Bardsey's Wildlife 2019

GALLERY

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GALLERY

White Wagtail © LMH Reed Bunting © LMH
Redshank © SDS Knot © LMH

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GALLERY

Firecrest © LMH
Red-breasted Flycatcher © GD

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GALLERY

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GALLERY

Section three

Non-avian reports

Painted Lady
© Steven Stansfield

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Migrant Hawker NON-AVIAN FAUNA GALLERY

© Lewis Hooper Annotated species list of non-avian fauna in 2019

248 Lewis Hooper, Emma Stansfield and Kevin Clements

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Non-avian fauna

Lewis Hooper and Kevin Clements

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HOOPER, STANSFIELD & CLEMENTS

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 2019 records of non-avian animals that were collected are summarised below,
these include records of woodlice, millipedes and centipedes collected by Kevin Clements, and spiders
collected by Luke Anderson.

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 just before the breeding season in August when 267 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.

300

250

Daily count of birds 200

150

100

50

0 F A JJ A S ND
J M M O

Fig1. Daily number of Grey Seals on Bardsey in 2019

Max. count M A M J J A S O
Seal-days 111 152 204 177 225 267 135 103
900 1601 2800 1723 2705 3542 1786 1355
Days recorded 14 25 28 20 27 30 25 29

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Seal Pups born on Bardsey NON-AVIAN FAUNA

In total 54 pups were born this year (see map), the first of which was found in Henllwyn on 2 September
along with another on the same day on the West Coast (seven days earlier than the first pup in 2018).
The majority of pups were born on either side of the Narrows, but an increasing number of females are
giving birth along the West Coast and the west side of the Narrows, including Solfach which was more
populated than ever this year. There were a few Atlantic storms for the pups to contend with this year,
but they seemed to do well and only a handful of young did not survive.
Twins were discovered on the southern side of Henllwyn. This is an extremely rare event and has never
been recorded before on Bardsey. Both pups were born hours apart and seen to be fed by the same
mother at different intervals and, although one was slightly smaller than the other, they both survived.

60
50
40
30
20
10

0

Fig1. Annual number of Grey Seal pups born on Bardsey 1988-2019

Grey Seal pup © Steven Stansfield
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019

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Table 1 Seal Pupping dates – See map

Pup Date Pup Date Pup Date
1 02/09 19 24/09 37 01/10
2 02/09 20 24/09 38 01/10
3 10/09 21 25/09 39 03/10
4 10/09 22 26/06 40 04/10
5 11/09 23 26/09 41 05/10
6 13/09 24 26/09 42 05/10
7 15/09 25 26/09 43 05/10
8 15/09 26 27/09 44 05/10
9 17/09 27 27/06 45 08/10
17/09 28 28/09 46 08/10
10 18/09 29 28/09 47 08/10
11 20/09 30 28/09 48 18/10
12 21/09 31 28/09 49 18/10
13 22/09 32 30/09 50 19/10
14 24/09 33 01/10 51 24/10
15 24/09 34 01/10 52 26/10
16 24/09 35 01/10 53 26/10
17 24/09 36 01/10 54 30/10
18 55 09/12

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

01/09/2019
05/09/2019
09/09/2019
13/09/2019
17/09/2019
21/09/2019
25/09/2019
29/09/2019
03/10/2019
07/10/2019
11/10/2019
15/10/2019
19/10/2019
23/10/2019
27/10/2019
31/10/2019
04/11/2019
08/11/2019
12/11/2019
16/11/2019
20/11/2019
24/11/2019
28/11/2019
02/12/2019
06/12/2019
10/12/2019

Fig. 2 Number of new Grey Seal pups per day

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NON-AVIAN FAUNA

Fig. 3 Grey Seal distribution 253

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Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1759 COMMON SEAL

This year there were five sightings of Common Seal, involving at least two individuals. They were seen on
26 March, 27 May, 1 July, 19-21 August, and 1 September.

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 three Bardsey records.

Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) HARBOUR PORPOISE

The first record of the year was of a single animal seen from the South End on 21 March. April saw records
on seven dates, with 11 on 21st the peak count. There were just two records in both May and June, with
respective peaks of two and one, and then four records in both July and August with peaks of six and
seven. September and October saw just one record each, a single in September and three in October.

MAM J J A S O

Max. count 2 11 2 1 6 7 1 3

Porpoise-days 3 26 3 2 12 11 1 3

Days recorded 2 7 2 2 4 4 1 1

Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN

There were two records in March; five were seen on 23rd and another on 26th. April produced singles on
15th and 27th. May saw two animals on three dates; 5th, 7th and 27th. There were no records in June,
but another two were recorded on 29 July. August saw singles on 18th and 19th. Overall a good showing
for this less than frequent species in Bardsey waters.

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

The first record of the year involved two individuals off the west coast on 4 July. Five were then seen on
16th and a further 14 on 29th. There were 14 records in August, 11 of which were in single figures between
two and eight animals, however, 12 were counted on both 8th and 25th, and the month’s peak of 23 on
27th. In the first half of September there were ten records, again most were in single figures, but the year’s
maximum count came on 9th when a pod of 24 were counted. There were no records in late September,
but October produced six records in the first two weeks, four counts were in single figures, with 16 on 7th
and 12 the following day.

Risso’s Dolphins © Martin Hosier

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NON-AVIAN FAUNA

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

The first record of the year was a pod of 23 animals seen off the west side of the island on 4 July. August
produced three records, 18 were counted on 8th, with ten on 13th and two on 18th. In September, four
were seen on 7th from the east side of the island, with 12 off the North End on 8th. Two were seen on 12th
and a further seven on 27th. A good showing for this small species of dolphin.

Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Lacepede, 1804) MINKE WHALE

A blow from a whale species was seen twice from the South End on 25 April and was thought to be from
this species.

Pipistrellus sp (Schreber, 1774) PIPISTRELLE SP.

A single was seen at the Observatory on 5 July. We await results of data collected by the ANABAT
recorder from Cristin to confirm species specific identity.

Plecotus auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) BROWN LONG-EARED BAT

A single was accidently caught during a Storm Petrel ringing session at Nant on 26 August.

Apodemus sylvaticus (Linnaeus, 1758) WOOD MOUSE

No specific counts were made this year although Wood Mice were seen throughout year. Dissection of
Barn Owl pellets from Nant contained many jaw bones of Wood Mice.

Sorex araneus (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMON SHREW

Singles were recorded in small numbers at Cristin and from Plas. 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

Several were found under the corrugated iron sheets and rocks around Cristin. Sightings were common
throughout the summer and a number of young were found in May.

Lissotriton helveticus (Razoumowsky, 1789) PALMATE NEWT

There were few records this year, but individuals were seen in both the small pond behind Cristin and
Nant Pond.

3.3 INVERTEBRATES

3.3.1 MYRIAPODS AND ISOPODS

CHILOPODS – CENTIPEDES

Strigamia maritima (Leach, 1817) MARITIME CENTIPEDE
One was found at Solfach on 21 September.

Lithobius forficatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Up to three individuals were found at the Lime Kiln, Pen Cristin, Tŷ Pellaf and the Schoolhouse on 26
September and the Boat House on 30th.

DIPLOPODS – MILLIPEDES

Glomeris marginata (Villers, 1789) PILL MILLIPEDE

Individuals were seen at Pen Cristin, Tŷ Pellaf and the Schoolhouse on 26 September.

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ISOPODS – WOODLICE

Haplophthalmus mengii (Zaddach, 1844)
Four individuals were found at the Lime Kiln on 26 September.

Philoscia muscorum (Scopoli, 1763) COMMON STRIPED WOODLOUSE

Individuals were seen at Cristin and the Lime Kiln on 26 September.

Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii Brandt, 1833 ANT WOODLOUSE

A total of 15 individuals were counted at the Lime Kiln on 26 September, with three at Cristin on 27th.

Oniscus asellus Linnaeus, 1758 COMMON SHINY WOODLOUSE

Individuals were seen at the Boat House, Cristin, Lime Kiln, Nant, Pen Cristin, Tŷ Pellaf and the Schoolhouse
during the period 22 to 30 September.

Porcellio dilatatus Brandt, 1833
An exceptional count of eight individuals was made at the Lime Kiln on 26 September.

Porcellio scaber Latreille, 1804 COMMON ROUGH WOODLOUSE

Individuals were noted at Cristin, Nant and Pen Cristin during the period 22 to 30 September.

Porcellio spinicornis Say, 1818 PAINTED WOODLOUSE

Two were found at the Abbey on 22 September and one was seen at the Boat House on 30th. These
remain the only sites on Bardsey for a species that was discovered as recently as 2016.

Painted Woodlouse © Kevin Clements

Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille, 1804) COMMON PILL WOODLOUSE

A total of 13 individuals were found at the Lime Kiln on 26 September, with smaller numbers at Cristin, Pen
Cristin and the Schoolhouse the same day.

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NON-AVIAN FAUNA

3.3.1 ODONATA - DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES

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

This species is now by far the most abundant damselfly on Bardsey and is mostly seen round the largest
area of water on the island, Pwll Cain, but also at Nant Pond and many of the smaller waterbodies. The
first records this year were in mid-May with insects recorded daily when the weather was suitable until
early August. A count around Pwll Cain on 15 July produced nine males.

Aeshna mixta (Latreille, 1805) MIGRANT HAWKER

This species was rare in the UK until the 1940s when it began migrating from the continent in large
numbers. It continues to do so and is now a resident breeding species throughout England and Wales.
This year saw 24 individuals recorded on Bardsey from 15 August, when five were seen behind Nant, until
6 October when two were seen around Nant and Ty Capel.

Sympetrum fonscolombii (Selys, 1840) RED-VEINED DARTER

Red-veined Darter is a widespread and common species in much of central and southern Europe
including most Mediterranean islands, North Africa, the Middle East, Mongolia, south-western Asia,
including the Indian Subcontinent, the Indian Ocean Islands and Sri Lanka. In Europe it is resident in the
south of its range but in some years it migrates northward. From the 1990s onwards it has increasingly
been found in northwest Europe, including Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Britain and Ireland.

It was quite a good year for this species on Bardsey, and in the UK in general, with lots of records on the
south coast of England. Eight individuals were recorded at the end of June. Two were seen in the lane
near the Boathouse on 26 June, with five individuals seen on the South End on 27th and another in the
Withies on 30th.

Red-veined darter © Steven Stansfield

Sympetrum striolatum (Charpentier, 1840) COMMON DARTER

The only record of the year was of two on 21 September, one was in the Withies and another was at
Nant.

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3.3.2 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.

Leptoglossus occidentalis (Scopoli, 1763) WESTERN CONIFER SEED BUG

One was found at the Observatory on 6 October. This species is native to North America which was
recently accidently introduced to Europe through the timber trade. 2008 saw a large influx to the south
coast of the UK and they have spread since then. The first record for Bardsey was in 2009 and they have
been just about annual since.

2.3.3 HYMENOPTERA – BEES, WASPS AND ANTS

Bees were not systematically recorded this year on Bardsey; however, several species were identified,
but their abundance was not logged.

2.3.3.1 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
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 terrestris (Linnaeus, 1761) BUFF-TAILED BUMBLEBEE

This species was recorded regularly around the island’s gardens from February to September. It was often
seen around the Plantation feeding in the brambles.

Bombus hortorum (Linnaeus, 1761) GARDEN BUMBLEBEE

This species was commonly seen around the Observatory and various other gardens on the island as well
as a single wandering individual seen on the Narrows. Clover Trifolium sp had a good flowering year and
this species was often seen taking advantage of this.

Bombus lapidarius (Linnaeus, 1758) RED-TAILED BUMBLEBEE

This species is scarce on Bardsey and hard to find. The few individuals that were seen were around the
Plantation at the end of July and the beginning of August.

Bombus pascuorum (Scopoli, 1763) COMMON CARDER-BEE

This is by far the most common bumblebee seen on the island at almost any time of the year. Flowers
across the island were often covered in them. 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.

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NON-AVIAN FAUNA

2.3.4 DIPTERA – FLIES

2.3.5.1 SYRPHIDAE – HOVERFLIES

Volucella zonaria (Linnaeus, 1758) HORNET MIMIC HOVERFLY

A few individuals of this large species were seen on the Mint Mentha sp. at the Observatory and at the
Plantation. This species mimics the size and colouration of a European Hornet Vespa crabro.

Hornet Mimic Hoverfly © Lewis Hooper

Scaeva pyrastri (Linnaeus, 1758) PIED HOVERFLY
A few individuals were seen of this species, mostly around the Plantation.

2.4 Miscellaneous Invertebrates

Rhizostoma pulmo (Linnaeus, 1758) BARREL JELLYFISH

This species was regularly seen off the coast, generally in the latter half of the year. It was mostly seen in
ones and twos, in deeper waters such as off the East Side of the island and around the South and North
End.

Aurelia aurita (Linnaeus, 1758) MOON JELLYFISH

Moon Jellyfish were seen regularly offshore, or washed up onto the beaches. They are easily recognised
by the four rings seen through the translucent white bell. The largest number came in early September
when in excess of 100 were seen washed up and in the shallow waters around Cafn.

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Clouded Yellow BUTTERFLIES HOOPER, STANSFIELD & CLEMENTS

© Richard Leighton Annotated species list of butterflies in 2019

260 Lewis Hooper and Steven Stansfield

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BUTTERFLIES

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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 2019 were analysed and summarised in
the following systematic list and the accompanying tables.

3 RESULTS

A total of 17 species was recorded this year, two fewer than last year, though this included a new species
for the island.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Number of species 16 15 14 13 16 18 15 15 19 17

The most notable event of the year was the influx of Painted Ladies, with an arrival of over a million
individuals estimated throughout the whole of the UK. Bardsey was no exception to the influx: a total of
3648 butterfly-days were recorded, the highest total since 2009. The aforementioned new species for
Bardsey came in the form of a Brown Argus seen near the Narrows in August; new species of butterfly for
the island are scarce, so this really was a good find. The Common Blue, a very similar species to the Brown
Argus, had a very good year, the best showing since 2011; a bumper 451 butterfly-days were recorded,
compared to just 147 the previous year. Peacocks also had a very good year with a total count almost
double that of 2018 and the largest count of the last decade. Clouded Yellows are a late migrant and
the warm southerly winds in late summer meant that although this species is not quite annual, three this
year was above average for the island. The ‘whites’ did not do so well, with Large White and Green-
veined White being down on last year by over 50%, with Green-veined Whites being less than a quarter
of those in 2018. The Small White has struggled in recent times with less than ten records per year until the
boom in 2018 when 64 were counted. This year the numbers were half that, but still well up on the
average.

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BUTTERFLIES

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.

Colias croceus (Geoffroy, 1785) CLOUDED YELLOW

This vagrant butterfly is always a welcome sight towards the end of summer, this year only three were
seen: one was on the Narrows on 30 June (RL), one was at the North End near a patch of Water Mint on
24 August (LMH) and a later one was seen on 20 September at Nant (KMC).

90 16

80 14
70 12
60 10
50 8
40
30 6
20 4
10 2

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758) LARGE WHITE

This species had a fairly poor year in comparison to 2018 and to the last decade, the number of butterfly-
days totalled 123 this year compared with 299 in 2018. Although the maximum day count was up to 27
on 29 July. The first of the year was seen on 16 April and the last on 1 October.

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

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 122 100 95 147 20 31 206 96 299 123
12 15 16 13 3 9 19 7 19 27
First date 6/5 27/4 19/5 1/5 12/5 15/4 16/4
21/4 18/4 18/4

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HOOPER & STANSFIELD

Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758) SMALL WHITE

The Small White is a species that has struggled on Bardsey over the last decade, but a large increase in
the population size in 2018 resulted in good numbers seen this year. There were 30 butterfly-days this year
with April the best month when 16 were counted. The first sighting of the year was on 11 April and the
last on 17 September.

800 140

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

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 9 1 12 15 35 13 3 6 64 30
3 1 4 2 9 4 2 2 8 5
First date 2/5 6/6
3/5 23/7 10/8 18/4 10/10 13/4 10/5 11/4

Pieris napi (Linnaeus, 1758) GREEN-VEINED WHITE

Although this is usually the most abundant species seen in spring, the highest count was 53 on 15 May,
with only 309 butterfly-days in the whole month, and 600 in the year, the lowest count in a decade. The
first of the year was seen on 11 April and the last on 28 September.

Annual butterfly-day totals14000 3000
198312000 2500
198810000 2000
1993 1500
19988000 1000
20036000 500
20084000 0
20132000
2018
0
Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 6505 1016 702 1454 4853 3235 4012 4084 2824 600
1500 87 255 2512 435 506 442 161 53
First date 9/4 70 11/4 19/4 10/4 7/4 12/4 26/3 18/4 11/4
9/4

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

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BUTTERFLIES

1987, and three in 1991. Singles were seen in 2000, 2001, 2009 and 2010. Orange-tip larvae feed on tall
crucifers, including Cuckooflower which is common on Bardsey, and the males will wander widely in
search of these plants. Although common elsewhere, it remains scarce on Bardsey. In 2019 there was
one on the South End on 21 April, with two at Nant on 23rd, and one at Nant on 6 June.

16 4
14
12 3
10

82
6
41
2
00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761) SMALL COPPER

There were a total of 229 butterfly-days this year, the third year in a row when numbers reached three
figures following the severe population crash in 2012. The first record was on 11 May and the last one on
24 October.

After few records between generations in June with only six butterfly-days, numbers began to increase
in July and the highest daily count was on 8 August with 18 individuals.

Small Copper © Lewis Hooper

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 104 176 28 47 62 53 82 277 249 229
12 5 5 8 10 5 16 26 18
First date 8 15/4 2/5 2/5 14/5 11/5
24/4 12/5 16/5 16/5 21/5

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HOOPER & STANSFIELD 60
50
600 40
500 30
400 20
300 10
200 0
100

0
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Aricia agestis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) BROWN ARGUS

One, seen and photographed between the Withies and the Narrows on 5 August, was the first record for
Bardsey (SDS). The identification was confirmed from photographs.

Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg, 1775) COMMON BLUE

This species had its best year since 2011 with 411 butterfly-days, and a total of 264 second generation
individuals seen in August. The first of the year was seen 13 days earlier than 2018 on 10 May and the last
was seen on 6 October on the Narrows.

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

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 582 586 209 34 27 30 19 35 147 411
50 26 21 4 5 3 3 5 15 44
First date 6/5 27/4 15/5 5/6 23/5 10/5
26/5 23/5 26/5 19/5

Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus, 1758) RED ADMIRAL

This fairly common breeding butterfly had a relatively poor year on Bardsey compared to previous years.
Numbers fell to those of the 2012 figures for peak day-counts and also saw the lowest number of butterfly-
days since 2012.

The first of the year was seen on 25 March, a total of 407 butterfly-days were counted throughout the
year with the last seen on 22 October. The highest day count was just 19 on 21 September.

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1800Annual butterfly-day totals BUTTERFLIES
1600 1983
1400 1988 350
1200 1993 300
1000 1998 250
2003 200
800 2008 150
600 2013 100
400 2018 50
200 0
Year's daily maxima
0

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 391 444 330 620 1693 708 1415 1489 1196 407
28 45 19 131 199 113 296 19
First date 5/4 2/4 22/4 6/5 12/3 4/4 28/2 89 59 25/3
7/2 22/4

Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758) PAINTED LADY

2019 saw the first invasion of this species since 2009. Over half a million were reported in the UK in the
spring and large numbers of second generation individuals were then seen later in the year. A total of
3659 butterfly-days were recorded on Bardsey this year, with around 661 of the first generation and 2998
of the second generation. The vast majority of these were seen in August and 8th saw the highest count
of 926. They were mostly seen on the West Coast feeding and moving through in waves; the last of the
year was seen on 23 October.

Annual butterfly-day totals10000 3500
19838000 3000
19886000 2500
19934000 2000
19982000 1500
20030 1000
2008 500
2013 0
2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 51 18 41 20 59 258 372 304 392 3659
4 3 3 3 9 12 34 49 42 926
First date 2/5 1/6 2/6 14/4 10/2 22/5 20/4 1/6
27/2 11/4

Aglais urticae (Linnaeus, 1758) SMALL TORTOISESHELL

This species was one of just three species to be seen in March, with the first seen on 23rd. Numbers
fluctuated as seen in previous years, however, the best months were July and September, with counts of
61 and 63 butterfly days respectively. The last was present on 20 October and the year’s total came to
201 butterfly-days.

63: 260-271 267

HOOPER & STANSFIELD 300
250
1200 200
1000 150
100
800 50
600 0
400
200

0
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 441 542 281 149 271 403 169 168 289 201
40 29 26 18 14 18 35 11 23 11
First date 3/4 13/3 2/3 6/4 17/3 22/3 13/3 12/3 8/4 23/3

Inachis io (Linnaeus, 1758) PEACOCK

2019 was the best ever year for Peacocks on Bardsey, both in terms of numbers of individuals and
butterfly-days. The first was seen on 25 February and the last seen on 4 October. 29 July produced the
largest day count ever recorded with 54 individuals seen, more than double the previous highest count
of 25 in 2015. There were 324 butterfly-days recorded during the year, with the majority from the second
generation in July and August.

350 60

300 50
250 40
200

30
150
100 20

50 10

00
Annual butterfly-day totals
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 16 30 15 3 87 268 217 224 184 324
3 5 3 1 11 25 18 24 20 54
First date 10/3 30/3 9/3 8/4 23/3
10/4 15/4 25/3 8/4 15/3

Polygonia c-album (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMA
A single was seen at Cristin on 20 September.

Lasiommata megera (Linnaeus, 1767) WALL
In May, a single was seen at Cristin on 19th.

268 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

BUTTERFLIES

Grayling © Lewis Hooper

Hipparchia semele (Linnaeus, 1758) GRAYLING

This year just 83 individuals were logged. The first of the year was found on the South End on 13 July and
the last on 16 September on the Mountain. This species appears to be declining on Bardsey.

3500Annual butterfly-day totals 600
3000 1983 500
2500 1988 400
2000 1993 300
1500 1998 200
1000 2003 100
2008 0
500 2013
0 2018

Year's daily maxima

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 48 267 80 73 63 249 102 346 539 83
20 66 40 24 16 76 30 67 44 22
First date 9/7 8/7 1/7 16/7 12/7 21/6 28/6
17/7 24/7 13/7

Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) MEADOW BROWN

Numbers this year were half those of last year but still up on the average. A total of 1539 butterfly-days
were recorded, with the highest total in July with 907 butterfly-days and a peak day count of 216 on 29th.
This butterfly is known for emerging in abundance and having a fairly short flight season. The first and last
dates were 22 June and 13 September respectively, though there were only two records in September
as numbers dwindled through the second half of August.

Butterfly-days 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Max. day count 1292 990 714 363 615 1134 718 1712 3137 1539
112 100 63 60 36 155 344 216
First date 80 20/6 5/7 9/7 23/6 82 23/6 17/6 23/6 22/6
16/6 29/6

63: 260-271 269

HOOPER & STANSFIELD

Meadow Brown © Lewis HooperAnnual butterfly-day totals 1200
1983 1000
8000 1988 800
7000 1993 600
6000 1998 400
5000 2003 200
4000 2008 0
3000 2013
2000 2018
1000
Year's daily maxima
0

Butterfly-day totals Yearly maxima

Aphantopus hyperantus (Linnaeus, 1758) RINGLET

Three at Nant on 9 July represented the fourth record of this species for the island. Two of the previous
records were in 2018 and the other in 2015.

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.

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.

270 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

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APPENDIX 1

MAXIMUM COUNTS AND TOTALS OF BUTTERFLIES PER MONTH

TABLE 1. MAXIMUM DAILY COUNT OF BUTTERFLIES FOR EACH MONTH

MAM J JA S O Max.
1 1 1
Clouded Yellow 11 8 27
3 3 5
Large White 3 6 1 27 4 10 1 53
6 2
Small White 52121 9 3 18
4 1
Green-veined White 8 53 3 20 16 3 2 44
19 19
Orange-tip 2 1 50 O
9 1 926
Small Copper 12 3 17 18 2 11
1 12 54
Brown Argus 1 1 1
2 27 1
Common Blue 10 8 29 44 2 10 22
10 216
Red Admiral 2 2 2 8 15 13 3 3

Painted Lady 137 114 926 Total
3
Small Tortoiseshell 1 6 2 3 11 5
123
Peacock 2 10 5 1 54 31 30
600
Comma 4
229
Wall 1 1
411
Grayling 15 22 407
3659
Meadow Brown 12 216 139 201
324
Ringlet 3 1
1
TABLE 2. BUTTERFLY-DAY TOTALS PER MONTH 83
1539
M AM J J A S 3

Clouded Yellow 3 1 11
Large White 4
Small White 5 5 12 2 59 24 20

Green-veined White 16 3 2 3 1 5
Orange-tip
41 309 11 99 92 48
Small Copper
Brown Argus 31

Common Blue 57 6 44 62 48
Red Admiral
Painted Lady 1

Small Tortoiseshell 35 27 76 264 8
Peacock
Comma 9 17 40 77 105 129
Wall
Grayling 308 343 2733 264

Meadow Brown 14 4 15 61 30 63
Ringlet
46 21 1 125 119 3

1

1

29 50 4

26 907 602 4

3

*NB a Peacock record from February is omitted from the table, but included in the totals column

APPENDIX 2 ERRATUM

During 2019 the Observatory’s historical butterfly data was checked, and some minor inaccuracies were
uncovered, in particular the tables in the annual reports for 2010 and 2011. These discrepancies were
carried through the subsequent reports up to 2018. The data have now been amended within BBFO’s
database and the tables and charts in this report have been adjusted accordingly. They are now
considered to be accurate, and the figures shown here should be used going forward.

63: 260-271 271

Moths MOTHS

Ben Porter Annotated list of moths recorded during 2019
Lewis Hooper
230

Buff Arches REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

© George Dunbar

230

MOTHS

63: 272-291 273

HOOPER

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

A twin 30w Actinic Robinson light trap, situated in the back garden at Cristin, was run on a nightly basis
(weather permitting) between early April and late October, and a portable Heath trap was run in late
June and early July at Tŷ Capel by Rob Bithell, and then in late July at Carreg Reedbed by Ben Porter.
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 166 trapping nights were conducted this year with the majority being a single trap at Cristin.
There were 25 trapping nights in April with the first of the year on 1st, 31 in May, 29 in June, 34 in July due
to additional traps being run, 25 in August, 18 in September and only four nights in October due to poor
weather conditions.

3 RESULTS

This year 169 species of moth were recorded; the total comprised 139 macro-moths and 30 micro-moths,
amongst which were three 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.

2019 HIGHLIGHTS

• New species for the island included three Least Black Arches caught in April and May
in Cristin Barn, a Straw Underwing caught in Carreg Reedbed in late July and a single
Beautiful Plume attracted to light in the toilets at Cristin at the beginning of October.

• Species that are recorded less than annually on Bardsey included Cream Wave,
Pebble Prominent, the nationally scarce Heath Rustic, White-line Dart and Double
Line, and a single White Point.

274 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

MOTHS

Total species recorded 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Macro-moths 198 240 244 245 292 256 230 238 292 169
Micro-moths 138 172 156 158 185 164 164 154 178 139
60 68 88 87 107 92 66 84 114 30

3.1 SYSTEMATIC LIST

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

Hepialidae ORANGE SWIFT
15 Hepialus sylvina (Linnaeus, 1761)

Two were caught in the trap at the Observatory on 30 July and 6 August, with others being found during
the day, mostly around the Observatory in late July

17 Hepialus lupulinus (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMON SWIFT

This first of the year was on 24 May. In total 28 caught, the last was on 4 July.

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

This year a total of 21 were recorded between 10 June and 10 July.

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.
105 were recorded this year with the first on 28 July and the last on 8 Aug. The highest day count was 25
on 28 July, all of which were in the wetlands.

Sesiidae THRIFT CLEARWING
383 Synansphecia muscaeformis (Esper, 1783)

A small number of individuals were seen in late June and early July in areas of Thrift on the West Coast
and South End.

Choreutidae NETTLE-TAP
385 Anthophila fabriciana (Linnaeus, 1767)
A single was attracted to the light at Cristin on 24 September.

Argyresthiidae
417 Argyresthia spinosella (Stainton, 1849)

Two records of three individuals of this micro-moth were recorded this year, both in June with two on 3rd
and one on 5th.

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

Three were seen in May, singles were recorded in June and July and five in August.

Oecophoridae
641 Batia lambdella (Donovan, 1793)
A single on 21 July was the only record this year.

63: 272-291 275

HOOPER

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

Four records were noted this year, with singles in June on 3rd, 9th and 13th, and one on 2 September.

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

Four records from the trap at Cristin were noted this year, with two in June and two in July, this species is
however seen frequently in properties on the island.

672 Depressaria heraclei (Retzius, 1783) PARSNIP MOTH
A single was trapped at Cristin on 8 August.

706 Agonopterix nervosa (Haworth, 1811)

This is one of the more common micro-moths, with ten individuals, eight in July and two in August, all
caught in the trap at Cristin.

714 Agonopterix yeatiana (Fabricius, 1781)
A single on 24 September was the only record of the year.

Blastobasidae
873 Blastobasis adustella (Walsingham, 1894)
One was recorded this year drawn to the light at Cristin on 21 August.

Tortricidae

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

Seven in July and one in August were the only records from Cristin.

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

A single was caught in the trap at Cristin on 18 August; the only record of the year.

1082 Hedya pruniana (Hübner, 1799) PLUM TORTRIX
Four in June were the only records noted this year.

1163 Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana (Linnaeus, 1758) SPRUCE BUD MOTH
This moth was recorded on two dates in July, 9th and 12th.

1175 Epiblema uddmanniana (Linnaeus, 1758) BRAMBLE SHOOT MOTH

This distinctive micro was recorded on ten dates throughout July involving 15 individuals.

1255 Cydia ulicetana (Haworth, 1811)
All records this year came from Cristin, with one in June, and six in July on 6th, and one in August.

Alucitidae TWENTY-PLUME MOTH
1288 Alucita hexadactyla Linnaeus, 1758

There were two records, both were in the ringing hut on 27 and 28 August.

Crambidae
1302 Crambus perlella (Scopoli, 1763)
A single on 9 July was the only record this year.

276 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

MOTHS

Small Magpie © George Dunbar

1309 Agriphila geniculea (Haworth, 1811)
One at Cristin on 3 September was the only record of the year.

1334 Scoparia ambigualis (Treitschke, 1829)
A single of this species was identified on 20 August.

1342 Eudonia angustea (Curtis, 1827)
One on 24 September 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
650 on 29 July.

1376 Anania hortulata (Linnaeus, 1758) SMALL MAGPIE

Records came this year from both the trap at Cristin and field sightings, with four in June and five in July.

1390 Udea prunalis (Scopoli, 1763)
A single was taken from the trap at Cristin on 13 July.

1395 Udea ferrugalis (Hübner, 1796) RUSTY DOT PEARL

There were three individuals of this immigrant in August, a single on 26th and two on 29th.

1398 Nomophila noctuella ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) RUSH VENEER
A single was in the light trap at Cristin on 3 September.

Pyralidae
1424 Endotricha flammealis (Scopoli, 1763)
A single on 18 July was the only record this year.

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HOOPER

Drinker © George Dunbar

1442 Pempelia palumbella ([Denis and Schiffermüller], 1775)
Two individuals caught in the Cristin trap on 1 August.

Pterophoridae *BEAUTIFUL PLUME
1497 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla(Linnaeus, 1758)

A single individual on 3 October found in the men’s toilet was the first record for the island.

1524 Emmelina monodactyla (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMON PLUME

One was recorded on 4 July from Tŷ Capel and a single on 5 October found on a window at Cristin.

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 are far fewer adults later in the year. Almost all records this year were from July, with
72 of the 73 adults caught in that month, and the other on 4 August, down on recent years. A max count
of 11 was reached on 11 July between two traps, one at Cristin and one at Tŷ Capel.

1637 Lasiocampa quercus callunae (Linnaeus, 1758) NORTHERN EGGAR

A total of 18 were trapped or seen this year, with the first on 21 July and the last on 4 August. The highest
counts came from observations in the field with five on 29 July and 4 August.

1640 Euthrix potatoria (Linnaeus, 1758) DRINKER
Six were recorded on 29 and 30 July from Carreg reedbed.

Drepanidae PEACH BLOSSOM
1652 Thyatira batis (Linnaeus, 1758)

There were three records in July this year, on 5th and 16th at the Observatory, and the last of the year
on 29th from Carreg reedbed.

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MOTHS

1653 Habrosyne pyritoides (Hufnagel, 1766) BUFF ARCHES
One was trapped at Cristin on 16 July.

Geometridae GRASS EMERALD
1665 Pseudoterpna pruinata (Waler, 1863)

This species was recorded on three occasions made up of five individuals. The first was on 3 July and the
last on 10 July.

1689 Scopula marginepunctata (Goeze, 1781) MULLEIN WAVE

This species has two distinct generations. The first yielded 17 individuals in June and July with the first on
19th June, the second generation yielded three individuals, with two in August and the last of the year
was a single on 19 September.

1693 Scopula floslactata (Haworth, 1809) CREAM WAVE
A single was trapped at Cristin on 11 June.

1702 Idaea biselata (Hufnagel, 1767) SMALL FAN-FOOTED WAVE

Five were caught, all at Cristin between the dates of 30 June and 4 August.

1708 Idaea dimidiata (Hufnagel, 1767) SINGLE-DOTTED WAVE

Six were caught this year at Cristin, with the first on 17 July and the last on 6 August.

1713 Idaea aversata (Linnaeus, 1758) RIBAND WAVE

Six were caught this year, the first was on 1July at Nant. The last of the year was on 19 July.

1727 Xanthorhoe montanata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) SILVER-GROUND
A single record from a trap at Nant on 5 July. CARPET

1728 Xanthorhoe fluctuata (Linnaeus, 1758) GARDEN CARPET
A single was recorded from Cristin on 29 May.

1734 Scotopteryx luridata (Fabricius, 1775) JULY BELLE
A single was seen in the gorse on the South End during the day on 13 July.

1738 Epirrhoe alternata (Müller, 1764) COMMON CARPET
Two individuals were caught on 28 and 29 August.

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

This year there were eight records. The first was on 24 May and the last attracted to the light trap at Cristin
on 28 August.

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Yellow Shell © George Dunbar

1742 Camptogramma bilineata (Linnaeus, 1758) YELLOW SHELL
This day-flying species was recorded on four occasions in July this year.

1752 Cosmorhoe ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758) PURPLE BAR

This easily recognisable species was recorded on two occasions in its first generation on 10 and 14 June.

1755 Euthilis testata (Linnaeus, 1761) CHEVRON

One individual was seen this year on 23 September when felling trees in the Plantation.

1760 Chloroclysta siteata (Hufnagel, 1767) RED-GREEN CARPET

A single of this smart looking broadleaved tree feeder was caught at the Observatory on 5 October.

1764 Chloroclysta truncata (Hufnagel, 1767) COMMON MARBLED CARPET

This variable species was trapped at Cristin on nine occasions involving 14 individuals. There was a clear
gap in generations with the first and last records on 16 May and 25 September, with only one recorded
in July.

1769 Thera Britannica (Hufnagel, 1767) SPRUCE CARPET

There were three records of this conifer feeding moth species this year, all from the second generation
on 5 October at Cristin.

1776 Colostygia pectinataria (Knoch, 1781) GREEN CARPET

After last year’s massive counts, there were only two records from the first generation in May on 22nd
and 24th. The first was caught at Cristin and the second seen on the track.

1777 Hydriomena furcata (Thunberg, 1784) JULY HIGHFLYER

A total of 50 individuals were caught this year which is down on the previous two years. As the name
suggests July held the most records with 42, the first and last were caught on 16 June and 5 August.

280 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

MOTHS

1778 Hydriomena impluviata (Linnaeus, 1761) MAY HIGHFLYER

A single moth caught on 18 May was only the 4th record for the island after individuals in May 2014, June
2015 and May 2017.

1808 Perizoma flavofasciata (Linnaeus, 1761) SANDY CARPET

A single of this Geometrid that feeds on campion was found in the light trap at Tŷ Capel on 1 July.

1817 Eupithecia pulchellata (Stephens, 1831) FOXGLOVE PUG

This was by far the most common species of pug seen, with a huge total of 111 moths caught. The first
and last records came from 23 April and 2 August, with 80 records from June and the largest count of 20
on 20th.

1830 Eupithecia absinthiata f. goossensiata (Clerck, 1759) LING PUG

A subspecies of the Wormwood Pug specialising on heathland habitats, this pug species was recorded
just once this year in the trap at Cristin on 3 July.

1832 Eupithecia assimilata (Doubleday, 1856) CURRANT PUG

A single was identified from the trap at Cristin on 9 June. This species was not recorded in 2018.

1834 Eupithecia vulgata (Haworth, 1809) COMMON PUG

Five were caught this year both at Cristin and at Tŷ Capel. The first was on 10 June and the last was on 4 July.

1837 Eupithecia subfuscata (Haworth, 1809) GREY PUG
Two were recorded this year, both trapped at Cristin, on 11 June and 14 July.

1858 Chloroclystis v-ata (Haworth, 1809) V-PUG
One record of this distinctive pug species was caught at Cristin on 5 July.

1860 Pasiphila rectangulata (Linnaeus, 1758) GREEN PUG

Nine individuals were caught this year, all attracted to the light trap at Cristin. The first record of the year
was three individuals on 9 June and the last with two on 5 July.

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

This year four individuals were recorded in July on 3rd, 4th and 5th and one on 29 August. All these records
came from the light trap at Cristin.

1884 Abraxas grossulariata (Linnaeus, 1758) MAGPIE

This conspicuous species is one of the best known moths and often seen during the day. This year was a
good year for them with 39 records between 26 July and 20 August. This is a large improvement on the
six recorded in 2018.

1902 Petrophora chlorosata (Scopoli, 1763) BROWN SILVER-LINE

There were four records of this species this year, with three in May and one on 29 June.

1906 Opisthograptis luteolata (Linnaeus, 1758) BRIMSTONE MOTH

This Blackthorn and Hawthorn eating moth was recorded in low numbers this year, with just seven records
from Cristin and Cristin Barn. The first and last were on 30 April and 1 July respectively. .

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Early Thorn © George Dunbar

1917 Selenia dentaria (Fabricius, 1775) EARLY THORN

This species usually has two generations; none were caught until July when the second generation
emerged. The first record was on 7th, three were recorded in Carreg reedbed on 30 July and the last of
the year was on 2 August. The year’s total was six individuals.

1920 Odontopera bidentata (Clerck, 1759) SCALLOPED HAZEL
A single on 24 May was the only record this year.

1921 Crocallis elinguaria (Linnaeus, 1758) SCALLOPED OAK

Ten records this year was quite a poor showing from this broadleaf feeder that has a short flight season
of just a month or so. Nine of the ten records were in July, with the first on 1st and the last on 2 August.

1922 Ourapteryx sambucaria (Linnaeus, 1758) SWALLOW-TAILED MOTH
There were two records this year, on 1 and 17 July.

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

There were nine records from traps at Cristin and Tŷ Capel. The first was two on 5 July and the last were
singles on 1 and 2 August.

1941 Alcis repandata (Linnaeus, 1758) MOTTLED BEAUTY

22 records was a lower total than the previous two years. Most records were in August but the first was in
June on 11th. The highest total was 12 on 5 August from combined totals of Cristin and Tŷ Capel traps
with the last record on 6th.

1955 Cabera pusaria (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMON WHITE WAVE

A single caught in the Heath trap at Tŷ Capel on 5 July, along with the Common Wave below for
comparison, was the only record this year.

1956 Cabera exanthemata (Scopoli, 1763) COMMON WAVE
A single record came from a Heath trap at Tŷ Capel on 5 July.

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MOTHS

1962 Hylaea fasciaria (Linnaeus, 1758) BARRED RED

This specialist pine or spruce feeding moth was recorded on 1July, when three individuals were attracted
to the light trap at Tŷ Capel close to the Plantation.

Sphingidae CONVOLVULUS HAWKMOTH
1972 Agrius convolvuli (Linnaeus, 1758)

Two were recorded this year much to the delight of all present at the time. The first, a female, was found
at the Schoolhouse on 22 August. The second of the year, a male, was caught at Cristin on 1 September.

1984 Macroglossum stellatarum (Linnaeus, 1758) HUMMINGBIRD HAWKMOTH

This year the first was on 1 May; May proceeded to have another two, June saw three, July saw four; in
August only one was found before numbers peaked in September with 11 including three on 7th.

1992 Deilephila porcellus (Linnaeus, 1758) SMALL ELEPHANT HAWKMOTH

There were 13 records this year. The first was on 8 July.

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

There were five records in 2019, the first was on 29 May, there was a single in June and the last three were
in July with the last on 11th.

2003 Notodonta ziczac (Esper, 1783) PEBBLE PROMINENT
A single was attracted to the light at Cristin on 23 April.

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

There was a total of 16 records this year, with the first of the year on 10 June, and the last on 5 August.
The maximum count was on 29 July when five were caught.

Arctiidae SCARCE FOOTMAN
2047 Eilema complana (Linnaeus, 1758)

This species feeds on lichen and algae and was a common feature in traps throughout July, with 45 of
the 47 records. The first was on 5th July and the last on 2 August and the largest catch was made up of
nine individuals at Cristin on 16 July.

2050 Eilema lurideola (Zincken, 1817) COMMON FOOTMAN

This species, ironically, is caught far less than the Scarce Footman. This year there were only two records
of four individuals with three on 5 July and a single on 24th.

2057 Arctia caja (Linnaeus, 1758) GARDEN TIGER

59 of this stunning grass feeding moth were caught this year. The first was in June on 25th and the rest
were spread throughout July, with the last record of two on 31st.

2060 Spilosoma lubricipeda (Linnaeus, 1758) WHITE ERMINE

45 were recorded this year with three in May, 20 in June and 22 in July. The first was on 22 May and the
last was on 18 July with a peak count of nine on 4 July mostly from a trap at Tŷ Capel.

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Buff Ermine © George Dunbar

2061 Spilosoma luteum (Hufnagel, 1766) BUFF ERMINE

This year 20 were recorded with half of these on 2 July in the trap at Tŷ Capel. The first record came on 9
June and the last on 16 July.

2064 Phragmatobia fuliginosa (Linnaeus, 1758) RUBY TIGER

This species was recorded just once this year with a single individual caught at Cristin on 4 July.

2069 Tŷria jacobaeae (Linnaeus, 1758) CINNABAR

Four records of moths seen in the field were recorded this year, on 6 May, 6 and 27 June and the last on
1 July.

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

Two on 23 April and a single on 16 May represented the first records for the island, all of which were
caught at Cristin.

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

This nationally scarce species found on rocky coastal areas was recorded on six dates in August involving
eight individuals. 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 1 September. This species is less than
annual on Bardsey and so a good record for this year.

2087 Agrotis segetum ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) TURNIP MOTH

Four individuals were caught, all attracted to the light at Cristin, on three dates in June, 3rd, 8th and 9th,
and one was caught on 23 September, presumably the second generation.

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MOTHS

Crescent Dart © George Dunbar

2089 Agrotis exclamationis (Linnaeus, 1758) HEART AND DART

149 individuals were caught this year, with 89 in July and 19 on 4th of that month the highest count. The
first record came on 19 May, the only record for that month, and the last came on 13 August.

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

This species was recorded through July, with 111 of this year’s 119 individuals caught during this month.
The first and last records came on 30 June and 4 August.

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

Singles were recorded in April, May and July, with three records on two dates in September.

2092 Agrotis puta (Hübner, 1803) SHUTTLE-SHAPED DART

The only record was one attracted to the light at Cristin on 3 August.

2098 Axylia putris (Linnaeus, 1761) FLAME
One was attracted to the heath trap at Tŷ Capel on 4 July.

2102 Ochropleura plecta (Linnaeus, 1761) FLAME SHOULDER

This species was recorded in every month between April and August, with a total of 32 trapped this year.

2104 Standfussiana lucernea (Linnaeus, 1758) NORTHERN RUSTIC

A total of 14 individuals were caught between the nights of 23 June and 4 August.

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 619 were recorded, with the first coming on 22 April with a single at Cristin and last recorded
was two on 5 October. The busiest month was July with 194 caught, the highest totals were 30 seen on 5
July and again on 8 September.

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2109 Noctua comes Hübner, [1813] LESSER YELLOW UNDERWING

One was caught of the first generation and six of the second generation. The first was on 26 June; the
second generation first appeared on 12 August and the last was at Cristin on 9 September.

LESSER BROAD-BORDERED

2111 Noctua janthe (Borkhausen, 1792) YELLOW UNDERWING

One on 22 July and one on 28 August were the only records of the year, both at Cristin.

2112 Noctua interjecta Hübner, [1803] LEAST YELLOW UNDERWING

There were two records this year with one on 29 July attracted to the Heath trap at Tŷ Capel and one at
Cristin on 12 August.

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

72 were trapped, with the first on 4 July and the last on 8 August, with a peak count of 11 on 30 July.

2120 Diarsia mendica (Fabricius, 1775) INGRAILED CLAY

The majority of records came from July with 46 of 50. The first record was on 27 June and the last was two
on 2 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 11 were trapped and identified between 21 May and 20 June.

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

Two generations were recorded this year. Five were caught between 23 May and 23 June and four
between 31 August and 17 September.

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

All 33 records of this species came from July, with the highest consisting of ten individuals in the Heath
trap at Tŷ Capel on 5th.

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

The first was on 20 August with 76 recorded that month. September was the best month with 202 trapped
and October saw ten, with the last on 13th. The highest single catch involved 36 on 3 September.

2135 Xestia agathina (Duponchel, 1827)) HEATH RUSTIC

This species is a rare heathland feeder that is recorded sporadically over the years. This year one fairly
worn individual was attracted to the light at Cristin on 25 September.

2139 Cerastis rubricosa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) RED CHESTNUT
All six records this year came in April, with the first on 1st.

2147 Hada plebeja (Hufnagel, 1766) SHEARS
Only 16 were caught at Cristin this year between 14 May and 22 June.

2158 Lacanobia thalassina (Hufnagel, 1766) PALE-SHOULDERED BROCADE

Two records on 28 and 29 June were the only ones this year.

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Broom © George Dunbar

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

A common moth in the traps throughout May, June and July with 136 caught in total throughout the
year. June proved the best month with 52 caught and the first and last dates were 23 April and 28 July.

2163 Melanchra pisi (Linnaeus, 1758) BROOM MOTH

This year a 30 total of was recorded. The first and last dates this year were 23 May and 10 July.

2164 Hecatatera bicolorata (Linnaeus, 1758) BROAD-BARRED WHITE
One was trapped Tŷ Capel on 4 July.

2171 Hadena confusa (Hufnagel, 1766) MARBLED CORONET

It was a good year for this species with records from 3 May through to 14 July. Records consisted of 25 in
May, 21 in June and seven in July with a maximum day count of five caught at Cristin on 11 June. This is
a large improvement on the 27 records from 2018.

2173 Hadena bicruris (Hufnagel, 1766) LYCHNIS

A single example of this species was found in the light trap at Tŷ Capel on 1 July. This species is not
recorded every year.

2176 Cerapteryx graminis (Linnaeus, 1758) ANTLER MOTH

An attractively marked noctuid that emerges in late summer, Antler moths were caught on two dates in
July and two dates in August consisting of six individuals.

2187 Orthosia cerasi (Fabricius, 1775) COMMON QUAKER

A total of 15 individuals were caught; this early flying species was recorded throughout April from 1st,
and the last was the only record in May on 16th.

2188 Orthosia incerta ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) CLOUDED DRAB
Two records were both in April from Cristin on 12th and 21st.

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2190 Orthosia gothica (Linnaeus, 1758) HEBREW CHARACTER

This year just 16 were caught between 2 April and 17 May, 13 of which were in April.

2191 Mythimna turca (Linnaeus, 1761) DOUBLE-LINE

A single of this nationally scarce moth, limited to parts of Cornwall, Devon and Wales, and a rarity on
Bardsey, was caught in a Heath trap at Tŷ Capel on 4 July.

2193 Mythimna ferrago (Fabricius, 1787) CLAY

A total of 113 were caught between 28 June and 8 August. July held the vast majority of records with 95
caught, with 13 in the trap at Cristin on the 24th of this month the peak.

2194 Mythimna albipuncta (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) WHITE-POINT

A single of this migrant species was identified from the trap at Cristin on 22 June, a good record for the
year.

2197 Mythimna straminea (Treitschke, 1825) SOUTHERN WAINSCOT
15 were caught between the dates of 3 July and 8 August.

2198 Mythimna impura (Hübner, 1808) SMOKY WAINSCOT

A total of 30 were caught, with records on 27, 29 and 30 July in Carreg reedbed.

2199 Mythimna pallens (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMON WAINSCOT
There was a single record this year from Cristin on 26 June.

2216 Cucullia umbratica (Linnaeus, 1758) SHARK

Three individuals were caught this year, with singles from Cristin on 27 June and 1 July, and a single from
Tŷ Capel on 5 July.

2232 Aporophyla nigra (Haworth, 1809) BLACK RUSTIC

This smart looking noctuid always appears late in the year, with one on 18 September, four on 5 October
and the last was a single on 13th.

2245 Allophyes oxyacanthae (Haworth, 1809) GREEN-BRINDLED CRESENT

A single on 13 October at Cristin was the only record of the year.

2250 Blepharita adusta (Hübner, 1813) DARK BROCADE

Singles on 9 and 13 July were the only records this year, both found at Cristin.

2255 Polymixis lichenea (Hübner, 1813) FEATHERED RANUNCULUS

A total of 38 individuals were caught this year in the space of a month between 15 September and 15
October; the majority came in September with 26.

2270 Omphaloscelis lunosa (Haworth, 1809) LUNAR UNDERWING

in total 121 moths were caught between 21 September and 15 October; 21 were in September and 100
in October with 86 individuals on 5th.

288 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

2289 Acronicta rumicis (Linnaeus, 1758) MOTHS
A single moth was caught at Cristin on 30 July.
KNOT GRASS

2293 Cryphia domestica (Hufnagel, 1766) MARBLED BEAUTY
A single was caught on 27 July at Cristin.

2295 Nyctobrya muralis (Forster, 1771) MARBLED GREEN

This species is a Lichen feeder limited to the south and west coast of the UK. Two were caught in July on
27th and 30th at Cristin.

2295 Nyctobrya muralis (Forster, 1771) MOUSE MOTH

A single on 12 September was the only record of this moth, which is known for scampering across the
boxes like a mouse when disturbed.

2302 Rusina ferruginea (Esper, 1785) BROWN RUSTIC

This species was recorded fairly regularly with four in May starting on 24th, 33 in June and 12 in July with
the last on 6th.

2303 Thalpophila matura (Esper, 1785) *STRAW UNDERWING

A single of this grass eating noctuid was caught in Carreg Reedbed on 29 July and was a new record for
the island.

2305 Euplexia lucipara (Linnaeus, 1758) SMALL ANGLE SHADES

Recorded mostly through July, but rarely above single figures. The first was the only record from May on
23rd and the last was two on 6 July.

2306 Phlogophora meticulosa (Linnaeus, 1758) ANGLE SHADES

There were two clear generations, with 11 in April and May, then a gap before nine were caught
between August and October.

2321 Apamea monoglypha (Hufnagel, 1766) DARK ARCHES

This species is always one of the most abundant moths throughout the trapping season. This year records
started with two in May, then 232 the following month, 775 in July and 94 in August.

2322 Apamea lithoxylaea ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) LIGHT ARCHES

This species was trapped on five dates from 24 June until 5 July, with five caught on the first night. The
year’s total was 13 individuals, almost double last year.

2326 Apamea crenata (Hufnagel, 1766) CLOUDED-BORDERED BRINDLE

This species was recorded on five dates, all involving singles from the trap at Cristin between 23 May
and 22 June.

2330 Apamea remissa (Hübner, 1809) DUSKY BROCADE
There were two records of this species on 9 June and 2 August.

2331 Apamea unanimis (Hübner, (1813) SMALL CLOUDED BRINDLE

Two records this year were on the same night, 25 June, in the trap at Cristin.

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2337 Oligia agg. MARBLED MINOR AGG.

39 individuals were caught this year, all between 24 May and 5 June.

2340 Oligia fasciuncula (Haworth, 1809) MIDDLE-BARRED MINOR

The first of the year was caught at Cristin on 1 June, a month that held 21 of the 25 records this year. Four
records came in July with the last on 6th.

2341 Mesoligia furuncula ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) CLOAKED MINOR

A single on 26 June proved to be the only record of this species for the year.

2342 Mesoligia literosa (Haworth, 1809) ROSY MINOR

Eight individuals were caught this year, the first on 29 June and the last on 21 August.

2343 Mesapamea agg. (Linnaeus, 1758) COMMON RUSTIC AGG.

This moth was fairly common, with the first on 23 June, peaking in August with 92, and the final one on 3
September.

2350 Chortodes pygmina (Haworth, 1809) SMALL WAINSCOT
A single worn individual was caught on 9 September.

2353 Luperina testacea ([Denis and Schiffermüller], 1775) FLOUNCED RUSTIC

All the records from this species came from Cristin; the total of 60 trapped between 13 August and 12
September, with eight on 27 August and 3 September the best counts.

2361 Hydraecia micacea (Esper, 1789) ROSY RUSTIC
In total 13 individuals were caught between 27 July and 27 August.

2364 Gortyna flavago (Esper, 1789) FROSTED ORANGE
One on 25 July was the only record this year.

2371 Archanara dissoluta (Treitschke, 1825) BROWN-VEINED WAINSCOT

A single record in Carreg reedbed was of note on 29 July.

2381/2382 Hoplodrina alsines/blanda UNCERTAIN/RUSTIC

This year 145 individuals were caught that could not be identified to species, with the first record at Tŷ
Capel on 4 July and the last at Cristin on 13 August.

2441 Autographa gamma (Linnaeus, 1758) SILVER Y

This migrant species was recorded in low numbers in every month from April to September. The total for
the year was 54, with most records seen in the field, and only three from traps.

2450 Abrostola tripartita (Hufnagel, 1766) SPECTACLE

A total of ten were caught this year with two in May, the first on 2nd, two in June and six in July with the
last on 25th.

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2469 Scoliopteryx libatrix (Linnaeus, 1758) HERALD
A single was present at Cristin on 30 July.

2477 Hypna proboscidalis (Linnaeus, 1758) SNOUT

This geometrid-looking noctuid was caught at Tŷ Capel on two occasions in July, on 4th and 5th.

4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank Rob Bithell for providing records from Tŷ Capel and Ben Porter for records from
Carreg reedbed. Also we would like to thank participants on the ‘Moth Mornings’ as well as volunteers
and staff who helped identify moths for this year’s records.

5 REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bonner, I.R. & Hope Jones, P. 2002. Contribution to the Flora of Bardsey: flowering plants and ferns 1956 –
2000. Countryside Council for Wales, Bangor.

Bradley, J. 2000. Checklist of Lepidoptera recorded from the British Isles.(2nd ed.) D Bradley,
Fordingbridge.

Else, R.J. 2011. Annotated list of the Lepidoptera of Bardsey, 1953-2010 (unpublished).
Else, R.J. & Porter, B.J. 2014. Annotated list of the Lepidoptera of Bardsey, 1953-2013 (unpublished).
Goater, B. 1986. British Pyralid Moths, an identification guide. Harley, Colchester.
Kimber, I. 2010. UKmoths, your guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland. Available at: http:/ /

www.ukmoths.org.uk/
Unger, M. 2010. Lepidoptera.se, Swedish moths and Butterflies. Available at: http:// www.lepidoptera.se/
Wall, M. 2010. Hants Moths. Available at: http:/ / www.hantsmoths.org.uk/ (accessed: 2014).
Waring, P., Townsend M. & Lewington I. 2003. Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British

Wildlife Publishing.

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ROBOTHAM & SIMMONDS

GREY SEALS

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

Grey Seal pup REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

© Steven Stansfield

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