Nights of 18/19 October: 1 Delicate, 1 Scarce Bordered Straw, 1 Clancy's Rustic

Late news from Cornwall, when on 14 October a male Vagrant Emperor was photographed near Dodman Head by Peter Maker. After 5 minutes the dragonfly flew off, and was never re-located.
This is the first UK record for over a decade.

Had Sombre Brocade yesterday Abbotsbury Beach, Dorset. Apparently 2nd UK mainland site record.

Hi Just to let you know that the Gem influx has reached the far north of England too! I caught one on 17th, with another 7 or so being taken at light in North Tyneside.

I also had my first record of Rusty Dot Pearl on 15th. There seems to be good numbers of Large Wainscot around too. I have had six over the last week or so.

night of 16th October various recorders plus ivy, 8 traps running:
53 Rusty-dot pearl,3 Dark Swordgrass, 6 pearly underwing, 2 Delicate, 2 l-album Wainscot, 5 White-speck, 2 Cosmopolitan, 1 Large wainscot, 1 Red Swordgrass

Night of 16 October: 1 Clancy's Rustic

Night of 15/10/10 St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - 9 traps plus ivy vasrious recorders - very quiet due to strong N winds and clear night;
30+ Rusty-dot pearls, 1 vestal, 1 pearly underwing, 1 Delicate, 3 White-speck, 1 Clancys Rustic

Atropos migrant insect review – Mid-October 2010

The undisputed butterfly highlight of the month was the Monarch Danaus plexippus seen at Margam Country Park, Glamorgan on the 10th. There were a few reports of Clouded Yellow Colias croceus from south coast localities but the one at Throckmorton, Worcestershire, on 10th is certainly noteworthy. A definite increase in sightings of Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta was apparent and three were light-trapped on Alderney, Channel Islands, on 8th.

At the start of the month there were sightings of Willow Emerald Damselfly Lestes viridis at Alton Water, Tattingstone, Suffolk, on 2nd where 16 were observed. Also at this site Migrant Hawker Dragonfly Aeshna mixta was noted as ‘numerous’.

Warm southerly winds and Saharan dust blowing towards our shores was responsible for some exciting immigrant moth captures during the first half of the month. The highlight of this period was an exquisite Crimson Speckled Utetheisa pulchella typically found by day, on St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, on 11th (A. Firth) and photographed on a mobile phone.

Single Silver-striped Hawk-moth Hippotion celerio were light-trapped at Dunwich Heath, Suffolk, on 4th (C. Moore) and on Guernsey, Channel Islands, on 7th (P. Costen). Remarkably, for both captors, these were their second individuals caught. Clive tragically discovered the wings of one in October 2006 outside his trap and for Peter this celerio was his second in 25 years of trapping!

Also brought up in the southerly airstream were the tropical pyrales Euchromius ocellea – a single light-trapped at Ramsgate, Kent, on 10th and single Antigastra catalaunalis at New Romney, Kent, on 8th and at Lizard, Cornwall, on 9th (M. Tunmore). A high count of six Uresiphita gilvata was made at Cape Clear Island, Co. Cork, on 10th with the only British record an excellent inland one from Nutfield, Surrey, on the night of 5th (R. Bartlett). The other rare pyrale often associated with the appearance of these tropical pyrales is Hymenia recurvalis – one was light-trapped at Thundersley, Essex, on the night of 12th (D. Down).

No fewer than four Red-headed Chestnuts Conistra erythrocephala were light-trapped during the first half of October. East Suffolk claimed two of the records with singles at Bradwell on the night of 8th (K. Knights) and at Dunwich Heath on 12th (C. Moore) – the former record was of ab. glabra. The remaining two records were both from Sandwich Bay, Kent, on 10th and 13th.

There were four Golden Twin-spot Chrysodeixis chalcites recorded – again two-a-piece in Suffolk and Kent! The Suffolk records were from Dunwich Heath (C. Moore) on 8th and at Minsmere RSPB the following night (R. Harvey). The two Kentish records came from Lydd on 9th (K. Redshaw) and Pegwell on 11th (F. Solly).

Records of Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea came from Durlston, Dorset, on the night of 9th and on the Channel Islands, where the moth is certainly resident, an impressive 28 were light trapped on Alderney on 8th.

A small influx of Blair’s Mocha Cyclophora puppillaria was evident with singles recorded at Earnley, West Sussex on 5th; St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly, and near Ringwood, Hampshire, on 9th and at Blashford Lakes, Hampshire, on 11th.

A single Death’s-head Hawk-moth Acherontia atropos was found inside the power station at Dungeness, Kent on 12th. This closely follows the record reported in the previous summary at the Long Pits, Dungeness, Kent, on the night of 28 September. Convolvulus Hawk-moth Agrius convolvuli records included three light trapped at Dunwich, Suffolk, on the night of 4th and two at Durlston CP, Dorset, on the night of 9th.

The magnificent Clifden Nonpareil Catocala fraxini which has had a phenomenal year, continued to be reported from the south coast, particularly in Dorset, where it must surely be resident (9 were trapped at Puddletown up until 5th October) but there were also records from Wadhurst, East Sussex, on 5th, Bracklesham, West Sussex, on 6th and from Ruckinge, Kent, on 15th.

Following on from last month’s immigrant Pale-lemon Sallow Xanthia ocellaris, records this month came from St. Margaret’s, Kent, on 9th and three at Earnley, West Sussex, during the first week.

Amongst the regular migrants, Delicate Mythimna vitellina and Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera were widely recorded from the Isles of Scilly eastwards to Kent and northwards up the East coast to Suffolk. Inland records of armigera included an impressive three at Woodnewton, Northants, on 9th (N. & T. Smith).

A definite influx of Gem Orthonama obstipata was apparent – being most noticeable in Kent and Suffolk, where mostly singles were recorded, although three at Minsmere on 11th was noteworthy.

Vestal Rhodometra sacraria appeared in good numbers with Cornwall and the southern Irish coast receiving the main influx. At least 42 sacraria were trapped in Ireland during the first half of October (P. Walsh). In Cornwall a dozen were trapped at Buryas Bridge on 7th, four at Lizard on 8th with seven at St. Kew the following night. One was even found by day on the mid-Cornwall Moors, near Roche, on 10th. Inland Vestals were light-trapped at Nutfield, Surrey, on the night of 8th and at Sissinghurst, Kent, and Ipswich, Suffolk, on 9th.

Cosmopolitan Mythimna loreyi has been scarce in 2010. There were a few records from St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly, where they were recorded nightly between 12th and 14th – peaking at four on the final night (D. Grundy et al) and four in Ireland during the first half of the month.

Whilst there has only been one Monarch Danaus plexippus butterfly so far this autumn, there is still a chance of a sighting in the remainder of the month.

Immigrant moths could include further records of either Silver-striped Hawk-moth Hippotion celerio or Death’s-head Hawk-moth Acherontia atropos; Crimson Speckled Utethesia pulchella or perhaps a Radford’s Flame Shoulder Ochropleura leucogaster – keep checking those late Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta!

Atropos would like to thank you for your contributions to the Flight Arrivals webpage. Please keep posting your migrant news coming and we look forward to an exciting second half of October.

Night of 15 October: 1 Clancy's Rustic, 1 Delicate

Night of 15th Oct
Clifden Nonpareil