Neil Freeman

[Wurzel]

A fantastic report Neil - delightful images - especially the Helice and the Scotch Argus - but for me the stand out is that Hedgie/Gatekeeper
Thanks for the tip off - now comes the tricky part of trying to persuade Mrs Wurzel

Have a cracking Crimble!

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Trevor, David and Wurzel. We had a great Christmas and New Year and hope that you all, and everyone else did too

A bit quieter this week which has given me chance to look back on the moths that came to my garden moth trap in 2022.

Garden Moths 2022

I ran my trap on just 41 nights in 2022 and ended up with 146 macros species and 73 micro for a total of 219 species. This compares with 2021 when I ran the trap on 59 nights for a total of 222 species made up of 132 macros and 90 micros. The lower number of nights that I ran the trap this year was mostly accounted for by runs of poor conditions for moths, with it being either clear and cold or too windy. Whilst there would often have been some moths flying in these conditions, reports that I saw of poor catches the following mornings usually validated my decisions.
The total number of individual moths counted this year was 3516 (2217 macro and 1299 micro) compared with a 2021 total of 3227 moths (1891 macro and 1336 micro) which shows that despite trapping on 18 fewer nights this year my species count was broadly similar and I actually caught more individual moths. This is just a quick comparison of the past two years as before 2021 I did not keep count of the number of nights that I trapped and in any case as I don't run the trap the same number of nights every year, any comparison of numbers can only ever be in a broad sense.

I had 18 new species for the garden (NFG) in 2022 made up of 12 macros and 6 micros as listed below.

Small Clouded Brindle.
Beautiful Golden Y.
Eyed Hawk.
Scarlet Tiger.
Scarce Silver Lines.
Engrailed.
True Lovers-knot.
Black Arches.
Sallow.
Beaded Chestnut.
Gem.
Six-belted Clearwing – to pheromone lure in daytime.
Udea olivalis.
Cydalima persectalis (Box-tree Moth).
Eucosma hohenwartiana.
Cameraria ohridella (Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner).
Clavigesta purdeyi (Pine Leaf-mining Moth)
Scrobipalpa occellatana (Beet Moth).

The Small Clouded Brindle is one that I have possibly overlooked in the past due to its similarity to some forms of Common Rustic aggs, although the latter tend to be on the wing after the SCBs are nearly finished and apparently those still around tend to be in poor condition.

Small Clouded Brindle - Coverdale 09.06.2022

The Beautiful Golden Y is less often seen than its close relative the Silver Y but is still ‘supposedly’ common and widespread over most of Britain.

Beautiful Golden Y - Coverdale 16.06.2022

The Eyed Hawk was one of only two Hawk Moth species that I had in 2022, the other being Poplar Hawk. This nice female left me with a batch of eggs that I reared and from which I currently have the pupae in the bottom of the fridge ready to lay out for emergence later this year.

Eyed Hawk Moth - Coverdale 17.06.2022

The Scarlet Tiger Moth has been expanding its range across the midlands in recent years and has been seen in some locations in large numbers so I was hoping they would turn up here sooner or later.

Scarlet Tiger - Coverdale 17.06.2022

The Scarce Silver-lines is a widespread but local woodland species whose larvae feed on oak. With very few oak trees close to me I am always glad to see a wandering oak feeder and this was one of the most striking.

Scarce Silver-lines - Coverdale 22.06.2022

The Engrailed is another species that I may (just possibly) have overlooked in the past due to a passing resemblance to a small Willow Beauty or Mottled Beauty.

Engrailed - Coverdale 02.07.2022

The True Lover’s-knot is a moorland and heathland specialist whose larvae feed on heathers. It is known to wander widely from these habitats and sometimes breeds on garden varieties of heather but it is still a notable record for my garden.

True Lover's-knot - Coverdale 19.07.2022

Black Arches is a striking looking species that is most common in the southern half of the UK. It is another species that has been extending its range northward and is becoming more common in recent years.

Black Arches - Coverdale 14.08.2022

I usually see other species of ‘Sallow’ in most years so I was finally pleased to get ‘The’ Sallow this year.

Sallow - Coverdale 23.08.2022

The Beaded Chestnut is very similar to some forms of Lunar Underwing and I have been checking the latter carefully for some years now and was finally pleased to confirm my first one this year.

Beaded Chestnut - Coverdale 03.10.2022

The Gem is a migrant which comes in every year and is more often seen in southern counties. I am aware of just two others recorded in Warwickshire this year, one at Ryton Country Park near Rugby and one in a garden in Bidford-on Avon.

Gem - Coverdale 03.10.2022

I have spent some time over the past couple of years looking for Six-belted Clearwings using a pheromone lure around my local patch and finally had some success this year, not only finding a few at Blythe Valley Park near Solihull buy also having one come to the lure in the garden.

Six-belted clearwing - Coverdale 18.07.2022

Udea olivalis is a fairly nondescript looking micro that is fairly common across the UK and which was bound to turn up here sooner or later.

Udea olivalis - Coverdale 02.06.2022

Given the way that the Box-tree Moth is spreading across the country since it was first recorded in Kent in 2007 and having turned up in Warwickshire a few years ago, it was only a matter of time before I saw one here. This species is originally from Asia and is considered an invasive pest of box trees but there is no denying that it is an attractive looking moth.

Box-tree Moth - Coverdale 28.07.2022

Eucosma hohenwartiana is a fairly common micro whose larvae feed inside the flowers or seedheads of knapweed.

Eucosma hohenwartiana - Coverdale 19.07.2022

Clavigesta purdeyi (Pine leaf-mining Moth) is a more local species that is expanding its distribution and whose larvae feed inside the needles of pine trees.

Clavigesta purdeyi - Coverdale 21.08.2022

The Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner was probably the smallest moth that I recorded this year and although this species can sometimes occur in large
numbers, I have quite possibly overlooked it in the past due to its small size, something that I am likely to be guilty of with quite a few micros.

Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner - Coverdale 19.07.2022

The Beet moth is a small micro which is usually restricted to coastal marshes on the south coast but there was a large population explosion in late August, probably caused or influenced by migrants and large numbers were recorded across the country for the next couple of weeks.

Beet Moth - Coverdale 28.08.2022

Whilst not a NFG I also had a Toadflax Brocade, my second one here (my first was in 2020) and a notable record for my garden. I am aware of another one this year not far away in south Birmingham plus one elsewhere in Birmingham showing that they are definitely slowly expanding into this area.

Toadflax Brocade - Coverdale 22.05.2022

This year brought the total for my garden since I started running the moth trap here in April 2016 up to 368 species, made up of 228 macros, 133 micros plus 7 species of clearwing moths

This also shows that after nearly 6 years of trapping, there are still plenty of supposedly common moths that are still turning up here. Here's hoping that 2023 brings a few more.

Happy New Year Everyone.

Neil.

[Benjamin]

Excellent round up and some cracking moths Neil. As you know down on the south coast we get lots of toadflax brocade and box moths and the somewhat similar caterpillars are very visible in front gardens with box or in ‘untidy’ areas where toadflax grows. I must admit I enjoy seeing them take over local box hedges until, that is, the panicked homeowners spray them with all sorts of terrible things and then it’s not so good. It’s a shame the larvae don’t live at low density and then they could slip by unnoticed - as you say they really are striking moths.

There’s always a long list of ‘control’ options for concerned gardeners but it’s invariably the final one at the bottom of the page that seems the most sensible to me:

Consider choosing alternatives to box plants

[Allan.W.]

Agree with Benjamin ,Neil excellent moth report ! Very envious of your Gem ........... a "Bogey " species for me ! a fair few appear locally(Kent) ,most seasons .............but alas not for me ! Scarlet Tigers a good one as well ............only ever seen one.
Talking of Box tree moths ,i caught dozens in 22' including a 30+ count and more worryingly a 50 + count in a night !. with these numbers only a single Dark morph individual ,which came alone one evening . What does surprise me is that my next door neighbour has a very neat Box hedge around her front garden ..............and not a single Box moth larvae !
Allan.W.

[David M]

...I had 18 new species for the garden (NFG) in 2022..

That's a good number of newbies, Neil, with some real beauties in there. The Eyed Hawk Moth is probably the standout just because of its size and imposing colours, but I think the Sallow and the Black Arches are pretty handsome too.

Scarlet Tiger always gives makes my heart miss a beat when I see them in Europe. Good to know they are expanding their range near you.

[Neil Freeman]

There’s always a long list of ‘control’ options for concerned gardeners but it’s invariably the final one at the bottom of the page that seems the most sensible to me:

Consider choosing alternatives to box plants

Very True Ben. I don't have any box plants and as far as I am aware neither do my neighbours so for me it is a welcome addition to my garden.

Thanks Allan. I have only had A few Box-tree Moth so far and just one at a time...no doubt that will change in time. Scarlet Tigers are a definite success story in the midlands with a large increase in both range and numbers in recent years.

Thanks David. I was well pleased with my results for 2022 despite the reduced number of nights that I ran the trap.

Garden Birds.

As usual at this time of year, I have been watching the birds in my garden, mostly from the comfort of inside the house. Sparrows have increased greatly in number here over the past couple of years and it is lovely to hear their constant cheeping and chattering, something that had been missing a few years ago when numbers dropped to the point that I would only see one or two at most. There is a downside to this however in that their more boisterous behavior around the feeders seems to deter the Bullfinches and Greenfinches from visiting so often. The tits do not seem to be bothered as much and I still have Great, Blue, Coal and Long-tailed tits on most days.

Jays have been regular visitors and are always a more welcome sight than the ever present Magpies.

I had been seeing a male Blackcap on most days and was wondering if it was the same individual that kept returning to the feeders. I had my answer the other week when I spotted three males on the feeder at the same time.

Redwings have been turning up occasionally with the first ones appearing in the garden before Christmas, unusual for here as I don't usually see them until well into the new year. Quite possibly this was due to the period of cold weather earlier in December. Uusually these are just one or two at a time but the other week there was a small flock of 7-8 birds.

Recent weather here has been quite mild and very wet but as we tend to get our coldest weather here from late January into February it will be interesting to see what this year brings.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cracking set of Moffs again Neil Those micros look like right pains to ID God to see the Blackcaps back again

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. Yes, some of those micros can be a real pain to ID, mind you so can some of the macros too. Fortunatly along with my expanding reference library, there are some great online resouces to fall back on.

As well as the male Blackcaps, there are a couple of females lurking about in the garden as well. I don't often manage to get a shot of a pair together but yesterday (Saturday 14th) they obliged me.

Blackcap pair - Coverdale 14.01.2022

Cheers,

Neil.

[essexbuzzard]

Great shot of the blackcap and redcap in the same picture. Your garden bird pictures are always a pleasure to see.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Mark. I must admit, I haven't been taking as many photos this year, mostly due to the rowdy gang of sparrows keeping the more interesting birds away for a good portion of the time.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Good to see a few Redcaps in there as well Neil, they're often harder to see as they skulk about more

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. Yes, I often see one or the other but seldom both together.

It has been a cold week with some light snow on the ground to greet us on a couple of mornings although this had disappeared by mid morning. The next couple of days look to be similar before it warms up again from the beginning of next week.

This morning I spotted a Song Thrush investigating the grass beneath my feeders.

Also, a Fox was chilling out at the bottom of the garden.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[David M]

Some nice birds in your garden, Neil (not to mention the fox). Glad to see you have blackcaps visiting - didn't they used to fly south for the winter until quite recently?

Good to know you're still getting greenfinches too. I can't remember the last time I saw one round my way. Must be several years.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks David. I have been getting winter Blackcaps in my garden for some years now, in fact I see more here in the winter than I do in summer. Although I am seeing Greenfinches in increasing numbers around here, I am getting fewer visiting the garden this year (the same with Bullfinches). I believe this is due to an increasing number of boisterous Sparrows that seem to deter the more shy species from visiting when they are around.

Cheers,

Neil.

[bugboy]

It's true that Blackcaps used to be summer only visitors to us and indeed that is still true for the ones that breed here. They mostly winter in the western Mediterranean area. The relatively recent rise in one's here in the winter are due to a change in migration routes from those that breed in central Europe with a portion now moving west rather than south to overwinter. Its presumed to be a reaction to climate change and the uk's obsession with feeding garden birds.https://www.bto.org/our-science/project ... background

Greenfinch numbers have recently plummeted to the point where they went straight from the green list to the red list in the UK due to becoming susceptible to the trichomonus parasite. https://www.bto.org/about-bto/press-rel ... arden-bird

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Paul. I have been seeing winter Blackcaps here for good 7 or 8 years now. I remember reading a very similar article a few years back...it may even have been the same one.

Greenfinches were very scarce a few years back but had made a bit of a comeback around here in recent years, I have been seeing them in my garden again for the past three years, although not as often this winter with the sudden increase in Sparrows that seem to have taken over the garden.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Neil Freeman]

This morning (Feb 3rd) I had a walk down to my local shops around 11.00am in what was feeling like a pleasant bit of weak sunshine that was trying to break through some high cloud. On the way back, my daydreaming was interupted by a butterfly fluttering across in front of me, close enough to tell it was a Peacock. It didn't stop and I watched fly across the road and disappear over the houses opposite.
This was my earliest ever sight by a good couple of weeks and only the third time I have ever seen a February butterfly around here.

I am not getting my hopes up yet however as after a mild looking weekend it is forecast to get colder again next week.

Bye for now,

Neil

[Neil Freeman]

First moths of the year.

Following a pleasant morning on Friday, the clouds built up later resulting in a rather gloomy afternoon although it remained fairly mild with a light breeze.
With these conditions forecast to persist overnight I decided to give the moth trap a try for just the second time this year, the first being on the night of January 29th which had resulted in a blank. This time I was rewarded with a single Pale Brindled Beauty and a couple of micros, these being singles of Acleris cristana and Ypsolopha ustella. The latter is a new species for my garden but quite possibly one that I have previously overlooked due to its small size and insignificant appearance.

Pale Brindled Beauty - Coverdale 03.02.2023

Acleris cristana - Coverdale 03.02.2023

Ypsolopha ustella - Coverdale 03.02.2023

With overnight temperatures here forecast to be dropping to zero or below again next week I am not sure when I will be putting the trap out again but mid February tends to be when things start to get going here with the appearance of Common Quakers and Hebrew Characters etc.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Good news that you've got off the mark Neil Spurred on by the sun on yesterday I ventured out today but no joy -I reckon they can tell that the mercury will be dropping for a while again this week Hopefully they'll be tucked away somewhere nice and snug

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Love the shot of the Fox Neil, I've had a visit in my garden has well, i've not managed any shots though

Lets hope this cooler weather doesn't affect the Butterfly you saw too much, it is a bit early for them, I did think they hibernated early last year though,
maybe that's why they're taking advantage of the Sun now. Goldie