I have been taking advantage of this early season with diverse catches. In addition to my Hollesley garden I visited the Rendlesham Forest on 24th and along with Matthew Deans, the Hollesley Marshes on 28th.
Catches have been up and down a bit with the best on 28th at home with 52 species including by day species. Whilst the season is advanced a March moth in good condition arrived on 27th and Powdered Quakers are still going strong otherwise some of the species present to show the advanced season have been:- Lime and Poplar Hawk-moths, Tawny Shears, Coronet, White Point, Treble Lines, Light Brocade, Turnip, Flame, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Brown Silver-line, Evergestis forficalis and Cochylis atricapitana and the Shuttle-shaped Dart which has been my dominant moth for a week or two now. I took my 8th Depressaria chaerophylli on 28th by day. Both Rendlesham and the Marshes turned up the Early Tooth-striped which I have yet to find at home. Prominents have been numerous this year with a full range at home and the Great Prominent being one of the most abundant moths in the Rendlesham catch. Other species of interest at this site were Emperor, Scalloped Hazel, Carpatolechia proximella, Phyllonorycter harrisella and my first Coleophora of the year that was a first for me and the second for the county; C. otidipennella which is a woodrush feeder.
Hollesley Marshes counted itself in the list of sites for the Northern Drab and we found a number of Clouded Border here as well as Flame Carpets.
Species new to my list at home have been Bohemannia pulverosella, Phyllonorycter platani, Agonopterix purpurea and Hysterophora maculosana. I was particularly pleased with the H. maculosana which I see as reward for expanding the area covered by bluebells in my garden.
I have continued experimenting with different lighting systems on various traps. My trials with the incandescent tungsten bulb have so far been unsuccessful owing the the amount of heat generated. I have however been particularly impressed with an attempt using compact actinic bulbs. This time I have placed four in the centre of a home made Robinson trap. It requires protection from the rain but does not produce significant heat and catches micros without burning them on the bulb so they remain in good condition. It has been the source of the two nepticulids taken this year shown below. It seems likely to remain as one of my three permanent traps for the moment as they all three give different catches:- mv Robinson, twin actinic skinner and the 4x compact actinic Robinson.