After all the excitement of recent migrant near misses, I figured last month's Delicate and Streak were the final firsts for Dingestow of 2018. However, a mild(ish) night on 24th November combined with friends staying to persuade me to put the MV out. The 5 species that appeared included a gorgeous Scarce Umber, which I was excited about as I've only seen one or two in my life. What I didn't realise was that none of my previous sightings came from Dingestow - later checking revealed Scarce Umber to be new, and the 403rd Macro for the site. This seems to be a genuinely scarce moth in Gwent/Wales, with a south-easterly distribution. It is surely the last addition for the year, although forecast southerlies midweek may produce another migrant...
Well done Sam on this find.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your assumption that it is 'Scarce'. Scarce by name and recording. I commented on this last year when I turned one up at Llanishen.
I have operated/trapped in what I would consider potential sites for this moth including the SE and I have not found it.
The only thing that might fit this species is that may be trap-shy perhaps. It would be interesting to what Martin thinks about this elusive Moth.