Monday, October 14, 2024

Rare moth in my Moth Box.

Monday 14th October 2024.


Only my second ever Radford's Flame Shoulder moth.

And yet another wet start to the working week with drizzly and sometimes heavy rain coming down throughout the night. The wind was coming from the south and therefore the temperatures were abnormally high for this time of year and that most likely prompted more immigrant moths to reach our shores. Well it did in my garden as I notched up my first ever Radford’s Flame Shoulder moth for my garden. I have seen this species only once before, when Becky and I stayed down East Prawle, Devon, around five years ago. I have been looking on the Migrant Lepidoptera Moths Facebook page and have been quite envious on some of the numbers of Radford’s Flame Shoulder moths on some of the coastal hotspots. Though it was a wet morning at Pembroke Road, it was much drier and sunnier in the afternoon,


The Moth Box:



Two Jasmine Moths were present today.

Though the number of moths were small, 16 moths of 8 species; there were some quality moths present and virtually nearly all were migrant moths. October does bring some real quality at times and with the Radford’s Flame Shoulder being present on the bottom egg tray within the Box; it really did put a big smile on my face. Two Jasmine Moths added a splash of beauty (they really are surreal looking moths) with one inside the Moth Box and the other on the wall opposite. Because of the weather, I had to wait till when I got back later in the day; but it was worth the wait.


Silver Y moth.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS:

  • Radford’s Flame Shoulder (New for Year)
  • Lesser Yellow Underwing
  • Feathered Ranunculus x3
  • Angle Shades
  • Silver Y

MICRO MOTHS:

  • Light Brown Apple Moth x3
  • Rusty-dot Pearl x4
  • Jasmine Moth x2


One of three Feathered Ranunculus moths.

While checking the moths, a Chiffchaff was heard in the neighbouring gardens again.


Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:


The weather was drizzly first thing this morning on my first shift and I only managed to notch up 11 species this morning here in Old Portsmouth, that included the pair of Jays showing on and off and most of the usual birds. A further four more species were added in the afternoon, which included my first Common Buzzard for this site since I have been working here. The bird was seen circling quite high overhead until I watched it close its wings and zoom off to the west. A small flock of House Sparrows flew over and headed north and to round it off, a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls were seen flying east behind the Royal Garrison Church. The Large White Caterpillars were still present nearby, but it looks as though they have totally demolished the Nasturtiam plants!


I had to put another photo of this rare moth.



Sunday, October 13, 2024

Firecrest seen again in the Cemy.

Sunday 13th October 2024.



This male Firecrest showed well briefly in a bush close to the main footpath.


It was back over Highland Road Cemetery this afternoon with a 45 minute stroll with the dogs which turned up a few nice birds. It was rather cloudy and cool this afternoon (around 11 degrees), but there was hardly any wind, which made it a comfortable walk today. There were not too many dog-walkers either, which made viewing any bird easy. Squirrels were literally everywhere which my dogs kept a sharp eye on, though I always have my dogs on a lead.






Above, this Jay showed well high up in a tree then flew off into neighbouring trees, to join a couple of Wood Pigeons.


There was a nice variety of birds this afternoon of which the first notable bird seen was a male Firecrest. I first heard the bird calling deep within a bush and eventually, it showed briefly but long enough to grab a half decent photo. The bird soon flew off to another bush, but I was sure there were more than one in the area and probably the same pair I saw last week. Shortly afterwards, a Jay flew in and landed in the top of a tree and although I grabbed a few photos, the bird soon flew off towards the trees close to the Mausoleum. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard in the distance and despite being quite a vocal bird, I never actually got a sighting of it.



Above, the various shades of green on all these trees are really eye-catching. Autumn brings with it the variety of colours and never fails to excite me. Below, there were not many flowers still in bloom, but this clump of Ox-eye Daisies caught my eye.



Above, the usual insects were nectaring on the flowering Ivy including this Ivy Bee.


In all, 17 species were seen or heard during my walk round my local patch, which included the following birds:

  • Herring Gull
  • Feral Pigeon
  • Wood Pigeon
  • Collared Dove
  • Blue Tit
  • Great Tit
  • Starling
  • Great Spotted Woodpecker
  • Jay
  • Carrion Crow
  • Magpie
  • Firecrest
  • Blackbird
  • Wren
  • Robin
  • Goldfinch
  • Meadow Pipit

In Hampshire today, a Yellow-browed Warbler was seen briefly near Hammonds Bridge along the Canal Path, Titchfield. Nearby, up to 3 Glossy Ibis were on the Bridge Street Floods early morning. 


Kittiwake added to Hampshire year list.

Saturday 12th October 2024.


Sea-watching from Gilkicker.

Early this morning, I checked the weather forecast and rain was forecast for Butser Hill, a destination I planned for today to see if any Ring Ouzels had turned up overnight. I had already been told that there were very few berries in the bushes up there and with this in mind, I took a different approach and went ‘sea-watching’ instead! It looked much drier at Gilkicker this morning and so I arranged with Emma & Matt Parkes to meet there this morning instead. I picked up both Geoff and Andy as per usual and made our way to Gilkicker to join Emma & Matt for a four hour stint here. Our second destination today was to be Portsdown Hill, where there was a good chance of a Ring Ouzel there.


The Moth Boxes:


My third Scarce Bordered Straw of the year.

Again, it was too dark this morning to check the inside of the Moth Box and so checking the trays I put outside the Box, there was already a Lesser Yellow Underwing and a Shuttle-shaped Dart present. When I got home from ‘Birding’ today late this afternoon, I was pleased to see another Scarce Bordered Straw on one of the trays and up to 3 Lunar Underwings present.

The moths present this morning in my Moth Box included the following:

MACRO MOTHS:

  • Scarce Bordered Straw
  • Lunar Underwing x3
  • Lesser Yellow Underwing
  • Shuttle-shaped Dart
  • Large Yellow Underwing
MICRO MOTHS:
  • Light Brown Apple Moth x8
  • Rusty-dot Pearl

Sadly, there were fewer moths in Andy’s trap where there just 5 moths present that included the following:

  • 4 L-album Wainscot
  • 1 Blair’s Mocha


A Harvestman was on the wall in Andy's garden.

On arrival at Andy’s house, a pair of Song Thrushes flew high overhead and headed off west, identified on their call. Just a little footnote here: for all those reading this and starting off into Birdwatching, young or old, it does take years of experience in learning bird calls and it pays to spend time learning them; whether online or in the field. On exiting Andy’s house to get into the car, my first Redwing of the year flew over with a tidy flock of 7 birds flying north-east over the houses. Their familiar call alerted me to their presence, but they were too quick for both Andy and Geoff to connect with them.


The four L-album Wainscot moths in Andy's garden.


Gilkicker Point, Gosport:





A pair of Sandwich Terns were fishing up and down the foreshore.

We all spent the next four hours at Gilkicker, within the shelter overlooking the Solent and the Isle of Wight clearly in the distance. It mostly remained dry throughout the morning and through the many ships, boats and an obscene amount of small Yachts and Windsurfers, we actually managed to find some birds to look at. The pick of the bunch easily went to Andy Fisher's sighting(s) when he noticed something flying high east, although distant. It transpired to be a Diver species and probably a Great Northern Diver too, but I just couldn't pick it up in the scope. Better still, Andy shouted out he had something else passing the bird heading south-east towards the Isle of Wight. This, however, I did get through the scope and this transpired to be a Spoonbill! The bird was distant, but I got enough on it to confirm its ID as it flew off into the distance.


A small flock of 4 and a singleton Brent Goose went through.


Another good sighting this morning was my first Hampshire sighting of an adult Kittiwake half way out across the Solent. I followed it through the scope and picked out all the relevant ID pointers as the bird followed a large Tanker heading east and being a Hampshire first for the year, I am now just three away for 200 species in Hampshire for the year. Up to 5 Brent Geese flew east that included a single bird and then a small flock of 4 birds and a pair of Sandwich Terns were searching for fish up and down the shoreline throughout the morning. A lone adult Mediterranean Gull, with a dodgy leg, flew across the shoreline and two individual Oystercatchers flew east were the only waders seen this morning.


Above, the lone Brent Goose flying east across the Solent and below, the adult Med Gull with the dodgy leg just offshore.


There was a bit of passerine movement going through with a small number of Meadow Pipits heading south and a small passage of Swallows flying low over the Solent too. There were periods of quiet too, though a lot of Gulls, especially Great Black-backed Gulls moving through the Solent. Apparently, over at St. Catherines Point on the Isle of Wight, a Pomarine Skua was harassing Kittiwakes offshore. Just a shame it was over the other side of the Island.


Portsdown Hill:


Emma checks the countryside with a stormy background. It was actually pouring down on the Hills in the distance, but thankfully, it missed us.

Emma & Matt joined us as we parked up on Portchester Lane, on top of Portsdown Hill where we had a quick view of a distant Red Kite and numerous Red-legged Partridges out in the fields running or flying away from us as soon as we stepped out of the cars. Walking along Crooked Walk Lane, a large flock of Skylarks (30+) took flight from the ploughed field to the south along with more Red-legged Partridges in the same field. A Hare was seen running away from us and then eventually settled next to a Red-legged Partridge and posed nicely for our cameras.  


Above, a Hare was a surprise sighting looking south from Crooked Walk Lane and then sitting next to one of the Red-legged Partridges while more RL Partridges were seen in the neighbouring field (below).



Above, the fields were full of Red-legged Partridges and below, several Common Buzzards were seen during our time here.



Above, a large congregation of Stock Doves, mixed in with Feral Pigeons were also in the fields. Below, Andy, Geoff and Emma climb a steep path to the summit overlooking a large scrubby area.



Above, a male Stonechat keeping an eye on us as we passed by and below, a female Stonechat just ahead from us on the path.



Emma took this superb photo of a Long-tailed Tit in the scrub on the Hill.

From here, we took the footpath north into a large area of scrub where the likelihood of a Ring Ouzel looked very promising. Sadly, though we spent a good couple of hours here, there were no positive signs of the species; but there were some nice birds here to look at, nonetheless. We had a large gathering of at least 7 Stonechats here as well as a pair of Song Thrushes that didn't hang around long. A couple of Chiffchaffs were present and showed well, but we only had the briefest of views of a Firecrest that was calling deep within the brambles. Out in the fields, another Red Kite was seen as well as several Buzzards and a male Sparrowhawk. A good sized flock of a hundred plus Stock Doves were out in the fields, mixed in with Feral Pigeons among them too, while a few flocks of Swallows zoomed past us overhead. Shame about the ‘Rouzels’, but this is a superb area for Ring Ouzels and possibly we could be back here next week? 



The scrubby area that looked so promising for Ring Ouzels today. Geoff has had them here in the past and in good numbers too. Maybe next week?

Friday, October 11, 2024

Oystercatcher over my house this morning.

Friday 11th October 2024.


Walking the dogs this morning, I took a photo of Highland Road Cemetery at dawn.

I missed the Northern Lights showing over the UK last night and someone told me they could even see it well from Butser Hill. But good old Southsea was overcast last night and from my garden, there was no chance. An Oystercatcher, today, was a surprise sighting as I was walking up my road here in Southsea. The bird flew high heading eastbound over the houses, though I never heard it call once. This was a good ‘garden tick’ and totally unexpected. Today’s sightings took in both Pembroke Road in Old Portsmouth and my back garden.


Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

I recorded a total of 15 bird species today; in fact, this morning during my first shift here. It was a bit colder than late, with a cool southerly breeze blowing, but at least it was dry. Among the species, a female Sparrowhawk spooked all the local Wood Pigeons that scattered from the trees opposite and those on Governors Green. In fact, I have been noticing all week the amount of Wood Pigeons on the grass along Duisburg Way with numbers here around 100+. For an ‘Amber’ listed bird, it is surprising how many are in this area of Portsmouth. Other notable birds recorded this morning included a calling Chiffchaff and a Jay. A total of 7 Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green this morning. The Large White butterfly caterpillars were now abundant on the Nasturtiums and a few Buff-tailed Bumblebees were enjoying the flowers by the roadside.



The Red Admiral butterfly enjoys the Ivy in my garden.

My back garden, Southsea:

The sun was shining when I got back home around lunchtime and I had to check the Ivy growing in my garden for anything of note. As expected, there was a large number of insects benefiting from the flowering Ivy that included both Drone Flies along with Ivy Bee’s, Common Wasps and many House Flies. Even a Red Admiral butterfly came in to feed and showed well. The birdlife here included a Chiffchaff calling in gardens nearby and overhead, a few Meadow Pipits went by.


Above, one of several Batman Hoverflies in my garden. Below, a few Ivy Bees were present too.





Above, outnumbering all other insects, Drone Flies were abundant in the sunshine.


Another photo of the Red Admiral butterfly

In Hampshire today, a male Hen-harrier flew over Farlington Marshes late this afternoon and earlier, a Pallid / Hen-harrier flew north over Lee-on-Solent; seen earlier flying in over the Solent. A claim of a Brown Booby over Titchfield Haven was soon dismissed as a juvenile Gannet; though there was a Brown Booby seen in East Sussex a few days back. Interesting? Titchfield Haven, however, hosted a Death’s-head Hawk-moth; though I believe it was hatched from a Caterpillar from someone who found the caterpillar on the reserve. A Tree Sparrow was seen again at Barton on sea Golf course again with passerines.


Thursday, October 10, 2024

Pearly Underwing now on my Moth year list.

Thursday 10th October 2024.


My first Pearly Underwing moth of the year. This is a common immigrant moth and good to get one in the Moth Box at last.

Another wet morning did not feel me with a lot of enthusiasm, but after taking the dogs for their early morning walk, I took a quick look on the outside of my Moth Box which I had put on last night. The outside egg boxes were damp again due to the rain and water collecting under the Moth Box, but they did hold a few moths. In fact, a few good moths were present, despite the poor weather. The wind was blowing from the north, but it wasn't too cold and the persistent drizzle put paid for me checking the Moth Box early.

The Moth Box:


One of four Jasmine Moths this morning. This was the highest ever count of this species in my garden.

A quick check of the Moth Box, despite the drizzle, revealed up to three Jasmine Moths and a few Light Brown Apple Moths. But it wasn't till I got back from my first shift at Pembroke Road, when I had a good look in the Moth Box. As well as the three Jasmine Moths found this morning, a fourth individual was found within the Moth Box. There were not that many moths, but I did find my first Pearly Underwing of the year. These are annual in my Moth Box and a fairly common immigrant moth to the UK, though predominantly found near the coast. Just 24 moths of 10 species recorded today.


Just the one Feathered Ranunculus moth this morning alongside a Hoverfly.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS:

  • Angle Shades x2
  • L-album Wainscot
  • Feathered Ranunculus
  • Pearly Underwing (New for Year)
  • Large Yellow Underwing
MACRO MOTHS:
  • Light Brown Apple Moth x9
  • Rusty-dot Pearl x2
  • Jasmine Moth x4
  • Ruddy Streak x2
  • Beautiful Plume
 

One of two Angle Shades moth.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The rain, though light, was persistent throughout my first shift and only 11 species of birds were noted. A Grey Heron flying low over westbound was probably the best sighting this morning. One of the Jays was seen a couple of times going back and forth to the Holm Oaks for an acorn or two. There was just the one Yellow-browed Warbler seen this morning, which was at the bottom end of Seafarers Walk, Hayling Island. 



Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Horrible weather, but two good moths.

Tuesday 8th October 2024.


I found these Large White butterfly caterpillars munching on Nasturtiam leaves in Pembroke Road yesterday and were still present today despite the heavy rain.

Heavy rain showers persisted overnight and into the morning and of course, I got a good soaking while walking the dogs at 7am this morning. I even put the Moth Box on overnight and I didn't bother looking at the contents till I got home from my first shift in Pembroke Road. It is always strange that when there is a good heavy downpour, the unusual moths turn up and this morning was no exception.


The Moth Box:



My first Black Rustic moth of the year.

Though the moths were very low in numbers, I had two excellent moths that were new for the year that included Delicate (two of) and a Black Rustic; both typical Autumn moths and a long time coming too. A Rush Veneer was perched on the white sheet behind (another was seen on the outside of my house last Sunday) and a total of at least 8 Light Brown Apple Moths of various guises also in the Moth Box. 


The Delicate moth was joined by a second individual.

The moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS:


  •  Delicate 2  (New for Year)
  • Black Rustic
  • Lesser Yellow Underwing
MICRO MOTHS:

  • Rush Veneer
  • Rusty-dot Pearl
  • Light Brown Apple Moth 8


Both the Delicate moths together.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:



Though this photo was taken yesterday, there were more Rainbows and heavy showers for today!

Though I never expected to get many species here this morning in this awful weather, the Jay was flying over now and then, grabbing acorns from the nearby Holm Oak trees and then flying back west over the houses. A few Pied Wagtails were on Governors Green, but apart from the usual birds, all was pretty quiet.


Yellow-browed Warbler at Sandy Point. Photo by Pete Appleton.

Up to THREE Yellow-browed Warblers were present yesterday on Sandy Point, but only two were heard this morning at the same place.


Rare moth in my Moth Box.

Monday 14th October 2024. Only my second ever Radford's Flame Shoulder moth. And yet another wet start to the working week with drizzly...