Yeah, thinking back it did feel different ... bigger and with that odd grey cast on the fw. I'll leave it to the country recorder to rule on but personally I like it for SHT

Yes, they seem to favour the west & south

After seeing a lot of OHT I'd be fairly sure this is "different" ... thinking back, it was much bigger than the OHT I get and it has that "fresh" look because it has that grey cast over the fw and the different tip pattern Andy mentioned.

Wonderful, thanks for the confirmation! :)

Wow, thanks Andt - that's a heck of a catch - I think you're right, both the wing tip feature and the odd grey sheen across the wing. I did think it looked a bit odd but iNat favoured OHT and I just went with it, but SHT is a better fit and it's flying now :D

Mervs & Deep Brown Darts out in full force in Tilehurst now plus a lovely (late?) Oak Hook-tip, FFG Scrobipalpa costella (Winter Groundling) and a (late?) Box Tree Moth ... are a few species getting an extra brood in this autumn?

I'd have to agree with you ... it certainly looks different from the usual Amblyteles etc. I'm not sure what it is but if you showed it to Gavin Broad or sent it in to the NHM I could pass it to him and see if he could tell us. I know Jaswinder would probably give it a go too :)

I've always been too old for late nights! Only time I stayed up all night moth collecting was in French Guiana - it was just manic. But in the UK I usually just go along and stay for some nice stuff to arrive then bail before midnight and get to my bed.

I suppose our books include everything that has ever made it across the Channel which already must include things that are fairly uncommon there too.

It's interesting how the culture is different. To be fair, in the UK a lot of the old-school moth folk will put out lights and watch them all night with something to eat & drink. Trapping is more of a modern thing and a way to make it easy for beginners.

What are your main ID resources there? Are there good books for France or do people rely a lot on image recognition like iNaturalist? I have to admit that I use iNat as a first filter and it has saved me making really dumb mistakes. Then I just correct anything obviously wrong (very rare)

Yes, I suppose what makes it across the Channel is a good sign that the species is moving in numbers ... we also have plenty of coastal trappers watching out for new stuff. Is the moth trapping hobby very popular in France, with the locals?

Nice to hear :) It makes me wonder if these are moths that have gone north on migration, like so many insects this year, or if they are local and have just had a good year - possibly due to the heatwave.

Lovely to see they are doing well ... they still seem to be quite localised though. In some areas they are common and persist year on year but they haven't occupied all of the southern coastal strip yet