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The
YEAR. 2004
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The Year from August. Updated November 19th.
August 1st. Langmaid's at Littlestone. Scalloped Shell and Maple Pug at Colin's Lydd trap.
2nd. Warm and humid overnight (min 21 degrees in Lydd), breezy by the coast which kept the Dungeness traps
quiet, although Dorothy had tumidana. Small Ranunculus at Lydd and Greatstone. Colin had a fourth Tree-lichen
Beauty in Lydd. Pine-tree Lappet and Lesser-spotted Pinion at Littlestone (see pics). Few noctuella.
3rd. Good mothing, nothing outstanding except unusual numbers of some species .. Maple Pug .. Sean had 9
several nights ago, 4 at Greatstone. 3 Double Kidney on the reserve and one at Dungeness. 3 Langmaid's in Lydd
(now that more are being seen the race maybe on for the first female and eggs). Barry had a 'Rustic' type at his
Greatstone trap identical to one caught by Colin Turley in Lydd 28th July .. ( see pics .. its got us stumped).
4th. Three-humped Prominent (see pics) and Poplar Kitten (13th a.r.). at the back of New Romney. Dingy Shell
(10th a.r.) in Lydd. Langmaid's Dungeness and Littlestone. Colin had two worn Small Ranunculus in Lydd.
2 suavella at Littlestone. Mick Tickner caught cicatricella (9th a.r.) at Greatstone. He and Barry have both been
getting good numbers of canella, a moth we previously considered a vagrant, the foreshore on the eastern side at
Greatstone is covered with the food plant Prickly Saltwort.
5th. Warm and calm, all the traps getting 70 to 80 species of macro. Noticeable increase in Silver Y, a few Dark
Sword-grass and more noctuella. Not quite so much of note these days, Tree-lichen Beauty at Littlestone and at
Keith Arter's trap at Greatstone. He also had the pyral cicatricella. His trap is half a mile from Mick Tickners site
which borders the eastern edge of Lade Pit. Keith isnt a pyral man yet but he said he has had several. (see pics)
.. few Langmaid's. 3 Double Kidney at Dungeness and the RSPB reserve, a moth which we're pleased seems to have
established itself. The Reserve trap at Boulderwall, run by Pete Akers and Bob Gomes, has greatly enhanced the
status of many moths in our area.The random spread of traps have never reflected the status of moths that they
record in large numbers. At present the traps are full of Reed Dagger, Webbs Wainscot, Straw Dot, Crescent, Silky
Wainscot, the pyral paludella .. they had 15 last night. Barry does their second trap at the accomodation block,
its much more exposed and not so productive, but upto 40 White-line Dart are numbers not seen anywhere else.
The local pyral alpinella is also recorded regularly.
6th. Tree-lichen Beauty, Langmaid's and Small Ranunculus in Lydd. Langmaid's at Barry's. Dorothy had the only
White Satin Moth of the year so far, a much decreased species in our area since the mid-nineties. A few ferrugalis.
7th. Dorothy had Spurge Hawk-moth (see pics) and tumidana. Mark Tunmore, who was trapping at the end of the
Long Pits had Dark Crimson Underwing, (see pics). Paul Bryant, Matthew Deans and Lee Gregory were also
trapping there .. of note they had Red Underwing, 5 Double Kidney and at least one Langmaid's ( at least 6 seen
in the whole area). Lesser-spotted Pinion at Dungeness, Colin had White Satin Moth (and 2 of the Langmaid's) in
Lydd.
8th. Keith had Jersey Tiger (see pics) and Tree-lichen Beauty at the back of New Romney. Barry had Dotted
Footman (see pics) and tumidana .. Dorothy had tumidana as well. Pretty Chalk Carpet at Littlestone (8th a.r.).
(six more Langmaid's, Pete had his first at Boulderwall and was very pleased!). Chris Roots had Jersey Tiger and
Tree-lichen Beauty (see pics) at his Dungeness trap as well.
9th. Tree-lichen Beauty at Barry's and Richard's traps at Greatstone. Peach Blossom, Coronet and Langmaid's at
Littlestone. Dave had tumidana and two Langmaid's at Dungeness. Sean had bistriga (5th a.r.) and a funny little
'goldspot' at New Romney. Also, Dave Bunny who lives at Dungeness, had a third Jersey Tiger by day out on the
shingle on 9th.
10th. A few regular migrants, Dorothy had Convolvulous at Dungeness .. Pete had Scarce Bordered Straw on the
reserve .. Richard had Tree-lichen Beauty at Greatstone .. Sean had Vestal at New Romney. Several Bordered
Straw, Dark Sword-grass, noctuella and ferrugalis over the area. Colin had the 4th Jersey Tiger at his Lydd trap.
Keith had Cydia amplana in Lydd (see pics).
11th. Breezy southerly wind, substantial rain. Dungeness traps a bit quiet, 17 species at Keith's trap, compared
to 50 at the back of New Romney which included Dusky Hook-tip (see pics), Small Mottled Willow and five ferrugalis.
tumidana at Littlestone.
12th. Wind has backed SW. Convolvulous and Jersey Tiger (the fifth so far, Ian Roberts from Hythe, just along
the coast from us also had one on 10th). Bordered Straw on the reserve. Few Dark Sword-grass, ferrugalis and
noctuella peppered over the area. Barry had tumidana at Greatstone. Colin had the best moth of the day at his
trap in Lydd .. Oak Processionary ( see pics). Chris Roots had a second area record of Cydia amplana.
13th. Small Mottled Willow at back of New Romney with 8 noctuella and 5 ferrugalis .. tumidana at Littlestone. Barry
had Fern at Dungeness (the obs trap).
14th. Chris had Marbled Grey at Dungeness (see pics). Scarce Bordered Straw and Small Mottled Willow at back of
New Romney .. few Bordered Straw over area.
15th. Keith had Jersey Tiger in Lydd. Barred Rivulet at Littlestone (17th a.r.). Few Dark Sword-grass over area. Barry
had a second Pretty Chalk Carpet of the year at Greatstone.
16th. Sean had Flame Carpet at New Romney, also 7 ferrugalis. Dave also had Flame Carpet at Dungeness. Small
increase in Silver Y at some of the traps with a few Dark Sword-grass.
17th. The most noteworthy species was Latticed Heath. Nearly everyone had 1-4 at their trap-sites .. a common
emergence? .. Sean says that occassionally there are large numbers seen on the 'east coast' .. so perhaps ours are
immigrants. Its considered a scarce resident in our area and is seen every year in small numbers, usually 1-2.
Extreme dates 25th May to 7th September, the latter date in 1992 when Barry recorded 10 which is the max. number
seen. Dave had the third record this year of Cydia amplana.
18th-19th. Strong SW winds, heavy rain and thunder storms overnight kept catches down. Cydia amplana in Lydd
on 19th. Just the odd Latticed Heath after the numbers on 17th.
20th. Richard had Delicate at Greatstone. Scarce Bordered Straw at Littlestone. Sprinkling of Dark Sword-grass
and noctuella at a few trap sites.
21st. Scarce Bordered Straw in Lydd. 4 Dark Sword-grass and 5 ferrugalis at the back of New Romney.
22nd. Another wave of Latticed Heath, 1-3 but 10 at Keith's Lydd trap. 40 Silver Y at the back of New Romney, few
elsewhere. Small Mottled Willow and Bordered Straw in Lydd .. sprinkling of Dark Sword-grass and ferrugalis over area.
23rd. Sean had 7 Latticed Heath at New Romney, still 6 in Lydd. Barry had 12 Latticed Heath and sticticalis at
Greatstone. Dave had two Cydia amplana at Dungeness.
24th. Unpleasant, rain and wind, not everyone ran, including Dorothy at Dungeness but she discovered Rosy
Underwing on her bedroom curtains during the morning (see pics, biggish files).
25th. Increase in numbers of ferrugalis, Barry had 19 at Greatstone. Sean had Scarce and Bordered Straw at
New Romney. More Dark Sword-grass over area. Keith had Porters Rustic at his Dungeness trap (see pics).
26th. Dave had Scarce Bordered Straw at Dungeness. Delicate at Littlestone.
27th. Keith had the pyral ramburialis in Lydd (see pics).
28th-31st. Very quiet, not much to light .. autumnal feel to the weather .. few nice things to look at .. first Feathered
Gothic, Brindle, Ranunculus of the year .. its a pity Frosted Orange isn't a rare moth. Still the odd Dark Sword-grass,
Pearly Underwing 27th and 31st .. few ferrugalis.
September 1st. Sean had Convolvulous at New Romney (another nearby on Aug 31st). Pearly Underwing, a few Dark
Sword-grass and ferrugalis. Late Elephant Hawk Moth.
2nd. Barry had Clay Triple-lines at Greatstone (20th a.r.), Sean had Vestal at New Romney.
3rd-4th. Richard had HBHMoth to light 3rd. Few Centre-barred Sallow, Hedge Rustic, Old Lady (more than usual this
year) and Red Underwing. Late Short-cloaked moth and Buff Arches. Up to 40 macros in Lydd.
5th-7th. Nasty easterly wind, traps at Dungeness devoid of moths. More at the more sheltered inland sites. Vestal in
Lydd on 5th. The pyral angustella on 6th. First Lunar Underwing of the autumn on 7th.
8th-11th. Pearly Underwing at Dungeness 8th. Windy weather keeping catches low. First Autumnal Rustic and Sallow
of autumn. Dusky Thorn at Dungeness, the pyral oblitella at Littlestone.
12th-13th. Strong south westerly and rain.
14th. Calmer overnight .. few moths in the traps .. 2 Pearly Underwing at Dungeness, Scarce Bordered Straw at the
back of New Romney (big and fresh .. result of breeding rather than migration?). The pyral dentalis in Lydd.
15th. Min 7 degrees overnight. Delicate in Lydd, noctuella at Littlestone. Few L-album Wainscot and White-point ..
two species we have ascribed as scarce residents supplemented by migrants. They now occur so frequently that it
is impossible to say which are migrants.
16th-19th. Wind mostly gale force from the south west. Sean had Gem at New Romney on 16th. Scarce Bordered
Straw at Littlestone on 19th. First few Black Rustic of the autumn.
20th. 2 Delicate at Keith's Dungeness trap. Pearly Underwing and the pyrals noctuella and vitrealis at Littlestone.
21st. Delicate in Lydd, 4 Dark Sword-grass at Dungeness. The pyral noctuella at Littlestone.
22nd. 2 Dark Sword-grass and Pearly Underwing at Dungeness, noctuella at Littlestone. Deep-brown Dart (13th a.r.)
at the back of New Romney.
23rd. Delicate at Littlestone, noctuella at the back of New Romney.
25th. Milder night after temps dipped to 4 degrees overnight 24th. Vestal at Dungeness, noctuella at Littlestone and
Dungeness. Late geniculea and contaminella in Lydd. First Red-line-Quaker of the autumn at Dungeness. Keith
commented that his Dungeness trap at Dungeness, next to the Long Pits, is excellant in the spring, next to useless
in July and August and is now the most productive .. double figures of Black Rustic, yellow Sallow, ice cold
Feathered Brindle, blueish greyish and reddish Autumnal Rustic, the variable browns of Lunar Underwing and the
occassional bright Beaded Chestnut.
26th. Sean had Cosmopolitan at New Romney (see pics). Keith had Convolvulous, Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Pearly
Underwing, 2 Dark Sword-grass at Dungeness and Delicate in Lydd.
27th. Few of last nights migrants recorded again in the traps. Dusky-lemon Sallow at Dungeness.
28th. Sean had Tamarisk Peacock at New Romney (see pics, he's done well for peacocks this year having caught
Dusky Peacock near Canterbury earlier in the year).
29th. Mild night with a few moths, Sean did well again with Clancy's Rustic at New Romney (6th area record see pics).
30th. Jill had Hoary Footman in Lydd (5th a.r).Tawny Pinion at Dungeness (20th a.r).
October 1st-3rd. Despite the rain and wind, a few moths in the traps. Sean had Barred Sallow, Dusky-lemon Sallow
and Delicate at New Romney on 2nd, Scarce Bordered Straw at Littlestone on 3rd. First few Pink-barred Sallow of the
Autumn.
4th. Mild and calm overnight, 2 Deep-brown Darts at the back of New Romney .. Delicate there and also at Dungeness.
5th. Sean caught another Clancy's Rustic at New Romney (see pics). Pearly Underwing at back of New Romney.
6th. Delicate at Dungeness.
7th. Red-green Carpet at Littlestone (6th a.r.). Pearly Underwing at the back of New Romney
8th. Despite the vicious easterly wind .. not too cold overnight.. a few moths in the sheltered traps. First few Streaks
of the Autumn.
9th-11th. Persistant wind no good for moths at the traps .. Pearly Underwing in Lydd 11th. Death's-head Hawk-moth
at Littlestone. It was found in the garden of Mike Todd, a friend of Richard, by his grandson Joshua on the 9th, alive.
It was still in the same place but had died when Richard saw it on the 11th. (8th a.r. see pics .. big moth .. big file).
12th. Wind backed, through south, to the south west and dropped in strength. Small arrival of Silver Y in the traps,
also Delicate, Pearly Underwing and Dark Sword-grass at Dungeness. Delicate at the back of New Romney.
13th. Sprinkling of ferrugalis (4 in Lydd) and the odd noctuella . Few back end things appearing .. Chestnut, Satellite
and Green-brindled Crescent.
14th. Few migrants .. Keith had Golden Twin-spot in Lydd (see pics) .. Dorothy had Gem at Dungeness .. Richard
had Delicate, 2 Pearly Underwing and Dark Sword-grass at Greatstone .. Dave had White-speck, Pearly Underwing
and Dark Sword-grass, and Keith had Pearly Underwing at Dungeness. A few ferrugalis and noctuella.
15th. Colder overnight. Convolvulous at Littlestone .. Pearly Underwing New Romney.
17th. Delicate in Lydd .. Richard had Scarce Bordered Straw at Greatstone .. Dark Sword-grass at Dungeness.
18th. Scarce Bordered Straw and Delicate in Lydd. A few Yellow-line Quakers which we don't see every year.
19th. Scarce Bordered Straw at Littlestone.
23rd. Pearly Underwing at Dungeness, the migrant pyral vitrealis in Lydd.
24th. Strong south-westerlies. Colin had Pale-lemon Sallow in Lydd .. only the fourth area record (see pics).
25th. Calmer overnight, cooler but a few moths to light. Richard had White-speck at Greatstone. White-speck and
Delicate at Littlestone. Keith had Pearly Underwing, Dark Sword-grass, Red-headed Chestnut (2nd a.r. see pics)
and ferrugalis at Dungeness.
26th. Humming-bird Hawk-moth by day in Lydd. Wind picked up overnight. White-speck Lydd. Dark Sword-grass
at Littlestone. Sprinkling of ferrugalis.
29th. Unpleasant windy and wet the last few days.. last night calmer with a few migrants at the traps. Dorothy had
Gem and White-speck at Dungeness. Sean had Scarce Bordered Straw, Gem and 12 ferrugalis at New Romney.
Keith had Scarce Bordered Straw, Vestal, White-point, Pearly Underwing and 6 ferrugalis at Lydd.
30th. Sean had White-speck at New Romney. Gem and 6 ferrugalis in Lydd.
31st. 4 Gems at New Romney. Delicate in Lydd.
November 2nd. Dorothy had Red-headed Chestnut at Dungeness (see pics). Keith had Red-green and Cypress
Carpet in Lydd (3rd a.r. see pics).
3rd. Dorothy had Convolvulous at Dungeness. Keith had Gem at Dungeness and another Red-green Carpet in Lydd.
Colin had Autumnal Moth on 1st (2nd a.r.).
4th. Dorothy had Flame Brocade at Dungeness (see pics).
6th. Richard had Scarce Bordered Straw and Pearly Underwing at Greatstone. Pearly Underwing in Lydd.
7th. Delicate in Lydd at Colin's and Keith's who also had a second Autumnal Moth.
19th. Very few moths of late. Lunar Underwing at Dungeness, Black Rustic at New Romney 18th. The Tamarisk
Peacock in September that Sean caught laid several eggs, only one larva survived and has just hatched out
(see pics).