WINE RACE 2016 .. MATTc380 .. TRENT 353 .. BEN 347 ...... Garden species:- Macros 357, Micros 365, Total 722

Friday 10 April 2015

9th April 2015 ... Ochreous Pug is out of shape

5 deg C minimum, calm and hazy.
Another Ochreous Pug was found amongst the Double-striped Pugs and a Pale Mottled Willow was added to the year list, exactly a month later than 2014.

Last nights catch:-
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 1
1844 Ochreous Pug, 1
1862 Double-striped Pug, 12
2063 Muslin Moth, 1
2182 Small Quaker, 1
2187 Common Quaker, 2
2188 Clouded Drab, 7
2190 Hebrew Character, 3
2243 Early Grey, 4
2389 Pale Mottled Willow, 1, year first

2389 Pale Mottled Willow
Ochreous Pug
Rests with wings drooping or below the horizontal.
That's what all the literature tells you and I found this a bit misleading.
In actual fact, Ochreous Pug when it first alights will sit with wings above the horizontal or level and remain in that position for quite some time.
When it is completely settled it usually droops its wings.

The top pose is unnatural, it was wind assisted by blowing from behind its forewings, although it made no attempt to change its position. The rest are natural positions after short flights around the inside of my garden shed windows.

Settled with wings above the horizontal

This time with wings horizontal

The text book positions

2 comments:

  1. Nice one Lionel. This is still missing from my garden list despite having a small plantation of Conifers at the end of our bridleway.
    Barred red is annual as is Pine Beauty (just had my first for the year come to the trap!)
    Nice set of postures.
    Cheers
    Ben

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  2. I've only ever recorded Barred Red twice, in July/Aug 2011.
    Pine Beauty has 3 records, 1st May 2010, 17th Mar 2011 and 1st May 2012. Since then it seems to have dried up in the immediate vicinity. Matt gets them annually and he is less than 3 miles away as the moth flies as is RSPB Sandy, which has an abundance of Scots Pine.

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