HORNET CLEARWINGS AND BRECKLAND SPECIALITIES

After a good night's sleep on Saturday and a day of doing very little, I got a call to say I wasn't needed in Oxford until 5pm on Monday for an evening breeding bird survey. With the forecast looking good, it seemed the perfect opportunity to squeeze in an overnight trip to Norfolk.

I was up at 7am on Sunday, with my first stop being Pitsford Reservoir in Northamptonshire.

My target here was the spectacular Hornet Clearwing, and it's one of the better sites to look for this impressive moth. I arrived around 10:30am, found the Black Poplar trees, and put up the pheromone lure. It wasn't long before my first Hornet Clearwing came flying in, quickly followed by a second. Thankfully, both ended up in the trap, allowing some great views before being released.

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At first glance, the Hornet Clearwing looks much more like a hornet than a moth. Its transparent wings, bold yellow-and-black markings, and loud buzzing flight make the disguise incredibly convincing. In reality, it's a completely harmless day-flying moth that relies on this remarkable mimicry to avoid predators.

The larvae spend several years developing holes beneath the bark of mature poplar trees before emerging as adults for a very short flying season in late spring and early summer.

Although they're fairly widespread, they're surprisingly difficult to find without using pheromone lures, making them a real treat to see. It's one of those species that reminds you just how fascinating our insects can be.

With my target safely seen, I carried on to Cranwich Heath in Norfolk, arriving early in the afternoon. I was hoping to catch up with a few of the Breckland speciality day-flying moths that I still needed. The weather couldn't have been better, warm and sunny with hardly any wind. After a couple of enjoyable hours wandering the heath, I managed to net four new species: Tawny Wave, Oblique-striped, Marbled Clover, and Powdered Grass-veneer.

Tawny Wave

Oblique-striped

Marbled Clover

Powdered Grass-veneer

As the afternoon turned into evening, I spent some time searching for the Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth. There was plenty of its food plant, Viper's Bugloss, growing across the site, but despite checking several good-looking patches, I couldn't find one.

Forest border of Viper's Bugloss

That's mothing for you; sometimes everything looks perfect, but the species you want simply refuses to show itself.

After a bite to eat, I returned to the heath and set the moth traps ready for the night. Unfortunately, the temperature dropped quite quickly after dark, and the cold conditions kept moth numbers well down. Even so, there were still a few species to sort through the following morning.

Bird's Wing

Overall, it had been a fantastic 24 hours. Seeing the Hornet Clearwing at close quarters was undoubtedly the highlight, and adding four Breckland specialities made the trip even more worthwhile. With the traps packed away, it was time to head off to Oxford for a week's work, already thinking about the next opportunity to get back out into the field.

 

TARGETING THE SCARCE HOOK-TIP: A SUCCESSFUL NIGHT IN SOUTH WALES

It's been a bit quiet on the birding front over the last few weeks, so I’ve been focusing on targeting rare and scarce moths across the UK. With plenty of sites lined up over the next few months before autumn migration thankfully kicks back in, there’s no shortage of night work ahead.

My good friend Alan Lewis has been feeding me some excellent moth sites, and this evening I headed to the Wye Valley near Chepstow.

The sun was starting to set as we went over the Severn road crossing between England and Wales

The target species was the Scarce Hook-tip (Sabra harpagula), a nationally rare moth in the UK, typically associated with mature deciduous woodland.

Jenna’s son Harley decided he wanted to join me on this little adventure, so we left sunny Cheshire at 5pm and headed south-west. We arrived on site and set up three LED light traps, not realising just how busy the night was going to be.

From the off, it was constant action. By midnight, my right-hand man had curled up in the van, fast asleep, leaving me to work through the night solo.

It was an excellent night for moths throughout, and at around 1:45am, two Scarce Hook-tips finally appeared on the white sheet, with one settling directly on the trap. I managed to get both, absolutely stunning moths and a real target species.

Scarce Hooktip

By sunrise, I had added six new macro moths to my life list, along with a superb micro moth, the Gold Base Tubic.

Gold Base Tubic

Photos of the new species are shown below:

August Thorn

Satin Beauty

Ruddy Carpet

Blomer's Rivulet

Buttoned Snout

A great night’s work overall. My assistant was back awake by morning, looking through the haul with me. We arrived back in Cheshire just after 9am, tired, a bit wired, but very satisfied with a successful trip.

EVENING AT LEASOWE BAY-NORTH WIRRAL COAST

With temperatures in the mid-twenties this evening, Jenna, her son Harley, and I headed to Leasowe Bay on the North Wirral coast to have some tea and watch the sunset.

Of course, I brought the moth trap and set it up for a few hours. I was rewarded with two coastal moths: the Shore Wainscot and the Lyme Grass moth.

Lyme Grass

Shore Wainscot

Two more additions to the Life list.

NANT-Y-GAMAR – SEARCHING FOR CISTUS FORESTER

Jenna and I spent the evening at Nant-y-Gamar in North Wales walking around the limestone hillside in search of the Cistus Forester moth. I have always wanted to visit the area, so tonight we planned to try to see them before heading to Morfa Conwy for a three-hour moth-trapping session in the hope of catching some coastal species.

        

   

Nant-y-Gamar

This small, localised population of a macro moth has been confirmed through examination of the genitalia.

We spent a good hour searching for the Cistus Forester moth. There was plenty of its food plants, Bird’s-foot Trefoil and Common Rock-rose, but at first we had no luck. As we climbed higher, we eventually found four amongst the Common Rock-rose.

Cistus Forester

Delighted to have found them, we then moved on to the beach at Morfa Conwy, where we trapped until 1am. 

Morfa Conwy

Our main targets were Archer’s Dart and Sand Dart, and we managed to trap both.

Archer’s Dart

Sand Dart

A great evening out, with all target species now on the list.

SUCCESS WITH SALLOW CLEARWING AT ANTON LAKES, HAMPSHIRE

After an unsuccessful visit last week, I returned to Anton Lakes in Hampshire this afternoon, just half an hour from where I'm currently working, with one target species in mind: the elusive Sallow Clearwing.

The weather could hardly have been better, with scorching sunshine throughout the afternoon, ideal conditions for a day flying clearwing. Armed with a pheromone lure and renewed optimism, I settled in to see what might appear.

For a while, it looked as though history might repeat itself, and I would leave empty-handed once again. Then, suddenly, a Sallow Clearwing made a brief visit to the lure before disappearing as quickly as it had arrived. Fortunately, persistence paid off and, a short while later, I managed to successfully trap one for a closer look.

Sallow Clearwing

The Sallow Clearwing is one of Britain's most fascinating and unusual clearwing moths. A highly localised species, it is found predominantly in Southern England, East Anglia and parts of the Midlands, favouring damp habitats, woodland edges and areas where sallows thrive.

What makes this species particularly remarkable is its two-year life cycle. Adults emerge and fly almost exclusively in even-numbered years, with records from odd years being exceptionally scarce. This unusual behaviour makes every encounter feel all the more special.

First discovered in Britain in 1926 near Southampton, it is often overlooked because of its secretive nature.

The larvae develop inside the stems of sallows (Salix species), producing distinctive galls as they feed. Adults are on the wing during June and July and, like many clearwing moths, are most readily detected using synthetic pheromone lures. The increased use of these lures in recent years has revealed that the species is far more widespread than previously thought.

After last week's disappointment, today's success was particularly rewarding. It's always satisfying when perseverance pays off, especially with one of Britain's more elusive species.

Another clearwing has been safely added to the list, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon in Hampshire before the thunderstorms arrived.

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CHASING RARITIES IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Jenna and I had this trip to Northern Ireland booked for over a year, and it was finally time to go. My main targets were the Cryptic Wood White butterfly and the Irish damselfly, two key species needed to complete my British Isles butterfly, dragonfly, and damselfly list. In preparation, I had been in touch with Ian Rippey, the Northern Ireland County Butterfly Recorder, who kindly kept me updated with recent sightings.

We left Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Friday afternoon and soon landed at George Best Belfast City Airport. After picking up the hire car, we headed straight out for our first target of the trip.

That evening, we arrived at Craigavon Lakes in good weather and made our way along the railway embankment.

Almost immediately, I had my first sighting of a Cryptic Wood White. It felt remarkably easy after so much planning. We soon found another individual that perched well, allowing us to get some excellent photographs.

The Cryptic Wood White is a small, pale white butterfly that closely resembles the Wood White and is notoriously difficult to distinguish from related species. In the UK, it is restricted to Northern Ireland, although it is more widespread across parts of Europe. It inhabits open landscapes such as rough grassland, scrub, hedgerows, and dunes, and tends to avoid dense woodland. The larvae feed on legumes such as vetches and bird ’s-foot trefoil.

While exploring the site, we also recorded Meadow Brown and Common Blue butterflies, and Bee Orchids were flowering in the grassland, adding to an excellent first evening in the field.

Common Blue

Meadow Brown

Bee Orchid

With one target already achieved, we returned to Belfast to check into our hotel.

The following morning, we were up early and headed to Montiaghs Moss Nature Reserve for the Irish damselfly.

Ian Rippey met us on site, which was greatly appreciated, and spent the morning with us. The reserve is owned by the RSPB and consists of a restored bog habitat with open pools, reedbeds, and wet grassland near Lough Neagh in County Antrim.

In warm sunshine, dragonflies and damselflies were already active. We quickly recorded Variable, Azure, Common Blue, and Large Red Damselflies, along with good numbers of Hairy Dragonflies and Four-spotted Chasers.

Azure Damselfly

Variable Damselfly

Large Red Damselfly

Our main target, the Irish damselfly (Coenagrion lunulatum), was soon located around the larger bog pools towards the rear of the reserve. They were present in good numbers, skimming low over the water.

Males are small blue-and-black damselflies, identifiable by distinctive crescent-shaped markings on the second abdominal segment. The species is rare and highly localised in the UK and Ireland, with a stronghold in western Ireland and a reliance on intact bog habitats.

It was a very satisfying moment to see both of my main targets so early in the trip, completing a goal I had been working towards for two years.

After saying our goodbyes and thanking Ian for his time, we headed south towards Dublin with one more ambition in mind: the Least Tern at Portrane Point. 

Me and Ian 

Portrane Point

This extremely rare North American vagrant had been associating with a Little Tern colony and had attracted considerable attention. Unfortunately, after a six-hour wait in a cold westerly wind, there was no sign of the bird. While it would have been a fantastic bonus, I wasn’t too disheartened, as even birders I know have dipped it, and our main objectives had already been successful.

We returned north to Belfast that evening and celebrated with a curry and a few pints of Guinness, Jenna’s first experience of it, and possibly her last.

Our final morning was spent at the Giant’s Causeway, a site high on Jenna’s list. 

The Giant’s Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic coastal landscapes, formed from interlocking basalt columns created by ancient volcanic activity. The coastal scenery, sea cliffs, and rock formations made for a fitting final visit to the trip.

After a relaxed walk around the site, it was clear Jenna had really enjoyed the visit.

We then began the drive back to the airport for our afternoon flight.

It was a short but unforgettable weekend in Northern Ireland, with two key targets successfully seen and some brilliant wildlife and scenery along the way.