Best wishes to all and stay safe
Neil Sherman – Suffolk County Moth Recorder.
]]>Please watch the blog and the group’s social media platforms to see if meetings will be going ahead given the Coronavirus outbreak.
Neil Sherman (Suffolk County Recorder)
]]>Given the latest government advice to avoid social gatherings and venues, the SMG has regretfully made the decision that it will be in the best interests of everyone to postpone our Indoor Meeting scheduled for Saturday 21st March until later in the year when it is hoped Corona virus will be under control. We are sure you will agree we have a duty of care to those wishing to attend and given the present situation, we believe this is the correct decision in these difficult times to ensure the welfare of everyone comes first. The new date for our Indoor Meeting will be announced in due course.
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SUFFOLK MOTH GROUP MEETINGS PROGRAMME 2020.
Friday 22nd May – Ramsey Wood RSPB reserve (looking for the Mocha and general recording)
Meet beside entrance to wood just off the road at TM062438 at 8.30pm.
Saturday 30th May – Raydon Wood (looking for Mocha and for general recording) Meet in the Car park for the Hadleigh Railway walk at TM060404 at 8.30pm.
We will head off from this car park after a short wait to the wood entrance further down the road.
Friday 19th June - Cavenham heath, Breckland - for Breckland moths.
Meet in reserve car park at TL744721 at 9pm.
We will move off down the main track for recording after a short wait.
Friday 10th July – Captain’s wood Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve (for general recording. Olive crescent was recorded from this wood in 2017, so this meeting is arranged to see if any more turn up)
Meet in the reserve car park on right side of School Road at TM420531 at 9pm. We will move off into the wood after a short wait.
Saturday 1st August – Moth morning at Ipswich Golf Course, Purdis Heath (heathland, grassland and wetland species possible). Joint meeting with the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation.
Meet by the large Ipswich Golf Club sign on the green along Bucklesham Road at TM204425 at 9.30am. We will then walk up the lane to view traps run overnight by Neil Sherman, County moth recorder. Note there is no parking at Ipswich Golf Club, cars to be parked along Bucklesham Road only please.
Friday 14th August – Darsham Marshes Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve (for wetland species)
Meet in the reserve car park at TM420692 at 8pm.
Friday 28th August – ‘Moth Night’ event at Bawdsey Hall – theme underwing moths. More details to follow later in the year.
Friday 4th September – Wolves Wood RSPB reserve (for possible Clifden Nonpareil and general recording. This wood has a large amount of Aspen so the aim of the meeting is to see if Clifden Nonpareil has colonized the wood, so sugar and wine ropes will be used as well as light traps)
Meet in the reserve car park at TM053436 at 7pm.
Friday 12th September – Bradfield Woods Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve (for possible Pale eggar, maybe Clifden Nonpareil and general recording)
Meet in the reserve car park at 7pm. We will move off into the wood after a short wait.
Saturday 10th October – Daytime leaf miner recording day – to be confirmed. Once details are finalized this programme will be updated.
Moth trapping evenings are nice social events and are a really good way to learn more about moths and moth trapping, as well as improving our knowledge of the county’s moths. However, events take place outside in the dark and can run for a few hours until quite late at night (sometimes all night if conditions are really good!) so there are a few things that you will need to bring along so that you have a safe and comfortable evening.
• a torch is essential (don’t forget to check the batteries are not running low)
• warm clothing (even if it is a hot day, it can get chilly after dark)
• suitable footwear (stout walking boots advisable for most meetings, wellies for wet sites)
• something to drink and a snack to eat
• something to sit on as we normally run a sheet light as a base and spend a lot of time close to this
• insect repellent
• eye protection against UV light as the bulbs we use emit a lot of it
• mobile phone (most people have one now anyway!)
Please try to arrive at the advertised time, take care of your own personal safety and listen to the short introductory briefing by myself or another experienced recorder who is running the event about any hazards in the area such as electric cables, slippery paths etc. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian if under 16. If you have any queries before the event please contact myself.
Neil Sherman (moth@sns.org.uk)
]]>Many thanks
Neil Sherman (County recorder)
]]>Doors will open at 9.30am for setting up, refreshments and general chat plus looking at exhibits. The meeting will officially start from 10am. Some of the group will then be lunching in a local pub just down the road from around 12.30pm onwards. Please let me know if you intend to eat at the pub well before the meeting day so I can phone in advance to let them know numbers. Or you can bring your own food along, the hall can be left open for those doing this. The meeting will continue until we have run out of talks etc, possibly around 4.30-5pm.
This year our guest speaker will be Sharon Hearle from Butterfly Conservation. Sharon is the Eastern Region Senior Conservation Officer and is involved with many Butterfly and Moth projects in the area. Sharon will be telling us about the Regional Action Plan as well as work on the high priority moths in Suffolk which includes Marsh carpet, the Breckland species plus the Sloe carpet.
Following Sharon’s talk there will be the chance for members to show presentations. A digital projector will be available for those with digital presentations or images. This year if members could restrict their talks to 30 minutes duration then that will allow us to show what everyone has produced as well as the chance to ask questions. If you are doing a Powerpoint presentation then you should save it in OpenOffice format or if you use Microsoft Office then Office 2007 format or earlier.
Tables will also be provided for those with exhibits. It would be useful if you are intending on giving a presentation to let me know.
I hope to do a demonstration of a moth dissection for those who are interested, a technique that is not as hard as it first appears.
Refreshments (tea, coffee and cake/biscuits) will be provided. There will be a request for voluntary contributions towards the cost of hiring the hall.
Bucklesham Village Hall is not far from the Nacton A12/A14 roundabout to the east of Ipswich. From the A12/A14 roundabout take the minor exit after the A12 exit but before the A14 Felixstowe exit. This exit is signposted to Bucklesham and leads via a single track road to Bucklesham Village. At the end of this road you will reach the village, at the T junction turn right into Bucklesham Road. Take the next right turn into Levington Lane and the village hall is a short distance down the lane on the right. A map of the location can be viewed by following this link. The OS Grid Reference for the hall is TM242417. If you need any more detailed instructions in how to get there then do get in contact with myself.
All are welcome – if you are just starting getting interested in moths this is a great event to meet up and find out all about it.
Hopefully see you there!
Neil Sherman, County moth recorder. (moth@sns.org.uk)
]]>So the field meetings season has now drawn to a close for another year. Watch this space for news on the group’s annual indoor meeting early in the spring next year – planning for this will begin in the very near future.
Neil
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