April mothing

Away first ten days, family holiday with some decent birding opportunities in Cyprus, followed by cold nights for most of the rest of the month so very little to report. Even Common Quaker and Hebrew Character were counted on one hand on all but a couple of nights when it was suitable to actually put the trap out.
Only decent moth in the month was Tawny Pinion which appeared on 14th and 16th as second and third garden records and look to be different individuals. Also an early Pebble Prominent on 21st.
Micros recorded included a Diamond-backed Moth on 14th and an Esperia sulphurella that I managed to pose for a photo in the sunshine on 18th.

 Tawny Pinion, 16th April

 Tawny Pinion, 14th April

Pebble Prominent, 21st April

Esperia sulphurella 18th April

Mid July gets exciting

It has been a busy few days with some warm nights and some excellent garden mothing variety as hoped for at this time of year. Some even better to come in the next post I hope but wasting no time, on to the pictures of some new and some favourites

 Brown-tail - new for garden

Plain Pug - new for garden, and  a real monster with tail up and wings like paddles

 Phoenix - talking of tail up, usually get a couple of these each year

 Maple Prominent - the commonest Prom in my garden, this the fourth record

Pebble Prominent - third record

 Chinese Character - second record, first in 2010

Garden Dart - annual and not particularly distinct

Prominent promenade

I posted last August, towards the end of my third summer of garden mothing, about the "prominent" gap in my garden list, having recorded only three Maples and one Coxcomb of all the species carrying that name. The next week a Pale popped up and the gap was slightly smaller.
So all was quiet and the gap was forgotten going into 2013 with low expectations of much more.
Suddenly things look different and is it purely a statistical coincidence ?

 Iron Prominent - new for garden 19th June 2013

Pebble Prominent - new for garden 20th June 2013

So two new proms on consecutive nights, and three NFG on three consecutive nights overall, a good week.