Unseasonal butterfly

Walking through central Swansea this morning I was more than a little surprised to see a Small White roosting on a shop window. Perhaps it alighted there during the mild, sunny weather we experienced yesterday afternoon. Whatever, it was a pleasure to see a butterfly on the shortest day of the year!

Creigiau - Friday night

A bit cooler on Friday night with the temperature dropping to 4.6C. Nevertheless, my first Mottled Umber of the year settled on the window and 2 December Moths (1 in the trap and another on the wall) also paid a visit.

Llangynwyd last night.

       Just 3 Mottled umber to the actinic. 2 Winter moth and a Chestnut were found resting on
       branches by torchlight but were not flying despite a mild night.

Shrike Victim? "The Perils of Night Flying" Second Thoughts.

Athough, when I found the impaled Brick, I wondered whether a Shrike had been responsible, I dismissed the idea, because to my eyes, the site didn't seem suitable; leaving accidental death the other option. Following comments made by George, Dave and Howard about the ppssibility of it being the victim of a Shrike, I examined the specimen (Luckily, I collected it) and apart from the gaping hole made by the gorse spine, which is near the rear end of the abdomen, there is a large area of abdomen which has been crushed, close to the thorax.
Although it doesn't show up particularly well in the photo taken through my microscope, the crushed area is of a shape that could have been made by a bird's bill and on the thorax there is a discrete area where the hairs have been removed.
Based on the appearance of this damage, I think it entirely possible that a bird; probably a Shrike, was responsible for the impalement of the moth.

I wonder if it is still there???

 

The Perils of Night Flying!

Out and about locally, yesterday, I came across this melancholy sight. It appears to be a Brick, which has well and truly impaled itself on a gorse thorn and was long dead by the time I found it.

Ouch!  The sad demise of and unfortunate Brick.

Elsewhere, my winter GMS catch on Friday night were singletons of Winter Moth and Mottled Umber.

Creigiau - Winter GMS last night

A wet night but quite warm and more moths. Six species last night - Dark Sword-grass and Winter Moth were new for the year, and these were joined by December Moth (3 - including a female that almost immediately produced some eggs in the pot), Epiphyas postvittana, November Moth agg (2) & Red-green Carpet (2).

Creigiau - last night - December Moth Rules!

Had an empty box for Winter GMS last Friday night, but last night, with temperatures barely dropping below 10C,  resulted in 23 December Moths in/around the trap. The only other thing in the trap was a Limnephilus lunatus caddisfly.