Who threw that?

When one of these bad boys hits you on the head it hurts! Cockchafer Beetles have the weight and density of a small conker, only they fly faster. When I lit up rural Northumberland with my moth trap on Monday night they came hurtling from all directions.

The longworth trap caught a Wood Mouse and one of these:

Bank Vole

Noctule bats joined me on the moth hunt

Here's some of the moths caught:

May Highflyer

323 Phyllonorycter oxycanthae
A tiny moth about 4mm long

Scorched Wing

Clouded Silver

Spectacle

Small Phoenix

Silver Ground Carpet

Water Carpet

Flame Carpet

Common Lutestring

Engrailed

0141 Nematopogan schwarziellus

Dwarf Pug

Brindled Pug (I think)

Holywell Moth & Bat Night

Last night was national moth night and an event was held at Holywell Pond NR by Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The county moth recorder Tom Tams attended with a couple of traps, managing to catch a selection of species despite a distinct lack of moths on another less than balmy evening. The evening's haul included Hebrew Character, Water Carpet, Lesser Black Arches, Brindled Pug, Agonopterix arenella, Common Carpet and Clouded Drab.

'Mothmeister' Tom Tams brightens up the evening

The NWT brought along bat detectors and two species were found; Noctule and Common Pipistrelle. Here's a couple of recordings I took.

Noctule


Common Pipistrelle


The garden moth trap had two moths; a White-shouldered House Moth, and a new species for me, a Scalloped Hazel.

1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata)