February 22/23 - mothing

After a series of warm days and cool nights I decided to try the trap again.

There was a heavy dew and some fog by the time I got up, so I was half expecting to see an empty trap. But no, it contained four Common Rustics and nothing else.

I checked the fence - nothing. I checked the brickwork of the house - noth...oh hang on a minute. Brilliantly camouflaged against the mortar was a moth, and it looked like a new one.

After a quick check in the book I confirmed it was a Spring Usher.

Spring Usher

Another moth which is reasonably common, but new for me.

Saturday February 16

For the third time this year I put the trap out, but this time success shined upon me. My first two moths in the garden this year.

The first was also a lifer. Clinging to the fence was a Pale Brindled Beauty. Not an uncommon moth, but as I didn't start mothing in earnest until last April its not surprising that I hadn't seen one before.

Pale Brindled Beauty

The second was in the trap itself, a pristine Common Quaker. Last April this was one of the commonest captures, but its great to get one early.

Common Quaker

Finally, some bird news. A Blackcap which I had seen a couple of times in the garden this winter, was singing from the hedge along Costers Lane both yesterday and this morning.

Spring is on the way.

Selfridges comes up trumps

The moth famine was broken this morning on my way to work. The discs on the side of Selfridges in Birmingham city centre seem to act as a giant moth trap. The favoured areas are the heating ducts, and I was very pleased to discover a Satellite there, the first I have ever seen.

Satellite

I had devised a plan for this year, although I wasted the opportunity on 2 Jan, when I found an Angle Shades. The plan was to take a moth pot into work in the hope I would find another one.

My colleagues' reaction to my placing it in the fridge for the day varied between alarm, revulsion, concern, and fascination. I was obliged to bodge a hole in the lid of the pot to give it some air (I'm sure it would have been fine anyway).

This evening I photographed it and let it go in the garden.

The Satellite is a winter flying species which is pretty common if you can be bothered to put the trap out in the winter. My January and February efforts (one in each month) produced absolutely nothing, so its Selfridges 2 Winyates East 0 at the moment.