23rd April 2015 ... The shape of things to come ...

... Shuttle-shaped Dart that is.
I am usually inundated with them in late April and I'll bet they will run into double figures tonight as the wind finally stops chilling us from the N/E and changes to a South-westerly, to give us a warm night at last.
Below:
Shuttle-shaped Darts in the trap this morning waiting to be released from the butter carton.
I'll probably need a bigger carton tomorrow morning.

2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart

I almost missed this one due to its tiny size and its colour, making it difficult to see in the egg boxes.
When I first started mothing in 2009, I sent one of these to the micro moth recorder for identification, not realising it was indeed a macro moth.
Another year tick ...

2078 Least Black Arches

23rd April
0697 Agonopterix arenella, 1
0998 Epiphyas postvittana, 1
1428 Aphomia sociella, 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 2
1728 Garden Carpet, 1
2078 Least Black Arches, 1, year first
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart, 5
2187 Common Quaker, 1
2243 Early Grey, 2

Song Thrush at its morning perch on the top my neighbours large conifer enjoying the early morning rays ...

8th April 2015 ... Garden Moths Latest

5.6 deg C minimum
chilly light breeze, cloud cover.
Coniferous woodland moth species are few and far between in towns but I record a few annually, probably due to the large Scots Pine growing in the garden a couple of doors down.
This really is the "Lonesome Pine", standing tall in the middle of two rows of houses.

Bordered White and Pine Beauty are two examples of pine feeding moths that come to the traps on occasions, Ochreous Pug is another, . . .

1844, Ochreous Pug

  ... not in its normal resting pose, having just been tapped down to the lid of the pot for a photo.
The rest of the nights mothing was unspectacular ...
0483 Epermenia chaerophyllella, 1
0892 Mompha subbistrigella, 1 (bathroom window)
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 3
1728 Garden Carpet, 1
1844 Ochreous Pug, 1, year first
1862 Double-striped Pug, 11
1917 Early Thorn
2187 Common Quaker, 5
2190 Hebrew Character, 2
2243 Early Grey, 4

Song Thrushes are still hanging on around town with about half a dozen pairs in the vicinity.
This one was in the conifer next door.
As far as bird song goes these guys really are tops ...

Song Thrush