The RSPB is not just about birds, we are about saving nature – from the tiniest insects to the largest mammals and everything in-between. Here at Bempton Cliffs we are embracing this sentiment and increasing the number of species that we monitor on the reserve.
Moths are our latest project - thanks to Richard Baines, director of Wold Ecology, who recently supplied the funds to install a moth trap on the reserve. For those of you not in the know about moth matters, moth traps are non lethal and work by emitting a powerful light. This attracts the moths at night which then fall into the box beneath the light source. Come morning, the species can be identified, recorded and then released in a sheltered location where they won’t become a snack for the birds.
So why are we doing this? Simple. To conserve them. By monitoring their distribution and population sizes then managing the land appropriately, we can ensure their survival. Moths are an important item in the diets of many bird and bat species and form an integral part of food webs. Our records will go to the county recorder and be used for conservation purposes. It has been a slow year for moth records due to the wet and unseasonably cold weather. However things are starting to pick up.
Speaking of picking up... our marketing officer, Maria, almost picked up our moths for lunch. Specimens are placed in the fridge to cool them down which sends them into a state of torpor – meaning they sit still for photographs. They quickly recover once they're returned to room temperature and vibrate their wings rapidly to warm up.
Fiona McKenna
Assistant Seabird Researcher
The image shows a male peppered moth - one of many of the night visitors to the moth trap. And the moths in the fridge.