Insect Archive 2003
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- these records will be entered into the SEG and BRC databases
Wednesday 12th November 2003
Terry Rogers had a Gem, a rare migrant from the south, and 2
Mottled Umbers. a very local resident, at Eswick.
John Laurenson caught 2 Satellites at Toft.
Friday 17th October 2003
There are 2 Hummingbird Hawkmoths on Out Skerries.
Thursday 2nd October 2003
A Red Admiral is at Scousburgh.
Sunday 28th September 2003
There were 3 Painted Ladies at Norwick and one at Skaw, Unst, as
well one at Brettabister, North Nesting.
Saturday 20th September 2003
A Hummingbird Hawkmoth is on Out Skerries.
Thursday 18th September 2003
A Pearly Underwing, a Dark Sword Grass and 4 Angle
Shades were on sugar at Baltasound.
Tuesday 16th September 2003
A Convolvulus Hawkmoth is on Whalsay.
A White Speck came to sugar at Quendale Schoolhouse.
Saturday 13th September 2003
The Bedstraw Hawkmoth caterpillar, which was actually found by eight
year old Ian Sandison, is still munching away at Fuchsia leaves and getting
larger by the minute.
A Hummingbird Hawkmoth is on Fair Isle along with yet another
Convolvulus Hawkmoth.
Thursday 11th September 2003
There were at least 3, probably 4, Convolvulus Hawkmoths at North-a-Voe, Mid Yell
and another in Mid Yell.
Wednesday 10th September 2003
This Double-striped Pug, caught at a lighted window at Fair Isle
Observatory, constitutes the first record of this species for Shetland.
Double-striped Pug - photo Glen Tyler
Kenny and Mimie Hughson, found a Convolvulus Hawkmoth in their
garden at Peerie Leagarth, Fetlar.
A Painted Lady and several Red Admirals were at MidYell.
Tuesday 9th September 2003
On sugar at Virkie there were 10 Dark Sword Grasses, 8 Angle
Shades and 4 Bricks. At Eswick there were 24 Angle Shades,
12 Dark Sword Grasses, 2 Red Sword Grasses and a Brick
on sugar and Shetland's second Grey Pine Carpet at light.
Monday 8th September 2003
Bobby Sandison found this Bedstraw Hawkmoth larva
feeding on Fuchsia at Symbister, Whalsay. On the same day, Steve Fordyce, a
fireman at Sumburgh airport, reported another Bedstraw Hawkmoth
caterpillar which crawled backwards and forwards across the Sumburgh airport
runway, presumably looking for a pupation site.
Bedstraw Hawkmoth larva - photo Bobby Sandison
These are only the second and third breeding records
for Shetland (a full-grown larva was found on Fetlar in 1992) and apparently the
first record of the species feeding on Fuchsia in the wild.
There were 2 Convolvulus Hawkmoths in the trap at
Everland, Fetlar, at least one of which was new.
A Herald was caught at Aith where 7 Red Admirals
were watched emerging from pupae in one garden.
Sunday 7th September 2003
Hordes of butterflies - 48 Red Admirals in Dunrossness and 20 in
north-east Unst along with a Painted Lady, while a Large White
was at Uyeasound.
A Rush Veneer was trapped at Ocraquoy.
Saturday 6th September 2003
There were 2 Convolvulus Hawkmoths and an Angle Shades in a
trap at Everland, Fetlar.
Friday 5th September 2003
A Red Admiral and 6 Large Whites are in Lerwick.
On Foula, Geoff and Donna Atherton trapped a Dark Swordgrass and a
Silver Y.
Thursday 4th September 2003
A Painted Lady and 15 Red Admirals are at Eswick and
another Painted Lady is at Baltasound.
On Foula, Geoff and Donna Atherton trapped a Convolvulus Hawkmoth, a
Dark Swordgrass and a Northern Rustic.
Tuesday 2nd September 2003
On Foula, Geoff and Donna Atherton trapped a Brindled Ochre and a
Flame Shoulder.
Monday 1st September 2003
The Eswick traps contained a Lesser Yellow Underwing and a
Common Wainscot.
Wednesday 27th August 2003
Geoff and Donna Atherton had a Convolvulus Hawkmoths in their
garden at ham on Foula.
Tuesday 26th August 2003
On Foula, Geoff and Donna Atherton trapped 2 Convolvulus Hawkmoths
and a Flame Shoulder.
Monday 25th August 2003
On Foula, Geoff and Donna Atherton trapped 8 Rosy
Rustics and a Dark Marbled Carpet.
Friday 22nd August 2003
Another Convolvulus Hawkmoth has been caught by Rena and Willie
Henderson at Haroldswick on Unst.
Wednesday 20th August 2003
Terry Rogers caught a Barred Chestnut at light at Eswick. It is
the first confirmed record for Shetland.
Monday 18th August 2003
This Convolvulus Hawkmoth was found by Willy and Hazel Laurenson
outside their house at Norwick and another was found at Urafirth.
The Norwick Convolvulus Hawkmoth - photo by
Micky Maher
Sunday 17th August 2003
Another Convolvulus Hawkmoth has been found at Sands of Sound,
Lerwick, and a Pink-barred Sallow was in the Eswick trap.
Saturday 16th August 2003
At Eswick, Terry Rogers caught a
Convolvulus Hawkmoth, a Bedstraw Hawkmoth, a Rush Veneer,
a Setaceous Hebrew Character, an Ear sp. and 2 Crescents.
Friday 15th August 2003
A Hummingbird Hawkmoth has been reported from Muckle
Roe and a dead Convolvulus Hawkmoth was found at Sandveien, Lerwick.
Wednesday 13th August 2003
Robin Ditchburn reports that a Convolvulus Hawkmoth was found
during the day sitting on a fence at the houses at Kirkadale, Walls. Another
was found in the Burrafirth trap overnight.
The Burrafirth Convolvulus Hawkmoth - photo by
Micky Maher
Minnie Mouat has found a Painted Lady caterpillar at Norwick, not
surprising given the good numbers that were around this spring.
Tuesday 12th August 2003
The Burrafirth trap produced Shetland's fourth record of Scarce
Bordered Straw along with a Saltern Ear.
Scarce Bordered Straw - photo by
Micky Maher
Of interest, the first Striped Hawkmoth for Faroe was recorded on 5th
August.
The Faroese Striped Hawk - photo by Jens-Kjeld Jensen
courtesy of Hans Eli Sivertsen
Saturday 9th August 2003
Amazingly, another Honeysuckle Moth was disturbed from a bush at Kergord
in the evening. In addition, a new site for Manchester Treble-bar was
found at the Burn of Tactigill, Tresta.
Friday 8th August 2003
Traps set and examined on the Saturday as part of the SBRC Moths course
produced a new moth for Shetland: about 12 Honeysuckle Moths Ypsolopha
dentella at Lea Gardens, Tresta along with the 5th-8th Dotted Clays
for Shetland (the 3rd and 4th both having been caught in the last few weeks).
The highlight in the traps at Eswick was a Convolvulus Hawkmoth.
Honeysuckle Moth and Dotted Clay - photos
Micky Maher
July Highflier, Manchester Treble-bar, Dark Marbled Carpet, Crescent,
Dotted Clay, Honeysuckle Moth, all caught on the moth course - photos Wendy
Dickson
A Bedstraw Hawkmoth was seen near Uyeasound.
Thursday 7th August 2003
Terry Rogers trapped this Euchromius ocellea at Eswick. It is
the second Shetland record for what is a very rare migrant in Scotland.
Euchromias ocellea -
Micky Maher
Wednesday 5th August 2003
Hugh Harrop
trapped this Rosy Rustic (left) and Square Spot Rustic (right) at Maywick.
On Foula, Geoff and Donna Atherton had 2 Convolvulus Hawkmoths and 2
Ear moth sp.,
Tuesday 4th August 2003
On Foula, Geoff and Donna Atherton had a Painted Lady,
a Manchester Treble-bar, a Convolvulus Hawkmoth feeding on
honeysuckle, a Dark Marbled Carpet, 2 True Lover's Knots, 2 Common
Plume Moths, 3 Northern Rustics, 4 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow
Underwings, 4 Ear moth sp., a Smoky Wainscot and a Crescent.
Saturday 3rd August 2003
Hugh Harrop trapped this The Confused at Maywick.
Thursday 1st August 2003
Paul Harvey trapped this The Crescent at Virkie - photo
Hugh Harrop.
Geoff and Donna Atherton netted a Convolvulus Hawkmoth at honeysuckle
at Ham, Foula.
Wednesday 31st July 2003
Paul Harvey trapped this Blood Vein at Virkie. It is only the 5th
Shetland record following the previous four in 1996 - photos
Hugh Harrop.
Tuesday 30th July 2003
On Foula, Geoff & Donna Atherton reported - Rhigognostis annulatella
x2, Plutella xylostella x2, Dark marbled carpet x1, Tinea pallescentella x1,
Rosy rustic x1, The crescent x1.
Monday 28th July 2003
On Foula, Geoff & Donna Atherton reported - True lovers knot x1.
Friday 25th July 2003
On Foula, Geoff & Donna Atherton reported - Lesser/common rustic x1,
Painted lady x1, Garden tiger x1, The confused x1.
Thursday 24th July 2003
This Gold Spot was at Maywick - photo
Hugh Harrop.
Mike Prior reported 2 Painted Lady butterflies at the reservoir end of
the Skerries runway.
On Foula, Geoff & Donna Atherton reported - Painted lady x1, Haworths
minor x19, Rhigognostis senilella x3, Agriphila tristella, Smoky
wainscot x1, Lesser/common rustic x1, Nicrophilius investigator x1 at
actinic light,
Wednesday 23rd July 2003
On Foula, Geoff & Donna Atherton reported - Painted Lady x2,
Scrobipalpa samadensis, Haworths minor x7.
A Garden Tiger was reported by Arthur Spence at Uyeasound.
Monday 21st July 2003
On Foula, Geoff & Donna Atherton reported - Painted Lady x2
Sunday 20th July 2003
On Foula, Geoff & Donna Atherton reported - Haworths minor x1.
Saturday 19th July 2003
This Garden Tiger was at Virkie - photo
Hugh Harrop.
On Foula, Geoff & Donna Atherton reported - Manchester treble bar x10,
Rush veneer x1, Red admiral x1, Painted lady x1,
Plutella xylostella abundant, Tinea pallescentella x1
Friday 18th July 2003
On Foula, Geoff & Donna Atherton reported - Northern spinach x1,
True lovers knot x3, Bedstraw hawkmoths x2, Smoky wainscot,
Common wainscot, Small Dotted Buff.
Wednesday 16th July 2003
This Bedstraw Hawkmoth was retrapped on Fair Isle during the night; it
was first caught a couple of nights ago.
Bedstraw Hawkmoth on Fair Isle - photo Deryk Shaw
Tuesday 15th July 2003
On Foula, Geoff Atherton reported a Bright line Brown eye.
Sunday 13th July 2003
Hugh Harrop trapped the following at Maywick - 1 Magpie Moth, 1 Northern
Rustic, 3 Small Square Spots, 9 Antler Moths, 7 Dark Arches and 4 Red
Carpets.
Monday 7th July 2003
Helen Moncrieff reported a Magpie Moth at
Sumburgh Head.
Tuesday 2nd July 2003
Dawn and Harry Thomson had a Hummingbird
Hawkmoth in their garden at Burravoe, along with 3
Painted Ladies.
Monday 1st July 2003
Three traps at Eswick produced 87 of 18 species
including a Dark Sword Grass, a
Large Yellow Underwing, a
Northern Rustic and a
Red Carpet.
A Magpie Moth was along
Milldale, Hermaness.
A
Flame Shoulder was caught recently on Bressay.
Sunday 30th June 2003
A Dark Sword Grass was in the Virkie
trap.
A single Scaeva
pyrastri, a migrant hoverfly, was at Veensgarth.
Saturday 28th June 2003
A bright sunny day and butterflies are everywhere. It is one of the
largest influxes on record, with Red Admirals
outnumbering Painted Ladies by about
5:1. Two Large Whites at Baltasound
where only the third record for the year there, in contrast to the numbers
on Mainland. Large numbers of Silver Ys
are also around.
Thursday 26th June 2003
Reports of butterflies continue to flood in - interestingly
Red Admirals are mainly in gardens and
around crofts, with a few scattered elsewhere,
Painted Ladies are mainly on hills or other open area, and
Large Whites are nearly all on Mainland.
A possible Meadow Brown reported at
Toolie, Hermaness is a very unusual record - it will be the second for
Shetland if confirmed.
Wednesday 25th June 2003
Terry Rogers caught a Hedya
sp. in his garden at Eswick. It is a
tortrid micromoth which is camouflaged as a bird-dropping and there are only
2 previous records for Shetland.
Single Magpie Moths were seen by day
on the north side of Tonga, Hermaness and at the Hermaness car park at
Burrafirth. The Cuckoo on Foula was reported to be eating
Magpie Moths - this species does appear
to be colonising Shetland but details of all records are still welcome.
Red Admirals included 15 at Norwick, 12 on Hermaness
and 5 at Baltasound, while there were 3 Painted
Ladies on Hermaness. There were also plenty of both species on
Mainland while Silver Ys are widely
distributed.
Tuesday
24th
June 2003
A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was at Symbister, Whalsay.
Monday
23rd
June 2003
Plenty of Red Admirals around, with 15 at
Eswick, 7 at Fladdabister, 8 on Hermaness 5 at Norwick and 3 at Baltasound.
There were also 3 Painted Ladies on
Hermaness.
Sunday
22nd
June 2003
A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was feeding at Red
Campion in Brian and Linda Marshall's garden at Marrister, Whalsay.
There were 2 Red Admirals at Baltasound.
Saturday
21st
June 2003
A Red Admiral was at Dales Voe, Lerwick.
Monday
16th
June 2003
Singles of Red Admiral and Painted Lady
were at Baltasound. A Red
Admiral, a Painted Lady and many
Large Whites were at Scousburgh.
Sunday
15th
June 2003
There were 3 Painted Ladies at Quendale.
Saturday
14th
June 2003
A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was at Toolie on
Hermaness this morning. At Norwick, there were 3 Red
Admirals and 4 Painted Ladies at
Valyie.
There were 2 Painted
Ladies, 2 Large Whites and 4
Silver Ys in George Petrie's garden at
Ocraquoy and 14 Large Whites and 5
Silver Ys along the
roadside in Fladdabister.
Friday
13th
June 2003
At least 7 Red Admirals and 7
Painted Ladies were at Baltasound.
There are reasonable numbers of Silver Ys
and Diamondback Moths around, both migrant
species.
Thursday
12th
June 2003
There are 2 Red Admirals and 2
Painted Ladies at Baltasound. A
Painted Lady was at Ocraquoy.
The first Ghost and
Clouded-bordered Brindle were in the trap at Virkie along with 3
Lychnis and an
Angle Shades.
Monday
9th
June 2003
There were Painted Ladies on Hermaness,
Foula and at Loch of Spiggie.
Saturday
7th
June 2003
A Painted Lady is on Foula and another
was on St Ninian's Isle. Several Large Whites
were at Baltasound.
Thursday
5th
June 2003
A Painted Lady is at the Sletts, Lerwick,
and another is on Foula.
A Red Admiral
and a number of Large Whites are at
Scousburgh.
The migrant hoverfly Eristalis pertinax
was at Baltasound; it is a migrant on Unst, although it is resident on Mainland.
Wednesday
4th
June 2003
An Angle Shades, a
Glaucous Shears and 2 Dark Brocades
were in the trap at Ocraquoy.
Tuesday
3rd
June 2003
At least 8 Painted Ladies are on Foula. There were 2 Painted Ladies in Commercial
St, Lerwick, with a Red Admiral and a
Large White also in Lerwick. A Red Admiral
is on Fetlar and
several Large Whites at Voe, central
Mainland, and Burravoe, Yell. Several Diamondback Moths
were seen flying by day on Unst.
Sunday 1st
June 2003
A Painted Lady is at Norwick and a
Large White is at Uyeasound.
Saturday
31st
May 2003
The first of the migrant hoverfly
Episyrphus balteatus was at Eswick.
Friday
30th
May 2003
The first Map-winged
Swift of the year was in the Foula trap along with 2
Dark Sword Grass and a
Flame Shoulder.
Thursday
29th
May 2003
In the Eswick traps, migrants included 3
Angle Shades, 2
Silver Ys and a Rush Veneer.
Just 3 moths in the Foula trap, a Flame Shoulder,
a Dark Brocade and a
White-shouldered Housemoth.
The first Lychnis of the year was in the
Baltasound trap.
Wednesday
28th
May 2003
In 3 MV traps at
Eswick there were 55 Shears, 6
Garden Carpets, 4
Diamondback Moths, 3 Rush Veneers,
2 Dark Brocades, an
Angles Shades, a Glaucous Shears,
one Eudonia alpina, a
Satyr Pug and a
Currant Pug.
On Foula. the trap caught an Angle Shades,
4 Flame Shoulders (at its only regular
Shetland site), 2 Shears, a
Dark Brocade and a single
Crambus lathoniellus.
There were 2 Glaucous Shears
in the Baltasound trap.
Glaucous Shears at Baltasound -
Mike
Pennington
There were 3 Large Whites
in Lerwick.
Monday 26th May
2003
The first of the common resident hoverfly
Rhingia campestris were at Eswick.
Sunday
25th
May 2003
A Red Admiral is at Baltasound.
Moths trapped in the Maywick trap included Shears
and Marbled Coronet.
Saturday
24th
May 2003
A Silver Y was in the Eswick trap along
with a Rush Veneer and a
Dark Sword Grass. There are also 2
Large Whites there.
An Angle Shades was in the Baltasound
trap.
Thursday
22nd
May 2003
There were 2 Silver Ys in the Eswick trap
along with a Rush Veneer. There are also 3
Large Whites there.
Wednesday
21st
May 2003
A Large White is at Baltasound and
another at Eswick.
A specimen of the micromoth Caloptilia syringella
was caught at Eswick and a tiny larva of Mottled Umber
was also found there and a Dark Sword Grass
was trapped.
The first Platycheirus manicatus
hoverfly was seen at Eswick.
Tuesday
20th
May 2003
The catch at Eswick, in 3 MV traps, reached
exactly 100, comprising 66 Shears, 12
Diamondback Moths, 5
Garden Carpets, 3 Rush Veneers,
8 Eudonia alpina, 5
Glaucous Shears, 2
Rhigognostis senillella and a Marbled
Coronets.
The first Large White was seen at
Veensgarth during the day.
Even the Baltasound trap was cranked into action, catching a
Glaucous Shears, along with 6
Shears, a Garden
Carpet and a Eudonia alpina.
Monday
19th
May 2003
The catch at Eswick comprised one
Shears on sugar while 3 MV traps caught 20
Shears, 2 Garden
Carpets, a Rush Veneer, 6
Diamondback Moths and a
Marbled Coronet.
A Eudonia alpina was in the trap at Burrafirth
along with 3 Marbled Coronets and 2
Garden Carpets.
Marbled Coronets -
Wendy Dickson
Sunday
18th
May 2003
A Silver Y was in
the Eswick trap.
Friday
16th
May 2003
A Marbled Coronet was in
the Eswick trap.
The migrant hoverfly Eupeodes
corollae was recorded at Eswick during the day.
Monday
12th
May 2003
The first Silver Y of the year was in
the Eswick trap.
Sunday
11th
May 2003
A Marbled Coronet was in
the Eswick trap.
Saturday
10th
May 2003
The first of the resident hoverfly
Eristalis pertinax was at Eswick today.
Wednesday
7th
May 2003
The first of the resident hoverfly
Platycheirus albimanus was at Eswick today - an early date.
Monday
5th
May 2003
Single Red Admirals were on Unst, at
Baltasound and Norwick, and another was on Fetlar at Leagarth.
Wednesday
30th
April 2003
A Clouded Drab was in the Eswick trap,
the second Shetland record.
Sunday
27th
April 2003
Another Glaucous Shears was in the Eswick
trap.
Thursday
24th
April 2003
A Glaucous Shears was in the Eswick trap.
This species is believed to be a scarce resident in Shetland, with most records
from central Mainland, and none from any other islands.
Tuesday
22nd
April 2003
Only two moths on the Eswick traps, but one of them was the first record of
Clouded Drab for Shetland. It is one of the
commonest early season moths in many parts of Britain, so its occurrence in
Shetland is not entirely unexpected.
Sunday
20th
April 2003
The first Shears of the year was trapped
at Eswick.
Friday
18th April 2003
A Red
Admiral on Whalsay is the earliest
ever recorded in Shetland.
Thursday
17th April 2003
An
Angle Shades was caught at Eswick.
Monday
14th April 2003
A very early
brown lacewing
(Wesmaelius or Hemerobius sp.), a scarce migrant in Shetland, was
in an actinic trap at Eswick.
Saturday
12th April 2003
It was National Moth Night - and there was
actually some good weather. Just a shame it was April. The Baltasound trap kept
tripping the mains, so the only record was of 2
Agonopterix heracliana.
The Burrafirth trap produced 3
Brindled Ochres and a
Hebrew Character.
Two traps at Eswick produced 6 Hebrew Characters
and a single Rhigognostis senilella.
One trap at Voehead, Bressay produced no less than 42
Hebrew Characters.
If you have any results for National
Moth Night, send them in and they will be posted here.
Wednesday
9th April 2003
An exceptionally early Garden Carpet
was caught at Eswick, a month earlier than the previous earliest Shetland
record.
Sunday
6th April 2003
There were 8
Bombus magnus
at Maywick today and a single Bombus
muscorum - easily the
earliest Shetland record. A single
Bombus magnus was at
Baltasound (the earliest for the island).
Bombus muscorum at Maywick
- photo
Hugh Harrop
Terry Rogers had a hoverfly at Eswick today -
easily the earliest ever in Shetland - but it evaded capture and, hence,
identification.
Some old insect news included an
Angle Shades
at Eswick in January and the first
Hebrew Characters there in February
(the first for the month). A few Dark
Sword Grasses were recorded at both
Eswick and Foula in late March and there was a
Red Sword Grass
on Foula about a week ago.
Friday
4th April 2003
Hugh Harrop reports the first
bumblebee of the year, a single
Bombus magnus at
Bigton.
Monday
17th March 2003
Not surprisingly,
Hebrew Characters are abundant in the
unusually mild weather, with 48 in the Burrafirth trap.
Thursday
13th March 2003
Two
Hebrew Characters at a lighted window
at Baltasound and another in a trap at Maywick were,
characteristically, the first macromoths of the year.
Hebrew Character - photo
Hugh Harrop
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Nature in Shetland
