I left work this afternoon and headed down to the South Downs in East Sussex, with one moth in particular in mind: the Channel Island Pug. I had visited the Tamarisk Peacock moth site a few evenings earlier without any luck, but with the weather forecast looking reasonably promising, I decided it was worth another attempt.
Before heading to Eastbourne, I called in at a private site near Seaford, where I hoped to find the Lace Border moth.
South Downs
It turned out to be a very worthwhile stop, as I soon found a small colony of these attractive little moths. After a bit of searching, they eventually started to show really well, giving me some excellent views. This was a species I had been hoping to add to my list, so finding several individuals was a great start to the evening.
Lace Border
The Lace Border (Scopula ornate) is a particularly attractive and delicate moth, with finely patterned wings that give it an almost fragile appearance. Once more widespread in Britain, its range has declined considerably, and it is now found only locally, mainly in the south-east of England. It is associated with warm, open habitats such as grassland, heathland and woodland edges. Adults have two flight periods, appearing first during May and June, with a second generation flying from late July through to September. The larvae feed mainly on thyme (Thymus) and marjoram (Origanum), with those of the second generation overwintering before completing their development the following year.
With the Lace Border safely in the bag, I continued towards Eastbourne, hoping the evening would improve enough for a trapping session at Tamerisk Peacock. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. By the time I arrived, conditions had deteriorated dramatically, with strong winds gusting to around 30 mph and torrential rain. There was absolutely no chance of finding a Channel Island Pug in conditions like these. The forecast had been seriously wrong, and, to put it mildly, I was absolutely fuming! With little else I could do, I decided to call it a night, grab some food and rethink the plan.
The following morning, the wind was still blowing a hoolie, so I decided that rather than hanging around East Sussex hoping the weather would improve, I headed west towards Portland in Dorset, with the intention of doing some birding during the day and setting the moth traps overnight.
On arriving in Weymouth, I stopped at Chesil Beach, where the conditions were still pretty wild. Despite the wind, I managed to see two juvenile Grey Phalaropes, which showed exceptionally well.
There was also a Guillemot and a Manx Shearwater close inshore, both presumably pushed towards the coast by the strong winds. It was a good reminder that even miserable weather can produce some interesting wildlife encounters. The wind clearly wasn't going anywhere quickly, so I spent the afternoon at Portland Bird Observatory with the other birders.
Portland Observatory garden
It was so windy that you could hardly stand up at times, and there was certainly little point in trying to trap moths in those conditions.As evening approached, however, things finally began to improve. The wind started to ease, and I decided to head down to Freshwater Bay, where I set up the traps along the cliff-foot paths.
The traps produced a good selection of moths throughout the night, and, despite the difficult conditions earlier in the trip, I was rewarded with a new species for my list: Feathered Brindle.
Feathered Brindle
After packing up at dawn and driving back to the bird observatory for a well-deserved brew, Martin Cabe, the warden, opened his overnight moth traps, where I added another new moth, Clancy's Rustic.
Clancy's Rustic
It was a satisfying way to finish what had been a rather unpredictable few days. From chasing a Channel Island Pug in East Sussex, finding a small colony of Lace Borders near Seaford, battling 30 mph winds and torrential rain, and then heading west to Portland, the trip certainly didn't go quite according to plan! But that's the appeal of natural history. The weather, the wildlife and even the plans rarely cooperate exactly as expected, and sometimes the unexpected encounters end up being the most memorable.
A great few days on the south coast, with some excellent birding, a good selection of moths and, most importantly, a couple more lifers added to the list.
