A mild night with temps 10 ->8 deg C very little wind or rain and 8 moths: 3 A. heracliana/ciliella, 2 December moth, Chestnut, Mottled umber and trap star my second garden record of Pale Brindled Beauty. All to MV Robinson, VC5 Somerset. #teammoth

Put together a few of my favourite birding photos from ‘25 in my Flickr account, link in bio, with some thumbnails here to maybe entice?

Irish eyes may be smiling elsewhere in Southern England but a bevy of heraclianas while setting up means my first trap of the year is no Wogan. Trap just out as the rain heads off up country. #VC5 #teammoth

The Curry Moor Tundra bean geese (image shows 2 of 4 seen, thanks James Packer) and a twilight Short-eared owl near the Parrett bookended a good day out with the bins. #somersetbirding

Great Northern Diver Clatworthy Reservoir W. Somerset this afternoon. Phonescoped. Came nice and close! #somersetbirding

Here's a nice little diversionary activity for #teammoth -ers while our little darlings are having their winter rest. Brown hairstreak butterflies are most easily surveyed by counting their eggs in wintertime. In 2 hours at a local reserve I found 6 eggs on 1st/2nd year blackthorn suckers. VC5 TA1

Ruby tiger caterpillar found on the white sheet underneath the MV Robinson moth trap this morning. I don't often see caterpillars, let alone in or near the trap, although I hear occasional reports of this. Does anyone know if some moth/butterfly larvae are attracted to (UV) light? #teammoth

10/5 better than expected here in TA4 VC5 as were the overnight conditions with light drizzle the worst of it. Having been away through November December moth (m and f) and mottled umber (2) were NFY. Also U ferrugalis, chestnut (2) winter moth (4) and a very fluffy Ruby tiger caterpillar. #teammoth

A superb achievement by the County Recorder, Editors and all who submitted records. #somersetbirding

#teammoth is a large and growing feed of moth enthusiasts and may be worth tagging your moth posts with.

Possible light relief from that end-of-term feeling is a moth that came in through an open door in San Antonio, Texas last evening: the multiply-named Green Cloverworm moth/Black Snout/hypena scabra/plathypena scabra. It's reported from Canada to Texas but has been seen in UK. #teammoth

This autumn, trapping once or twice a week every trap has been markedly different from that preceding it: same last night in VC5 nr Taunton with 48/14 inc. garden records of 7 U. ferrugalis, 7 Feathered thorn. NFG A. sparsana, and only my 2nd Cypress carpet. And a "cross" spider (see ALT). #teammoth

Late wheatear at Cheddar Res. this morning (thanks AR). Nothing else noteworthy today, despite the large numbers of duck and gulls. #somersetbirding

Decent 36/19 overnight despite only 7/7 having arrived by 2230. Baldrick (image) and ferrugalis welcome refugees from the gale. 2 FMcT 🪶🪶crashing about the trap in typical 'coo fashion (image). Micros included a neat looking consimilana. And Merv called in but had left by morning. #teammoth

Searching blackthorn yesterday in a new field near the A1 in VC20 for Brown Hairstreak, yealded 8 Blue-borderedCarpet eggs & 2 Oak Eggar(says Obsidentify)caterpillars + the star of the show 2 Brown Hairstreak eggs ✅ My phone doesn't take photos of eggs very well! @bc-hertsmiddx.bsky.social #teammoth

1/2 Final scores on the doors from last night's traps (MV and multi LED actinic, VC5) were 76/26 contingent on one micro. identification (image below ?Adoxophyes orana ). A 2nd pearly underwing with ferrugalis 2, noctuella and white-point all hinting at migration on the southerly airs. #teammoth

Turns out I was near enough the S coast to get some migrant moths after all: NFY pearly underwing looked well-travelled, White-point, noctuella and 2 ferrugalis made up the numbers. Good night overall with a record 7 MdeJ and lots more potted plus photos to go through later. Birds next! #teammoth

We go tonight: may even go multi-trap!! Still avoiding the part of the garden where the wasps have nested under my pride and joy : "giant" Echium grown from seed from Heligan!

1/2 Well worth a couple of soakings to pull in 52 moths of 26 species, here in VC5. Only 9 species in common with 6 days earlier, and 10 NFY included red and yellow line Quakers, Dark Chestnut, Feathered Thorn, Blair's shoulder-knot, Figure of Eight (NFG!). (contd) #teammoth

Sunday night the dryer and calmer of the two on current Somerset weather forecasts : will aim for that. Thanks again for the detailed meteorological heads up, Steve.

A good night as for many elsewhere, with 78/25 in and around the MV trap while temperatures held up and cloud thickened. MdeJ (NFY) an early attendee. White-point (2nd ever) noctuella and Small mottled willow: poss migrants? Brindled green, consimilana, lacticolella all NFY. And 23 Vine's! #teammoth

Clearly squadrons of Mervs silently circling above our heads tonight: "mine"on the (MV, VC5) trap by 2230. Cue a flick through the trap and it's busier than for some time with : Brindled green 2, Clepsis consimilana, Setaceous Hebrew Character 2, Vine's 5, LYU, LBBYU, Beaded chestnut #teammoth

Following the lead of @mattames6.bsky.social et al., out with the headtorch last night and lo and behold Pink-barred sallow, Barred sallow and a sparkling will o' the wisp of a NFY Palpita vitrealis. Anyone with ideas as to night photography with the iPhone, gratefully received. #teammoth

Apart from a golden night 11th Oct '23 when several migrants and a Clifden nonpareil came in among 44/22 (after days of very mild weather and southerlies), I usually see few moths in mid to late October. So 5/4 overnight but 2 lovely catch-up NFY : Black rustic and Green-brindled crescent. #teammoth

100+ spoonies again today... wonderful sight to see them feeding actively all over the lagoon 🩵 #WildBrownsea @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @harbourbirds.bsky.social

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

Pink-barred sallow and Spruce carpet new moths to me trapping at a local mire on Friday evening. Plan to repeat these traps periodically, should be interesting. Meanwhile home LED actinic trap dominated by 34 Lunar underwing (in 67/12). Nomophila noctuella. Otherwise standard fare. #teammoth

Ninja campsite mothing turned up an interesting crambid tonight : pretty sure this is Evergestis limbata. I've emailed Bucks. county recorder. Anyone else know this moth? New to me (and not seen in Somerset I don't think). #teammoth

One of a pair of Hummingbird Hawk-moths seen nectaring on the kaleidoscope of salvias at Kingston Lacy NT garden yesterday, near Wareham, Dorset. OM-1/PanaLeica 100-400, ISO1000, f6.3 1/2000 sec #teammoth

A bevy of Beauties in last nights trap included a NFG Lilac Beauty that took my breath away. The migrants were mainly imagined whistling overhead in the southerly, heading for Minehead it seems. ECB, ferrugalis and a tired (?retrapped) Vestal consoled. Next, a camping (&ninja #teammoth ing!) break.

Some of the 2500+ shelduck at Stert Point in the strong westerly over high tide earlier this evening. A single Manx shearwater in the channel between the north end of Stert Island and the Point was a Somerset first for me. 4 Wheatears between North breach and Stert point. #somersetbirds

1/2 Trapped 2130-0400 TA4 VC5 Somerset and missed most of the showers. Temp down to 12degC, however. Trickle of migrants with 5 N. noctuella, 1 U. ferrugalis and a Vestal . Autumnal colours with Frosted Orange (NFY), Barred and Centre-barred sallow and some tired hornets. (contd .) #teammoth

This afternoon's Osprey at Noah's, Shapwick. Fishing in a very shallow Noah's Lake. Seems it's been here a few days. #somersetbirding

Required reading for wet Sundays when the trap is empty #teammoth

Migrants continued to appear on 25/8 (TA4 VC5 Somerset) with my first Scarce Bordered Straw of the year (NB green eyes!), 6 EC Borer and N. noctuella. A nepticule could be a locally scarce beet moth (taking advice). Among the NFY, Bordered Beauty and Centre-Barred Sallow also stood out. #teammoth

The fragile but crucial balance between animal and plant. At Langford Heathfield local nature reserve today. #WorldPhotographyDay #succisapratensis #devilsbitscabious #pierisnapi #greenveinedwhitebutterfly #somersetwildlifetrust

Full night with two LED traps brought 82/37 with 5 NFY including Small blood-vein and Six-striped rustic and a trio of migrants: my freshest Vestal of the year, same for ECB and a U. ferrugalis, the last moth I found on my second look through all the trays and equipment. #teammoth

A quiet trap just 2030-2330 with small numbers of regulars, a mercifully solo hornet, and a stealthy appearance (see photo) of the melanic form of box-tree moth. B-TM till a rare sight here with only 5 previous sightings (3 in one night) since NFG in October 2023. #teammoth

#teammoth Trapped night of 15/8 with new all LED set up (Robinson and bucket) : small mottled willow, ECB, Vestal, HBHM prob. migrants; codling moth/C.pomonella, chequered tortrix/A. selasella, Orange Swift and Maiden's Blush all NFY. 3 Copper underwing agg. my highest total of this. & 15 Hornets..

Modest catch, good in parts here at the Rectory on Monday night despite rain. Pinion-streaked snout was NFG , a freshly-polished wax moth, NFY. The Silver Y was tiny (15mm maybe): larval starvation? Other migrants : small mottled willow, rush veneer. And Jersey Tigers of course.. #teammoth

Meteorological quirk meant 148 moths of 50 species to MV light VC5 (TA4) 6/8. Biggest take of migrants of the year so far: Vestal, U. ferrugalis, N. noctuella 2, Small mottled willow (6), White-point, Angle shades. White-point and Small rufous among 5 new to the garden. 20+ hornets 😅. #teammoth

A night of extremes in VC5 for 30/5 #teammoth trap. Rustling noises low down in the Robinson turned out to be the 5cm+ restless bulk of a Great silver water beetle, while the Oak Eggar sat quietly in the LED bucket trap. Found on 2nd look were two new micros : Y. penella and (prob) C.?deauretella.

This subtler variation of the many guises of Marbled Green to actinic light yesterday: yet another new for garden in a rich year for moths locally. #teammoth

1/2 Best group of poss. migrant #teammoth 's for months last night TA4 VC5 Somerset: N.noctuella/Rush veneer, U. ferrugalis/Rusty-dot pearl, Dark sword-grass. Returners : Gold spot (last seen here 2020), Red underwing ('23) and Latticed Heath was NFG and a surprise as scarce.....(contd.)

First #teammoth -ing opportunity for a bit and jumped at it despite 20-30mph gusts. Steady as you go with 129/43 and some nice NFG in 7NFY: Sallow kitten, Hypatima rhomboidella, and nationally-scarce White-line snout. Face-plant specialist Catoptria falsella always welcome too!

First Jersey Tiger of the year : sitting waiting for me when I went in search of a watering can earlier... #teammoth

Big haul (400+/75) in near perfect conditions here nr. Taunton Somerset VC5 on 4/7/25. Notables: Minor shoulder-knot, Crocosema plebejana, A. yeatsiana NFG; favourite NFY: Herald, Copper underwing, Box-tree moth. 3x2W LED bucket took 7/14 NFY despite 125W MV 50m away! #teammoth ing always surprises.