National Moth Night is always a good excuse to hold an event in our local woodland. This year we held two. One was a day early; Thursday was our second ‘Things that go Squeak in the Night’ evening at The Swan at Choppington. We set up the moth trap and then went on a bat walk around the woods. Along one stretch of footpath we had pipistrelle bats flying back and forth over our heads. Back at the pub we all enjoyed an excellent meal and a couple of drinks before checking the trap. It was fairly cool outside so there were very few moths active. We did catch a Square-spot Rustic and a Canary-shouldered Thorn (just about as shocking yellow as you can imagine) but that was it.
Friday saw us leading another moth-trapping session in Choppington Woods, this time for the Northumberland Wildlife Trust. A portable generator, moth trap, sweep nets, sample tubes, headtorches and a good group of participants, including families, made for an excellent evening. A very vocal Tawny Owl was serenading us from the trees nearby and the bat detector sporadically burst into life while, around the trap and along the footpaths, moths, craneflies, spiders, crickets and grasshoppers were all caught, potted, studied and released before everyone headed home.