Welcome

Hello and welcome to my moth Blog. I now reside in a small village in East Cambridgeshire called Fordham. My Blog's aim is to promote and encourage others to participate in the wonderful hobby that is Moth-trapping.
Moth records are vital for building a picture of our ecosystem around us, as they really are the bottom of the food chain. They are an excellent early indicator of how healthy a habitat is. I openly encourage people to share their findings via social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
So why do we do it? well for some people it is to get an insight into the world of Moths, for others it is to build a list of species much like 'Twitching' in the Bird world. The reason I do it....you just never know what you might find when you open up that trap! I hope to show what different species inhabit Cambridgeshire and neighbouring counties.
On this Blog you will find up-to-date records and pictures.
I run a trap regularly in my garden and also enjoy doing field trips to various localities over several different counties.
Please also check out the links in the sidebar to the right for other people's Blogs and informative Websites.
Thanks for looking and happy Mothing!

KEY

NFY = New Species For The Year
NFG = New Species For The Garden
NEW! = New Species For My Records

Any Species highlighted in RED signifies a totally new species for my records.

If you have any questions or enquiries then please feel free to email me
Contact Email : bensale@rocketmail.com

My Latest Notables and Rarities

Saturday 28 August 2021

A new house and a new garden list begins...

Well...
We have finally moved home and back to our village routes (Both my wife and myself grew up in small villages).
Not just moved house, but moved County! Residing now in the South-east corner of Cambridgeshire.

Starting to feel settled in, but it still feels like i'm at an Air B&B! 

I ran my maiden trap last night, not expecting much because the sky cleared and the temperature started to fall away.
But, within minutes of plugging in my Actinic trap (No MV here as it would be too bright) there were moths buzzing around it, mainly Orange Swifts and grass moths, a promising start indeed.
And then a miracle happened, as I was sitting on the sofa on my phone, a large 'being' swooped across the patio door. I was convinced a Bat had crash-landed, or maybe a disorientated bird.
No, it was a blooming moth, and a big one at that, a giant in fact! A Blue Underwing was sitting on top of the rain guard, I dashed in and grabbed my phone for a record shot and then got a pot, phew...it was still there I thought, as I enticed it into a sandwich container.
This is not only a great moth, but also a first for me and on my first trapping night in our new house...I can't quite describe the feeling.
It was also in remarkable condition and was generally very tame and didn't mind being handled.

Phew-wee, and then there were 98 more moths I counted come the morning, of a further 32 species. 

I do realise that i'm now posting on a Herts Moth Blog about Cambs moths... eek! I must change it over, but I will still enjoy recording moths in Hertfordshire where I work.

Below is last night's list

Moth garden list stands at 33 species

27/08/21 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap
 
Macro Moths
 
Blue Underwing 1 [NEW!]
Brimstone Moth 1
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1
Common Carpet 1
Common Wainscot 5
Flounced Rustic 18
Garden Carpet 1
Knot Grass 1
Large Yellow Underwing 5
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2
Nutmeg 2
Old Lady 1
Orange Swift 5
Riband Wave 1
Setaceous Hebrew Character 11
Shuttle-shaped Dart 2
Smoky Wainscot 2
Square-spot Rustic 1
Straw Underwing 6
Swallow Prominent 1
Tawny Speckled Pug 1
Treble Bar 1
Turnip Moth 2
Vine's Rustic 5
White point 5
Willow Beauty 5

Micro Moths
 
Agriphila geniculea 4
Bryotropha domestica 1
Elophila nymphaeata 1
Epiphyas postvittana 3
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 1
Parapoynx stratiotata 1
Yponomeuta cag/mal/pad 2 

Actinic Trap

Blue Underwing

Quick get a pot, or a sandwich container!

Blue Underwing

Hofmannophila pseudospretella

Knot Grass

Nutmeg

Tawny-speckled Pug

Treble-bar


 

2 comments: