Kentish Glory is one of our most spectacular and threatened moths. Despite its name, it is restricted to four populations in Scotland, centred around the Cairngorms.
Jenna and I planned a trip to Perthshire for an event organised by the Butterfly Conservation to observe the Kentish Glory. We woke up around 4:00 AM and began our journey north, reaching Killiecrankie by about 9:30 AM. Killiecrankie is a great spot for spotting Wood Warblers. Since we had half an hour to spare, we parked the car at the visitor centre and got out. Almost immediately, we could hear the distinctive rapid 'zip' note of a male Wood Warbler, which accelerated into a beautiful trill. I eventually located the singing male, and it displayed really well.
Always nice to see the Wood warbler returning for the summer
Moving on from here, we met up with the Butterfly conservation group and spent time listening to the group leader about the conservation effort:
Formerly found across the UK, the Kentish Glory is now restricted to the Cairngorms National Park and the surrounding area. This large and beautiful species is on the Scottish Biodiversity List and of principal importance to biodiversity conservation in Scotland.
The Kentish Glory is an impressive moth, with bright colours and bold markings. The female is 25% bigger than the male, while the male is equipped with feathery antennae, which help him to find females by following the pheromones they release. Adults emerge in mid-April and are on the wing until mid-May. The female lays 10-20 eggs on the tips of regenerating silver birch trees below 3m in height. These eggs, which are yellow to begin with before turning a purple-brown colour, hatch in May.
Kentish Glory, egg batches
Caterpillars begin life by feeding gregariously on the birch leaves, leaving behind distinctive feeding signs, before becoming more solitary. In late summer, the large green caterpillar pupates underground, where it can remain for 1-3 years.
Survey work
Due to their fast flight and short flight season, surveying for the species has always been difficult, but thanks to a partnership between Butterfly Conservation Scotland and Canterbury University, an artificially created pheromone that mimics a female Kentish glory was produced to attract male moths to chosen areas.
This technique has proved to be very successful, with the moth being found in 90 new 1km squares over the last two years. Several of these new areas were found on Rothiemurchus, which was a fantastic find! Strathspey is a stronghold for the moth, and the knowledge of the species has improved greatly. It is hoped that further use of this technique will enable us to better understand the distribution of the moth across Scotland and its habitat requirements. Crucially, then work with landowners to provide the young birch habitat required by Kentish Glory caterpillars to ensure that populations of the moth do not become isolated.
After the talk, we moved outside and opened the traps from the previous evening. I managed to get 22 more species for my Moth list, including the rare Ringed Carpet.
Occurring as two distinct races, the nominate race has its headquarters in the New Forest, Hampshire, but also occurs locally in other southern counties and in Ireland. The subspecies bowesi is generally whiter and greyer, and occurs in scattered locations throughout Scotland.
Afterwards, we left for the site and set up the pheromone lures to attract male Kentish Glory.
It wasn't long before a male was attracted to the pheromone lures.
What a beauty!
We waited for a while to see if any additional Kentish Glory moths would be attracted to the lure, but time was running out. On the way home, I wanted to see two target birds for my Scottish list. We left the group feeling happy that we had encountered one of these rare moth species, and a big thank you to the Butterfly Conservation Group for an amazing morning and one we'll never forget.
On our way home, we stopped at Broomhill Castle grounds near Stirling, where I recorded my first target bird: the Green Woodpecker. Three birds were observed, and one was constantly calling.
Always elusive, this was the only distant photograph I could get
After leaving our previous location, we made our way to the England-Scotland border in search of our next target bird: the Marsh Tit. We visited two sites but had no luck. As dusk approached, I heard a male Marsh Tit calling. To my surprise, the bird flew in and landed in the nearby trees and bushes, continuing to call. I couldn't believe my luck—Marsh Tits are in decline in Scotland and are considered a rare species in the country.
Marsh Tit, on the list!
The male bird displayed beautifully, singing away. This marked the end of a wonderful day, as the sound of a distant Cuckoo signalled our journey southward home.
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