20th October 2011

With temperatures at home down to -0.5C I was surprised to find anything in the moth trap but there were 2 Chestnuts, 2 Yellow-line Quakers and a Blair's Shoulder-knot. The latter is a relatively recent arrival in the UK arriving on the Isle of Wight in 1950s. It was first found in Staffordshire in 1980 in Eccleshall and Stone and is now widespread in the county. It has taken to feeding on garden varieties of  Cupressus and is now quite common in suburban areas where these trees abound. Several small flocks of Wood Pigeons flew over in a southerly direction. We get quite large movements of this species at this time of year; sometimes numbering several thousand/hour so it's worth looking out for them early in the morning.
Blair's Shoulder-knot
Yellow-line Quaker

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