1000 in Guernsey - Yipee-kay-ay!!

After a pretty good moth trap on the night of 11th Aug, I had reached 998 species. Then I remembered I had a dead, crusty dagger sp in the fridge, which I hacked at to make 999. So with one species to go I had visions of something magical happening for the 1000 - a flock of Bee-eaters circling overhead, or a Swallowtail flapping by. So, even though I had a few dead micromoths in the freezer I decided to let the finish tape come to me. 

After two full days of scanning the skies above,and straining at every movement, I gave up and put the moth trap out and..... nothing new! First time for ages! So, yesterday I spent another day waiting for 'the boy', but again to no avail. This morning however, the moth trap came up with the goods - a Bordered Beauty, a fine-looking moth to hit the 1000. I was pleased.

986 - Flounced Rustic
987 - Pammene aurita - a garden moth tick
988 - Clouded Yellow
989 - Bread Wheat - surprised to see a few spikes of Wheat sticking up out of the grass at the side of the road - no idea where they grow it round here.

990 - Liocoris tripustulatus (bug)

 

991 - Tawny-speckled Pug

992 - Agrypnia varia (caddis)
993 - Cheilosia pagana (hoverfly)
994 - Pyrausta aurata (moth)
995 - Marbled Beauty
996 - Webb's Wainscot - a lifer for me!
997 - Ant-lion - Was really, really hoping to get one of these. Only seen one before, which was here in the garden about 8 yrs ago. Larval pits not too rare here I don't think but certainly not common.

 998 - Antler Moth - A superb second-for-Guernsey. Only seen them in Scotland.

999 - Grey Dagger
1000 - Bordered Beauty

Now that I have hit the target, I will certainly be slowing down quite a bit. I will still record everything I come across and keep moth trapping, so my list will increase. But if I have a couple of free hours at the weekend for example, I will more likely hit the coast to look for rare birds, than wander the lanes of my square like I have been doing. So thanks Andy for setting up the challenge, it's been a hoot. I have learned more this year about the local wildlife than I have in the last 10 years put together. And thanks to everyone else for supporting the project and spurring each other on. Cheers!