Birds aren’t the only things flying in January; there are a few moths too. Today I trapped two Pale Brindled Beauties at Rye, one melanic (monacharia) and one the normal form. Both are males, as the females are wingless. Melanics were unknown in East Sussex until the 1960s but now comprise up to 5% of the population.

Today in my trap I found this small moth of the family Tortricidae. Not recognising it, I posted the photo to the ukmicromoths Yahoo group. Majority opinion is that it is Acleris umbrana (a.k.a. Dark-streaked Button), which would be about the sixth Sussex record, all but one since 2006, so it’s another of those very recent colonists from across the Channel to southern coastal counties, nationally rare and proposed as Red Data Book Class 1. BUT, there are similar Acleris that can be highly variable, so closer examination is being arranged to confirm its identity.

Both the English and scientific names of Dewick’s Plusia (Macdunnoughia confusa) are quite bizarre, and it’s a pretty moth too, related to the familiar Silver Y but smaller and brighter with a gleaming silver mark on the wing. First found in the UK by A.J. Dewick at Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex, in October 1951, it remained a rare vagrant until the last decade. Now it’s thought to be well established with at least four colonies in Sussex alone. Chris caught one at Rye Harbour on 2nd October, the fifth reserve record, but the one in my trap this morning was my first ever.

The last few days of September and early October have been good with four Clifden Nonpareils, a Scarce Bordered Straw and a Vestal in my garden trap near Staplecross, but last night this Dotted Chestnut was the highlight. This Nationally Scarce B species seems to be expanding its range and is described by Colin Pratt in his book as ‘a Sussex speciality, but even here it has always existed at a low density, and has been very local, elusive, and episodic in appearance’.

According to Colin Pratt’s excellent 3 volume book on Butterflies and Moths of Sussex, the Pale Eggar has a patchy distribution and the maps show few records from the east. This specimen was one of the few moths caught in my Robinson trap near Staplecross last night.