Garden moths after a windy 24 hours

Two nights ago conditions were perfect for mothing, but as I try not to put the trap out on consecutive nights I relied on opening the bathroom window. More of that later.

Yesterday it was blowing a gale, and although it eased a bit overnight, I wasn't massively optimistic when I examined the trap this morning.

Sure enough it contained fewer moths than my last two efforts and almost no flies. No micros, no Pugs, clearly it was a night for the tougher, harder moths. Indeed the first egg box I looked in revealed a very hard moth, but only in the sense it was dull as ditchwater to look at, and I didn't know what it was. A good sign.

After combing my way through the pages noctuids in my moth guide I came up with the answer. A Mottled Rustic.

Mottled Rustic

Further research revealed that it was described as common (even abundant in one reference), so why has it taken me two years of regular trapping to see one? A possible answer came in the latest UK Moth Atlas which describes it as much reduced in abundance. Also, a "Flying Tonight" blog (for Hampshire) has it well down the list of commonest moths being caught at the moment, although this could simply be a reflection of it being at the start of its flight period.

I did catch a couple of pretty moths last night; White Ermine, and Buff Ermine. The latter I seem to catch every year, but the former not since 2018.

White Ermine

Buff Ermine

The full list is as follows:

Buff Ermine 1 (nfy)
White Ermine 1 (nfy)
Treble Lines 1
Mottled Rustic 1 (nfg)
Flame Shoulder 1
Heart and Dart 7
Shuttle-shaped Dart 1

I also found a very spectacular beetle, one which I remember seeing regularly in my student days in Swansea as they buzzed around the Hall of Residence at Clyne Castle, Swansea, most ending up splattered by bloodthirsty, and slightly terrified, fellow students. A Cockchafer.

Cockchafer

If it had made it through the bathroom window the night before, there may have been screams (and that's just me).

Instead two very smart moths turned up; a Spectacle and a Flame Carpet. both were new for the year, but seem to be annual here.

Spectacle

Flame Carpet

The only bird worth reporting was a Great Spotted Woodpecker heard calling this morning, although it may be worth mentioning that there seems to be only one pair of Swifts flying around the district this year.