Portland Bird Observatory - wildlife diary

31st July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 6 Silver Y and 2 Plutella xylostella.
Orthotelia sparganella - 30th July 2001 © Martin Cade
30th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 17 *Plutella xylostella, 8 Silver Y* and1 Dark Sword Grass; also another good selection of local rarities and wanderers, including: 47 *Coleophora salicorniae, 2 Orthotelia sparganella* (a new species for Portland), 2 Brown-veined Wainscots, a Twin-spotted Wainscot, a Small Rufous and a Buff Footman.
29th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 11 Silver Y, 4 Plutella xylostella.
Bedstraw Hawk-moth - 28th July 2001 © Martin Cade
28th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 10 Silver Y, 10 Plutella xylostella, 5 Dark Sword Grass and 1 Bedstraw Hawk-moth; also recorded were another good selection of local rarities and wanderers including the third Obs record of *Gymnancyla canella*.
*Anania verbascalis* and Pempelia genistella - 27th July 2001 © Charlie Moores
27th July	Highlights today were sightings of a Sunfish drifting east off the Bill in the morning, and a small group of Harbour Porpoises moving west there in the evening; also at the Bill, good numbers of Large White butterflies were seen arriving from the south. Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 8 Dark Sword Grass, 4 Silver Y, 3 *Plutella xylostella* and 1 Nomophila noctuella; also recorded were a good selection of local rarities including two new species for the island - *Anania verbascalis* and Pempelia genistella, as well as wanderers such as Fen Wainscot and Southern Wainscot.
26th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 10 Silver Y, 2 Dark Sword Grass and 1 *Plutella xylostella*.
25th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 6 Silver Y and 2 Dark Sword Grass.
24th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 5 Silver Y, 5 Dark Sword Grass and 2 *Plutella xylostella*.
23rd July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 11 Silver Y, 6 Dark Sword Grass, 1 *Plutella xylostella* and 1 *Dioryctria abietella*.
22nd July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 1 Dark Sword Grass and 1 Silver Y.
21st July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 2 Silver Y.
Eudonia mercurella f. portlandica - 20th July 2001 © Martin Cade
20th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 15 Silver Y, 5 Dark Sword Grass and 3 Plutella xylostella; local specialities on the wing at the moment include the distinctive Portland form of Eudonia mercurella.
Episyrphus balteatus - 19th July 2001 © Mary Snell
19th July	There has been marked influx of the hoverfly *Episyrphus balteatus* in recent days, and it is now abundant throughout the island. Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 14 Silver Y, 7 Dark Sword Grass and 2 Plutella xylostella; also a single Painted Lady butterfly in one of the traps.
18th July	A lone Clouded Yellow was at the Bill in the afternoon. Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 1 Dark Sword Grass and 1 Silver Y.
17th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 1 Dark Sword Grass, 1 *Nomophila noctuella* and 1 Silver Y.
16th July	A single Clouded Yellow was on the West Cliffs at the Bill in the morning. Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 3 Dark Sword Grass and 3 Silver Y.
15th July	A single Clouded Yellow was seen near Church Ope Cove in the morning. Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 2 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Silver Y and 1 *Plutella xylostella*.
14th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 6 Dark Sword Grass, 3 Silver Y and 2 *Plutella xylostella*.
12th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 1 *Plutella xylostella*.
11th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 1 Dark Sword Grass.
10th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 1 Silver Y and 1 Dark Sword Grass.
9th July	Highlight this morning was the arrival off the Bill of a pod of more than 30 Bottle-nosed Dolphins; they remained offshore in the vicinity of the tide race for more than an hour, and constitute the largest group of Bottle-nosed Dolphins seen at the Bill since 30 were recorded on 16th June 1967. Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 5 *Nomophila noctuella, 3 Udea ferrugalis, 3 Silver Y, 2 Plutella xylostella, 2 Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Dark Sword Grass* and 1 *Conobathra tumidana; also 2 Dark Spectacle* and 1 Tawny-barred Angle.
8th July	Lulworth Skippers are now on the wing at the Bill, where they have been seen over the weekend between the Obs and the Pulpit Inn. Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 5 *Plutella xylostella, 2 Udea ferrugalis, 1 Silver Y, 1 Dark Sword Grass* and 1 *Nomophila noctuella*.
Crambus uliginosellus - 7th July 2001 © Martin Cade
7th July	Highlight today was the capture of a single *Crambus uliginosellus* - a new moth for the island - at the Obs; other immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning were: 6 Silver Y, 5 Dark Sword Grass, 1 *Dioryctria abietella, 1 Nomophila noctuella, 1 Plutella xylostella, 1 Yponomeuta evonymella, 1 Zeiraphera isertana, 1 Udea ferrugalis* and 1 Ostrinia nubilalis; other local specialities captured included Least Carpet and Cypress Carpet.
6th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 35 Silver Y, 5 Dark Sword Grass, 3 *Dioryctria abietella, 2 Nomophila noctuella* and 1 Pearly Underwing.
*Conobathra tumidana* and *Dioryctria abietella* - 5th July 2001 © Martin Cade
5th July	The best night for immigrant moths so far this year, with the Obs garden traps producing: 22 Plutella xylostella, 16 Dark Sword Grass, 9 Silver Y, 6 *Zeiraphera isertana, 6 Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Conobathra tumidana, 1 Dioryctria abietella, 1 Nomophila noctuella, 1 Pearly Underwing* and 1 *Udea ferrugalis*.
Six-belted Clearwing - July 2001 © Paul Harris
4th July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 5 Plutella xylostella, 2 Silver Y, 2 Dark Sword Grass and 1 *Udea ferrugalis; also 2 Dark Spectacle. Other local specialities on the wing at the moment include Six-belted Clearwing, Portland Ribbon Wave, Ruddy Carpet* and Beech-green Carpet.
2nd July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 3 Plutella xylostella and 1 Silver Y.
1st July	Immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps this morning: 3 Plutella xylostella and 1 Silver Y.