Portland Bird Observatory - wildlife diary

*Calamotropha paludella* - 31st July 2004 © Martin Cade
31st July	Some better quality wanderers made their way into the Obs garden moth-traps overnight although there was still no sign of anything in the way of longer-distance immigrants; pick of the catch were 15 Silver Y, 10 Plutella xylostella, 2 *Nomophila noctuella, 1 Epinotia nisella, 1 Calamotropha paludella* (the fourth island record), 1 Grass Emerald, 1 Rosy Footman, 1 Crescent, 1 Slender Brindle (the fourth island record) and 1 Bulrush Wainscot.
30th July	Still nothing more than a light sprinkle of immigrants/wanderers in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning: 6 Silver Y, 6 Plutella xylostella, 2 *Nomophila noctuella, 1 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Convolvulus Hawk-moth* and 1 Latticed Heath.
29th July	After the faint promise of the last couple of nights the Obs garden moth-traps were disappointingly quiet this morning and in the way of immigrants/wanderers produced just 12 Silver Y, 3 Plutella xylostella, 1 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Crescent and 1 *Nomophila noctuella; local specialities included 8 Four-spotted* (the highest count of this species so far this summer), 2 *Sitochroa palealis* and 1 Wormwood.
28th July	More signs of movement in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning, including 14 Silver Y, 2 Plutella xylostella, 2 *Eucosma obumbratana, 1 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 1 Rosy Footman* and 1 Double-lobed.
27th July	An overcast, muggy night provided good numbers of resident species along with signs of a little more movement in the Obs garden moth-traps where there were 12 Silver Y, 4 Dark Sword Grass, 1 *Pempelia genistella, 1 Orthopygia glaucinalis, 1 Catoptria pinella, 1 Plutella xylostella* and 1 Fen Wainscot.
26th July	The Obs garden moth-traps were very quiet, with 3 Silver Y being the only immigrants caught.
25th July	Eight Silver Y, 1 Plutella xylostella and 1 Dark Sword Grass were the only immigrants/wanderers in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning
24th July	The only immigrants/wanderers in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning were 14 Silver Y, 5 *Plutella xylostella, 2 Dark Sword Grass* and a Fen Wainscot.
23rd July	A slight improvement in the immigrant situation saw another Langmaid's Yellow Underwing caught in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning, along with 18 *Plutella xylostella, 13 Silver Y, 4 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Udea ferrugalis, 1 Nomophila noctuella* and 1 *Elophila nymphaeata*.
Langmaid's Yellow Underwing - 22nd July 2004 © Martin Cade
22nd July	Yet another Langmaid's Yellow Underwing was the pick of the catch in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning; other immigrants/wanderers included 12 Silver Y, 4 *Plutella xylostella, 1 Limnaecia phragmitella* and 1 Dog's Tooth.
21st July	More of the same in the Obs garden moth-traps, where the only immigrants/wanderers recorded were 5 Silver Y, 2 *Plutella xylostella, a Four-dotted Footman* and a Southern Wainscot.
20th July	Another night conforming to the recent pattern in the Obs garden moth-traps: good numbers but little of interest; immigrants/wanderers totalled just 5 Silver Y, 2 *Plutella xylostella* and a Dark Spectacle.
19th July	The Obs garden moth-traps were again extremely busy but there was next to nothing of interest among the contents; 8 Silver Y and 1 *Plutella xylostella* were the only immigrants caught.
18th July	Another bumper catch in the Obs garden moth-traps included a veritable blizzard of many thousands of *Synaphe punctalis; immigrant interest was still very limited, but include another apparent Langmaid's Yellow Underwing, as well as 12 Plutella xylostella, 8 Silver Y* and 1 Dark Sword Grass, whilst wanderers included a *Limnaecia phragmitella* (the fifth island record), a *Nephopterix angustella* and a Four-dotted Footman.
17th July	After a couple of nights of poor weather with no moth-trapping, last night provided perfect weather conditions and produced a bumper haul of moths in the Obs garden traps; a single Langmaid's Yellow Underwing was the highlight, but unfortunately the rest of the catch was almost entirely of common resident species, with the only other immigrants/wanderers being 1 Silver Y, 1 Double Square-spot, 1 *Nephopterix angustella* and 1 *Phycita roborella*.
14th July	The only immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps were 6 Silver Y, 4 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Spruce Carpet and 1 Udea ferrugalis.
13th July	The Obs garden moth-traps produced nothing much more interesting than 7 Dark Sword Grass, 6 Silver Y and 1 Nephopterix angustella.
12th July	In the Obs garden moth-traps a Double-lobed was only the fourth example of this species recorded on the island, but otherwise the only immigrants logged were 22 Silver Y and 8 Dark Sword Grass.
11th July	Three Clouded Yellows were at Penn's Weare this afternoon. The best the Obs garden moth-traps could offer were 15 Silver Y, 9 Dark Sword Grass, 1 *Catoptria pinella, 1 Zeiraphera isertana* and 1 Brown Silver-line.
Hummingbird Hawk-moth - 10th July 2004 © Martin Cade
10th July	Fewer immigrants this morning, with just 34 Silver Y and 17 Dark Sword Grass in the Obs garden moth-traps. Small numbers of Hummingbird Hawk-moths continue to be seen by day around the island.
9th July	The recent stir-up in the weather seems to have done some good on the immigrant front, with totals in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning of 149 Silver Y, 27 Dark Sword Grass, 4 *Plutella xylostella, 2 Pearly Underwing* and 1 Hummingbird Hawk-moth.
8th July	Eight Silver Y and a Dark Sword Grass were the only immigrants attracted to the Obs garden traps in less than ideal moth-trapping conditions.
7th July	Two Dark Sword Grass and 2 Silver Y were the only immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning.
6th July	A single Clouded Yellow was at the Bill this morning. A Butterfly Conservation recording day discovered 3 Four-spotted moths on the wing during the afternoon at the Bill. The only immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning were 4 Dark Sword Grass and 4 Silver Y.
Glow-worm - 5th July 2004 © Martin Cade
5th July	Glow-worms are now showing in good numbers at the Bill. Immigrants and wanderers in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning included 2 True Lovers Knot, 2 Dark Sword Grass, a Grass Emerald and a Silver Y. Hummingbird Hawk-moths are still being seen in small numbers at several sites around the island.
1st July	Cool, blusterly weather conditions promised little in the way of interesting lepidoptera and delivered just a single *Plutella xylostella* to the Obs garden moth-traps.