Another nice haul of Moths with no Fox disturbance!

Tuesday 22^nd September 2026.

The high pressure over Southern England continued into today and it looks as though it is going to be as warm as yesterday with a clear blue sky and hardly any wind whatsoever. There was a little bit of visible migration going on overhead although with the clear blue sky, it was hard to locate any of the passerines flying over.

I did hear the Fox outside by my Moth Box in the early hours of this morning (and so did my dogs!), but it looks as though I have thwarted any attempts by the Fox to disrupt my Moth Box by putting a lot more obstacles in the way. Huzzah! So, I didn’t have to get out of bed at 4am to scare it off.

Pembroke Road in Old Portsmouth was quite busy with bird species, and it only took 5 minutes to notch up 10 species! A few surprises were in store too but as Autumn progresses, it should start getting well into double figures.

My Moth Box:

The Langmaid's Yellow Underwing this morning. I did have it in a pot and while flying inside the pot, I could clearly see the underwing pattern that is diagnostic to this species.

A reasonable total of 58 moths of 18 species were recorded this morning and although there were no new moths for the year, a good variety of migrant and Autumn moths present.

Above, a Blair's Mocha and below, an Olive-tree Pearl.There were two each this morning of both species.

This morning’s migrant moths included a Delicate, Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing, Turnip Moth, Olive-tree Pearls (Palpita vitrealis) and Rusty-dot Pearls (Udea ferrugalis). The unexpected highlight was an exceptionally late Barred Yellowneck (Oegoconia deauratella). As this micro-moth closely resembles the Four-spotted Yellowneck (Oegoconia quadripuncta), the two can be distinguished conclusively only by dissection; for now, I will record it as the former species.

Above, my second Feathered Ranunculus this week and below, the probable Barred Yellowneck micro moth that was inside the Moth Box.

There were four species of Yellow Underwing this morning, though numbers are gradually reducing. The following Moths were recorded this morning:

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Blair’s Mocha x2	Olive-tree Pearl x2
Pale Mottled Willow x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x5
Large Yellow Underwing x6	Common Plume x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x6	Light Brown Apple Moth x13
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x1	Barred Yellowneck x1
Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing x1
Square-spot Rustic x2
Delicate x1
Clancy’s Rustic x7
Turnip Moth x1
Willow Beauty x1
L-album Wainscot x3
Double-striped Pug x4

 

While checking the Moth Box, I noted several birds migrating overhead: up to two Grey Wagtails, which I heard but did not see, and a Pied Wagtail, which I saw clearly. I also heard Meadow Pipits but, once again, did not see any.

 

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The clear, calm conditions produced a notable level of bird activity at this site during my first shift. The following species were recorded:

• Herring Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Jay (2)
• Starling
• Robin (singing)
• Blue Tit
• Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard calling)
• Meadow Pipit
• Wren (heard singing)
• Chiffchaff (heard calling)

Feathered Ranunculus moth added to year list.

Monday 21^st September 2026.

A stunning sunrise over Highland Road Cemetery when I walked the dogs early this morning.

Its warming up again! Today was not only bright and sunny with cloudless sky throughout the day, but it was very warm this afternoon as I could actually feel the sweat running down my back! Yes, it was quite cool first thing this morning as I checked the Moth Box, but there was not a puff of wind blowing as flock after flock of Meadow Pipits flew over.

My Moth Box:

My first Feathered Ranunculus moth for the year.

Annoyingly, despite putting up an array of obstacles to stop the local Fox rummaging around my Moth Box, I could hear the damn animal around 4am again and so I had to get up and scare it off before it done any damage to my Box. It wasn’t light till around 6.30am and thankfully, a lot of Moths were still present around the Moth Box.

My 3rd Delicate moth for this year.

A total of 45 moths of 16 species were recorded this morning and that included my first Feathered Ranunculus moth of the year. A typical Autumn species to my garden, I normally get good numbers of this species throughout the season and hopefully, they are on their way here. 6 Clancy’s Rustics was also exceptional, which I think is the highest count of this species I have had this year so far.

One of five Clancy's Rustics in and around the Box today.

A Delicate moth was another excellent Moth for my garden; a true immigrant Moth and I think the 3^rd one for the year. A Plumed Fan-foot was just inside my kitchen and the reason it spent all day in my house was that it was stuck to some spider web of which I managed to get off and release the Moth back into the garden. A Least Carpet was perched on my neighbour’s wall and the pick of the micros was a Mint Moth.

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Least Carpet x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x9
Small Dusty Wave x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x3
Clancy’s Rustic x6	Beautiful Plume x1
Delicate x1	Mint Moth x1
Feathered Ranunculus * x1	Common Plume x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x6
Large Yellow Underwing x3
L-album Wainscot x4
Square-spot Rustic x3
Double-striped Pug x1
Plumed Fan-foot x1

 

This Twin-spot Centurian; a species of Soldier Fly, that was in my Moth Box.

Also, within the Moth Box, there was a species of Soldier Fly, a Twin-spot Centurian (Sargus bipunctatus) and also a Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus). Up to two Chiffchaffs were in the gardens near mine and one of which was seen on top of the tall tree at the back of my garden before flying off south. Overhead, a steady stream of Meadow Pipits flew over involving at least 50+ birds. Singles of both Grey and Yellow Wagtail were also heard flying over.

 

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Wall to wall sunshine throughout the day here in Old Portsmouth.

A good count of 13 species was recorded today at Pembroke Road in the bright sunshine. A Chiffchaff was first heard and then seen flying from the Holm Oaks to the Sycamore trees to the west and another was heard by the Bowling Green a little later. Again, there was a trickle of Meadow Pipits flying over and a Grey Wagtail was also heard overhead.

This afternoon, on my second shift, though no new bird species were added to todays total, a Clouded Yellow butterfly flew west past me; summing up what a superb year it has been for this migratory species. The only other insects seen today was a Buff-tailed Bumblebee and Syrphus species of Hoverfly. The Hibiscus Bushes are now full of Ants and Blackfly and now, we have Garden Spiders all around the Bushes.

A quiet walk around the Cemetery.

 Sunday 20th September 2026.

An overcast but brightening start to the morning walk over the Cemetery.

It was overcast this morning and still mild with temperatures around the 17 degree mark. A north-easterly wind was blowing lightly over Southsea as I took my dogs for their morning walk and this time, it was back over my local patch, Highland Road Cemetery. It has been a few weeks since I have been here and as Autumn marches on, the possibility of something unusual within the Cemy could be on the cards.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

Another view of the Cemetery looking east. Finding the birds wasnt easy this morning, but a few gave themselves up.

There was nothing out of the ordinary here this morning and although it was bright but overcast, it was rather quiet. Very few birds were actually calling, but as I casually walked around anticlockwise along the main footpath, birds did start to appear as well as call. Small numbers of Meadow Pipits were flying overhead, heading southbound towards the coast, but that was all that the ‘Vis Mig’ had to offer here this morning.

On the way to the Cemetery, there is a house nearby in Highland Road that always seems to hold a moth that is attracted to its bright white walls. This Common Plume was present there this morning. Below, the Virginia Creeper is starting to glow red on this large bush.

A couple of Chiffchaffs were heard calling deep within cover, but it wasn’t till I was nearly walking towards the exit of the Cemy that I saw one of the birds flitting about in one of the large Yucca Plants near the Chapel. Over on the east side of the Cemy, I could hear the Starlings giving off their alarm calls as a swirling flock gave way to a male Sparrowhawk flying through and heading north over the Cemetery; but too quick for a decent photo.

Above, one of the Chiffchaffs that was in the Cemetery this morning. Below, several clumps of Honey Fungus were now in full bloom.

Up to 13 bird species were recorded this morning, either heard or seen, but I said to myself that I must get over here a lot more to increase this number. It is the time of year that Fungi are starting to appear and there were at least three very large blooms of Honey Fungus growing along one of the footpaths, notably where the large, but dying Beech Tree used to be. Hardly any plants were flowering, with Yarrow easily the most common plant seen.

Above, this Atlas Cedar tree was full of cones near the Cemetery entrance. Below, a Grey Squirrel on the footpath leading to the Mausoleum. 

Yes, it was rather quiet, but this oasis in the middle of Southsea never fails to produce something to look at and enjoy.

Above, a clump of Honey Fungus growing next to some late flowering Ragwort. Below, flowering Hoary Plantain plants close to the main footpath.

Yesterday, birding pal Geoff Farwell went to Beacon Hill, in the Meon Valley and recorded the following sightings that included 2 Red Kites, 2 Common Buzzard, 10 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Firecrest, Marsh Tit and at least 150+ House Martins through overhead. A Tawny Owl was also heard too on his trip there.

 

 

Windy weather still produces the Moths & birding with Andy.

Saturday 19^th September 2026.

A windy night here in Southsea with some rain thrown in too but still a reasonable haul of Moths in my garden this morning. The patio was wet when I started checking the Moths but the forecast does say it should remain dry throughout the day though cloudy and still breezy with a westerly blowing all day.

My Moth Box:

This Nutmeg moth was one of the latest I have ever had.

Up to 69 moths were recorded this morning of 19 species and the pick of the bunch was an unexpected Nutmeg moth. I did have a few earlier this summer, but this one was by far the latest one I have had in my garden. All the Autumn moths are starting to appear now including two Lunar Underwings, Plumed Fan-foots and the regular Golden Twin-spots. I read that somewhere else in Hampshire they are breeding now and I can only assume they are here in Southsea.

Above, one of two Golden Twin-spots and below, one of 5 Turnip Moths this morning.

Above, 2 Lunar Underwings were present inside the Moth Box including this bright individual.

The most numerous moths were the Lesser and Large Yellow Underwings with 14 and 12 respectively. 5 Turnip Moths was a good total and regarding the micro moths, up to 10 Light Brown Apple Moths were recorded. The following Moths were present this morning:

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Blair’s Mocha x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x10
Clancy’s Rustic x3	Common Plume x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x14	Olive-tree Pearl x2
Large Yellow Underwing x12	Rusty-dot Pearl x2
Lunar Underwing x2	Ruddy Streak x1
Turnip Moth x5	Chevron Grass-moth x2
Pale Mottled Willow x1
L-album Wainscot x4
Plumed Fan-foot x2
Square-spot Rustic x1
Golden Twin-spot x2
Nutmeg x1
Double-striped Pug x3

 

Farlington Marshes & Langstone Harbour:

The Bar-tailed Godwit on the Lake at Farlington Marshes this morning.

It was Andy Fisher’s turn to drive today, of which I was most grateful for and although his car is on its last legs, the furthest he could drive to was Farlington Marshes. By 9am, the wind had increased and so the walk around the Reserve was a bit blowy to say the least. Birding pal Geoff Farwell went off inland today and so it was just Andy and myself enjoying what Farlington Marshes had to offer.

The Curlew Sandpiper on the Lake.

Our first port of call was the Viewing seat overlooking the main Lake where, sadly, there were very few waders. An unusual small wader had us baffled at first, but we concluded it was a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper that was wading on the foreshore at the northern end of the Lake and over at the southern end, a Bar-tailed Godwit was wading over on the grassy area. Wildfowl are most definitely building up in numbers with Pintail, Shoveler, Mallard, Teal and several Wigeon all seen on the Lake, while flocks of both Linnet and Goldfinch were seen in the adjacent fields.

This Oystercatcher, just north of the Lake, was seen hobbling away from us.

We received a message reporting a probable American Wigeon in the Stream area and promptly made our way there to join several familiar birders. Our initial excitement soon gave way to disappointment when the bird proved to be an escaped Chiloe Wigeon. I observed it preening near a group of Canada Geese, among which the Greylag Goose remained, and could understand how the initial misidentification had arisen. Such errors can occur even among experienced observers. The sight of a male Kestrel flying over the Bushes area then prompted me to move on.

Above, overlooking the Stream area from the Viewing benches. Below, honestly, this is a Cattle Egret flying off north.

After a chat with the guys present, we headed off to the Viewing seats overlooking the Stream for a coffee. Sadly, not a lot of birds were present from here (just Gulls and Coots!), but I did hear at least one or two Bearded Tits calling within the reedbeds; but it was so windy, there was no chance of seeing any within the reeds. A Cattle Egret was seen briefly heading north high over the Reserve and then flew off northbound over the motorway.

Above, a Small Copper and below, a Common Blue with a Clouded Yellow behind.

Above, yet another Clouded Yellow and below, a Small White.

The Butterflies present on the Reserve were virtually all Clouded Yellows. It has been an incredible year for this migratory species in the UK and there must easily have been at least 40+ seen today. In one area along the seawall, near the Deeps area, we saw five species of Butterflies in just one area: at least 4 Clouded Yellows, Small White, Small Heath, Small Copper and Common Blues.

Above, I cannot believe how dry the Deeps were with this hard-backed mud for proof. Below, a pair of Little Egrets hunting fish.

It was low tide within the Harbour, but we were keen to keep an eye out in the channel for Terns due to the amazing number of species seen here recently. The only Terns we did see from the Point was a flock of 6 Sandwich Terns. The Deeps area was very quiet. I have never seen it so dry here with hardly any water whatsover due to the heatwaves in the Summer. We did not sit there long, though a group of 7 Great Crested Grebes were out in Langstone Channel. From the Point, there were a respectable number of waders to be seen including around 30+ Ringed Plover, a Dunlin and around 10 Oystercatchers. Way in the distance southwest of Oyster Island, I could see at least probably around 100+ Oystercatchers and many more Dunlin feeding on the mudflats plus good numbers of Little Egrets fishing in the shallow waters.

Above, Ringed Plovers moved in to where we sat by the Point and below, a Dunlin joined them.

Above, one of a flock of 6 Sandwich Terns out in the Channel.

While walking into the wind, I proposed that Andy and I conduct a seawatch from Southsea seafront to observe any seabirds moving through the area. Earlier reports from Hill Head had included two Arctic Skuas and several Black Terns, suggesting a reasonable possibility of encountering one or both species. I found out later this afternoon that a Garganey had flown onto the Stream area this morning.

The Solent, Southsea Seafront:

You can just make out the large flock of Gulls and Sandwich Terns offshore from Southsea seafront.

After paying for our parking and a couple of excellent coffees from the Briny Restaurant, we made our way to one of the shelters overlooking the Solent. We spent almost the next two hours checking the sea, but it must be said, it was a bit disappointing; especially for Andy.

There was a scattering of Gulls on the beach including this Herring Gull flanked by Black-headed Gulls. Below, an adult Med Gull heading off westbound.

In two hours, we observed two distant gull flocks, mainly Black-headed Gulls, with several Herring Gulls and up to three Mediterranean Gulls. A shoal of fish also attracted at least 16 Sandwich Terns, many of which dived for prey. The birds remained for about 30 minutes before dispersing or settling on the sea.

Above, the Waverley Paddle Steamer out in the Solent.

The bird of the trip here was an adult Gannet of which I picked up through the scope. I was lucky to find it as it was gliding down to land on the sea and once upon the sea, it simply vanished behind the waves and never seen again. I put Andy onto where the bird landed, but he had no sighting of the bird of which it would have been a ‘year-tick’ for him. So, apart from a couple of very distant Cormorants, we decided to stop for the day and although it was a rather quiet day for us, it was still enjoyable.

A real blast from the past. Coloured vinyl still available.