|
|
|
| Oct.18th |
|
A nice example of the
scarce migrant pyralid, Palpita vitrealis,
was caught at the Observatory - only the 5th
record.
|
| Oct.15th |
|
Mothtrapping produced
an L-album Wainscot.
|
| Oct.14th |
|
Remarkably,
yet another
example of a Western Conifer Seed Bug was
found at Dungeness today - this time at Southview
Cottage.
|
| Oct.13th |
|
A Humming-bird
Hawk-moth was seen in the Observatory garden.
More
significantly, Barry Banson discovered another
example of a Western Conifer Seed Bug in
his moth trap at Greatstone this morning.
Western
Conifer Seed Bug Greatstone
|
| Sep.28th |
|
Our second Dewick's
Plusia of the year was a surprise capture
overnight in the moth trap.
Dewick's
Plusia
|
| Sep.11th |
|
Although obvious
migrant moths were scarce in the traps this
morning there were a couple of notable records. A Plumed
Fan-foot (2nd Observatory record) was found
outside the trap at around midnight and a Channel
Islands Pug (1st Observatory record) was found
on the wall this morning.
 
Channel
Islands Pug (top) and Plumed Fan-foot (bottom)
|
| Sep.1st |
|
An update on the
records of Leptoglossus occidentalis.
With another specimen of the bug caught at
Hastings at the weekend they appear to be the 2nd
to 4th British records.
|
| Aug.31st |
|
A large catch of moths
overnight included a Rosy Wave (6th
Observatory record), Cypress Pug, Tawny-barred
Angle and Webb's Wainscot and a few Silver
Y's. The pyralid Ebulea crocealis
was also trapped.
Rosy
Wave
More
unusually, a couple of large, colourful bugs were
caught. Enquiries have revealed that they are the Western
Conifer Seed Bug Leptoglossus
occidentalis, a species first recorded in
Britain in 2007 having spread rapidly from its
original introduction into Italy.  
Western
Conifer Seed Bug
Three Harlequin
Ladybirds were also trapped.
|
| Aug.29th |
|
Three Orange Swifts
(only the 12th-14th individuals at the
Observatory) and the pyralid Pyralis
farinalis were trapped overnight.
Orange
Swift
|
| Aug.27th |
|
A Pearly Underwing
was trapped overnight.
|
| Aug.9th |
|
Another small catch of
moths overnight but with a few unusual species
including a Pebble Hook-tip, a Langmaid's
Yellow Underwing and five Silver Y's
and the pyralids Tracycera advenella
and Trachycera suavella, only the sixth
Observatory record of the latter and the first
since 1998.
Trachycera
suavella
|
| Aug.7th |
|
Another small catch of
moths overnight but with a notable migrant in the
form of a superb Dewick's Plusia (the third
Observatory record). Other migrants included two Dark
Sword-grass.
Dewick's
Plusia
|
| Aug.6th |
|
A Maiden's Blush,
a Chevron and a Small Rivulet were all
uncommon moths trapped overnight whilst a Hummingbird
Hawk-moth was seen during the day.
|
| Aug.5th |
|
A fairly small catch
of moths overnight included a Black Arches
(the fourth Observatory record) and two Dark
Sword-grass.
Black
Arches
|
| Aug.2nd |
|
Despite the windy conditions a good variety of
moths were trapped overnight and included our
first record of Pretty Chalk Carpet. Other notable
species included Archer's Dart, Bird's
Wing, Reed
Dagger and Webb's Wainscot.
Pretty
Chalk Carpet
|
| Aug.1st |
|
The highlight of the
nights moth trapping was a Langmaid's Yellow
Underwing. A Latticed Heath, a Tawny
Speckled Pug and a Gold Spot were also
of note.
Langmaid's
Yellow Underwing Noctua janthina
|
| July
31st |
|
Four Pebble
Hook-tips, a Least Carpet, The Fern and
the pyralid Sitochroa palealis
were all trapped overnight whilst a Hummingbird
Hawk-moth and four Painted Ladies were
seen in the Observatory garden.
|
| July
30th |
|
Moth trapping produced
a Least Carpet, a Small Waved Umber,
an Oak Nycteoline, the pyralids Orthopygia
glaucinalis, Numonia advenella
and Gymnancyla canella and the
micro-moth Yponomeuta
rorella (the second Observatory record) of this presumed migrant
species.
Fifteen Small
Red-eyed Damselflies were seen on the Long
Pits.
|
| July
29th |
|
An
Ear Moth was trapped overnight - the first
Observatory record.
|
| July
28th |
|
Another decent
overnight haul in the moth-traps included Pebble
Hook-tip, Least Carpet, two Small
Waved Umbers, a Poplar Kitten and the
pyralids Sitochroa palealis and Oncocera
semirubella, all species which are only
rarely recorded at the traps.
|
| July
27th |
|
A
large catch of moths overnight included the
notable highlight of a Dusky Hook-tip - a
very rare migrant to Britain. A Small Rivulet
was also an unusual record.
Dusky
Hook-tip
|
| July
26th |
|
An Oblique Carpet
was trapped overnight - only the fourth
Observatory record. A Humming-bird Hawk-moth
was seen during the day and there was a Comma
butterfly in the moat.
|
| July
24th |
|
Two Small Red-eyed
Damselflies were seen on the southern Long
Pits where a Common Emerald Damselfly was
also seen (the latter being surprisingly scarce in
the Observatory recording area. A Hummingbird
Hawk-moth was also seen at the fishing boats.
|
| July
23rd |
|
A Cypress Pug
was trapped overnight.
|
| July
22nd |
|
An excellent day for
insects. The highlight was our fourth Carpenter
Bee Xylocopa violacea watched for a few minutes in the trapping
area and the first Small Red-eyed Damselflies
of the year on the southern Long Pit.
Also of interest
was another Roesel's Bush-cricket and Harlequin
Ladybirds are now being seen with increasing
frequency.
|
| July
21st |
|
Two Roesel's
Bush-crickets were found at the Long Pits (see
image) and a Painted Lady butterfly was
also seen.
|
| July
20th |
|
A Roesel's
Bush-cricket was found in the garden of
Southview Cottage. The second Observatory area
record following the first in 2007.
|
| July
19th |
|
A Hummingbird
Hawk-moth was seen in the garden in the
evening.
|
| July
15th |
|
A Fern was
trapped overnight - only the second Observatory
record.
|
| July
14th |
|
Very high numbers of Marbled
White butterflies continue to be seen and Essex
Skippers appear to be having a better year
than of late with small numbers present among
large numbers of Small
Skippers around the Observatory.
Essex
Skipper
Moth
trapping overnight produced four Sussex
Emeralds and a Small Waved Umber and a White-spotted
Pug.
Sussex
Emerald
|
| July
4th |
|
Very high numbers of Marbled
White butterflies are flying at the moment
with at least 200 individuals being seen today. Small
Skippers and Small Heaths are also
present in good numbers.
|
| July
3rd |
|
A May Highflyer and
a Dingy Footman were trapped overnight.
|
| July
2nd |
|
Two Small Emeralds
were trapped overnight.
|
| July
1st |
|
The first Sussex
Emeralds of the summer were trapped overnight.
|
| June
30th |
|
A True-lover's Knot
was caught overnight.
|
| June
23rd |
|
The first Essex
Skipper and Marbled White of
the year were seen.
|
| June
22nd |
|
A Hummingbird
Hawk-moth was seen.
|
| June
12th |
|
The moth traps
produced a new species for the Observatory in the
form of an Ochreous Pug.
|
| June
11th |
|
A Shoulder-striped
Wainscot was amongst the few moths trapped
overnight.
|
| June
10th |
|
The first Large
Skipper of the year was seen.
|
| June
9th |
|
A Green
Silver-lines was trapped overnight - only the
second Observatory record.
|
| June
7th |
|
The first Black-tailed
Skimmers of the year were seen.
|
| June
6th |
|
A Figure-of-80
moth and a July Belle were caught overnight
in the moth trap.
|
| June
4th |
|
The first Brown
Argus of the year was seen in the trapping
area.
|
| June
1st |
|
An Orange Footman
moth was trapped overnight - only the third
Observatory record.
|
| May
30th |
|
Overnight moth
trapping produced singles of Yellow-barred
Brindle, Iron Prominent and Rustic
Shoulder-knot of interest.
|
| May
23rd |
|
One Grizzled
Skipper was seen.
|
| May
22nd |
|
Another cool morning
with cloud cover resulted in a second wave of
emergence of Four-spotted Chasers with at
least 700 individuals gathered in the reedbed at
the Long Pits.
|
| May
21st |
|
An Eyed Ladybird
was found at Southview Cottage.
|
| May
19th |
|
Two Grizzled
Skippers and 110 Four-spotted Chasers were seen.
|
| May
18th |
|
Three Grizzled
Skippers were seen.
|
| May
17th |
|
The large gathering of
Four-spotted Chasers remained in place and
had increased to at least 650 individuals. Of
these, 15 individuals were considered to be of the
form praenubila.
|
| May
16th |
|
A remarkable sight
this morning was the huge numbers of Four-spotted
Chasers Libellula quadrimaculata roosting in the reed bed at the Long
Pits. It appears that large numbers had emerged but
were unable to take to the wing due to the
overcast conditions. At least 600 individuals
could be seen in the space of a few minutes
counting.
A small part of the
roost of Four-spotted Chasers
|
| May
14th |
|
Large numbers of Four-spotted
Chasers were seen at the Long Pits again.
|
| May
12th |
|
Large numbers of
dragonflies are now emerging at the Long Pits with
at least 15 Hairy Hawkers and similar
numbers of Four-spotted Chasers being seen
along with good numbers of Red-eyed Damselflies.
Three Grizzled
Skippers and the first Common Blue
butterfly of the year were also seen.
|
| May
7th |
|
Seven Grizzled
Skippers were seen in the area.
|
| May
6th |
|
Four Grizzled
Skippers were seen in the trapping area.
|
| May
5th |
|
The first Hairy
Dragonflies of the year and two Grizzled
Skippers were seen.
|
| May
4th |
|
The first Grizzled
Skipper of the year was seen and a Brimstone
butterfly was also seen. Overnight moth trapping
produced a White-spotted Pug and a Chocolate-tip.
The first Common Blue Damselfly was
also seen at the Long Pits.
|
| May
3rd |
|
The first Blue-tailed
and Red-eyed Damselflies were seen.
|
| May
2nd |
|
A Painted Lady
butterfly and the first Four-spotted Chaser
dragonflies were seen.
|
| Apr.26th |
|
Another Brimstone
butterfly was seen and the first Small White
of the year was also seen.
|
| Apr.25th |
|
The first Small
Copper of the year was seen.
|
| Apr.23rd |
|
An overnight catch of
only seven moths was remarkable for the capture of
a Water Carpet which is a new species for
Dungeness.
Water
Carpet
A Brimstone
butterfly was also seen during the day.
|
| Apr.22nd |
|
The first Speckled
Wood of the year was seen.
|
| Mar.25th |
|
A spider found in the
Observatory kitchen on Mar.6th has been confirmed
as being a False Widow Spider Steatoda
grossa. This species has been spreading along
the south coast in recent years but was only added
to the Kent list in 2007 with the discovery of a
small colony at Greatstone. There are now several
records from Kent but this is believed to be the
first record for Dungeness.
Steatoda
grossa
|
| Feb.24th |
|
A
Hummingbird Hawk-moth was seen. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|