For those interested in migrants, the totals at Bawdsey Hall last night were: 5 Diamond-back Moth, 1 Rusty-dot Pearl, 27 Rush Veneer, 1 Palpita vitrealis, 14 Vestal, 2 male Gem, 1 male Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 4 Four-spotted Footman (1 female), 24 Dark Sword-grass, 2 Dusky-lemon Sallow, 1 Small Mottled Willow, 17 Scarce Bordered Straw, 37 Silver Y and 1 Dewick’s Plusia!
John & Jenny came across from Royston last minute and brought additional traps. It was an interesting distribution of migrants across the traps, with some having multiple Vestals and Armigera and other traps devoid of migrants.
The Vestal total is by far a record single night count for here (never had more than two in a night before and only had 7 in the last ten years at Bawdsey!).
Scarce Bordered Straw was almost a record (my highest is 18 on 17th October 2006).
Very exciting times indeed for the migrant hunter and the weather looks good for the next ten days
Clearly a case of moth-upmanship! Well done – I’ll have to try harder with my vestals (and there’s always a chance of a rare Plusia!
Were your vestals all in the traps? Did you scout around downwind?
Some of the Vestals were in the surrounding vegetation and not in the traps. Most have been the brown-striped form with the occasional red-striped moth.