The view from the site of the Roman ruins at Burgh Castle that overlooks where the rivers Waveney and Yare flow into Breydon Water is one of the best in the Suffolk/Norfolk Broads area. This opinion is shared by most people who visit it. Keith and I recorded on this site in June 2 years ago with very good results, so it was good to return on a very warm & muggy night in September (6th) with the hope that there might be some migrants as well as the local moths.
Setting up can be a slow process as the site is open to visitors and some of these are curious as to what is happening. But once underway a steady trickle of moths came to the sheet light. The first round of inspection produced a moth that is a rare site for us in the Waveney Valley area although common in the rest of Suffolk and Norfolk, Toadflax Pug. This was in Keith’s 60w actinic which produced the best results of the 8 traps spread out away from the sheet trap on the field edge and near the large reed beds. Equal best moth of the night was the micro Nephopterix angustella, a new one for both of us that now looks to have spread to our area. A very fresh Large Wainscot was a sign of autumn moths to come.
A few migrants turned up. The usual Diamond-backs, a couple of Silver Y and Rusty-dot Pearl and just as we were packing up around 1 am, a Dark Sword Grass. So around 80 species on what must have been the warmest evening of the year with the temperature staying around 20.5 degrees.
Brian