31 March 2011 - Fulscot Copse, Didcot, Oxon

This Frosted Green was a surprise find in the trap this morning. There seemingly isn't any March records of this species on the Butterfly Conservation, Upper Thames Branch web - so a good record me thinks! And it's a first for me..

29 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood, Oxon

An interesting catch this morning - 49 macros of 11 spp.

This Shoulder-stripe was the second for the year for me.

And now we've entered Brindled Pug emergence - with the three following images all the same species. Or so I'm told...

But is this really the same..?

28 March 2011 - Garden, Didcot, Oxon

First Powdered Quaker of the year for me.

And my first Emmelina monodactyla (boring little thing!)

26 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood, Oxon

First Water Carpet of the year in an otherwise average catch..

24 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood, Oxon

A good catch this morning - 131 macros of 14 spp.

Highlight was my first Brindled Beauty - well, six to be precise.

This one was very much paler than the first.

And finally another couple of White-marked (with another one - the fourth - caught on the 26th March

23 March 2011 - Fulscot Copse & Garden, Didcot, Oxon

I guess micros are always going to be tough - this Diurnea fagella defied identification till help was called. Even now I've started to call them 663's after their official number attributed to the species.

Diurnea fagella

Early Grey - just a different pose

22 March 2011 - Wittenham Clumps, Oxon

Max wanted a trip out this morning as he needed a natural history 'fix'....

A good worm day

Marvellous wee things

Max's favourite animals - the wee spids

Millipede

Snail spp

Same snail spp?

And now Max is brnaching out into other stuff like fungi

20 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood, Oxon

A very small catch last night - compared to my ever-enthusiastic expectations. 1 x Small Quaker, 3 x Hebrew Characters, 1 x Clouded Drab.... a pride of place to this White-marked. This is the earliest White-marked for me - it also the first ever White-marked I've caught.

White-marked

17 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood

One new year tick (Shoulder-stripe) amongst a very average catch this morning.

Shoulder-stripe

Small Quaker (a very mottled one)

Clouded Drab (a very pale individual)

Clouded Drab (more frequent plumage!)

13 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood

Another good catch this morning, considering the 15W Actinic trap I have to use. Totals included: 9 x Engrailed, 5 x Dotted Border, 45 x Hebrew Character, 73 Small Quaker, 1 x Common Quaker, 2 x Chestnut, 1 x Tortricodes alternella.

I had trapped the same location 5 days earlier and had caught no Engrailed, so was surprised at the variation and condition of this morning's catch.

Engrailed

Engrailed (the 'warmest' of the three I kept back to photograph)

Engrailed

12 March 2011 - Chipping Norton & Didcot, Oxon

Finally, finally, finally.... I managed to get out and get to Chipping Norton for doors open (unlike the previous weekend, when I made it there 10 mins after the bird had flown....). After a near hour's wait, movement at the front of the crowd meant only one thing - it had flown in. After a minute the folk at the front were encouraged to give up their places - allowing me to get a view and some snaps for 30 seconds before moving back and giving up my place. I'm happy I did move away as the bird was only on show for 3-4 minutes.

Oriental Turtle Dove (right!)

Oriental Turtle Dove
Back at home the moth trap set in the garden last night produced a new moth for me - an Early Grey

Early Grey

Early Grey (head on)

Early Grey
Satelite

10 March 2011 - A small wood outside Didcot

A fairly decent catch last night (15W actinic) of 79 macros of 7 spp + 2 x Tortricodes alternella

Lead-coloured Drab (left) with Clouded Drab (right)

Oak Beauty (2nd of the year)

69 x Small Quaker, 3 x hebrew Character, 2 x Dotted Border, 1 x Common Quaker, 1 x Clouded Drab, 1 x Lead-coloured Drab, 1 x Chestnut, 1 x Oak Beauty.

9 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood

Twin-spotted Quaker (1st of the year)

Satelite (2nd of the year)

Hebrew Character (with reduced dark markings from the norm)

49 individuals of 6 spp this morning:
23 Hebrew Characters, 16 Small Quakers, 5 March Moths, 3 Dotted Borders, 1 Satelite and 1 Twin-spotted Quaker.

And no micros!

6 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood, Oxon

My first catch at Long Wittenham Wood, thanks to the kind permission of the landowners. Given the temperatures, I was hardly expecting much, but thankfully my judgement was incorrect (again!);

First out of the trap was this Small Brindled Beauty (1 caught)

March Moths - 3 of six caught

Clouded Drabs 3 caught (picture slightly overexposed making the right hand specimen look more like a Red Chestnut than it did in real life!)Small Quaker (1 of eight caught)

Hebrew Character (1 of ten caught)

Other moths caught included five Chestnuts and two micros that eluded capture...