The Snouts were all over a patch of young birches, but if they had been in a trap I would have just known there were a lot of Snouts about. Clouded Border likes to hang out on low leaves, even during the day, but a couple were noted on Tufted Hair Grass flowers. The golden spotted species were flying low amongst the grasses. The Light Emerald was hiding between birch leaves, inactive, and I remember that this species became active much later on during a previous visit.

Interestingly far more species were picked up around the birches and the grasses than the willows. Shame I didn't get a pug now I've converted from loathing to loving them.