Latest Dissection Results

Mike Bailey and Derek Lee have very kindly completed all the dissections from Little Oak Lodge for June and July. The results are very interesting with a few new species including the Nationally Scarce B, Dichrorampha flavidorsana aka Orange-spot Tansy moth, Aethes cnicana aka Thistle Straw, Coleophora mayrella, Chequered Pine Knot-horn, Dioryctria sylvestrella, Meadow White-barred, Aproaerema larseniella, Saltern Lance, Bactra robustana, Oak Case Bearer, Coleophora lutipennella, Common Ridge-back, Epermenia chaerophyllella, Burdock Seedhead moth, Metzneria lappella, Coleophora follicularis, Parornix anglicella, Agonopterix propinquella, Coleophora alcyonipennella and Coleophora deauratella. 

Now on 617 for the garden and 529 for the year. In the 7-8 years at the Old Vicarage I got up to 622 moth species so to get 617 here in just over a single year is pretty good comparitively. 

Thistle Straw at Little Oak Lodge by Mike Bailey

Striped Hawkmoths and moth mig

It's been a busy working week after getting back from Bulgaria, couldn't get out in the field but I managed to keep up the moth trapping and have connected with a couple of nights of increased moth migration. The highlight was my first Striped Hawkmoths in the UK- two of them but there's also been other suspected migrants including Gem, Diamond-backs, Delicate, Four-spotted Footman, Rusty-dots and Dark Spectacle.

After a busy week overall with approx 80 species last night alone, the all time moth list is 492 and year list is 261. It took about 5 years to get to 500 species at the Old Vicarage and we are just short it of it here after one year. 

Also had the dissection results in from Mike Bailey this week. The highlight was the first Platyedra subcinerea and Coleophora alticolella for the Pagham area. Also confirmed the suspected presence of Marbled Minor, Tawny Marbled Minor and Rufous Minor and also had C.lassella, Bactra lancealana and Elachista canapennella and E.argentella. An earlier batch from early Spring confirmed Acleris ferrungana, Coleophora alcyronipennella, Grapoholita funebrana and Scrobipalpa acuminatella. 

Striped Hawkmoths- finally caught this species in the UK

Gem

Four-spotted Footman

Dusky Brocade- not a migrant but new for site. See later post for update on this. 

Not a migrant- just smart, Peach Blossom 

Brown Bagworm- also new for site and possibly a lifer (need to check). 030725 update- confirmed with dissection that it is indeed Taleporia tubulosa (see below- thanks Mike Bailey) 

As might be expected, this was confirmed as a Tawny Marbled Minor although the one that turned out to be a Rufous Minor also looked similar

The 'star' of the show Coleophora alticolella- new for the local area. It's bits and pieces below

Genitalia of Coleophora alticilella by Mike Bailey

Non-stop Birding Review 2024, January to June

Here's a photo summary of the first half of 2024 which covers updates on our birding and nature projects at  Little Oak Group and birding and mothing adventures through the year in my personal quest to see 800 species of bird in the Western Paleartic and 5000 in the World and find as many rare birds and moths on the way. 

JANUARY 

After leaving the Old Vicarage in late December we started the year off at a rental in Thame while waiting to move to the Selsey Peninsula. The rental was on one of those hellish red brick Wimpey home estates built on green space but it was actually quite nice as was next to Cuttlebrook Nature Reserve and had a bit of habitat in the form of the SUDs. 

Local winter birding highlights around the estate included a couple of Knot (above) in the Thame Valley and a few Great Egrets (below)  

I did a couple of visits to Otmoor too

A new application was submitted by Valencia in January for the troubled Beddington Farmlands project. 

FEBRUARY

The first family trip of the year was to Madeira. While the boys are young I'm visiting some kid fiendly easy destinations to pick off a few scattered WP ticks. Trocaz Pigeon (above),  Madeiran Firecrest (below) and Madeiran Chaffinch (below that) were three endemics that I needed. Trip report HERE

Canary Island Red Admiral 

Had the moth trap out at the holiday rental (below) and had a few lifers including Traveller (above) 

Madeira- a stunning destination 

MARCH

The first proper birding trip of the year was to Estonia to go for Stellar's Eider (above) and a few mammals. Dipped Moose. Trip Report HERE.

Other highlights on the Estonia trip included Long-tailed Ducks, Eagle Owls, wild geese and dramatic winter scenes (above) 

A couple of new birding investments in March-a new mirrorless R7 and 100-500m lens and a compact sound recorder 

A retrospective lifer in March when Dick Forsman confirmed the identity of this Saker Falcon from a previous trip to Azeribaijan in 2022. 

Early Gall Moth to pheromone lure at the Thame Rental- the first UK moth lifer of the year 

APRIL

We did an Easter holiday trip to Devon to visit Jaffa and stayed in a forest lodge on the edge of Dartmoor. Goosanders were on the river (above) and we twitched the Devon beavers (below) 

The moth trapping was pretty good at the woodland lodge with Marbled Pug (above) and Grey Birch (above that) amongst a few lifers 

Meanwhile back at the Thame Rental, caught a Northern Drab which was also a lifer. The moth trapping was actually not bad due to close proximity to the Cuttlebrook corridor. 

The first publication of the year was this note on the discovery of Steppe Gulls that we made in 2023 in Azerbaijan. Copy HERE. 

MAY

The highlight of May was another birding trip to Azeribaijan with Vincent, Harry, Renee and Elvin. Trip report HERE.  A couple more WP ticks including Shikra (below- second image down) and Black-winged Pratincole and we also found a hybrid Crested x European Honey Buzzard (4th image below) only the 2nd for Az. Loads of other birds including Red-fronted Serin (above) and Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin,  Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Pallas's Gull, Red-necked Phalarope and Black Francolins. 

Birding in the Caucasus 

Had a few moth lifers out in Az including this nice Banded Tiger 

The Thame garden produced another moth lifer, Double-striped Knot-horn 

At the end of May we completed on the Selsey Peninusla homestead purchase which we got refurbished before moving into in June

JUNE

We only had a couple of weeks at the new Selsey Peninsula home before we had to go and stay with family in Australia for more works to be carried out. The first full day birding on the Peninsula produced an American Golden Plover (below) and a Golden Oriole so a pretty nice start. The first local rarity I found was this Roseate Tern (above). Haven't actually found much since! 

Dog's Tooth was the first moth lifer in the new garden 

Ahead of our trip to Western Australia I finally got myself a thermal 

No sooner had we arrived at the new home were we on the road again. First stop Singapore (above and below) on the way to Western Australia.