Bardsey's Willdlife 2020

EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL

Eastern Yellow Wagtail © Dave Astins / West Coast Birdwatching

BEHAVIOR

Typical flava type wagtail feeding in the ground, moving slowly around the feet of cattle and then
dashing to catch inverts that had been disturbed by the livestock. The bird did not really pump its tail
much like Pied Wagtails do.

CALLS, SOUND RECORDING ANALYSIS AND COMMENT

The bird was first found and identified by hearing its quite buzzy and distinctive call. Over the three day
stay the bird was heard to call on a number of occasions, and, to my ears at least, always sounded quite
buzzy and short, not as drawn out as Western Yellow Wagtails, but similar to Citrine Wagtail Motacilla
citreola.

On the evening of 3 October, George Dunbar and I were walking around looking for the wagtail. I had
my iPhone recordings sound as we wandered about, hoping that we would get a recording of the bird’s
call. As we were stood in a marginally sheltered spot behind some bushes, the wagtail flew over us and
called about six times. The bird passed over us about 15 feet away and the phone picked up the calls
and at least three of them were quite clear, even though there was a lot of background wind noise.

The calls can be heard at https://tinyurl.com/Eastern-Yellow-Wagtail

I sent the calls to Magnus Robb from The Sound Approach for comment along with call of the Eastern
Yellow Wagtail which Emma and I found in Kelling, Norfolk in November. Magnus agreed that both birds

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STANSFIELD

were good for Eastern Yellow Wagtail and commented – “As far as I can see the Kelling EYW is perfect,
and the Bardsey 5th October one looks good too.”
The following spectrograms were created from two of the best calls.
Sonogram #1 & #2 – calls from the Bardsey Eastern Yellow Wagtail 3/10/2020

Comparison between Eastern and Western Yellow Wagtails from Bardsey

Sonogram #3 (same as #1) Sonogram #4
Eastern Yellow Wagtail Western Yellow Wagtail
Bardsey 3/10/2020 Bardsey 5/10/2020

Foreleg shows two Descending hindleg Foreleg shows two Descending hindleg
strongly ascending harmonic is highly strongly ascending harmonic, with no
straight and parallel modulated curved and converging modulation
harmonics harmonics

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EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL
Eastern Yellow Wagtail © Dave Astins / West Coast Birdwatching

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STANSFIELD

GALLERY
Images from 2020

Merlin REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

© Jeff Wragg

246

GALLERY

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GALLERY

Black Redstart © SDS Chiffchaff © SDS
Goldfinch © SDS Wheatear © SDS

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GALLERY

Spotted Flycatcher © SDS
Sanderling © SDS

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GALLERY

Great Spotted Woodpecker © RL Puffin © SDS
Tree Pipit © SDS Kittiwake © SDS

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GALLERY

Sparrowhawk © SDS
Knot © SDS

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GALLERY

Section 3

Non-avian
reports

Red Admiral
© Jeff Wragg

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GALLERY

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Risso’s Dolphin NON-AVIAN FAUNA GALLERY

© Jeff Wragg Annotated species list of non-avian fauna in 2020

254 Sam Prettyman, Steven Stansfield and Kevin Clements

REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

Non-avian fauna

Lewis Hooper and Kevin Clements

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1 INTRODUCTION

Records of species such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians, dragonflies and other miscellaneous species
are collected each year; these include ongoing Grey Seal monitoring projects and the extended
recording of cetaceans as part of the Observatory’s ongoing dolphin monitoring work funded by Natural
Resources Wales. During 2020 records of non-avian animals that were collected are summarised below,
these include records of woodlice, millipedes and centipedes collected by Kevin Clements.

2 METHODS

For many of the groups below data are collected during routine census work and recorded in the
Observatory’s digital census log. Arachnid records came from a single observer, Luke Anderson, who
searched our spiders during his week on the island, this was also the case with the records of myriapod
and isopod records from Kevin Clements. Grey seals were counted daily as part of the general census
work, and cetaceans were often recorded during seawatches, many of the records were opportunistic.

3 RESULTS

3.1 VERTEBRATES

Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791) GREY SEAL

Grey Seals were counted almost daily throughout the season in Henllwyn, Solfach and on Carreg yr
Honwy. In addition to these three focal areas, the smaller numbers that haul out around the South End
and along the rest of the island’s coastline were also recorded on a regular basis.

The maximum numbers seen this year were in May and July when 227 were recorded around the island,
mostly in Henllwyn which is the favoured site, being reasonably sheltered with a large rocky area suitable
for hauling out.

Fig. 1 Daily number of Grey Seals on Bardsey in 2020

250

Daily count 200

150

100

50

0

J FM AM J J A S O ND

Max. count M A M J J A S O
Seal-days 113 122 227 156 227 153 162 118
459 1950 2963 2457 2484 2005 1719 1070
Days recorded 13 29 31 29 29 31 29 19

In total 54 pups were born this year (see map), the first of which was found in Henllwyn on 5 August,
almost one month earlier than the first pup last year; the last pup to be born was almost half a month
earlier than last year, too. As usual, the majority of pups were born on either side of the Narrows, but with

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Ogof Hir on the West Coast being another productive site. Strong winds were less persistent this season,
however, a number of pups were lost after a few days of 50-60mph winds.

Fig. 2 Annual number of Grey Seal pups born on Bardsey 1988-2020

60
50
40
30
20
10

0
Seal Pups born on Bardsey
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020

Table 1 Seal Pupping dates – See map

Pup Date Pup Date Pup Date
22/09 37 02/10
1 05/08 19 24/09 38 03/10
24/09 39 06/10
2 16/08 20 24/09 40 06/10
24/09 41 06/10
3 30/08 21 26/09 42 06/10
26/09 43 08/10
4 01/09 22 28/09 44 08/10
28/09 45 09/10
5 07/09 23 28/09 46 09/10
28/09 47 09/10
6 08/09 24 28/09 48 09/10
28/09 49 09/10
7 10/09 25 28/09 50 14/10
28/09 51 14/10
8 11/09 26 28/09 52 14/10
28/09 53 14/10
9 11/09 27 02/10 54 23/10

10 17/09 28

11 18/09 29

12 19/09 30

13 22/09 31

14 22/09 32

15 22/09 33

16 22/09 34

17 22/09 35

18 22/09 36

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258 12 Fig. 4 Number of new Grey Seal pups per day 2019 and 2020 PRETTYMAN, STANSFIELD & CLEMENTS
10
Fig. 3 Number of new Grey Seal pups per day
8
6 12
4 10
2
0 8
6
2019 01-Aug 02/08/2020 4
05-Aug 06/08/2020 2
REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. 09-Aug 10/08/2020 0
13-Aug 14/08/2020
2020 17-Aug 18/08/2020
21-Aug 22/08/2020
25-Aug 26/08/2020
29-Aug 30/08/2020
02-Sep 03/09/2020
06-Sep 07/09/2020
10-Sep 11/09/2020
14-Sep 15/09/2020
18-Sep 19/09/2020
22-Sep 23/09/2020
26-Sep 27/09/2020
30-Sep 01/10/2020
04-Oct 05/10/2020
08-Oct 09/10/2020
12-Oct 13/10/2020
16-Oct 17/10/2020
20-Oct 21/10/2020
24-Oct 25/10/2020
28-Oct 29/10/2020
01-Nov 02/11/2020
05-Nov 06/11/2020
09-Nov
13-Nov
17-Nov
21-Nov
25-Nov
29-Nov
03-Dec
07-Dec
11-Dec
15-Dec
19-Dec

NON-AVIAN FAUNA

64: 254-267 Grey Seal pup © Steven Stansfield
259

PRETTYMAN, STANSFIELD & CLEMENTS

Fig. 5 Grey Seal pupping sites on Bardsey in 2020 see table 1.

37 48

38 2
23
21 42
20
22 3
5 54
50
4 1
51 14
47 26

18 15
10 25
35 27
34
39 13
53 6
52 24 19
36
11 12

4 43
41
33
32
31
30
8
17
44
29
18

9
46
45

49
7

28

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Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1759 COMMON SEAL

This year there were ten sightings of Common Seal, involving at least three individuals. They were seen
on 9 May, 2, 6, 13, and 22 August, 8, 15, 18, and 30 September and 10 October.

This species is a vagrant in Welsh waters with approximately 16 records since 1996 (Thompson et al. 2019)
but seems to be increasing in number. Before this year there were only 18 Bardsey records.

Grey Seal and Common Seal © Steven Stansfield

Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) HARBOUR PORPOISE

The first record of the year was of a single seen off the West Coast on 10 April. None were recorded in
May. June saw one record on 13th. There were three records in July, with a peak of two on 11th, and
then four records in August with just one individual seen per sighting on 24, 25, 26 and 30th. September
had the highest peak count of the year, with four on 20th seen off the West Coast. October saw just one
record, a single off the South End on 1st.

MAM J J A S O

Max. count 0 1 0 1 2 1 4 1

Porpoise-days 0 1 0 1 4 4 8 1

Days recorded 0 1 0 1 3 4 3 1

Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN

There was one record in March; five were seen on 19th off the South End. April produced two separate
sightings on 4 and 16th. Two individuals on 2 July was the only record for the month. August had one
record on 18th, with two individuals off the South End. The final record of the year was a pod of five off
the West Coast on 14 September.

Grampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812) RISSO’S DOLPHIN

The first of the year involved two individuals off the West Coast on 18 May. July saw five records, four of
which were up to eight animals, with 23, the year’s peak counted on 21st. There were seven records in
August, four were single figure counts, with ten on 24th and 15 on both 22nd and 30th. September

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produced seven records, and all except 15 on 10th were on single figures. There were four records in
October, three were in single figures and the final record of the year on 15th was of 12 animals.

30 25
25Dolphin totals
20 Max. daily count per month20
15
10 15

5 10
0
5
J
0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Birfdiv-ed-adyasy total Max count

MAM J J A S O

Max. count 0 0 2 0 23 15 15 12

Dolphin-days 0 0 2 0 44 56 48 21

Days recorded 0 0 1 0 5 7 7 4

Delphinus delphis (Linnaeus, 1758) SHORT-BEAKED COMMON DOLPHIN

In total 212 individuals were counted in 2020. A single on 10 July was the first of the year. In August and
September there were eight records, with several large pods containing 20-40 individuals seen. The
largest pod containing roughly 70 individuals was seen off the West Coast on 14 September.

Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Lacepede, 1804) MINKE WHALE
One was seen from the West Coast on 18 August.

Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810 SHORTFIN MAKO SHARK

This year there were two records of this dramatic shark. Both records were taken as a shark breached
high above the surface during seawatches on consecutive days: 26 and 27 August.

Apodemus sylvaticus (Linnaeus, 1758) WOOD MOUSE

No specific counts were made this year, although Wood Mice were seen throughout the year, both
around the buildings and the low walls that cover Bardsey.

Sorex araneus (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMON SHREW

Singles were recorded in small numbers. This species is undoubtably a lot more common than records
would suggest, but is rarely searched for and no small mammal trapping has been undertaken for a
number of years now.

Anguis fragilis (Linnaeus, 1758) SLOW-WORM

Most sightings were from under the corrugated iron sheets and rocks around Cristin. Sightings were
common throughout the summer months and a number of young were found in May. The maximum
number of individuals found under one 50x40cm corrugated iron sheet at one time was six on 27 April.

Lissotriton helveticus (Razoumowsky, 1789) PALMATE NEWT

There were a number of records this year, with individuals seen in both the small pond behind Cristin and
Nant Pond, as well as in Pwll Cain. No specific monitoring took place

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3.2 Inverterbrates
3.2.1 ODONATA - DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES

Ischnura elegans (Vander Linden, 1820) BLUE-TAILED DAMSELFLY

The first records this year were on 13 June when six were recorded around the small water bodies in the
Lowlands; there were seven records in June, three in July and a final one on 7 August.

Aeshna mixta (Latreille, 1805) MIGRANT HAWKER

This species was only present in August and September this year. There were eight records in total, six
were in August and two were in September, much reduced from the 24 records in 2019.

Sympetrum striolatum (Charpentier, 1840) COMMON DARTER

The only record of this species in 2020 was from Nant Pond on 3 September.

3.2.2 COLEOPTERA – BEETLES

Nicrophorus sp. Linnaeus, 1758 SEXTON BEETLE SP.

Sexton beetles were regularly caught in the moth trap at Cristin throughout the year with their numbers
peaking in July.

Cicindela campestris Linnaeus, 1758 GREEN TIGER BEETLE
One was recorded this year on 16 June on the West Coast.

Carabus violaceus Linnaeus, 1758 VIOLET GROUND BEETLE

These large beetles are one of the most common and easily seen on Bardsey, often found at night all
over the island. In 2020, records were taken from April through to September. The highest daily count was
taken on 3 May with 35 recorded in the Cristin courtyard.

Rhagonycha fulva (Scopoli, 1763) COMMON RED SOLDIER BEETLE

In total, 369 were recorded this year, predominantly in the wetland areas in the centre of Bardsey as well
as the North End Stream. 366 of these records were from July, with the highest day count being 99 on 10
July, three further records were taken in August.

Ocypus olens (O. F. Müller, 1764) DEVIL’S COACH HORSE

Singles were recorded on five dates in September and October only. Often on ground lacking
vegetation, such as the track, Boat House and Tŷ Pellaf.

Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus, 1758) SEVEN-SPOT LADYBIRD

This species was recorded on 10 and 27 July in the Lowlands, with two individuals counted on each of
these dates.

3.2.3 HYMENOPTERA – BEES, WASPS AND ANTS

3.2.3.1 APIDAE – BUMBLEBEES AND HONEYBEES

Bombus lucorum agg. (Linnaeus, 1758) WHITE-TAILED BUMBLEBEE

Records of White-tailed Bumblebees are referred to here as ‘Bombus lucorum aggregates’ due to
possible confusion in the field with the very similar B. cryptarum and B. magnus. This is one of five regularly

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PRETTYMAN, STANSFIELD & CLEMENTS

occurring bumblebees on Bardsey, but of these lucorum agg. appears to be the least numerous.
Sightings of this species came predominantly from around the heathland areas.

Bombus hortorum (Linnaeus, 1761) GARDEN BUMBLEBEE

This species was seen around the Observatory and various other gardens on the island in July and August
only. Clover Trifolium sp had another good flowering year and this species was often seen taking
advantage of this.

Bombus terrstris (Linnaeus, 1758 ) BUFF-TAILED BUMBLEBEE

This species was recorded in July and August this year, all records from the west side of the Mountain.

Bombus pascuorum (Scopoli, 1763) COMMON CARDER-BEE

This is by far the most common bumblebee seen on the island, numbers peaked in July this year with 196
records. Early in the year they were seen feeding on the Wall Cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis with
the Honey Bees Apis mellifera in the Observatory garden and in the Fuchsia Fuchsia sp. flowers later in
the year.

3.2.4 DIPTERA – FLIES

Chloromyia formosa (Scopoli, 1763) BROAD CENTURION

A record of a male and female was taken on 9 July in Tŷ Capel garden.

3.2.4.1 SYRPHIDAE – HOVERFLIES

Volucella plumata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Two individuals of this large species were seen in Cristin garden on 19 July. This species mimics the size
and colouration of a White-tailed Bumblebee.

Scaeva pyrastri (Linnaeus, 1758) PIED HOVERFLY

Five were counted on 9 July in Tŷ Capel garden, these were the only records of the year for this species.

Eristalis intricarius (Linnaeus, 1758)
One record of this bee mimic hoverfly was taken on 19 July in Cristin garden.

Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer, 1776) MARMALADE HOVERFLY

Records of this species were taken in July and August, a total of 41 individuals were counted all over the
island’s inland areas. The highest day count was taken on 23 July with 16, 15 of which were counted on
the track.

Poecilobothrus nobilitatus (Linnaeus, 1767)
One record of this fly was taken this year on 9 July in the Withies.

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3.2.6 Miscellaneous Invertebrates

Myriapods and Isopods

Chilopods – Centipedes

Haplophilus subterraneus (Shaw, 1789)
Individuals were recorded at Tŷ Bach on 24 September and Cristin on 26th.
Schendyla nemorensis (C.L. Koch, 1837)
Individuals were found at two locations in the Lowlands on 23 September and at Cristin on 28th.
Strigamia acuminata (Leach, 1814)
Single specimens were found in a rotting stump in Nant Withy on 24 and 25 September – these records
have been verified by Tony Barber (Centipede Recording Scheme Organiser) and constitute the first for
Bardsey Island.

This species is widely recorded in England and Wales, typically in woodland, but rarely found in large
numbers (BMIG, 2021).

Strigamia acuminata © Kevin Clements

Strigamia maritima (Leach, 1817) MARITIME CENTIPEDE
Three were found in shingle at Solfach on 27 September.
265
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PRETTYMAN, STANSFIELD & CLEMENTS

Geophilus flavus (De Geer, 1778)
Individuals were recorded in Nant Withy on 25 September, at the Lighthouse on 26th and Solfach on
27th.

Cryptops hortensis (Donovan, 1810)
Individuals were found in Nant Withy on 25 September and at the Lighthouse on 26th.

Lithobius forficatus (Linne, 1758)
One or two individuals were found at Cristin on 20 and 26 September, Nant Valley on 24th, Nant Pond
and Nant Withy on 25th, and the Lighthouse on 26th.

Diplopods – Millipedes

Glomeris marginata (Villers, 1789) PILL MILLIPEDE

Individuals were seen in Nant Withy on 24 and 25 September, and Cristin on 26th.

Isopods – Woodlice

Ligia oceanica (Linnaeus, 1767)
Specimens were typically found under rocks at Maen Du on 26 September and Solfach on 26th and 27th.

Haplophthalmus mengii (Zaddach, 1844)
One was found under a stone by the Lighthouse on 26 September.

Trichoniscus pusillus (Brandt, 1833)
Specimens were found at Cristin on 26 and 28 September.

Philoscia sp.
The only Philoscia species known to be present in the UK was P. muscorum, until P. affinis was discovered
in south-east England in summer 2017 (Segers, et al. 2018). The latter species has since been recorded
from over 50 localities (Gregory, 2020), mostly from western Britain (including north-west Wales)
suggesting an Atlantic distribution. P. affinis favours open woodland and coastal habitats, whereas P.
muscorum generally favours open grassland sites – both species have been found at some locations. It
is considered that previously P. affinis has been overlooked in Britain and Ireland due to its close
resemblance its common congener P. muscorum.

All previous records of P. muscorum for Bardsey Island will have to recorded as Philoscia sp. – from 2012
to 2015, a total of 64 records were made in 38 100m squares and five 10km squares (Clements, 2016),
with a further 24 records made from 2016 to 2019, including in four additional 100m squares.

In 2020, records that could not be assigned to either species were made at the Schoolhouse on 21
September and Mynydd Enlli on 27th.

Philoscia affinis (Verhoeff, 1908)
At least one was found at Cristin on 28 September – the record has been verified by Steve Gregory (Non-
marine Isopod Recording Scheme organiser) and constitutes the first confirmed record for Bardsey Island.

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Philoscia muscorum (Scopoli, 1763) COMMON STRIPED WOODLOUSE

At least one was found at Cristin on 28 September – the record has been verified by Steve Gregory (Non-
marine Isopod Recording Scheme Organiser) and constitutes the first confirmed record for Bardsey
Island.

Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii (Brandt, 1833) ANT WOODLOUSE

Records in September involved at least 60 individuals by Cristin Helgoland trap pond on 20th, one in
Cristin front garden, 15 at Nant and 54 at Tŷ Bach on 24th, one at the Abbey and 46 by Nant Pond on
25th, and four in Cristin front garden on 28th. As usual, all were found under stones and associated with
ants.

Oniscus asellus (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMON SHINY WOODLOUSE

Individuals were seen at Abbey, Cristin, Hendy, Lighthouse, Lowlands, Mynydd Enlli, Nant, Nant Pond,
Nant Valley, Nant Withy, Plantation, Tŷ Bach, Tŷ Capel Withy and Ysgol during the period 20 to 28
September.

Porcellio dilatatus (Brandt, 1833)
One was found at the Lighthouse on 26 September, a known location for the species.

Porcellio scaber (Latreille, 1804) COMMON ROUGH WOODLOUSE

Individuals were noted at Abbey, Cristin, Hendy, Lime Kiln, Maen Du, Mynydd Enlli, Nant, Nant Withy,
Plantation Tŷ Bach, Tŷ Capel Withy and Ysgol during the period 20 to 28 September.

Porcellio spinicornis Say, 1818 PAINTED WOODLOUSE

Single specimens were found at the Abbey and Tŷ Bach on 24 September – the latter represents a new
and only the third site for the species on Bardsey Island.

AArmadillidium vulgare (Lagrielle, 1804) COMMON PILL WOODLOUSE

Individuals were found at Cristin, Lime Kiln, Mynydd Enlli and Tŷ Bach on 24 September, the Abbey on
25th, and Cristin on 26th and 28th.

4 REFERENCES

BMIG (2021) Website of the British Myriapod and Isopod Group; Strigamia acuminata :
https://bmig.org.uk/species/Strigamia-acuminata (accessed 25th May 2021).
Clements, K.M. (2016) Isopods of Bardsey. Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2015 59: 207-216.
Gregory, S.J. (2020) Further observations of Philoscia affinis Verhoeff, 1908 (Isopoda, Oniscidea,
Philosciidae) in Britain and Ireland: Distribution, Habitat and Identification. Bulletin of the British Myriapod
& Isopod Group 32: 2-14
Segers, S., Boeraeve, P., & De Smedt, P. (2018) Philoscia affinis Verhoeff, 1908 new to the UK (Isopoda:
Philosciidae). Bulletin of the British Myriapod & Isopod Group 30: 21-25

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ROBOTHAM & SIMMONDS

GREY SEALS

An update on photo-monitoring
Rebecca Robotham and Mark P. Simmonds

Part 4 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

Papers

Grey Seal pup

© SGtevreenySStaenasfliseld
© Steven Stansfield

268

NON-AVIAN FAUNA

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ROBOTHAM & SIMMONDS

1 INTRODUCTION

Continuing the research started by Mandy McMath in 2008, and building on our own studies since 2013,
we continue to investigate site fidelity of female grey seals during the pupping season. On Bardsey the
annual pupping season starts in September, running on to November. Usually in order to conduct the
research a team visits the island for a short period during the pupping season to collect photographic
and location data and then the staff at the Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory (BBFO) continue to
monitor the situation. In 2020, our visit was not possible and so all monitoring was done by the BBFO.

2 METHODS

Using high resolution digital cameras and telephoto lenses (300mm and 400mm), images are taken of
the female seals along with their pups within 48 hours of the pups being born. The sites were mapped
and data relating to the mothers, sites and pups catalogued for future reference.

3 RESULTS

3.1 THE 2019 RESIGHTINGS

During the 2019 season, 25 individual mothers that had been seen in previous years were resighted and
13 new individuals were recorded. In total 44 individuals have been resighted out of our catalogue of
131, a resighting rate of 33.6%.

3.2 PUP COUNTS

During the 2019 and 2020 seasons, 55 and 54 pups were born respectively, the highest numbers ever
reported on Bardsey (Fig 1). This suggests that, over the last 20 or so years, Bardsey had become an
important pupping location for this species.

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Seal Pups born on Bardsey
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020

Fig. 2 Pup counts on Bardsey 1998-2020

3.3 TWINS

Whilst conducting the data collection on the island in 2019 the team encountered a well-known female
‘Brownie’. Brownie has been resighted 9 times between 2006 and 2019. Each time she was seen at the

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GREY SEALS

same main site of Henllwyn Bay and quite often she returned to the same spot within the bay. Therefore,
she shows a high degree of site fidelity. In 2019, we found her in her usual spot but she did not just have
one pup with her but two! Although not impossible, grey seal twins are extremely rare. In 2016, two seal
pups were rescued in Norfolk and they were recorded as the first ever grey seal twins born in the wild
(BBC News, 2016).

Without doing a DNA test we will never know for sure if Brownie’s pups were twins. Grey seal mothers
tend to be dismissive of pups that are not their own and can even become aggressive towards them,
chasing them away if they get too close. From what we witnessed, Brownie was tolerant of both pups
and the two pups were very close in age. We saw her interacting with them and suckling them both.
Fostering and ‘allosuckling’ does happen in grey seal colonies but is more likely at locations where there
is disturbance (Fogden 2009). At locations, such as Bardsey, with little to no disturbance, mothers tend to
exclusively suckle their own pup(s) (Fogden 2009). So, though we cannot say for certain, it is highly likely
that these are the first ever recorded twin grey seal pups on Bardsey.

Grey Seal with twins © Mark Simmonds

4 CONCLUSIONS

Bardsey Island continues to be an important pupping and breeding location for grey seals. We are
seeing females come back year on year to pup, not just on the island, but also at the same site. Pup
numbers are very encouraging and it looks likely that Bardsey has had its first set of twins. We thank the
Warden and staff of the BBFO for their excellent support and assistance though the years with this project
which we hope will be continued as the long-term data-set becomes ever more valuable and
interesting.

5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Support for this ongoing programme of work was again provided by the Humane Society International

6 REFERENCES

BBC News (2016). Norfolk grey seal twin pups R2-D2 and C-3PO 'a world first'.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-35745612

Fogden, S.. (2009). Mother-young behaviour at Grey seal breeding beaches. Journal of Zoology.
164(1): 61 – 92

Rebecca Robotham - Skegness Natureland Seal Sanctuary, Skegness, Lincolnshire 271
64: 268-271

Common Blue BUTTERFLIES ROBOTHAM & SIMMONDS

© Steven Stansfield Annotated species list of butterflies in 2020

272 Sam Prettyman and Steven Stansfield

REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

BUTTERFLIES

64: 272-281 273

PRETTYMAN & STANSFIELD

1 INTRODUCTION

Butterflies are the best-studied of the UK’s invertebrates, providing fundamental understanding into the
changing state of wider biodiversity and the ecosystems that depend upon it. New analyses provided in
The State of UK’s Butterflies Report (Fox et al. 2015) provides further evidence of the serious, long-term
and ongoing decline of the UK’s butterflies, with 70% of species declining in occurrence and 57%
declining in abundance since 1976. Overall, 76% of the UK’s resident and regular migrant butterfly species
declined in either abundance or occurrence (or both) over the past four decades. By comparison, 47%
of species increased in one or both measures. This is of great concern not just for butterflies but for other
wildlife species and the overall state of the environment.

There have been 27 species of butterfly recorded on Bardsey since 1953 when Bardsey Bird Observatory
opened. Since then, butterfly recording was carried out sporadically by the Observatory up to 1984,
when the first butterfly transects were undertaken (Jones et al. 1985). Increased effort has since been put
into recording daily counts, maximum counts, emergence times and instances of immigration (Silcocks
1998, Stansfield 1999-2011, Brown 2009-2012). Butterflies have been recorded daily by the Observatory
since 1998 and now form part of the daily census. Some species have become more numerous, such as
Peacock, however former breeding species such as Small Heath are now extinct on Bardsey.

2 METHODS

Butterflies were recorded as part of Bardsey Bird Observatory’s daily census, during which most areas of
the island are covered, representing a variety of habitats. These records were collected daily from March
to November. Data from both staff and guests were collected and recorded in the Census Log each
evening. The data for each species of butterfly recorded during 2020 were analysed and summarised in
the following systematic list and the accompanying tables.

3 RESULTS

A total of 14 species was recorded this year, three fewer than last year, but in line with the totals recorded
before 2018.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Number of species 15 14 13 16 18 15 15 19 17 14

For most species, lower numbers were recorded compared to 2019; the largest decrease in numbers was
seen in Painted Ladies, after the exceptional invasion in 2019, 2020 seemed particularly quiet with just 27
records, paling in comparison to the 3659 individuals counted in 2019. There were several scarce species
for the island in 2020: Orange Tip, Wall, Gatekeeper and Comma all made it across the Sound. One of
the most notable declines in 2020 was Small Copper; since 2017 counts for this species have been over
229 but, this year saw just 71 records. However, records of Large Whites almost doubled compared to
2019, increases were seen in Red Admirals and Small Tortoiseshells. Many of the declines in records in
2020 could be due to less observers in the field due to the outbreak of Coronavirus, meaning there were
no visitors on Bardsey for much of the year.

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3.1 SYSTEMATIC LIST

Butterfly-days are the cumulative number of butterflies seen each day, over a defined period of time -
in this case a year.

Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758) LARGE WHITE

This species increased in numbers in comparison to 2019 and to the last decade, the number of butterfly-
days totalled 241 this year compared with 123 in 2019. The highest maximum day count of the last ten
years was recorded on 18 September with 49. The first of the year was seen on 1 April and the last on 14
October.

800 160
700 140
600 120
500 100
400 80
300 60
200 40
100 20

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Max. day count 100 95 147 20 31 206 96 299 123 241
15 16 13 3 9 19 7 19 27 49
First date 27/4 19/5 1/5 12/5 15/4 16/4 1/4
21/4 18/4 18/4

Pieris napi (Linnaeus, 1758) GREEN-VEINED WHITE

The highest count was 27 on 9 May, with only 315 butterfly-days in the whole year, the lowest count in a
decade. The first of the year was seen on 15 April and the last on 1 October.

14000Annual butterfly-day totals 3000
12000 1983 2500
10000 1986 2000
1989 1500
8000 1992 1000
6000 1995 500
4000 1998 0
2000 2001
2004
0 2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Butterfly-days 1016 702 1454 4853 3235 4012 4084 2824 600 315

64: 272-281 275

PRETTYMAN & STANSFIELD

Max. day count 70 87 255 2512 435 506 442 161 53 27

First date 9/4 11/4 19/4 10/4 7/4 12/4 26/3 18/4 11/4 15/4

Anthocharis cardamines (Linnaeus, 1758) ORANGE-TIP

This species was recorded in seven years from 1961 to 1991 including seven in 1970, a breeding record in
1987, and three in 1991. Singles were then seen in 2000, 2001, 2009, 2010 and 2019. In 2020 there was one
in Cristin garden on 4 May.

18 3
16
14
12 2
10

8
61
4
2
00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761) SMALL COPPER

There was a total of 71 butterfly-days this year, the lowest total since 2015. The first record was on 3 May
and the last on 15 October.

May had the highest month total with 41 records, followed by no records between generations in June.
Numbers began to increase from July and the highest month count for the latter half of the year was
only 12 in September.

Small Copper © Steven Stansfield

276 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

BUTTERFLIES

600 60
500 50
400 40
300 30
200 20
100 10

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Max. day count 176 28 47 62 53 82 277 249 229 71
12 5 5 8 10 5 16 26 18 6
First date 15/4 2/5 2/5 14/5 11/5 3/5
12/5 16/5 16/5 21/5

Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg, 1775) COMMON BLUE

The first of the year was seen on 6 May, four days earlier than 2019, and the last was seen on 5 September.
Peak counts for the first generation were 20 in May, and the 26 in August for the second generation.

700 70
600 60
500 50
400 40
300 30
200 20
100 10

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Max. day count 586 209 34 27 30 19 35 147 411 272
26 21 4 5 3 3 5 15 44 26
First date 27/4 15/5 5/6 23/5 10/5 6/5
26/5 23/5 26/5 19/5

Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus, 1758) RED ADMIRAL

This breeding butterfly had a relatively poor year on Bardsey compared to previous years. Numbers had
increased from the 2019 figures however butterfly-days were still among the lowest since 2012. However,
the maximum day count of 122 on 13 June is the highest since 2016.

The first of the year was seen on 9 April, a total of 483 butterfly-days were counted throughout the year
with the last seen on 17 October.

64: 272-281 277

PRETTYMAN & STANSFIELD

1800Annual butterfly-day totals 350
1600 1983 300
1400 1986 250
1200 1989 200
1000 1992 150
1995 100
800 1998 50
600 2001 0
400 2004
200 2007
2010
0 2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Max. day count 444 330 620 1693 708 1415 1489 1196 407 483
45 19 131 199 113 296 19 122
First date 2/4 22/4 6/5 12/3 4/4 28/2 89 59 25/3 9/4
7/2 22/4

Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758) PAINTED LADY

After the invasion experienced in 2019, 2020 was much quieter for this species. A total of 27 butterfly-days
was recorded. The majority of these were seen in August and 26th saw the highest count of five. The first
record was on 5 June and the last record was on 20 September.

Butterfly-days 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Max. day count 18 41 20 59 258 375 304 392 3659 27
3 3 3 9 12 34 49 42 926 5
First date 1/6 2/6 14/4 10/2 22/5 20/4 1/6 5/6
27/2 11/4

Aglais urticae (Linnaeus, 1758) SMALL TORTOISESHELL

The best month for this species was August with 106 of the total 219 butterfly-days. The first of the year
was recorded on 22 March and the last was present on 19 September. The maximum day count of 44 is
the highest in the last ten years.

Annual butterfly-day totals1200 300
19831000 250
1986 200
1989800 150
1992600 100
1995400 50
1998200 0
2001
20040
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Max. day count 542 281 149 271 403 169 168 289 201 219
29 26 18 14 18 35 11 23 11 44
First date 13/3 2/3 6/4 17/3 22/3 13/3 12/3 8/4 23/3 22/3

278 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

BUTTERFLIES

Inachis io (Linnaeus, 1758) PEACOCK

This year saw a decline in numbers compared to the exceptional high counts in 2019. The first was seen
on 22 March and the last seen on 25 September. 7 April produced the largest day count of 17, the lowest
since 2014.

350 60

300 50

250 40
200

30
150

20
100

50 10

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Max. day count 30 15 3 87 268 217 224 184 324 211
5 3 1 11 25 18 24 20 54 17
First date 10/3 30/3 9/3 8/4 23/3 22/3
15/4 25/3 8/4 15/3

Polygonia c-album (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMA
There were two records this year, on 22 April on the Narrows and 24 May at Tŷ Pellaf.

Lasiommata megera (Linnaeus, 1767) WALL
A single was seen on the Mountain on 30 August.

Hipparchia semele (Linnaeus, 1758) GRAYLING

Just 57 individuals were recorded. The first of the year was found on 11 July on the Mountain which is the
most productive habitat for the species on Bardsey. The last was recorded on 9 September.

Annual butterfly-day totals3500 600
19833000 500
19862500 400
19892000 300
19921500 200
19951000 100
1998 0
2001500
20040
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Max. day count 267 80 73 63 249 102 346 539 83 57
66 40 24 16 76 30 67 44 22 15
First date 9/7 8/7 1/7 16/7 12/7 21/6 28/6
24/7 13/7 11/7

64: 272-281 279

PRETTYMAN & STANSFIELD

Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) MEADOW BROWN

This species declined greatly compared to last year, with the butterfly-day total of 417 being less than a
third of 2019. The highest total was in July with 237 butterfly-days and a peak day count of 103 on 24th.
This butterfly is known for emerging in abundance and having a fairly short flight season. The first and last
dates were 1 July and 3 September respectively.

8000Annual butterfly-day totals 1200
7000 1983 1000
6000 1986 800
5000 1989 600
4000 1992 400
3000 1995 200
2000 1998 0
1000 2001
2004
0 2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Max. day count 990 714 363 615 1134 724 1712 3137 1551 417
112 100 63 60 36 155 344 216 103
First date 20/6 5/7 9/7 23/6 82 23/6 17/6 23/6 22/6 1/7
29/6

Pyronia Tithonus (Linnaeus, 1758) GATEKEEPER

This species is usually scarce on Bardsey; 2020 saw two records, one on 29 July on the Narrows and one
on 14 August in Nant Valley.

60 35

50 30
40 25

20
30

15
20 10
10 5

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

4 REFERENCES

Brown, R.D. 2009-2012. Butterfly Reports 2008-2011. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs. 52: 123-126; 53: 142-146; 54:
139-143; 55: 161-166.

Fox, R., Brereton, T.M., Asher, J., August, T.A., Botham, M.S., Bourn, N.A.D., Cruickshanks, K.L., Bulman, C.R.,
Ellis, S., Harrower, C.A., Middlebrook, I., Noble, D.G., Powney, G.D., Randle, Z., Warren, M.S. &
Roy, D.B. 2015. The State of the UK’s Butterflies 2015. Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for
Ecology & Hydrology, Wareham, Dorset.

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BUTTERFLIES

Jones, P.H., Phillips, Wood, J. & V. 1985. Butterflies at Bardsey in 1984. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs.
28: 97-103.

Silcocks, A. F. 1998. Changes in butterfly populations on Bardsey 1994-1997. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs.
41: 48-54.

Stansfield, S.D. 1999-2011. Unpublished reports to CCW for Grant Aided Work in 1998-2011.
Thomas, J. and Lewington, R. 1991. The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland. Dorling Kindersley. p.48.

5 APPENDIX 1

MAXIMUM COUNTS AND TOTALS OF BUTTERFLIES PER MONTH

TABLE 1. MAXIMUM DAILY COUNT OF BUTTERFLIES FOR EACH MONTH

MAM J J A S O Max.
49
Large White 16 4 5 49 1 27
1
Green-veined White 1 27 5 9 7 25 1 6
26
Orange-tip 1 122
5
Small Copper 6 2332 44
17
Common Blue 20 8 9 26 1 1
1
Red Admiral 1 7 122 9 19 34 18 15
103
Painted Lady 1152 1

Small Tortoiseshell 5 4 2 28 3 44 13

Peacock 11 17 1 1 5 4 3

Comma 11

Wall 1

Grayling 2 15 3

Meadow Brown 103 37 2

Gatekeeper 11

TABLE 2. BUTTERFLY-DAY TOTALS PER MONTH

M AM J J A S O Total
241
Large White 16 2 27 18 18 175 1 315
Green-veined White 37
27 153 13 38 26 57 1 1
Orange-tip 71
Small Copper 1 272
Common Blue 483
41 6 9 12 3 27
Red Admiral 219
Painted Lady 118 22 15 116 1 211
Small Tortoiseshell 2
1 17 135 32 77 162 59 1
Peacock 57
Comma 3 1 15 8 417
2
Wall 14 6 36 5 106 36
Grayling
Meadow Brown 99 3 1 33 31 7
Gatekeeper
11

1

9 44 4

237 176 4

11

64: 272-281 281

Moths MOTHS

Ben Porter Annotated list of moths recorded during 2020
George Dunbar
230

Hummingbird Hawk-moth REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

© Jeff Wragg

230

MOTHS

64: 282-295 283

DUNBAR

1 INTRODUCTION

Although moths have been recorded at the Observatory since the 1950s, moth recording has become
an increasingly important aspect of the Observatory’s biodiversity monitoring and educational work in
recent years. A large amount of staff time is now dedicated to promoting the island’s moths amongst all
visiting guests to the island during the Observatory’s ‘Moth Mornings’ which are run daily and have
become very popular. In 2017 for example, over 1000 people attended moth mornings at the
Observatory.

2 METHODS

Normally, a twin 30w Actinic Robinson light trap, situated in the back garden at Cristin, is run on a nightly
basis (weather permitting) between early April and late October. This year however, due to the
installation of electric fridges last year, we did not have the power to run this trap and therefore a
portable Heath trap was run in its place. The Heath trap was deployed on nights where the weather was
favourable as it is less substantial than the twin 30w Actinic Robinson light trap. Another Heath trap was
run on a couple of occasions in March and April. Traps were emptied the following mornings and the
moths identified, recorded and released into safe cover. Moths were identified and recorded in a field
notebook, and subsequently transferred to a database for analysis and report writing. Any species
difficult to identify was either kept for later examination or identified to genus level. The nomenclature
follows that of Bradley (2000).

Ad-hoc sightings were also recorded, such as moths attracted to light in the toilets or buildings, as well
as sightings of day-flying moths found by staff during the daily census, and those found by guests.
Daytime searches were also made for species such as Thrift Clearwing. Sugaring and other methods
were not used this year.

A total of 118 trapping nights were conducted this year with the majority being a single trap at Cristin.
There were 13 trapping nights in March with the first of the year on 19th, 36 trapping nights in April (due
to extra traps being run), 24 in May, 11 in June due to poor weather, 14 in July due to additional traps
being run, 13 in August due to poor weather, four in September and only three nights in October due to
poor weather conditions.

3 RESULTS

This year 141 species of moth were recorded; the total comprised 110 macro-moths and 31 micro-moths,
amongst which were no new species for the island. This comparatively low total is partially due to the
extra trapping effort put in over the previous few years by Ben Porter and Mark Carter who have now
left the island, along with poor weather conditions later in the year, but mainly not being able to use the
Observatory’s ‘main’ trap due to an electricity shortage – this however will be resolved once the new
Solar Panels have been installed.

2020 HIGHLIGHTS

• One new species, Monochroa tenebrella, was added to the island’s list
• Species that are recorded less than annually on Bardsey included, Pebble Prominent,

Puss Moth, Least Black Arches and the nationally scarce White-line Dart

284 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

MOTHS

Total species recorded 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Macro-moths 240 244 245 292 256 230 238 292 169 142
Micro-moths 172 156 158 185 164 164 154 178 139 110
68 88 87 107 92 66 84 114 30 32

3.1 SYSTEMATIC LIST

New species for the island are indicated by an asterisk (*)

Hepialidae ORANGE SWIFT
15 Hepialus sylvina (Linnaeus, 1761)

Seven were caught in the trap at the Observatory, all in August, with one on 18th, three on 21st and a

further three on 31st. They were also regularly attracted to the lights in both the Gents’ and Ladies’ toilets

throughout the month.

17 Hepialus lupulinus (Linnaeus, 1761) COMMON SWIFT
Four were caught on 1 June at Cristin.

18 Hepialus fusconebulosa (DeGeer, 1778) MAP-WINGED SWIFT

Only one individual was recorded this year, attracted to light at Cristin on 24 August.

Zygaenidae SIX-SPOT BURNET
169 Zygaena filipendulae (Linnaeus, 1758)

This day-flying moth is one of the highlights of late spring, seen feeding on the thistles and Meadow Sweet.

58 were recorded this year, with the first being seen on 10 July and the maximum count of 15 on 11th.

Sesiidae THRIFT CLEARWING
383 Synansphecia muscaeformis (Esper, 1783)

A total of 16 individuals were seen this year in areas of Thrift on the West Coast and South End.

Plutellidae DIAMOND-BACK MOTH
464 Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758)

Two were caught in the trap at Cristin in April on 20th and 22nd. In June, 25 were seen along the West

Coast in the day time between 13th and 14th, and the final three of the year were caught on 26th.

Oecophoridae
640 Batia lunaris (Donovan, 1793)

Three individuals were caught this year at Cristin on 26 June.

647 Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Stainton, 1849) BROWN HOUSE-MOTH

Only one individual was caught this year at Cristin on 10 August.

648 Endrosis sarcitrella (Linnaeus, 1758) W H I T E - S H O U L D E R E D H O U S E - M O T H

A single record came from the Cristin light trap on 16 August.

649 Esperia sulphurella (Fabricius, 1775)
A single individual was seen behind the Observatory building on 28 May.

688 Aganopterix heracliana (Linnaeus, 1758)
One was recorded in the Cristin light trap on 22 March and a further five were caught in July.

692 Agonopterix subpropinquella (Stainton, 1849)
A single was caught at Cristin on 26 June.

64: 282-295 285

DUNBAR

706 Agonopterix nervosa (Haworth, 1811)
Five were recorded this year in the light trap at Cristin, all were caught in June.

7035 Monochroa tenebrella (Hübner, 1817) *

A single individual swept from vegetation along the main track on 9 July 2020 was subsequently

confirmed by dissection and constitutes the first island

Blastobasidae
873 Blastobasis adustella (Walsingham, 1894)

One of the commonest micro moths caught at Cristin this year, with the first of 40 individuals being caught

on 11 July and the peak catch of 12 being had on 14 August.

Tortricidae
937 Agapeta hamana (Linnaeus, 1758)

One was caught this year at Cristin on 26 June.

972 Pandemis heparana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) D A R K F R U I T - T R E E T O R T R I X

Only two were caught this year at Cristin, one each in July and August.

981 Archips rosana (Linnaeus, 1758) ROSE TORTRIX
Two were caught at Cristin, one in July and one in August.

994 Clepsis consimilana (Hübner, [1817])
One was caught at Cristin on 16 July.

1042 Acleris rhombana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) RHOMBOID TORTRIX

A single was caught in the trap at Cristin on 15 August; the only record of the year.

1076 Celypha lacunana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Five individuals were caught this year at Cristin, all in June.

1110 Bactra furfurana (Haworth, 1811)
One caught on 16 August was the only record of the year.

1163 Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana (Linnaeus, 1758) SPRUCE BUD MOTH
The only record of the year of this moth was recorded on 10 July.

1175 Epiblema uddmanniana (Linnaeus, 1758) BRAMBLE SHOOT MOTH

Twelve individuals of this distinctive micro were caught this year, 10 were in June and there was one

each in July and August.

1205 Spilonota ocellana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) BUD MOTH
A single record of this moth was had on 22 July.

Crambidae
1293 Chrysoteuchia culmella (Linnaeus, 1758)

A very abundant micro in the traps, particularly in June when 36 individuals were caught, a further six

were caught in July and August.

1302 Crambus perlella (Scopoli, 1763)
The three individuals this year were all caught in June.

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MOTHS

1305 Agriphila tristella ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Fifteen individuals caught this year were all caught in August, with the peak count of five on 14th.

1334 Scoparia ambigualis (Treitschke, 1829)
Six were caught this year, with singles in June and July and four in August.

1342 Eudonia angustea (Curtis, 1827)
One on 10 August was the only record of the year.

1365 Pyrausta despicata (Scopoli, 1763)
This is one of the most frequently recorded day flying micro-moths. It has two distinct generations, one in
May and the second at the end of July and through August. The largest day count was an estimated
260 on 6 September.

1376 Anania hortulata (Linnaeus, 1758) SMALL MAGPIE
Singles were caught in both May and June.

1398 Udea ferrugalis (Hübner, 1796) RUSTY-DOT PEARL
One was caught at Cristin on 21 May.

1398 Nomophila noctuella ([Denis and Schiffermüller], 1775) RUSH VENEER
One was caught at Cristin on 1 June.

1405 Pleuroptya ruralis (Scopoli, 1763) MOTHER OF PEARL
A single was taken from the trap at Cristin on 16 July.

Pyralidae BEE MOTH
1428 Aphomia sociella (Scopoli, 1763)

Four individuals were caught this year with two each in June and August.

1442 Pempelia palumbella ([Denis and Schiffermüller], 1775)
One individual was caught at Cristin on 15 June.

1462 Deplanqueia dilutella ([Denis and Schiffermüller], 1775)
Two were caught in the Cristin light trap on 26 June

Lasiocampidae LACKEY
1634 Malacosoma neustria (Linnaeus, 1758)

After the annual showing of the caterpillars of these moths in May, seen in their hundreds coming out of

their silk tents, there were far fewer adults later in the year. Almost all records this year were from June,

with 95 of the 133 adults caught in that month. A max count of 83 was reached on 26 June between two

traps, both at Cristin.

1637 Lasiocampa quercus callunae (Linnaeus, 1758) NORTHERN EGGAR

A total of 11 were trapped or seen this year, with the first on 30 July and the last on 26 August. The highest

counts came from the Cristin trap with four on 14 August.

1640 Euthrix potatoria (Linnaeus, 1758) DRINKER

Ten were recorded this year at Cristin, singles in June and July and the rest in August, with the peak count

of five being had on 16th.

Drepanidae CHINESE CHARACTER
1651 Cilix glaucata (Scopoli, 1763)

Four were caught in August, with three on 15th.

64: 282-295 287

DUNBAR

1653 Habrosyne pyritoides (Hufnagel, 1766) BUFF ARCHES
Two were caught at Cristin in July, with the first being on 11th.

Geometridae GRASS EMERALD
1665 Pseudoterpna pruinata (Waler, 1863)

This species was recorded on four occasions made up of four individuals. The first was on 26 June and

the last on 16 July.

1689 Scopula marginepunctata (Goeze, 1781) MULLEIN WAVE

This species has two distinct generations. The first yielded nine individuals in May and June with the first

two on 28 May, and a peak count of six on 26th; the second generation yielded six individuals, with all

of them being caught in August.

1702 Idaea biselata (Hufnagel, 1767) SMALL FAN-FOOTED WAVE
Three were caught, all at Cristin during August.

1708 Idaea dimidiata (Hufnagel, 1767) SINGLE-DOTTED WAVE
Two were caught this year at Cristin, both in August.

1713 Idaea aversata (Linnaeus, 1758) RIBAND WAVE

Nine were caught this year, the first three were on 15 June, the last of the year was on 17 July.

1716 Rhodometra scararia (Linnaeus, 1758) VESTAL
One was seen near Cristin Withy on 17 September, with two the following day near Tŷ Pellaf.

1728 Xanthorhoe fluctuata (Linnaeus, 1758) GARDEN CARPET
Only one was caught this year on 17 May.

1738 Epirrhoe alternata (Müller, 1764) COMMON CARPET
Six individuals were caught, two each in May, June and August.

1740 Epirrhoe galiata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) GALIUM CARPET

This year there were five records. The first was on 15 June, and the last attracted to the light trap at Cristin

on 16 August.

1742 Camptogramma bilineata (Linnaeus, 1758) YELLOW SHELL
One was caught this year on 28 May.

1752 Cosmorhoe ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758) PURPLE BAR

This easily recognisable species was recorded on six occasions, and reached its peak count of four on

16 August.

1764 Chloroclysta truncata (Hufnagel, 1767) COMMON MARBLED CARPET

Five individuals of this variable species were trapped at Cristin this year, two in May and three in August.

1769 Thera obeliscata (Hübner, [1787]) GREY PINE CARPET
One individual was caught on 15 June at Cristin.

1769 Thera britannica (Hufnagel, 1767) SPRUCE CARPET

There were two records of this conifer feeding moth species this year; in the first generation, two were

caught at Nant on 10 April, and a single was caught at Cristin in the second generation on 10 August.

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MOTHS

1776 Colostygia pectinataria (Knoch, 1781) GREEN CARPET

There were again only two records from the second generation in August on 24th and 27th.

1777 Hydriomena furcata (Thunberg, 1784) JULY HIGHFLYER

A total of four individuals was caught this year, one in July, and three in August.

1817 Eupithecia pulchellata (Stephens, 1831) FOXGLOVE PUG

This was by far the most common species of pug seen, with a huge total of 96 moths caught. The first

and last records came from 28 May and 10 July. The largest count of 57 was had on 15 June.

1825 Eupithecia centaureata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) LIME-SPECK PUG
The only record this year was a single caught at Cristin on 26 June.

1832 Eupithecia assimilata (Doubleday, 1856) CURRANT PUG
Four were caught this year in May.

1834 Eupithecia vulgata (Haworth, 1809) COMMON PUG
A single was caught this year on 8 June.

1852 Eupithecia abbreviata (Stephens, 1831) BRINDLED PUG
Two were caught at Cristin on 9 April.

1858 Chloroclystis v-ata (Haworth, 1809) V-PUG
One record of this distinctive pug species was caught at the Plantation on 9 April.

1860 Pasiphila rectangulata (Linnaeus, 1758) GREEN PUG
Two records of this pug species were had in June, one each on 15th and 26th.

1862 Gymnoscelis rufifasciata (Haworth, 1809) DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG

This year ten individuals were recorded in April and a further 19 individuals in June and July, with the peak

count of 17 being recorded on 26 June.

1884 Abraxas grossulariata (Linnaeus, 1758) MAGPIE

This conspicuous species is one of the best known moths and often seen during the day. This year saw 14

individuals recorded between 26 June and 16 August.

1902 Petrophora chlorosata (Scopoli, 1763) BROWN SILVER-LINE
There were two individuals recorded this year in May.

1906 Opisthograptis luteolata (Linnaeus, 1758) BRIMSTONE MOTH

This Blackthorn and Hawthorn eating moth was recorded in low numbers this year, with just one record

when a single was caught at Cristin on 14 August.

1917 Selenia dentaria (Fabricius, 1775) EARLY THORN

This species has two generations; nine were caught in the first generation with the first two being caught

on 27 March and the last three on 10 April. In the second generation, only one was caught on 10 August.

1920 Odontopera bidentata (Clerck, 1759) SCALLOPED HAZEL
One was caught at Cristin on 21 May

1921 Crocallis elinguaria (Linnaeus, 1758) SCALLOPED OAK

The 15 individuals recorded this year was a better showing than last year from this broadleaf feeder that

has a short flight season of just a month or so. 14 of the 15 records were in July, with the first on 3rd and

the last on 11 August.

64: 282-295 289

DUNBAR

1937 Peribatodes rhomboidaria ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) WILLOW BEAUTY

There were 13 records from traps at Cristin and Tŷ Capel. The first was three on 16 June and the last was

a single on 16 August.

1964 Charissa obscurata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) THE ANNULET

The only record of this heathland specialist was on 16 August when one was caught at Cristin.

Sphingidae HUMMINGBIRD HAWKMOTH
1984 Macroglossum stellatarum (Linnaeus, 1758)

This year the first was on 20 March when one was caught in the light trap at Cristin, presumably this

overwintered here. A further 15 were seen in the field, the last was on 16 October, with the peak count

of six being had on 26th June on the East Side of the island.

1992 Deilephila porcellus (Linnaeus, 1758) SMALL ELEPHANT HAWKMOTH

There were seven records this year. The first was on 31 May and the last was of six on 1 June.

Notodontidae BUFF-TIP
1994 Phalera bucephala (Linnaeus, 1758)

Only one was caught this year on 11 July at Cristin.

1995 Cerura vinula (Linnaeus, 1758) PUSS MOTH
One was caught in a mist net in the Cristin garden on 26 April.

2003 Notodonta ziczac (Esper, 1783) PEBBLE PROMINENT

Two were caught in the garden at Cristin, the first on 26 June and the last on 14 August.

Lymantriidae YELLOW-TAIL
2030 Euproctis similis (Fuessly, 1775)

There were 54 individuals caught this year in July and August, with the peak catch being of 16 on 10

August.

Arctiidae DINGY FOOTMAN
2044 Eilema griseola (Linnaeus, 1758)

Six individuals were caught in August with the peak catch of four on 10 August

2047 Eilema complana (Linnaeus, 1758) SCARCE FOOTMAN

This species feeds on lichen and algae and was a common feature in traps throughout July and August,

with 41 of the 43 records. The first was on 26 June and the last on 16 August and the largest catch was

made up of 15 individuals at Cristin on 10 August.

2057 Arctia caja (Linnaeus, 1758) GARDEN TIGER

Only 28 of these stunning grass feeding moths were caught this year. The first four were in June on 26th

and the rest were spread throughout July and August, with the last record on 11th. A far cry from the

days of 80-100 per night a few years ago.

2060 Spilosoma lubricipeda (Linnaeus, 1758) WHITE ERMINE

27 were recorded this year with one in April, one in May, 19 in June and six in July. The first was on 26 April

and the last was on 17 July with a peak count of seven on 15 June at Cristin.

2061 Spilosoma luteum (Hufnagel, 1766) BUFF ERMINE
This year ten were recorded, four in June and six in July.

290 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

MOTHS

2064 Phragmatobia fuliginosa (Linnaeus, 1758) RUBY TIGER

This species was recorded just twice this year ,with three individuals caught at Cristin in August.

Nolidae LEAST BLACK ARCHES
2078 Nola confusalis (Herrich-Schäffer, 1847)

After being added to the island’s list last year, a further two were caught on 8 June.

Noctuidae SQUARE-SPOT DART
2080 Euxoa obelisca grisea (Tutt, 1902)

14 individuals of this nationally scarce species found on rocky coastal areas were recorded in August.

This species appears to be a stable breeder on Bardsey, probably feeding on Lady’s Bedstraw which is

abundant.

2081 Euxoa tritici (Linnaeus, 1761) WHITE-LINE DART

A single example of this species was found in the trap at Cristin on 15 September. This species is less than

annual on Bardsey and so a good record for this year.

2089 Agrotis exclamationis (Linnaeus, 1758) HEART AND DART

This year, 141 individuals were caught, with 14 in May, 116 in June, and 11 in July with the highest count

of 47 coming on 26 June. The first record came on 27 May, and the last on 16 July.

2090 Agrotis trux lunigera (Hübner, [1824]) CRESCENT DART

This species was recorded through July, with 363 of this year’s 411 individuals caught during this month.

The first and last records came on 16 June and 16 August, with the peak count of 93 recorded on 16 July.

2091 Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel, 1766) DARK SWORD-GRASS

This year, six individuals were recorded in March and singles were had in April, May, June, July and

August.

2098 Axylia putris (Linnaeus, 1761) FLAME
One was attracted to the light trap at Cristin on 26 June.

2102 Ochropleura plecta (Linnaeus, 1761) FLAME SHOULDER

16 were caught this year, the first came on 27 May, and the last was caught on 15 August.

2104 Standfussiana lucernea (Linnaeus, 1758) NORTHERN RUSTIC

Two individuals were caught this year, one on 26 June and one on 11 July.

2107 Noctua pronuba (Linnaeus, 1758) LARGE YELLOW UNDERWING

This moth is very commonly caught throughout most of the year and can become extremely abundant.

This year 155 were recorded, with the first coming on 27 May and the last recorded on 15 September.

The busiest month was August with 57 caught, the highest total was 27 seen on 26 June.

2109 Noctua comes Hübner, [1813] LESSER YELLOW UNDERWING

Seven individuals of the second generation were caught, with four in July and three in August.

2111 Noctua janthe (Borkhausen, 1792) LESSER BROAD-BORDERED
Eight individuals were caught, all in August. YELLOW UNDERWING

2118 Lycophotia porphyrea ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) TRUE LOVER’S KNOT

42 were trapped, with the first on 15 June and the last on 16 August, with a peak count of 12 on 16 July.

64: 282-295 291

DUNBAR

2120 Diarsia mendica (Fabricius, 1775) INGRAILED CLAY

The majority of records came from July with 26 of 38. The first record was of six on 26 June and the last

was one on 16 August.

2123 Diarsia rubi (Vieweg, 1790) SMALL SQUARE-SPOT

Usual numbers are in excess of 500 and in two distinct generations, but this year no second generation

moths were caught and only one was trapped on 27 May.

2126 Xestia c-nigrum (Linnaeus, 1758) SETACEOUS HEBREW CHARACTER

Six individuals were caught, all of the second generation in August.

2127 Xestia ditrapezium ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) TRIPLE-SPOTTED CLAY

All 13 records of this species came from July, with the highest consisting of three individuals in the trap at

Cristin on 16th.

2134 Xestia xanthographa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) SQUARE-SPOT RUSTIC

The first was on 10 July; September was the best month with 20 individuals trapped, the last record was

one caught on 7 October.

2139 Cerastis rubricosa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) RED CHESTNUT

Ten individuals were caught this year, six in March and four in April, the last of which was on 10th.

2145 Discestra trifolii (Hufnagel, 1766) THE NUTMEG
Two individuals were caught this year, one on 20 March and one on 27 May.

2147 Hada plebeja (Hufnagel, 1766) SHEARS
Only 14 were caught at Cristin this year between 27 May and 16 July.

2160 Lacanobia oleracea (Linnaeus, 1758) BRIGHT-LINE BROWN-EYE

A common moth in the traps throughout June and July with 18 caught in total throughout the year. June

proved the best month with 12 caught and the first and last dates were 16 June and 21 July.

2163 Melanchra pisi (Linnaeus, 1758) BROOM MOTH
This year only two were recorded, with singles on 26 June and 16 July.

2171 Hadena confusa (Hufnagel, 1766) MARBLED CORONET

Only two were individuals were caught, with one on 22 April and one on 28 May.

2176 Cerapteryx graminis (Linnaeus, 1758) ANTLER MOTH

An attractively marked noctuid that emerges in late summer, Antler moths were caught on three dates

in August and one date in September consisting of 12 individuals.

2182 Orthosia cruda ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) SMALL QUAKER
One individual was caught at Cristin on 19 March.

2182 Orthosia miniosa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) BLOSSOM UNDERWING

One individual of this less-than-annual moth was caught at Cristin on 27 March.

2187 Orthosia cerasi (Fabricius, 1775) COMMON QUAKER

A total of 82 individuals were caught; this early flying species was recorded throughout March from 19th,

and the last record was of four on 26 April.

292 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS