Some excellent Moths and a trip to Blashford Lakes.

Saturday 3^rd October 2026.

I was waiting for the news if the Semi-palmated Sandpiper was present this morning on Pennington Marshes and by the time we had finished with the Moth Box at Cowplain Marsh and there was no sign of the bird, I made a change of plan and headed off to Blashford Lakes instead. There was always a chance it might reappear later in the day and we would be literally halfway there to the Reserve. Sadly, as it turned out, there was no further sign of the wader.

Though it was going to be a cloudy day, it still remained quite bright and relatively mild too and judging by all the visible migration going on over Cowplain Marsh (Andy Fisher’s garden), it was going to be a good day for birds and as it turned out, we saw quite a variety too and even finished the day off at Blackgutter Bottom on the way back to check for raptors.

Geoff’s Moth Box, Cowplain Marsh:

I did not put my Moth Box on back in Southsea overnight due to the fact I was catching a lot of the same moths and so gave it a miss. However, Geoff’s Moth Box came up trumps with up to FOUR ‘year-ticks’ with Barred Sallow, Brindled Green, Red-lined Quaker and the micro moth, Thicket Knot-horn (Acrobasis suavella) all added to my year list.

A late Rosy Tabby (Endotricha flammealis) was present on the conservatory roof, which was unexpected and close by the same moth, a Turnip Moth sat. Two Blair’s Mocha were recorded and up to 3 Lunar Underwings were found on the egg trays. Sadly, very little in the Box itself with just one Square-spot Rustic present.

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Barred Sallow * x1	Common Plume x1
Brindled Green * x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x1
Red-lined Quaker * x1	Thicket Knot-horn x1
Blair’s Mocha x2	Rosy Tabby x1
Lunar Underwing x3
Turnip Moth x1
Square-spot Rustic x1
L-album Wainscot x2

 

While checking the Moth Box, three Spider species were nearby that included a large Giant House Spider perched on the garden gate; a Garden Spider in its web near the back door and a False Black Widow sat in its web in the kitchen! I think Andy promptly removed that Spider!

While noting down the Moths, there was a lot of bird activity going on within and over Cowplain Marsh. Andy, who is now recording all the wildlife, including the birds, has a good array of birdfeeders up and this in turn is attracting at least two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, at least a dozen Goldfinch and the usual Blue and Great Tits. Even House Sparrows (getting so much harder to see these days) were coming into the feeders.

While we chatted over a coffee before setting off to Blashford, at least two Chiffchaffs were around the garden (I wished I brought my camera from the car! Fume!) and showed above our heads very well indeed. Other birds noted included flyovers of Skylark, Jackdaw, Song Thrush, Dunnock and large flocks of Herring Gulls in their familiar V shape flying north out into the countryside.

 

Blashford Lakes, nr Fordingbridge:

Ibsley Water:

Literally seconds before we arrived at the Tern Hide Car Park, I noticed a bird sat in the road and so slowed down and stopped to pick the bird up. It was a female/juvenile type Blackbird and I can only assume it had flown into a car and stunned itself. It didn’t let me pick it up and so I helped it on its way to hop into the nearby grassy verge. Job done, bird saved.

Instead of going into the Tern Hide and seeing it was such a nice day, we decided to view the area from the Viewing Platform at the back of the Car Park and from here, we had four species of Heron on show. Right at the back of Ibsley Water, there were up to 5 Great White Egrets on show, four Little Egrets and at least 4+ Grey Herons. Unexpectedly, a Cattle Egret flew high over our heads heading southbound! The reason for all these Heron species gathering up became apparent when I noticed through the scope the many Cormorants swimming in the shallow water close to the Herons. Andy and I saw this a few years ago where the Cormorants were herding up the fish to the shoreline and the Heron species were picking off the fish that swam close to the shoreline. Andy had counted at least 60+ more Cormorants flying onto Ibsley Water to also join in the fishing expedition!

The only waders seen were a flock of around 60+ Lapwing resting on the islands and a Common Sandpiper flying low over the water at the back of Ibsley Water. A second bird was seen later in the afternoon when we returned to the Tern Hide. Wildfowl mostly consisted of Tufted Duck and Coot, but there was a sprinkling of Teal, Mallard and Shoveler. A large skein of Egyptian Geese was on the east bank with a few Canada Geese among them. A good gathering of Herring Gulls also held both Great Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls; but I could not find anything rarer among the 150+ Gulls present.

Passerines seen from the Viewing Platform included a Reed Bunting, a few Swallows flying high south overhead, a few Chiffchaff and at least 30+ Long-tailed Tits making their way through the Willow Trees by the Car Park.

 

Ivy South Hide:

After an hour or so, we decided to walk from the Car Park to the Information Centre where Andy purchased a few Bird books for his collection at home. Siskins, Treecreeper and Nuthatch were calling from the woods from the Car Park here and Geoff and I could also hear some Wood Crickets calling deep within vegetation near the Car Park! These are such a difficult insect to see as they like to remain hidden amongst the vegetation and thankfully, both Geoff and I have acute hearing. Long may it last! The chap selling the Books told us that up to 6 Beavers are now on the Reserve! He even told us on where to look for the Dams they had built, and it didn’t take long to view them for ourselves.

Following the Boardwalk past the Ivy South Hide, we carried on till we saw the stream adjacent to the Water Skiing Lakes. At least two small Dams had been built by the Beavers, which were my first ever sighting of this spectacle. Beavers are virtually nocturnal, so we didn’t expect to see the animals, but it was always good to see something like this on the Reserve.

From Ivy South Hide, which was full of birders present, we had good views of at least two Kingfishers, though they remained mostly distant in the Willows to the left of the Hide. Occasionally, they would dart across the water in front of us, but too quick for a decent photo. There was a small flock of Gadwall swimming near where the Kingfishers were and at least three Great Crested Grebes present including a juvenile stripey headed bird.

In front of the Hide, both Migrant Hawker and Common Darter dragonflies were hunting in front of the Reedmace and within the water itself, you could see a school of Roach swimming just below the surface.

Ibsley Water:

Walking back to the Tern Hide, Andy had picked his books up and so we made our way the Tern Hide where I could have my lunch. Almost immediately, all the Lapwing and some other birds took flight due to a raptor. It was a juvenile Peregrine that circled the lake several times before landing on one of the islands. A pair of Starlings landed in front of the Hide and as I was watching them, something was coming straight for the birds at speed. It was the Peregrine and as the raptor was about to grab one of the Starlings, the smaller birds took flight just in time and managed their escape. The disappointed young Peregrine then flew off over the main road and headed off west.

As mentioned earlier, two Common Sandpipers were seen flying low over the water and disappeared towards the Goosander Hide area and out of view. I briefly saw a female Sparrowhawk at the back of Ibsley Water fly low over the water and disappeared into the nearby trees, which rounded off our trip here to Blashford Lakes.

Blackgutter Bottom, New Forest:

Geoff overlooking Blackgutter Bottom.

It was a bit of a long shot, but I fancied trying our luck at Blackgutter Bottom for possible Merlin or even a Harrier and so spent a good hour with my scope to hand, waiting patiently for anything of note to pass through. Almost immediately on our arrival, I saw a Common Snipe flying up the valley from the small stream below as it headed off northbound.

Apart from the din of passing traffic in the distance and the occasional burst of Robin song, it was so very quiet here. Sightings here were far and few between but what we did see was a few Meadow Pipits going over, a flock of 12 Linnet, a distant male Stonechat on the heather and a male Kestrel that was flushed by a Horse Rider rounding up the local Ponies. Still, not a bad days birding here in the New Forest area and good weather too helped make it a pleasant day.

MORE PHOTOS TO FOLLOW

 

 

Highest bird species total for the week in Old Portsmouth.

Friday 2^nd October 2026.

Above, an Olive-tree Pearl and a Rusty-dot Pearl; both typical Autumn moths.

There was no rain overnight though it remained clear and bright first thing in the morning. A very light southerly wind blew into Southsea and with such calm conditions, I wasn’t at all surprised to see a lot of ‘Visible Migration’ going on overhead, both over my garden and over Old Portsmouth.

The Moth Box was on again overnight and though again, no new species added to my year list, there was plenty there to keep me entertained, including a few insects. A Warbler species was seen and heard in my garden, but I struggled to put a name to it due to the odd call and very brief view, but it was most certainly not a Chiffchaff!

My Moth Box:

Another Small Mottled Willow was present again this morning. It has been a memorable year for this supposedly rare moth.

Up to 45 moths of 11 species were recorded this morning though a large percentage of these were Light Brown Apple Moths again, with at least 28 counted. A Small Mottled Willow was present again and my first Plumed Fan-foot for October was sat under one of the Rain guards.

Above, one of two Narrow-winged Grey moths this morning and below, a Lunar Underwing.

Two Narrow-winged Grey’s (Eudonia angustia) were the first of their species for several months in my garden. The following Moths were present in my garden this morning:

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Plumed Fan-foot x1	Olive-tree Pearl x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x28
Large Yellow Underwing x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x4
Lunar Underwing x1	Narrow-winged Grey x2
Small Mottled Willow x1
L-album Wainscot x1
Double-striped Pug x3

 

Visible migration was strong this morning with several flocks of Meadow Pipits flying over during the 30 minutes while I was checking the Moth Box. Up to 3 Grey Wagtails went over plus 2 Pied Wagtails. A lone Goldfinch was heard flying over, but no sightings of the bird.

What was intriguing was a ‘Phyllosc’ species of Warbler that arrived at my garden. It was the call that alerted me to the bird of which I was not familiar with. Sadly, the light when I saw the bird, wasn’t very good but I could ascertain it was very pale underneath, but I could not get any head pattern on the bird. I do not think it was a Common Chiffchaff judging by the underparts and call but will remain a mystery. I shall check on YouTube the various possible rare migrants later today to see if the call jogs the memory. The said bird flew off strongly northbound.

A Twin-spot Centurian was inside the Moth Box.

Other insects attracted to my Moth Box this morning included a Twin-spot Centurian (Sargus bipunctatis), a species of Soldier Fly and at least two Crane Flies.

 

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Governor's Green this morning. You can just see some of the many Wood Pigeons on the grass. Over a hundred birds were counted.

Another bright and sunny start to the first shift in Old Portsmouth again with near wall to wall blue sky, though there was a lot of cloud sitting over the Isle of Wight. It was easily the best day of the week for bird species here with a whopping 18 species seen during my hour here.

Birds of note this morning included a pair of Jays that dropped in around 9.25am and flew between the Sycamore Trees on the main road. There was just one Pied Wagtail on the Bowling Green though a couple more were heard flying over. A single Grey Wagtail was also seen flying high overhead heading south, but a flock of 15 Skylarks heading high south were my first here of the Autumn.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker put in a fine appearance by flying firstly from one of the Sycamore trees and into the house opposite garden. Then it flew out of one of the trees by the Bowling Green and back into one of the Sycamore trees. I did hear it earlier on in the week and hopefully, will be a regular feature during this Autumn. A few flocks of Meadow Pipits flew over and to round things off this morning, a big count of 100+ Wood Pigeons were grazing on Governor’s Green.

One of two Firebugs found on one of the Hibiscus Bushes.

Unfortunately, it was very quiet again on my second shift here in Old Portsmouth and the only notable sighting was a couple of Firebugs (Pyrrhocoris apteris) on the Hibiscus Bushes.

The bird species seen or heard today included the following:

• Magpie
• Carrion Crow
• Jay
• Herring Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Great Tit
• Blue Tit
• Chiffchaff
• Pied Wagtail
• Grey Wagtail
• Skylark (flock of 15)
• Dunnock
• Wren
• Meadow Pipit
• Robin
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

Cowplain Marsh News:

Up to 40 bird species were recorded within or over Cowplain Marsh in September (Andy’s back garden) and that included 2 Chiffchaff on the last day of the month that had a silver ring on its left leg. This month, a total of 30 bird species recorded so far of which both Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch were recorded daily on the Fat Balls. On Monday, a Common Gull was a year tick for the Reserve and a male Sparrowhawk was also seen. Today, early this evening, up to 6 Swallows and 5 House Martins were seen overhead.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth in the Moth Box and a Tree Pipit over.

Thursday 1^st October 2026.

After last nights rain, a nice sunrise over Highland Road Cemetery as I walked past with the dogs.

The heavy rain overnight had all but disappeared by dawn arrived, leaving behind a bright blue start to the day and some visible migration going on overhead too. It was a tad cooler than yesterday with a light westerly blowing over Southsea and Old Portsmouth; but I had to wait till around 7.15am before I could switch off the Moth Box light to check the Moths.

My Moth Box:

This Hummingbird Hawk-moth within the Moth Box was a lovely surprise.

Despite the heavy rain, the Moth Box certainly provided a few surprises, notably the Hummingbird Hawk-moth perched on one of the egg trays within the Box. I think this was the second one this year I had in my Moth Box and always most welcome. I carefully placed the egg tray with the moth on our garden furniture nearby and by the time I turned my head, it was gone.

Above, a head on view of the Hummingbird Hawk-moth and below, the Diamondback Moth.

There were just 4 macro moth species this morning, though among them was the migrant moth Small Mottled Willow and a more familiar moth for this time of year, a Lunar Underwing. That left just a Willow Beauty that was perched on the garden fence nearby.

Above, the Fig-leaf Skeletonizer micro moth and below, the Tree-mallow Tortrix.

A whopping 33+ Light Brown Apple Moths (Epiphyas postvittana) were recorded this morning and boy, don’t they come in various guises! One individual even looked like the colour of the brick it sat on! My third Fig-leaf Skeletonizer (Choreutis nemorana) of the year was just inside the Box when I lifted the lid off and a pristine migrant Diamondback Moth (Plutella xylostella) was perched on one of the egg trays. Other migrant micros included 3 Rusty-dot Pearls (Udea ferrugalis) and an Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis). All in all, 45 moths of 11 species were better than expected after last nights poor weather. The Moths recorded this morning included the following:

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Hummingbird Hawk-moth x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x3
Willow Beauty x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x33
Small Mottled Willow x1	Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Lunar Underwing x1	Diamondback Moth x1
	Ruddy Streak x1
	Fig-leaf Skeletonizer x1
	Olive-tree Pearl x1

 

While checking the Moth Box, there was some visible migration going on and that included not only a trickle of Meadow Pipits, but a Tree Pipit was heard somewhere high overhead but sadly not seen. Both Pied and Grey Wagtail were also heard as well as a Song Thrush going over. A Chiffchaff was calling in neighbouring gardens.

 

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Governor's Green with the Royal Garrison Church in the background.

It was bright and sunny on arrival for my first shift in Old Portsmouth this morning and the bird species came thick and fast as soon as I got to my normal spot looking south over both the Bowling Green and Governor’s Green. A Cormorant was probably the most unusual species this morning, with two birds seen at separate times of the morning flying over Old Portsmouth. The only visible migration was a couple of Meadow Pipits calling as they flew off south-west, but picking up any calling high flying birds is difficult because of the drone of the passing traffic. The Chiffchaff was again heard down the footpath adjacent to the Bowling Green, though no sightings of the bird.

This superb image of a Kingfisher taken at Titchfield Haven recently. Photo by Daz Gorman.

Up to 16 bird species were recorded this morning on my first shift in Pembroke Road. The species that were heard only included the Wren, Robin, Great Tit but the Pied Wagtail was seen and heard on the Bowling Green again and up to 3 Blue Tits flew out of the trees and over my head heading north.

The bird species seen or heard today included the following:

• Magpie
• Carrion Crow
• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Great Tit
• Blue Tit
• Chiffchaff
• Pied Wagtail
• Dunnock
• Wren
• Meadow Pipit
• Robin
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Cormorant (2)

 

A quieter day in Pembroke Road and a Brent Goose flock back in the harbour.

Wednesday 30th September 2026.

A wet start here in Southsea where I took a bit of a soaking while walking my dogs at 6.30am. However, the weather did improve a little as the rain had stopped by the time I got to my first shift in Old Portsmouth, though it was dark and cloudy with a blustery southerly wind. But what was most noticeable was how mild it was as temperatures were around 19 degrees.

On the BBC news this morning, the local edition reported a male Pallid Harrier seen and photographed over Testwood Lakes last year by a chap with the same name as one of our ‘Lazee Birders’ and a bit of confusion reigned. Sadly, this bird was suppressed by the finder and not the first time this person has done this. It also begs the question that should I find a major rarity in Highland Road Cemetery, my ‘local patch’. should I put it out to everyone to see the bird and risk idiots trampling all over the graves to get that ‘money shot’?  I shall ‘cross that bridge’ when I come to it. I would obviously discuss this with the appropriate Hampshire Recorders.

I started listening to the Birdguides Podcast for the first time yesterday and after an hours listening, I was beginning to get a bit bored. OK, I was hoping for a variety of topics about birding in the UK, but it was mostly aimed at ‘twitching’ and the various rarities that has turned up over the past few months. However, on a positive side, they did bring up some interesting memories when I was ‘twitching’ including the Black Lark at South Stack in June 2003 and various other rare birds. I shall be listening to future editions of the Podcast as it could be more interesting as time goes on.

 

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Thankfully the rain had stopped when I arrived at Pembroke Road, but there was still a lot of heavy dark cloud around.

Thankfully, the rain had stopped by the time I got Pembroke Road, but it was quite dark with the thick heavy cloud overhead. A band of blue sky could be seen way over in the south and by the time I finished my shift, a lot of the cloud had moved on leaving behind a lot of blue sky and again, so very mild for this time of year.

Once again, the usual bird species were present, and the only birds of note included a pair of Pied Wagtails on the Bowling Green and the lovely sound of a Robin in full song nearby. Black-headed Gulls, normally scarce here, were arriving from the coast in numbers again this morning, though only one Great Black-backed Gull was seen flying over towards Curtain Moat.

Sadly, there were no new species added to my day total here and in fact, there were hardly any birds seen bar the usual Crows, Magpies and Herring Gull. At least the weather was nice with warm sunshine and a gentle breeze.

The bird species seen or heard today included the following:

• Magpie
• Carrion Crow
• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Blackbird
• Great Tit
• Blue Tit
• Pied Wagtail (2)
• Robin
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon

 

In Hampshire today:

A juvenile Black Tern was reported past Hill Head this morning by ‘Franno’ and a very early Purple Sandpiper was found at Southsea Castle yesterday. The first flock of Brent Geese were also seen in Langstone Harbour yesterday, signalling the return of these fantastic birds from their breeding grounds in the high Arctic.

This Osprey was seen last weekend at Pennington Marshes. Photo by Emma Parkes.

The Semi-palmated Sandpiper was still present at Pennington Marshes and should it still be here on Saturday, I will probably take the long drive down to view the bird myself and hopefully, some other interesting birds will be present.  A Ruff and a Curlew Sandpiper were on nearby Normandy Marshes.  A few Ospreys were reported in Hampshire today.

Personally, though I never saw any notable birds between my Pembroke Road shifts, I did hear a couple of Chiffchaffs calling from people’s gardens. I also saw a Clouded Yellow butterfly flying down a street in Eastney and a few Red Admirals on the wing there while driving along. As its the last day of September, I can conclude that I saw 71 species of Moths for this month and although nowhere near as many as last month, it was still a reasonable total with the likes of Delicate, Centre-barred Sallow and Straw Underwing being the most noteworthy.

A new release out soon by the Funky Wardens. Also in picture disc.

A lot more Moths in the garden and plenty of birds in Old Portsmouth.

Tuesday 29^th September 2026.

A bright start to the day.

A fine start to the day here in Southsea with some high cloud overhead, but plenty of blue sky around and sunshine this morning. It is getting cloudier this afternoon with a few possible showers on the horizon. A light easterly blew across the coast here which could possibly bring in a Yellow-browed Warbler or something similar?

The Moth Box was a bit more active overnight with a good selection of Autumnal moths present and my first shift in Old Portsmouth had a reasonable number of bird species around the trees and overhead today.

My Moth Box:

Always good to get the migrant Small Mottled Willow in the garden.

This morning was by far much better than Sunday mornings moth total though I wasn’t the only one reporting such low totals that morning. Today, I recorded 33 moths of 13 species that included some very nice moths. Vestal, Small Mottled Willow, Golden Twin-spot and Clancy’s Rustic were most appreciated.

Above, one of three Feathered Ranunculus moths this morning and below, my first Golden Twin-spot for the week.

Above, a Blair's Mocha within the Moth Box.

Even Lunar Underwings and Feathered Ranunculus were on the increase, and I hope some more new species will be gracing my garden soon. It was the micro moths that produced the most for their species with 6 each of Rusty-dot Pearls and Light Brown Apple Moths and I would not be surprised that there were many more hiding away in my garden under the leaves and cracks of the garden fence. The moths present this morning included the following:

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Clancy’s Rustic x4	Rusty-dot Pearl x6
Lunar Underwing x2	Light Brown Apple Moth x6
Double-striped Pug x4
Small Mottled Willow x1
Small Dusty Wave x1
Vestal x1
Feathered Ranunculus x3
Golden Twin-spot x1
Blair’s Mocha x1
L-album Wainscot x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x2

 

Visible migration was quiet this morning here over my garden, though a few distant Meadow Pipits were heard flying over and a lone Pied Wagtail was seen heading south.

 

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Bright and sunny here this morning with some high cloud overhead. Again, a good total of bird species this morning.

Thirteen bird species were seen or heard this morning on my first shift here in Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth as the shift kicked off here with three Pied Wagtails seen searching and chasing insects on the Bowling Green. I’m glad to say that the Wagtails are starting to show more regularly now either here on the Bowling Green or on Governors Green. There was no sign of any Grey Wagtails this morning.

The Chiffchaff was heard again calling from the pathway between the Bowling Green and the house opposite. A couple of Blackbirds were seen chasing one another close by and I could have sworn that I heard a Song Thrush calling in the Holm Oaks but simply could not see the bird. All the usual birds were present, though there were a few omissions that just might turn up this afternoon here.

The bird species seen or heard this morning included the following:

• Magpie
• Carrion Crow
• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Blackbird
• Great Tit
• Blue Tit
• Pied Wagtail (3)
• Chiffchaff
• Wren
• Robin
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon

This afternoon, on my second shift, the weather changed considerably where cloud had now rolled in and the threat of rain was a probability. Thankfully, the rain stayed away but the wind had increased. The only new bird species seen for the day was a Great Black-backed Gull flying over Curtain Moat with another perched on a roof in nearby Penny Street; to make it 14 species for the day. 

There has already been many reports of Convolvulus Hawk-moth this month including one today in Lymington, Hampshire. I had this individual in my back garden a few years ago and hopefully, another will not be too far away.