Atropos migrant insect review – End-October 2010

Clouded Yellow Colias croceus were recorded from various south coast localities with a cluster of sightings around Gosport, Hampshire. Sightings of Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta included a few double-figure counts although no large numbers were reported.

Odonata included numerous Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta on the warmer days with a few late reports of Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea. It was however the belated news of a Vagrant Emperor Hemianax ephippiger – usually found in sub-Saharan Africa – that really stole the show at Dodman Head, Cornwall, on 14th. The dragonfly was photographed by Peter Maker and represents the first British record for over a decade.

With sunny days, predominantly northerly winds and consequently many cold nights with plummeting temperatures, moth trappers generally had a lean time in the second half of the month. Moth highlights included records of Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea from Portland, Dorset, on the nights of 21st and 30th (M. Cade), from Bonchurch, Isle of Wight on 21st (J. Halsey), Langton Matravers, Dorset, on 27th (D. Brown) and a remarkable inland record from Birmingham, West Midlands, on 31st (J. Bryant). A Sombre Brocade Dryobotodes tenebrosa on 19th October was the first site record from Abbotsbury, Dorset (C. Rogers).

A Clifden Nonpareil Catocala fraxini found at rest at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall, was the first record for VC2 and first Cornish record since 1948 (R. Stafford). This locality also had a star bird in the form of a Green Heron Butorides virescens – the first in Cornwall since 1889 of this very rare American vagrant recorded fewer than ten times in the U.K.

Sustained effort by the various recorders staying on St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly, moth trapping and checking Ivy produced several records of Cosmopolitan Mythimna loreyi, Delicate Mythimna vitellina and White-speck Mythimna unipuncta during 15th – 20th (D. Grundy et al). A couple of unipuncta and a single loreyi were also trapped on Portland, Dorset, during the second half of October.

Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera and Vestal Rhodometra sacraria were in short supply but did include singles of each at Lizard, Cornwall. This site also produced a Humming-bird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum at light on 29th. Two armigera at Dursley, Gloucestershire, on 29th were also noteworthy.

The only micro-moth worthy of mention was a single Palpita vitrealis trapped at Maenporth, Cornwall, on 26th.

Whilst the season is rapidly drawing to a close, if we were lucky enough to experience a plume of warm southerly air in November, there could be a chance of some exciting immigrant moths like a Silver-striped Hawk-moth Hippotion celerio or Radford’s Flame Shoulder Ochropleura leucogaster. Early November is also a good time to catch a Red-headed Chestnut Conistra erythrocephala.

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 some interesting and exciting sightings in November.