Abundance of Noctua pronuba in the UK

[Paul J Palmer]

Dear All,

I have been following the discussion of the spread on Noctua pronuba
in the USA with some interest, but wonder if someone can comment on
the current status of the species in the UK.  During the 1970's and
80's I used to see the species in huge numbers in my moth trapping
expeditions.  Once a small group of us were force to retire to a safe
distance by an uncountable number round and attended mv lamp - we
stopped counting at 700.  Regularly there would be too many to count
in a Robinson type trap.  Towards the end of the 1980's the species
became much less common, never numbering more than an hundred or so
individuals, a situation that persists in my garden trap in rural
Leicestershire, UK to this day.

Can someone clarify the current status of the moth in the UK for me
and perhaps offer an explanation for the decline in my records? 


Regards

Paul J Palmer