The Daily Moth 1,094. For our 2nd Cyprus moth, Scoparia berytella appears to be a good catch in Europe. Per Lepiforum, Cyprus is its sole Eurocountry: indeed, it may otherwise only be in Lebanon & Syria. More on Cyprus moths at tinyurl.com/Lowen-Cyprus #MuchAdoABoutMothing #LBJ

The Daily Moth 1,093. Something different for the next few weeks… Cyprus moths! First up: Problepis ocellata, a target of many moth-ers when in Greece. This gorgeous geometer is an olive specialist, so trap near olives! More at jameslowen.com/blog-26-apr-24… #MuchAdoABoutMothing

Post-survey treat. Male eastern subalpine warbler at holme.

wossthisthen?

I told you that you were a cover star!

Nuthatch admiring the new second edition of the RSPB Everyday Guide to British Birds.

#RSPB Bloomsbury Wildlife RSPB

The Daily Moth 1,092. Chinese Character is the ultimate bird-poo moth. A proper splash of crap that demands admiration. My daughter loves it – even now, when her teenage eyes are taken with other things. This year’s 1st was on the early side, caught 4 April #MuchAdoAboutMothing

Recent paper led by Emily Hickinbotham uses Butterfly Conservation 🦋 & Garden Moth Scheme data to investigate phenology changes in 149 moth species in Eng & Wales. Unsurprising headline = moth phenology is changing over time. But many nuances 1/5🧵link.springer.com/article/10.100…

The Daily Moth 1,091. Eudonia angustea has been astonishingly early this year. I had one in Feb – and this for a moth which supposedly starts flying in May! Well named, its distinctive shape means that it is one of the easier members of its genus to identify. #MuchAdoAboutMothing

An unfortunate encounter (well, for the moth, at least) under the hotel lights in Cyprus last week. A plethora of live moths available for perusal at jameslowen.com/blog-26-apr-24…

NEW BLOG: Cyprus moths. A photo-rich exploration of what was attracted to the pair of LED lights that Mike Buckland and I ran on our hotel balcony. Spoiler alert: the catches overall exceeded expectations... jameslowen.com/blog-26-apr-24…

On Cyprus last week, Mike Buckland and I were both smitten by this Proteuchloris neriaria that was attracted to hotel lights. What a stunner. And our own lights didn't do too badly either (this Pale Shoulder definitely loved them)... blog imminent.

After a night dominated by searingly strong easterlies Mike Buckland and I had a fall of migrant moths. It was like a dream UK catch, with Striped Hawk-moth, Ni Moth, Eastern Bordered Straws, Crimson Speckled, Dark Mottled Willow, Small Mottled Willows etc

The Daily Moth 1,090. Common Gorse Moth (Cydia ulicetana) is a sun-loving tortrix that flits actively around gorse (as its new vernacular name suggests) and broom (which it doesn’t) – around here particularly on heaths. Up close, it’s a smart wee thing. #MuchAdoAboutMothing

Cyprus moths last week... according to lepiforum, Cyprus is the only place in Europe to see species that graced our traps such as Scoparia berytella and Reisserita latinsaulella. More coming on the moth blog soon...

Does conservation work? Our paper by Re:wild shows that it does: a global analysis of 665 trials (incl. several by RSPB Science) found that conservation improved the state of biodiversity or slowed declines in two-thirds of cases BirdLife Science science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

Moths were very good - better than expected - in Cyprus for Mike Buckland and me. The star was Problepis ocellata, an olive-specialist of the eastern Mediterranean. A cry of joy emitted when I spotted this one in the trap after dinner! Moth blog launches tomorrow...

The Daily Moth 1,089. I usually do well for Lunar Marbled Brown. This year, it is absent. Which is mystifying, because fellow moth-ers around Norfolk are catching more than usual. Why the difference? What might have happened in my local area? An oak fail? #MuchAdoAboutMothing

The Daily Moth 1,088. Early Grey has been a stalwart of the trap this month and last. This noctuid may be monochrome, but its exquisite patterning repays close examination, with barbs and chevrons and ripples and kidneys and ovals all etched black or silver. #MuchAdoAboutMothing

Although we didn't bump into Mediterranean Monk Seal on Cyprus last week (too much to ask!), the sharp eyes of Mike Buckland picked up both the endemic subspecies of Mouflon on a hillside (photo) and an Egyptian Bat at our hotel. More pan-species action at jameslowen.com/blog-21-apr-24…

In Cyprus last week, with Mike Buckland, we didn't have enough time to give orchids the attention they deserved. But still had some special chance encounters, including with Holy Orchid, Bug Orchid and Ophrys mammosa. More on the blog at jameslowen.com/blog-21-apr-24…