Alan Lewis and I had planned this weekend some time ago to visit two sites in the South West. Our first port of call was Cornwall to target migrant moths. The main prize was Slender Burnished Brass, a rare immigrant that has been recorded fewer than 100 times in Britain, most of them in southern coastal districts.
It is most likely to appear between August and October and is usually taken at light. A scarce visitor from North Africa and the Mediterranean region, it turns up in southern England only in small numbers. The standout year was 1969, when at least ten were reported; although the records were spread over eight weeks, the mid-October concentration formed part of a larger immigration that brought in several other scarce species.
With that target in mind, we set out to spend the night moth-trapping in Cornwall. Alan had identified some promising spots for pheromone lures, so I made straight for Porthgwarra. We met before sunset and quickly got the traps running.
Porthgwarra
The light traps produced a fine selection: a Convolvulus Hawkmoth, a Porter’s Rustic (new for me), at least four Grass Eggars and eleven Striped Hawkmoths, together with a scatter of other migrants.
Grass Eggar
Striped Hawkmoth
During the night, we heard a Verge Cricket calling. This species had only recently been added to the British list, the first being found in Sussex on 13th July. An influx into southern England this summer has already produced further records at Dungeness in Kent and at Portland Bird Observatory in Dorset. Alan managed to trap one; then, remarkably, another appeared in my own moth trap.
The Verge Cricket (Eumodicogryllus bordigalensis) is widely distributed across the Palaearctic and is expanding its range northwards, with climate change thought to be a contributing factor. It has also recolonised Poland after long absences (single records in 1952 and 2002). Our two individuals become the sixth and seventh for the United Kingdom. What an incredible and completely unexpected result from the night! The first cricket (the one Alan found) was wingless and was calling from beneath a rosette of plantain at the base of a kerbstone beside a small cottage above the cove; it was eventually trapped.
The second, a winged individual, came to my MV light.
It certainly wasn’t what we had set out to find, but it made an already exciting night even more memorable. In the morning we collected the pheromone lures we had left out overnight, but they produced nothing.
After breakfast we repositioned ourselves about two hours further north at Hartland Point in North Devon.
Hartland Point
Looking out from Hartland Head with Lundy Island in the distance
A strong northerly breeze made conditions less than ideal for moth trapping, yet overnight five of the very local Scarce Blacknecks still appeared, three to MV and two to LED. It was another species that both Alan and I needed, so we were delighted.
Another target, Black-banded, for which Hartland Point is a premier site, was unfortunately a few weeks too early; they were not yet on the wing. We’ll be back!
As the sun rose, a fresh Devonshire Wainscot was a welcome bonus, along with five Convolvulus Hawkmoths and two Striped Hawkmoths.
Devonshire Wainscot
As we were packing the cars, Alan took a call from Martin Cade at Portland Bird Observatory: a Pale Shoulder had been trapped and was being held for us. We headed straight to Portland.
Portland Bird Observatory
When we arrived, I was thrilled to find that Martin had just emptied the traps and there was another superb surprise waiting. He had also trapped a Bedstraw Hawkmoth and a Passenger. Wow!
Pale Shoulder (Acontia lucida) is a rare migrant to the south coast. There were several nineteenth-century records, followed by a long gap until two appeared on the same night in August 1994, one in Kent and one in Dorset. Since then there have been only a handful of further records, mostly in July and August. On the Continent it occurs in southern Europe, flying between May and August in two broods. It prefers sunny days, although recent British specimens have all been taken at light at night. The larvae feed on mallows (Malva and Althaea spp.) and field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).
Bedstraw Hawkmoth (Hyles gallii) is a large, striking hawkmoth found across Europe and much of Asia. In Britain, it is a scarce, local species, with larvae feeding mainly on bedstraws. It is also occasionally recorded as a migrant.
Passenger
Passenger Moth is a scarce migrant to Britain, mainly arriving from southern Europe and North Africa. It is attracted to light and is most often recorded in southern England.
It was a brilliant way to finish what had already been an outstanding few days. Although our main target, Slender Burnished Brass, had eluded us, we had still enjoyed a fantastic selection of migrant moths, several new species for our life lists, five Scarce Blacknecks, some superb Hawkmoths and, most unexpectedly of all, two highly significant Verge Cricket records. A great few days trapping with Alan, plenty of moths, plenty of surprises, and a few new ticks on the list. Roll on the next trip!
