Wednesday 29 February 2012

Waunwyllt Wood

Last night, Mike Hogan and I decided to try our luck with sugar and wine ropes at Waunwyllt Wood, Gethin, Merthyr Tydfil. Sugar was applied to twenty fence posts and the wine ropes hung on branches at the upper edge of this oak hanger wood. The minimum temperature recorded was 6.20C and the weather was mainly overcast, with hill fog and an occasional clear spell. Although the sugar did attract a few moths, it was the wine ropes that were the real success. We recorded three species, they being: Twin-spotted Quaker = 3; The Satellite = 5; and The Chestnut = 12. The main period of activity seemed to be from around 18:25 to 20:30; most of the imbibers leaving fairly quickly after that. It was quite a pleasurable way of spending an evening mothing and without the drone of generators, we were able to appreciate the calls of Tawny Owls and that of a Curlew flying invisibly, high overhead.
I also ran my garden actinic, but got only two Chestnuts for my trouble.

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