9 Bogong Moth, Common Cutworm at Ainslie, ACT
Identification history
| Agrotis infusa | 23 Oct 2025 | MichaelMulvaney | ||
| Agrotis infusa | 22 Oct 2025 | jb2602 |
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Significant sighting
MichaelMulvaney noted:
23 Oct 2025
It has been quite a few years since we had aggregations of 50 or more Bogong moths in Canberra - some welcome news
9 comments
jb2602
wrote:
22 Oct 2025
Haven't seen such a Bogong aggregation for decades. There were at least 50.
ibaird
wrote:
23 Oct 2025
Yes, an important sighting. it's an extraordinary year (in recent times) for Bogong Moths in Canberra judging by the numhers of records we have been getting on NatureMapr in our region and anecdotally Also one seen on the ceiling of my regular gym in Belconnen by the proprietor last Friday (confirmed by me); and reports by him of the same species entering his block of flats in Belconnen also.
RogerF
wrote:
25 Oct 2025
Also one on my bed in Canberra private hospital. How did it get in to a sealed building!
Jennybach
wrote:
25 Oct 2025
Back in the 70s and 80s the numbers of moths batting on lit Canberra windows at night were so numerous they could be clearly heard. It was a traditional event that marked this time of year. Around 1990 lights were turned off in public buildings including New Parliament House to prevent hordes of the moths being waylaid in Canberra and facilitate their journey to Kosciusko. May it continue!
ibaird
wrote:
25 Oct 2025
RogerF, They are notorius for getting into 'sealed' buidings. Strong flyers, I expect they deliberately seek out crevices. I like many, hope you are not waylaid too long in private hospital. Best wishes Ian Baird
MatthewFrawley
wrote:
26 Oct 2025
I saw a few inside Old Parliament House over the last couple of days. And last night, around midnight, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of Silver Gulls flying around the lights above both parliament houses, circling around and around without making a noise. Are they eating insects?
WendyEM
wrote:
26 Oct 2025
They do that in Melbourne around the Arts Centre spire and other places. I believe they are eating moths etc
ibaird
wrote:
26 Oct 2025
Yes, Silver Gulls will 'hawk' for insects when mass flights of particular insect species occur, e.g. flying ants, Lycid bettles etc. Henry Nix and I published a short note about them feeding on Lycid beetles duriing the day in an issue of Canberra Bird Notes many years ago. It seems logical they would do the the same feeding on flying moths.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.150534-35.256590
- Places Ainslie, ACT
Sighting information
- 50 Abundance
- 19 Oct 2025 11:13 PM Recorded on
- jb2602 Recorded by
-
Collections
jb2602 NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Agrotis infusa Significant Featured Noctuoid moths (except Arctiinae) Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects
Species information
- Agrotis infusa Scientific name
- Bogong Moth, Common Cutworm Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Migratory
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 2159.76m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes