Portland Moth

Lade - warm, cloudy, showery, sw 2 - 0700hrs - With moth friendly weather conditions it was no surprise that one or two goodies had dropped into the MV overnight. The highlights were, new for the site, a battered Double Kidney, plus a superb Gold Spot, one of my favourite moths, along with yet another Plumed Fan-foot, our 10th Sussex Emerald of the summer (best ever total in 10 years) and several migrant Silver Ys and Dark Sword-grass.

                                Gold Spot, one of my favourite moths

                      

                                Sussex Emerald, 10th of the summer


St Mary`s in the Marsh - I then moved onto the Marsh to check CP`s MV which was bulging with moths including 42 Dusky Sallows and 55 Reed Daggers! The highlights of 42 species were a rare immigrant Portland Moth, plus Dark Sword-grass, Webb`s Wainscot, Blood Vein, Drinker, Gold Spot, Rosy Rustic, Coronet and Red Twin-Spot Carpet.

                                          Portland Moth

                                Drinker

                                  Rosy Rustic

Dungeness - A midday check of ARC revealed nothing new on the wader front with plenty of Dunlins, Lapwings and Little Ringed Plovers still present amongst hundreds of wildfowl, Coots and feral geese.
  The Kerton Road café was a hive of activity this afternoon as local moth`ers gathered to discuss the various moths; it became apparent that last night had delivered a bumper crop of rare moths to local traps. On show were Tamerisk Peacock, Mere Wainscot, Speckled Footman and a Ringed Border from Sussex. In the DBO fridge a Pale Shoulder trapped in Lydd was another rare immigrant.
  An hour at the fishing boats with the regular seawatchers delivered plenty of Gannets and Sandwich Terns offshore, plus two light phase Arctic Skus. Several Porpoises were also feeding offshore.