Birds and Moths

 of Burnham-on-Sea

Moths

The moths recorded below are the results of the moth traps run in Burnham and Berrow. All records below are from the moth trap in Burnham-on-Sea unless otherwise stated. Dates refer to the night the trap was set.



Moths 2007

OCTOBER

16th October: Yet another Convolvulus Hawk was caught at Burnham, along with 5 Delicates, 2 Pearly Underwing, 2 Turnip and 2 Plutella xylostella.

15th October: Today's highlights included the first ever Merveille du jour which was caught at Berrow, and the first Figure of Eight for several years. Immigrants caught were 2 Delicates, 2 Silver Y, 1 Plutella xylostella and a Nomophila noctuella.

Merveille du jour, Berrow, 15th October. © James Packer.

13th October: Today's catch at Burnham included 2 Delicates, 2 Scarce Bordered Straws, 1 Udea ferrugalis and a Nomophila noctuella.

9th October: Today's immigrant numbers from Burnham were 1 Small Mottled Willow, 4 Silver Y, 21 Nomophila noctuella, 2 Turnips and 2 Udea ferrugalis.

8th October: The first chance I have had to run our moth trap for a few days produced our first ever multiple catch of Convolvulus Hawk with 2 in the trap. Other immigrants included 1 Palpita vitrealis, 1 Small Mottled willow, 1 Plutella xylostella, 3 Turnips, 2 Udea ferrugalis, 1 Silver Y and 4 Nomophila noctuella.

Palpita Vitrealis, Burnham, 8th October 2006.

SEPTEMBER

25th September: Undoubted highlight of the night at Burnham was the second Convolvulus Hawk of the year.

Convolvulus Hawk, Burnham, 25th September 2006.

23rd September: Trapped at Berrow were 2 Vestals, 3 Delicates, 1 Small Mottled Willow, 1 Pearly Underwing, 1 Dark Swordgrass and 1 Scarce Bordered Straw. While at Burnham there was a Scarce Bordered Straw and a Vestal.

20th September: The best moth was a Dark Spectacle caught at Burnham, this was our first patch record.

Dark Spectacle, Burnham, 20th September 2006.

19th September: Immigrants in our trap at Burnham included 2 Delicates, 1 Pearly Underwing, 1 Turnip, 1 Udea ferrugalis and 2 Plutella xylostella.

14th September: Immigrants at Burnham were a Vestal, a Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Silver Y, 2 Nomophila noctuella and a Plutella xylostella.

13th September: The pick of the moths at Burnham were a Vestal, 2 Scarce Bordered Straws, 16 Silver Y, 25 Nomophila noctuella and 2 Pearly Underwings.

12th September: Only small numbers of the commoner immigrants were caught at Burnham, but at Berrow the was the second ever Cosmopolitan. During the day there was a Hummingbird Hawk at the Local Nature reserve.

Hummingbird Hawk Moth and The Cosmopolitan(© James Packer), Berrow, 12th September 2006.

11th September: With cloud and rain spilling in from the southwest hopes were high of a good catch. Unfortunately the best moth flew off and hit my head as the pot loomed in on it. It was our first record of Euchromius ocellea. Other species caught included a fine Convolvulus Hawk, 1 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Silver Y, 15 Nomophila noctuella, 1 Udea Ferrugalis, 1 Scarce Bordered Straw and 1 Plutella xylostella.

Convolvulus Hawk Moth, Burnham, 11th September 2006.

10th September: The Burnham moth trap contained a Scarce Bordered Straw, 1 Udea ferrugalis, 16 Nomopila noctuella, 3 Silver Y and a Vestal.

Scarce Bordered Straw, Burnham, 10th September 2006.

9th September: Immigrants recordeed at Burnham today were a Small Mottled Willow, 1 Pearly Underwing, 1 Udea Ferrugalis, 2 Plutella Xylostella and 11 Nomophila noctuella. 

8th September: In our Burnham moth trap today there was a Vestal, 2 Scarce Bordered Straws, 8 Nomophila noctuella and 3 Udea ferrugalis. While at Berrow the was another Scarce Bordered Straw and a Small Mottled Willow.

Scarce Bordered Straw, Burnham, 8th September 2006.

7th September: At Burnham we caught another Vestal, 1 Pearly Underwing, 1 Plutella xylostella, 8 Nomophila noctuella, 8 Silver Y and 2 Udea ferrugalis. There was yet another Scarce Bordered Straw at Berrow.

6th September: After a much colder night we caught 2 Vestals, 1 Silver Y and 1 Nomophila noctuella at Burnham. While at Berrow there were 2 Scarce Bordered Straws, a Small Mottled Willow and a Pearly Underwing.

Vestal, Burnham, 6th September 2006.

5th September: Another interesting night for us at Burnham with at least some immigrants. We caught 9 Silver Y, 1 Scarce Bordered Straw, 1 White Speck, 1 Pearly Underwing, 2 The Gem, 5 Nomophila noctuella and 3 Udea ferrugalis. At Berrow there was another Four-spotted Footman and a Scarce Bordered Straw.

4th September: What appeared to be an ideal overcast, warm and muggy night produced only a Small Mottled Willow, the Gem, 12 Silver Y, 2 Pearly Underwing,

3rd September: We caught our third Striped Hawk of the year at Burnham, also here were 3 Silver Y. While at Berrow there was a Gem and a Scarce Bordered Straw.

Striped Hawk, Burnham, 3rd September 2006.

1st September: The month has started with with quality if not quantity. The areas first ever Cosmopolitan was caught at Burnham, where the only other immigrants were a Silver Y, 1 Nomophila noctuella and 1 Udea ferrugalis.

AUGUST

25th August: The first patch Anomolous was caught at Berrow today, see James Packer's website for a photograph.

16th August: Our moths traps having decidedly lacking in immigrants of recent days, mostly down to the strong winds here. Last night however was far calmer and despite plenty of rain we managed 6 Small Mottled Willows (before this year we have only ever caught 8 singles in 2003 at Burnham), 2 Silver Y, 8 Nomophila noctuella and a Plutella xylostella.

Small Mottled Willows, Burnham, 16th August 2006.

8th August: Surprisingly two more Four-spotted Footman were caught, with one each at Burnham and Berrow, and another Scarce Bordered Straw at Berrow.

7th August: Immigrants continue to trickle in. At Berrow there was a single Scarce Bordered Straw and at Burnham there were 4 Small Mottled Willows, 5 Udea ferrugalis, 10  Nomophila noctuella and 10 Silver Y in one trap.  

5th August: It is still very windy here at night and the number of moths being caught has fallen dramatically. The only moth of note was the second Four-spotted Footman for the patch which was caught at Berrow.

Four-spotted Footman, Berrow, 5th August 2006, ©James Packer.

JULY

30th July: Very few immigrants caught overnight at Burnham in windy conditions. Just 9 Silver Y, 3 Nomophila noctuella and a Plutella xylostella. The moth of the night however was a Ni Moth caught at Berrow.

28th July: The highlight of a trapping session at the Local Nature Reserve was a Small Mottled Willow. While another Small Mottled Willow was caught in a Berrow garden.

24th July: Cooler and very windy nights seem to have halted the moth action, very little is being attracted to the light at all let alone anything out of the ordinary. The exception being a Bordered Straw and Orthotella sparganella, both trapped at Berrow.

Orthotella sparganella, Berrow, 24th July 2006.

22nd July: A single Vestal was trapped at Berrow and was virtually the only immigrant moth caught.

20th July: A new moth for our Burnham garden today was a Buff Footman, but apart from that it was all run of the mill stuff.

18th July: Immigrant totals for the night at Burnham were 29 Silver Y, 1 Dark Sword Grass and 27 Plutella xylostella.

17th July: The heat wave continues, with daytime temperatures reaching 30°C. The highlight of the night was Ptycholomoides aeriferanus. Other notable wanderers included Acrobasis repandana, Pemppeliella dilutella, Phycita roborella, Marbled Green, Barred Hook-tip, Brown-veined Wainscot, 1 Delicate, 35 Silver Y and 8 Plutella xylostella.

Ptycholomoides aeriferanus, Burnham, 17th July 2006.

14th July: Conditions were similar to last night and this meant that our lavender bushes were alive in the evening with Silver Y moths, resulting in  79 in the trap. In addition  2 Plutella xylostella and 1 Nomophila noctuella were caught. First for the patch however was an Orange Moth, and first since 1991 was a Golden Plusia caught at Berrow. Other highlights were a Muslin Footman, The Engrailed and a Narrow-winged Pug.

Golden Plusia and Orange Moth, 15th June 2006.

13th July: Despite a stiff east wind there was a sudden arrival of immigrants with 89 Silver Y, 3 Nomophila noctuella and 2 Plutella xylostella

12th July: Cooler nights of late has been less productive. Highlight of the night was a Large Emerald.

3rd July: One of the best nights ever in terms species caught at Burnham in one night, with 121 species. Unusual moths caught included Green Silver-lines, Haworth's Pug, Red-necked Footman, 19 Plutella xylostella, Nomophila noctuella and 8 Silver Y.

2nd July: Immigrants tonight were 43 Plutella xylostella and 3 Silver y.

1st July: The weather is currently hot and this means our moth trap is becoming busier. 100 species were caught last night with the most notable captures being a Scarlet Tiger (second record following last year's), 31 Plutella xylostella, 1 European Corn Borer, 2 Nomophila noctuella, and a Lesser Swallow Prominent.

JUNE

30th June: Surprise of the day was a Four-spotted Footman at Burnham, this is the first record for the patch. Other immigrants included 10 Plutella xylostella and a Silver Y.

Four-spotted Footman, 30th June 2006.

29th June: Immigrant totals at Burnham were  20 Plutella xylostella, 9 Silver Y and a Nomophila noctuella.

28th June: Today's highlights were in Berrow where another Striped Hawk was caught, a Double-line (second record following 2003's) and a Scarce Bordered Straw.

25th June:After a quieter period thing have started to warm up again. The only immigrant totals were 56 Plutella xylostella. Also caught at Burnham was a Pine Carpet and Obscure Wainscot.

19th June: The only moth of note today was a Bordered Straw at Berrow.

18th June: There was a slight increase in the number of immigrant moths today with 9 Plutella xylostella, 2 Silver Y and the second Striped Hawk of the year.

Striped Hawk, Burnham, 18th June 2006.

17th June: The only immigrant was another Bordered Straw.

16th June: Today's highlight was a Mullein Wave, this is the first I have caught at Burnham but it has been recorded infrequently at Berrow.

15th June: Armed with a generator we ran couple of mercury vapour lights at Berrow Local Nature Reserve. The most notable captures were a Cream-bordered Green Pea, Brussels Lace and Marbled White-spot. While at home another Bordered Straw was caught.

Cream-bordered Green Pea, Berrow LNR, 15th June 2006.

14th June: Highlight of the day was a Large Nutmeg. Immigrant totals were 24 Plutella xylostella, 10 Silver Y and a Green Oak Tortrix ( this is the first I have caught at Burnham, but the Berrow boys have had about 5 in the last week).

Large Nutmeg, Burnham, 14th June 2006.

13th June: Immigrants today included a Bordered Straw, 5 Silver Y and 6 Plutella xylostella. 

11th June: A very warm and humid night with heavy thunder storms at dawn led to an interesting haul of moths. With the first real numbers of immigrants came a Striped Hawk, a Bordered Straw, 5 Silver Y, 5 Straw Dot, 28 Plutella xylostella and a Nomophila noctuella. 

Striped Hawk Moth and Bordered Straw, Burnham, 11th June 2006.

8th June: The temperature is gradually creeping up, and so are the number of moths being caught. The highlight today was Ancylis myrtillana, a bilberry feeder.

Ancylis myrtillana, Burnham, 8th June 2006.

4th June: Highlight of the night was a Lobster Moth, which was caught at Berrow and is the first patch record. 

Lobster Moth, Berrow, 4th June 2006.

3rd June: The first really interesting moths of the year were caught at Burnham last night. These were a Lesser Cream Wave and Nematopogon metaxella and were both the first records for the patch

.

Lesser Cream Wave, Burnham, 3rd June 2006.




Nematopogon metaxella, Burnham, 3rd June 2006.

MAY

16th May: The first May Highflyer for a few years was caught today. It was also the best night of the year so far with 30 species recorded. Immigrant numbers were 3 Plutella xylostella and 3 Silver Y.

11th May: At last some warmer weather, 25 species were caught. The only immigrants were 8 Plutella xylostella, 1 Silver Y and a Dark Sword Grass. Other records of interest were an Oak-tree Pug, Mottled Pug, 2 Ash Pugs and Least Black Arches.

5th May: Only 7 Species trapped with 1 Plutella xylostella and 1 Silver Y.

3rd May: The year has started very slowly for moths. This was only the second time this year our moth trap at Burnham has been run. We caught 19 species, including 3 Plutella xylostella and 2 Silver Y.