It has been an interesting week here in Woolpit, with a number of earliest ever records and two new macro’s for the site being the highlights against a backdrop of the commoner orthosia species.
Two Pale Mottled Willows and a Chinese Character on 30th March were my earliest records by a full fortnight. The same night also produced single Red-green Carpet – earliest by ten days, and a Pine Beauty – a scarce visitor to the garden and only the sixth site record. A Streamer taken on 2nd April also beat my previous earliest record by eight days.
A Lead-coloured Drab taken on 31st March was new for the site. I have often wondered if this is one of those trickier to i’d species that has been overlooked in the past but, from comments elsewhere, it seems that it’s having a better year than of late so, perhaps, this record has more to do with right place, right time. The other much anticipated new addition to the list was a Pale Pinion taken on 1st April. A second hepatica the following night proved that this was no April Fool’s joke!
With a change in wind direction, the last two nights have been much quiter, the only highlight being single Powdered Quakers.