In 2008 we added a further 4 species to the local patch list which was good considering it was another very poor year for migrants. As the previous 2 years have been poor for migrants lets hope 2009 will be different.
The recording area or 'patch' is the 2 towns of Portishead and Clevedon and the countryside and villages nearby. The area covered starts in the north at the River Avon and runs south to the River Yeo. It is bordered on the north west by the Bristol Channel and in the south east by the M5 motorway and falls entirely within Vice County VC6 North Somerset.
The 4 main contributors, Paul Chapman, Howard Taffs, Jason Williams and myself run light traps regularly in our respective gardens and also use portable light traps in likely habitats. We also look for day flying species and use other methods such as artificial pheromones to find the moths that are not attracted to light.
For the regularly updated list click here. For the 2007 and 2008 records please visit the archive.
20th - Howard ran two traps at Walton Common with c20 Pale Brindled Beauty, two Hebrew Character and Chestnut as well as a single Spring Usher, single Common Quaker, single Clouded Drab and c10 March Moth.
6th - Traps ran at Walton Moor last night and the year-ticks were Small Quaker and Twin-spotted Quaker.On the night 6 macro species recorded in total. Two tortix moths were recorded with Acleris literana and Acleris notana/ferrugana.
13th - A Dotted Chestnut and 2 Early Thorn recorded at the Perfect Bite lakes.
17th - A Pine Beauty and a Muslin Moth added from Paul's garden.
20th - Trapping in the Gordano Valley produced a new species for the patch. Yellow Horned trapped on Walton Moor. Also recorded for the first time this year Red Chestnut, Brindled Pug and Engrailed.
21st - Overnight 21 species recorded from Walton Common, including 2 year ticks with Mottled Grey and Satellite.
24th - 7 Traps ran at Walton Common last night 30 species of Macro Moth recorded and the year-ticks were Frosted Green, Oak-tree and Common Pug, Small White and Common White Wave, White-pinion Spotted, Brown Silver-line, Streamer, Waved Umber, Red Twin-spot and Scorched Carpet, Least Black Arches, Oak Nyctelene, Purple Thorn, Lunar Marbled Brown, Iron, Pebble and Coxcomb Prominent.
2nd - 5 battery powered Actinic traps set to run overnight on Walton Common. 15 species trapped with 2 new species recorded for the year with Scalloped Hazel and Small Waved Umber.
5th - A new species for the patch with a Chamomile Shark. Caught in Paul's garden trap. A rare species locally with only 4 other records since 1990.
29th - 5 battery-operated actinics left on Walton Common overnight on Friday
produced around 50 species including 39 macros with the year ticks being Mocha, Maiden's Blush, Cream Wave, Small Phoenix, Red-green Carpet, Spruce Carpet, Broken-barred Carpet, Pretty Chalk Carpet, V-Pug, Little Thorn, Common Lutestring, Scorched Wing, Brindled White-spot, Clouded Silver, Lobster Moth, Ingrailed Clay, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Brown Rustic and Green Silver-lines.
30th - 4 MV/UV traps run at Walton Moor (GVRS) on Saturday until about 1.00am produced over 70 species including 60 macros with highlights including Plain Golden Y and Shoulder-striped Wainscot on the macro front but the most notable was the distinctive and good-looking Ancylis diminutana on the micro front which per the Moths of the Bristol Region is the second post-1990 record. First records for the year as follows:- Pebble Hook-tip, Flame Carpet, May Highflyer, Green Pug, Dingy Shell, Small Serephim, Clouded Border, Mottled Beauty, Common Wave, Privet Hawk-moth, Pale Prominent, Ruby Tiger, Large Yellow Underwing, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Coronet, Small Angle Shades, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Middle-barred Minor, Marbled White-spot, Plain Golden Y and Snout.
5th - The first local Clay Triple-lines for at least 3 years in my garden trap last night.
6th - 5 MV traps ran until midnight on Walton Common in damp conditions. 37 Macro moth species recorded with 5 new for the year. Year ticks were Peach Blossom, Treble Bar, Tawny-barred Angle, Beautiful Golden Y and Small Fan-foot.
20th - A couple of MV/UV traps run at Blakes Pools. Around 30 species of Macro moth recorded including the following year ticks - Latticed Heath and Square-spot Rustic.
27th - 5 MV traps ran overnight on Walton Common in warm and dry conditions. 2 Patch ticks recorded with Blomer's Rivulet and Purple Clay. 20 years ticks were also recorded.
3rd - A Patch tick from Jason's garden, Lunar-spotted Pinion. Both photos are the same moth just different lighting.
4th - Several MV traps ran again on Walton Common, 103 Macro moth species recorded with 10 species recorded for the first time this year.
10th - 7 MV traps run on Weston Moor in changeable conditions, Paul describes the evening perfectly:- "The two most frustrating things about moth-trapping are related -
firstly weather forecasts and secondly the fact that the best conditions
can very quickly turn into the worst. Those muggy humid nights are
excellent if they do not quite turn into proper rain before dusk but
appalling if they do - the vegetation is dampened, temperature lowered
and catches are minimal. We almost called off moth-trapping at Weston
Moor on Friday evening an hour or so before we headed there and again
just before we set up. I'm glad that we didn't.
116 macro species was a good total and this included half a dozen
Suspected as the highlight (with only one other post-1990 Avon record in
the Atlas - also from the same site) amongst a host of damp
grassland/marshy species including Small Seraphim, Scallop Shell, Dingy
Shell, Lesser Cream Wave, Double Lobed, Brown-veined Wainscot and
Pinion-streaked Snout.
In addition, to date, 61 micro species identified including Argyresthia
pygmaeella, Eidophasia messingiella, Epermenia falciformis, Elachista
maculicerusella and Ebulea crocealis (which all have 10 or less
post-1990 records in the Atlas) but most pleasing a single Catoptria
margaritella which has no records in the Atlas and only one pre-1990
record (also from Clevedon on a very similar date but in 1947). It is
tempting to think that this species that likes damp marshy areas may be
present on the site rather than having wandered. A further 13 micro
species to be determined so a total of at least 190 species combined on
the night".
17th - 64 Macro species at Walton Moor including Double Kidney and Scarce Silver-lines for the first time this year.
25th - A visit to Blakes Pools with the traps recorded 65 species with 5 new for the year, Shaded Broadbar, Small Wainscot, Dusky Sallow, Saltern Ear and Olive.
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