A sad loss and a few notable sightings.

 

Monday 27th July 2026.

The Red Admiral butterfly on my Garden table this afternoon.

I shall put the moth box out overnight, as I have not used it for the past two evenings. Another heatwave is on the way, and apart from a little drizzle early yesterday morning, there is no rain forecast this week to ease the parched ground here in the south. The grassy areas around Southsea and Portsmouth are yellow, and without watering my garden every other day, the plants would soon die.

Southern Europe is like a tinderbox, with large areas of Spain and southern France burning almost out of control as temperatures climb into the 40s. Even here in the UK, a large fire scorched a vast area of heathland in West Wight, apparently started by a thoughtless person’s campfire. It took five days to put out. If the culprits are found, a substantial fine and a proper jail sentence would be appropriate. Even the Cairngorms suffered a major heathland fire, though thankfully a band of rain has moved in to help quell it. But what about the damage to the wildlife these areas support? The harm can be irreparable, and the land may take years to recover. Sad, sad times.

On a very sad note, one of my childhood idols, birdwatcher Bill Oddie, passed away today aged 85. I was a huge fan of The Goodies when I was at school and even owned a few of their singles. Around the same time, I was getting into birding, and when I discovered he was also a birder, my admiration for him grew even more. I once saw him at Farlington Marshes in the late 1970s, where he apparently found a Bonaparte’s Gull, although no one else saw it. He helped launch Springwatch with Kate Humble, but sadly had to leave the programme because of mental illness. Rest in peace, Bill, and thank you for helping champion bird conservation.

Notable Sightings

The micro moth Olive-tree Pearl.

On a more positive note, there were several notable sightings today.

·    Olive-tree Pearl moth: An Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis) was seen at nearby retirement flats in Southsea. It was only the second one I have seen this year.

·     Migrant Hawker dragonfly: This afternoon, a Migrant Hawker was quartering the gardens around my house, but it did not settle and eventually flew off east.

·      Red Admiral butterfly: I had better luck with a Red Admiral, which settled on my garden table several times.

Two Moth Boxes & a superb Long-tailed Shrike.

 

Saturday 25th July 2026.

Yes, there are some fantastic photos of the Long-tailed Shrike out there, but the bird was distant most of the time and also a strong heat haze to contend with. Well, that's my excuse anyway! Still, what a stunning bird and well worth the long journey to see it.

Today, I took part in my first ‘twitch’ of the year. Although I have virtually given up chasing birds miles away, this was one I simply had to see: a first-summer male Long-tailed Shrike that had spent at least a week along the same stretch of countryside at Eastleach Martin in Gloucestershire.

But before that, there were two Moth Boxes that needed checking out in my garden and at Cowplain Marsh. The weather was perfect again with another very warm day ahead of us and a breezy north-westerly wind to help keep the temperature down some. I was up early again and by 5.30am, I was out in the garden checking the first Moth Box.

My Moth Box:

My first ever Black-fronted Straw was in the Moth Box this morning.

A very good number of Moths were present in my garden with a count of 123 moths of 43 species recorded today. Tiger Moths are most certainly on the increase with up to 3 Jersey Tigers and 2 Garden Tigers found in and around the Moth Box. I expect the Garden Tigers to increase over the coming weeks.

This fresh Tree-lichen Beauty moth was my first of the year. 

New moths for the year included my first Tree-lichen Beauty, found beside the light bulb, and my first ever Black-fronted Straw (Cochylichroa atricapitana) micro-moth. This was another micro-moth added to my life list, with many more still to discover — and, hopefully, more to come from my moth box.

One of four Rusty Acorn Piercers, the most I have had in one morning, were present this morning.

It was another good morning for migrant Moths that included two Golden Twin-spots, Portland Ribbon Wave (same one as yesterday), Turnip Moth, Small Mottled Willow, Rusty-dot Pearls (Udea ferrugalis) and finally, FOUR Rusty Acorn Piercers (Cydia amplana). The Moths recorded this morning included the following:

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Garden Tiger x2	Box Tree Moth x6
Jersey Tiger x3	Rusty-dot Pearl x9
Lime-speck Pug x2	Black-fronted Straw * x1
Willow Beauty x2	Tawny-fronted Straw x2
Marbled Green x1	Rusty Acorn Piercer x4
Common Rustic x6	Chestnut Tortrix x2
Cabbage Moth x1	Mint Moth x2
Tree-lichen Beauty * x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x28
Golden Twin-spot x2	Broom Shoot Moth x1
Large Yellow Underwing x2	Garden Grass-veneer x3
Portland Ribbon Wave x1	Hawthorn Moth x1
Brimstone Moth x1	White-shouldered House Moth x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x1	Ruddy Streak x1
Cream-bordered Green Pea x1	Grey Knot-horn x1
Turnip Moth x1	Bird-cherry Ermine x3
Dusky Thorn x1	Common Masoner x4
Small Mottled Willow x1	Copper-fringed Drab x1
Pale Mottled Willow x2	Common Plume x8
Shuttle-shaped Dart x2	Hampshire Dowd x3
Small Dusty Wave x1	Cherrybark Tortrix x1
Garden Carpet x1
Double-striped Pug x4

 

While recording the Moths, I heard a Willowchiff calling in the neighbouring gardens, but there was no sighting of the bird. A small flock of 4 Swallows flew overhead and headed west as did a Greenfinch. A Wren was singing at the back of the garden and was also seen briefly in my neighbours Holly Tree.

 

Geoff Farwell’s Moth Box, Cowplain Marsh (Andy’s garden):

An unexpected photo of Geoff while I was taking a photo of the Mother of Pearl moth.

Overview: Cowplain Marsh produced fewer moths than my garden, but there was still a good variety this morning. No new species for the year were recorded, although several were only my second records of the year, including a smart-looking Mocha found on one of the egg trays and a Square-spot Rustic. The only hawk-moth of the day was a Poplar Hawk-moth in the MV moth box, while Cowplain Marsh also produced its first ever Golden Twin-spot.

Above, my second Mocha moth of the year (the first was also at Cowplain Marsh) and below, a Poplar Hawk-moth.

Above, my second Square-spot Rustic for this year and below, one of two Blair's Mocha.

Other notable records: Highlights included three Straw Grass-veneers, two Silver Ys, and my third Dingy Footman of the year. Two Blair’s Mochas were also a good find, and up to 10 Common Rustics was another notable count. The moths recorded here this morning included the following:

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Maiden’s Blush x1	Mother of Pearl x3
Riband Wave x2	Common Plume x2
Blair’s Mocha x2	Rusty-dot Pearl x5
Willow Beauty x1	Common Masoner x1
Common Rustic x10	Grey Knot-horn x3
Bright-line Brown-eye x1	Garden Grass-veneer x1
Mocha x1	Barred Yellowneck x1
Dingy Footman x1	Rosy Tabby x1
Silver Y x2	Straw Grass-veneer x3
Square-spot Rustic x1
Brimstone Moth x2
Poplar Hawk-moth x1
Golden Twin-spot x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x1
Large Yellow Underwing x1

 

 

Eastleach Martin, Gloucestershire:

 

The Long-tailed Shrike always remained distant, but through the scope, all the relevant details of its plumage were noted. We even watched it eat a few insects it caught.

Decision to go: The Long-tailed Shrike had been present at Eastleach Martin for more than a week. After many Lazee Birders, along with my birding friends Emma and Matt Parkes, had travelled midweek to see this exceptionally rare bird, I decided it was my turn to make the 94-mile journey to admire it for myself. Andy Fisher was the only one who came with me, as Geoff had planned to visit Gander Down that morning, although he stayed long enough to help me check the moth box at Cowplain Marsh.

A field was set up for the parking for visiting Birders.

The journey and location: The weather was perfect again as we headed across country before joining the A34 northbound towards Gloucestershire. It was remarkable that anyone had found the shrike in such a remote spot, and I will be very interested to read the finder’s account in Birdwatch magazine to learn how the bird was discovered. It really was in the middle of nowhere, deep in the countryside.

You can just see the Shrike's head in this photo.

Arrival and viewing arrangements: Thankfully, probably after some negotiation, a local farmer had set aside a field to accommodate the growing number of birders and twitchers coming to see only the third Long-tailed Shrike recorded in the UK. With parking priced at £5, I am sure the collection bucket was full by the end of the day, if not earlier in the week, and I hope the money goes to a good cause.

Here I am! 

Finding the bird: One of the guides in the field told us to walk about 500 yards up the road, then follow a footpath along the edge of the fields to view a small stretch of hedgerow where the bird had been residing. The man at the car park mentioned that it had not shown for the past hour, but fortunately for Andy, me, and the 80-plus birders present, the Long-tailed Shrike eventually appeared. At first, only its pale belly and long tail could be seen poking out of the hedge, and even that view was not easy. Then something flew out and landed on a nearby flint wall — it was the shrike. Although my first view was brief, the bird soon perched on top of the hedge and gave everyone superb views. I managed to take plenty of photos and some film footage before we had our fill and headed back to the car. Incidentally, it was my 437th bird species in the UK, and hopefully not my last new species of the year.

Just some of the appreciative crowd had gathered by midday.

Other wildlife and the journey home: During the hour we spent watching the shrike, we also had a bonus Whinchat — my first of the year — perched briefly on the hedgerow, along with a Common Whitethroat. A visiting birder told us he had seen two Clouded Yellow butterflies over the fields that morning, though we could only find Meadow Browns, Common Blues, Gatekeepers and a Small Heath. Several Red Kites drifted over the countryside, and a Common Buzzard was noted on the way home. The return journey was quicker than the outward drive, which is always a bonus. Although we had to take a few detours because of traffic incidents on the southbound A34, it was good to get home safe and sound.

Geoff Farwell had texted me that afternoon that he had heard a Quail calling at Gander Down today and 3 Corn Buntings. Also, he saw two Red Kites, 4 Common Buzzards, a Kestrel and two Clouded Yellow butterflies.

The Long-tailed Shrike at Eastleach Martin today.

Tigers & plenty of migrant Moths this morning.

 

Friday 24^th July 2026.

Tigers are back. Left, my first Garden Tiger moth of the year along with a Jersey Tiger.

The Moth Box went back on overnight, and the weather conditions could hardly have been better. It was still and calm, with no cloud cover, yet it produced a good number of year-ticks and migrant moths from a relatively small catch. The children have now broken up for the summer holidays, so there will be no Pembroke Road sightings for the next six weeks. That should give me a little time for some birding.

The first summer Long-tailed Shrike is still present this morning in Gloucestershire and proving a big attraction for birders far and wide. It is only a couple of hours away and so I just might make the journey with the guys this weekend.

 

My Moth Box:

My first Portland Ribbon Wave of the year.

Although there were only 48 moths of 28 species this morning, the quality was excellent. Five more species were added to my year list, including another lifer: the micro moth Small Pine Shoot Moth (Clavigesta sylvestrana). My first Garden Tiger of the year finally appeared at the bottom of the Moth Box, joined by up to three Jersey Tigers.

My first Dusky Thorn of the year.

I have been doing well this year with Thorn moths and so with a Dusky Thorn turning up behind the Moth Box, I was very pleased and my first Portland Ribbon Wave that was sat on the white board. These are now becoming annual to my garden and were considered a real rarity many years ago. My second Marbled Green of the year was on one of the egg trays.

Above, my first ever Small Pine Shoot Moth and below, the migrant micro moth, Rusty Acorn Piercer.

Above, also new for the year was this Spindle Knot-horn.

Migrant moths: Migrants are still arriving, with Small Mottled Willow and Rusty Acorn Piercer (Cydia amplana) among the highlights. Micro moths: My first Spindle Knot-horn (Nephopterix angustella) of the year was also present, while my second Tawny-fronted Straw (Neocochylis molliculana) was settled on the rain guard.

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Jersey Tiger x3	Bird-cherry Ermine x1
Garden Tiger * x1	Spindle Knot-horn * x1
Golden Twin-spot x2	Small Pine Shoot Moth * x1
Brimstone Moth x3	Garden Grass-veneer x1
Common Emerald x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x7
Cabbage Moth x2	Rusty Acorn Piercer x1
Common Rustic x4	Chestnut Tortrix x2
Small Mottled Willow x1	Mother of Pearl x1
Dusky Thorn * x1	Tawny-fronted Straw x1
Silver Y x1	Box Tree Moth x2
Marbled Green x1
Double-striped Pug x2
Large Yellow Underwing x1
Grey Dagger x1
Least Carpet x2
Pale Mottled Willow x1
Portland Ribbon Wave * x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x2

 

The local Fox put in an appearance this morning, watching me going about checking the Moth Box!