Wildlife

James Lowen

A few other nice moths have made it into the trap. Top billing went to only my second Buttoned Snout (which sadly escaped pre-photography). My other one was this week last year, in the garden. Inneresting. Only my second Alder Moth (the first being earlier in the week) was smart and very welcome; it was a different individual to that caught previously. Green Oak Tortrix seems to be having an amazing year in southern and eastern England at least. I am among many trappers catching multiples per night, compared to the usual 2-3 annually. This morning's trap was low on quality, but numbers were amazing: 297 moths of 71 species. Far more than other folk round Norwich - and unclear why.

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1 June 2018 Derek

I was hoping to report on a hat-trick today. But it was not to be. So I shall report on a mere brace instead. Yesterday and the day before my moth-trap contained a Dewick's Plusia, a scarce migrant moth with less than 50 Norfolk records. I have only seen a couple before: one caught by Ian Robinson in Norwich last August and one the previous September, caught by David Norgate in Dereham. The individuals were assuredly different, for I released the first individual several miles away, having taken it to visit an admirer. But Dereks in successive nights begs questions. Are they migrants? The number of Silver Y I am catching (up to 10/night = unheard-of numbers) suggests that they might be. However, nobody else on the coast is catching them. Moreover, they are very early for migrants (which are normally late-summer/autumn things): the one that appeared in the trap set on 29th was the earliest-ever Norfolk record. And there has been a suspicion that they are breeding in west Norfolk... so why not west Norwich too? They were also very fresh; not what you would expect for a migrant. My suspicion is that they are local boys or girls. Either way, they were as smart as heck.