Butterfly and Moth Sightings: Pink-spotted Hawkmoth spotted in Hertfordshire

Sighting Made By Adam Rooze in bishops stortford, Hertfordshire and sent in to wildlife sightings UK

"this afternoon (14/06/11) i rather large pink-bodied moth landed in our garden, seemingly exhausted, i placed it upon a leaf until it flew off once again. I took a picture which you should find in the attachment, and researched it identifying it as a Pink spotted Hawk moth, The closest area - i read - that it had been sighted in was Portugul, as far as i could tell there were no reports of this moth in the UK."

Think you have seen one? Let us know! wildlifesightings@hotmail.co.uk

White Otter Sightings: White Otter Spotted In Suffolk

White Otters in the wild are very rare, with only a hand full of sightings in the UK over the last 50 years, the most recent an individual in Perthshire. Could there now be one in Suffolk? 


 Emma Strachan has contacted wildlife sightings with the exiting news of the sighting in Melton, Woodbridge on the 11/06/11 at roughly 21.00.


"While driving up my road I noticed a white otter rolling around on the grass I pulled the car over and was certain it was a white otter"


Unfortunately Emma was unable to get a photo of the otter to confirm the sighting, although with its white coat it should not be long before another sighting is made.


If you Think you have seen a white otter please contact wildlife sightings UK by email:  wildlifesightings@hotmail.co.uk

Moth Sightings: First spotting of 'exciting' rare moth in Scotland

The Conformist: Sighted in Strathspey.

A moth - named The Conformist - which has only been seen in the UK once before, has been spotted in the Highlands.

A moth so rare it has been seen only once before in the UK since 1946 has turned up in a nature reserve in Strathspey.

The insect - known as The Conformist - was discovered in a light-trap set up by visiting entomologists from England at the RSPB's Insh Marshes reserve in the Highlands.

The species has never been spotted in Scotland before and it is thought to have reached the Strathspey reserve after an arduous journey across the North Sea.

Tom Prescott, species conservation officer at Butterfly Conservation Scotland, described its discovery as "exciting".

He said: "Considering how little we've seen of this moth it's a real surprise for it to turn up in a moth trap at the Insh Marshes reserve.

"It was just my luck that the day it was spotted I was away on holiday just five miles away, and missed seeing it. I would have loved to have seen it, but it's just nice someone else got to see it.

"It's thought that it migrated from Scandanavia, possibly this spring, but it's often unclear why something like this happened, as exciting as it is.

"It just shows the amazing things that can be found in a moth trap if you leave one out. I think there will be further investigations to see what moths can be found at this particular reserve."

He said he wasn't clear why the moth was called The Conformist, as it was just one of many moths to be given an unusual name over the years.

He said: "There's also a moth called The Nonconformist. There's one called The Confused and another called The Uncertain.

"Many were named in Edwardian times, which is probably part of the reason for the unusual names."

Source: http://news.stv.tv/scotland/highlands-islands/255427-first-spotting-of-exciting-rare-moth-in-scotland/

UK Beetle Sightings: Dorset stag beetle sightings increase

A stag beetle on a log, photographed by Nigel Brooks. Britain's largest beetle likes to live in dead wood.


Posted by Jonathan Hudston

UNUSUALLY high numbers of stag beetles are being seen in Dorset this year.

Dorset Wildlife Trust says the county’s unusually hot Spring seems to have brought these fantastic creatures out nearly a month earlier than normal.

Steve Halliwell, project co-ordinator for the Trust’s Wildlife On Your Doorstep Project, said: “Early this June, as I was relaxing in the garden one warm evening, I saw at least a dozen male stag beetles fly over, a phenomenon I have never witnessed before.”

Stag beetles are globally threatened. In Britain they’re protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

To see just one is a treat.

The male can grow up to 7.5 cms long – it’s Britain’s largest beetle – while the female rarely gets past 4.5 cms. However, the male is harmless, while the female can have a nasty bite.

Stag beetle numbers have been dropping since the 1940s, because of the destruction of their favoured dead wood habitats.

Dorset Wildlife Trust wants people to be less tidy in their gardens, and leave out old logs as possible places for stag beetles to live.

The Trust’s ‘Wildlife On Your Doorstep’ project offers a free information pack including  gardening tips, wildlife identification charts and recording sheets.

For more information see www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/woyd 
Source: http://www.realwestdorset.co.uk/wordpress/06/2011/dorset-stag-beetle-sightings-increase/

Snake Sightings UK: Snake on the loose in Bromley leaves neighbours in a tangle

By David Mills


A SLIPPERY character is at large in Bromley but rattled neighbours are being warned not to get too hissterical.

Households in Bishops Avenue adder shock earlier this week when they spotted a 4ft snake slithering along the road.

Police and the RSPCA were called but they needed to contact an expert to shed light on what kind of species it was and more importantly, if it was dangerous.

Snake handler Samantha May, who was contacted by police, told families not to panic as it was simply a harmless corn snake, rather than a python as one neighbour feared.

After seeing a photo captured on a mobile phone, she said: “It’s definitely a corn snake.

“They’re not dangerous and non-venomous. They like to be handled.

“It could have been let out by someone who didn’t want it or it could have escaped."

It was not the first sighting, and residents believe it has taken refuge under a shed.

Mum-of-two Dale Hough, who lives in Bishops Avenue, said: “It’s been here for about two weeks now and it’s still at large.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It’s really quite amazing.

“We think it’s probably someone’s pet that has escaped."

The 60-year-old added: “Residents are reassured it’s not dangerous.

“My neighbour spotted it when he was walking with his two young children. They were absolutely petrified.

“Someone thought it could be a python because it had a big mouth.

“We think it probably went to ground beneath a shed.”

Mrs May, who breeds snakes, also said family pets would not be in any danger.

She said: “It wouldn’t cause any harm to pets.

“If it came across a cat, a cat would probably do more damage.”

She added: "I’ve had a few cornsnakes that get out - they’re good at pushing the glass roof out of their tank.

“If they spot it you can literally pick it up and put it in a box.

“Wear a pair of gardening gloves and even if it was to bite you wouldn’t feel anything.”

Source: http://www.newsshopper.co.uk