Emperor Moths with BUWG. 25 April 2026

I met with other Bradford Urban Wildlife Group people at the place where cars park, opposite the road to Dobrudden. I know it is an unusual way to refer to that area but it is illegal to park on Baildon Moor so it can’t be a car park. Car park implies that you are allowed to park there when really it is that parking is tolerated. This is also the reason why it is just gravel/stone and not tarmac. Tarmac again would imply it is ok to park there whereas the gravel/stone is being used to repair damage to the moor due to cars.

We headed up towards the top Trig Point, drifted right and stopped near a reasonable expanse of Heather and Bilberry. A Pheromone Lure was hung on some Heather and within seconds male Emperor Moths appeared and fluttered around the lure. They did not want to settle so getting a photo was not easy.

At one point we counted 16. At another location we tried again and 10 were fluttering around. The paler moth with much smaller antenna is a female that had recently been found in a moth trap elsewhere.

I am not familiar with using Pheromone Lures so I checked. Generally it seems OK to use them. However, a similar sort of thing, using sound to attract birds into sight during the nesting season is frowned upon.

We then went from looking at massive Emperor Moths to searching for Green Hairstreak Butterflies. And plenty were about. On the Heather, Gorse and Billberry.

During our BUWG walk we were still looking for other wildlife.

Skylark were singing high in the sky.

A Red Kite was being mobbed by a Crow. Then we noticed that the Red Kite was carrying something and eating it as it flew. Did the Red Kite pinch it from the Crow and the Crow wanted it back?

A few times we heard Oystercatcher and I was lucky to get sight of one before it disappeared over the hills.

At the end of the BUWG walk I set off down to have a look around the edge of the Moor at Golcar Farm. On the way down I spotted road kill in the grass, a male Pheasant, with a few feathers scattered around.

Walking slowly, or just standing, allowed me to see and hear a pair of Stonechat, Willow Warblers, and lots of Meadow Pipits.

The stars though were the Common Whitethroat and a Wheatear with Lapwing for company..

This is what makes a mockery of it being considered a haven for wildlife. Much of this area is now a Nature Reserve, though it does exclude the golf course. Putting together a plan for a Nature Reserve that includes the golf course will take some time I guess, so leaving it out is easier in the short-term.

Here we have a Red Setter that had been off the lead, it is chasing the sheep and lambs. Fortunately it looks as though the Ewes have had their lambs otherwise there would have been aborted lambs and possibly dead sheep. I saw the owner later, no pooh bags in their hands, both dogs on leads. Let’s hope that is now their normal way when walking in such an area.

Within a few minutes another walker came along the gallops and onto the Golf Course. The dogs were running into the bracken and heather, scaring the birds I had been watching – and remember this is the nesting season. The dogs were on the gallops with the owner not in sight. The disturbance of nesting birds is bad enough but I shudder to think what might have happened if there had been a horse galloping round the track.

A recent press release from Bradford Council – Ground nesting bird season at our nature reserves – includes the paragraph:-

A range of laws, byelaws and a district-wide dog control Public Space Protection Order make it a legal requirement to leash dogs and pick up dog poo on council nature reserves, such as the Bradford Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve, Local Nature Reserves and other nature conservation sites.

For years dog owners have been urged to put dogs on a lead during the nesting season. When I have mentioned it I get responses like:- Why don’t they nest in trees like other birds? It’s not illegal. The dog won’t eat them.