Barred Sallow moth & Jack Snipe!

Saturday 1st October 2022.

Possibly, only my second ever Barred Sallow. This was at Andy's house this morning.

Last night's heavy rain and strong winds soon abated overnight and early this morning, the sky was clear blue and the temperature was quite mild. The outside egg trays were sodden yet still held a few moths, while the vast majority made it to the moth box, with a few on the white sheet. 

Some of the moths that braved last night's weather in my moth box this morning.

Silver Y moth. My first of this species for a few weeks. 

Large Yellow Underwings easily outnumbered all the other moth species and it was a nice return of both Silver Y and Rusty-dot Pearl added to my total this morning. 49 moths of 11 species were noted this morning. A Chiffchaff was heard calling again nearby, but nothing flew over the houses this morning. The moths recorded this morning included the following: 

• 14 Large Yellow Underwing
• 6 Lesser Yellow Underwing
• 4 Lunar Underwing
• 7 Square-spot Rustic
• 2 L-album Wainscot
• 2 Angle Shades
• 1 Silver Y
• 1 Rusty-dot Pearl
• 3 Clepsis consimilana
• 8 Light Brown Apple Moth 
• 1 Box Tree Moth 

Over at ‘Cowplain Marsh’ (Andy’s house), there were a few moths to look at and the best of the bunch by a long way was my first Barred Sallow of the year, which was perched on his back door. Overhead, a pair of House Martins sailed high overhead and a few Meadow Pipits flew over, while nearby, both Great Spotted Woodpecker and Chiffchaff were heard calling. After last night's storm, I was hoping a Phalarope might have been found somewhere on the south coast. But none reported today although there was a possible Spotted Sandpiper seen on the Deeps on Farlington Marshes this morning, but not confirmed.

Not so many moths at Andy's house, but still a nice variety including the Barred Sallow.

The following moths were by Andy’s moth box:

• 1 Barred Sallow (NFY)
• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 1 Lunar Underwing
• 2 Large Yellow Underwing
• 2 Lesser Yellow Underwing
• 1 Square-spot Rustic
• 3 Eudonia angustea
• 1 Common Plume

'Give me my hat back!' A bramble nicks his hat!

For a welcome change, I decided to take a trip over to Thorney Island and it most certainly paid off. Though it was a bit breezy on the seawall, it was dry and sunny most of the time and there was also a lot to look at during our trip here. We gave both the west side and the fields to the east of Eames Farm a good look and some nice birds were picked up during the morning, which included a ‘year-tick’ and also 4 raptor species. The Brent Geese were back in good numbers within Emsworth Harbour and also a large number of Wigeon resting on the Little Deeps.

The Brent Geese are back! A couple of flocks were seen this morning in Emsworth Harbour.

 

However, it all wasn't a total pleasure here as walking along the footpath leading to the seawall, we came across so much dog mess along the path, that it was most likely a health hazard. We really had to watch our step along here and concentrate on where to walk at times. Sadly, a lot of idiots let their dogs loose and are free to mess anywhere. Let's get back to the birds. It was very quiet along the path with not a great deal seen along here and when we reached the seawall, it was low tide within Emsworth Harbour. From here, we picked out a few waders that included Black-tailed Godwit, a single Bar-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Redshank and Curlew. The arrival of a large flock of Brent Geese was noted, which all flew north up the harbour.  Another flock was seen feeding in the harbour just off the seawall near the Great Deeps.

From top to bottom: Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit and Teal with a Black-tailed Godwit; all feeding in Emsworth Harbour.

Resting for a while on the small bench overlooking the Little Deeps, I checked thoroughly the water for a Phalarope, but no diamonds. However, we did see a Water Rail flying over from one reedbed to another, which was a bonus. There was a large flock of Wigeon resting on the water and intermingled with these, Tufted Duck, Mallard and a few Little Grebes were picked out. A lone Pintail flew overhead, circled and then landed at the back of the Little Deeps. In the distance, both a female Marsh Harrier and a Common Buzzard were seen flying over the fields, while a few Skylarks ‘bubbled’ overhead.

Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Mallard and Little Grebe were the main wildfowl on the Little Deeps.   

The Great Deeps was busy, but nothing much of note, bar a Common Buzzard playing around with something in its talons (see film footage), which got the attention of a male Kestrel which was quickly dismissed. There must have been around 100+ Coot on the water on the Great Deeps and a few Wigeon among them too, but very little else of note. Again, not a great deal of note on the way back to the car, but we did pick out a male Blackcap deep within some brambles along the fouled-up path leading to the car park.

Top photo: a heavily colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit in the harbour. Middle and bottom photo: one of two Great White Egrets on the Great Deeps from the main road.

I wanted to try my luck from the side of the road at Eames Farm, overlooking the fields and the Great Deeps and so got back into the car and parked up by the Farm. From here, a birder who was just about to leave the site told us that both Marsh Harrier and Osprey were present and so we made our way to the fence gate. Both species were, thankfully, still present, although we had to wait for about 30 minutes for the Osprey, a female bird, to show. Before then, a Great White Egret was seen to our right, feeding in the Great Deeps near the main road until it flew off and joined a second bird over on the east side of the island, along with roughly ten Little Egrets and about 4 Grey Herons.

Top photo: This Common Buzzard was by the Great Deeps and had something in its talon, but we could not see what it was, but it was quite perturbed by whatever it was! Middle photo: Grey Heron by the Great Deeps and bottom photo: the Great White Egret in flight and about to settle on the Great Deeps. 

Two Marsh Harriers were seen quartering the fields, although both remained quite distant. A Common Buzzard was also present, resting on the ground near the main lake and a pair of Ravens showed very well at times out in the fields. They even gave one of the Marsh Harriers a tough time. The Osprey eventually flew in, first seen flying very low over the ground and then landing near the Great Deeps, with the Landing Lights in the background. Bird of the day had to go down to the Jack Snipe which was totally unexpected (some of the best ones normally are!) as I picked it out flying over the fields heading north. Its very small bill and diminutive size immediately had me carefully making sure it was an actual Jack Snipe, especially after the fiasco I had earlier this year at Titchfield Haven. My 213th species for the year, which rounded our trip here off very nicely.

Top photo: a female Marsh Harrier over by the Landing Lights field. Middle photo: one of the two Ravens by the Great Deeps. Bottom photo: one of the Great White Egrets in flight.

To finish off our day together, a beer and some lunch at The Chairmaker's Arms in Denmead was our next destination. I just had the one Cider for me and some nosh within the Pub garden, where we could watch some of the bird life. A Red Kite greeted us as we arrived in the car park and two more were seen a little later over the woods. A large mixed flock of both Goldfinch and Linnet rested on the overhead wires near the paddocks and a pair of Mistle Thrushes were seen flying over the fields. No rare butterflies like the last time we were here, but a Red Admiral and a Large White butterfly was noted. Andy enjoyed his FOUR pints while I had a coffee!      

Above, another flight shot of one of the Great White Egrets. Below, some film footage of the Common Buzzard by the Great Deeps. It was a mystery what the bird had caught in its talons.

 

Same moths, lower quantity.

Friday 30th September 2022.

Some of the moths present this morning from my moth box, which include Lunar Underwing, Box Tree Moth, Large & Lesser Yellow Underwing and Feathered Ranunculus.

A very bright, blue sky start for the day and with a bit of visible migration going on overhead, I was more than happy to get started in checking my moths. I am still waiting for something different to turn up within the moth box, which I am sure will not be long, but still, it's always nice to get SOMETHING in the moth box and this morning, there were quite a few. In fact, there were 31 moths of just 7 species this morning, the lowest total this week and probably due to the cold overnight temperatures. 

Square-spot Rustic.

Several flocks of Meadow Pipits were seen and heard flying over and both Grey and Pied Wagtail were also heard, though not seen. Nearby, in one of the gardens to the south of me, a Chiffchaff was heard singing and it or another bird was doing its familiar ‘hooeet’ call to the north of my garden.     

This mornings moths present included the following:

• 8 Large Yellow Underwing
• 5 Lesser Yellow Underwing
• 8 Lunar Yellow Underwing
• 3 Feathered Ranunculus
• 5 Square-spot Rustic
• 1 L-album Wainscot
• 1 Box Tree Moth   

Good number of bird species over the Cemy.

Thursday 29th September 2022.

The path leading to the Mauseleum.

An afternoon Autumn stroll around Highland Road Cemetery with Scruff was on my agenda today as we made the most of a mild and occasionally sunny afternoon. With October almost upon us, the chances of seeing something exceptional within the Cemy is always a possibility. I have had several Yellow-browed Warblers and a few Black Redstarts over the years here at this time of year. Could something even rarer make an appearance?

From top to bottom: Green Woodpecker, Jay and Chiffchaff.

Well, the answer to the above question was not today. But, there were some notable sightings with at least 18 species of birds seen on my ramble around the Cemy plus several Bees, Hoverflies, Butterflies and a few plants still on show. There wasn't too many dog-walkers around today and even a chap in a mobility scooter, sporting a hat with all the RSPB badges had a chat with me about what birds he had seen here of late. It's always nice to meet a fellow wildlife enthusiast here. 

From top to bottom: Harlequin Ladybird, Honey Fungus growing around the base of the Beech Tree and a Honey Bee with an Ivy Bee enjoying the flowering Ivy. 

Chiffchaffs were seen in almost most areas of the Cemy, with the vast majority feeding with Goldcrests and Long-tailed Tits in the Holm Oak clump, though these birds proved very difficult to get a decent photo. The Jay showed well as did the two Green Woodpeckers, which were flushed by the juvenile Sparrowhawk.  

From top to bottom: Green Woodpecker, Marmalade Hoverfly and an Ivy Bee.  

The following birds were present in the Cemy today:

• Jay
• Magpie
• Carrion Crow
• Herring Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• House Sparrow
• Blackbird
• Greenfinch
• Goldfinch
• Robin
• Wren
• Sparrowhawk
• Chiffchaff
• Goldcrest
• Long-tailed Tit
• Green Woodpecker
• Blue Tit

From top to bottom: Garden Spider, Common Wasp and berry laden Holly. 

Most of the Ivy growing within the Cemetery was flowering and in turn, attracting a lot of insects; notably Honey Bees, Ivy Bees and the Hoverflies, Myathropa florea and Marmalade Hoverflies. This in turn attracts spiders and good numbers of Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus had built their webs nearby. A few Large White butterflies were the only species seen of this type of insect this afternoon, though an unusual moth species flew past me and did not settle as it disappeared towards the adjacent houses. Shame, for it looked interesting. Fairly quiet again in Hampshire today, though a pair of Glossy Ibis were seen at Hill Head early morning and one of the White-tailed Eagles was seen over Inchmary along with an Osprey, while over in nearby Sholing, four White-tailed Eagles were soaring high overhead. Again, the juvenile Red-backed Shrike was showing well again, this time 200 metres south of the car park at Medmerry. 

From top to bottom: immature Blackbird, the Hoverfly Myathropa florea and a view of one of the footpaths on the edge of the Holm Oak clump.

Lunar Underwing moths on the rise.

Thursday 29th September 2022.

Some of the moths from my egg trays this morning.

A cool start to the day with temperatures around 10 degrees in Southsea and it was dry. Predicted rain coming in around 6am never materialised and this morning weather forecast believes it is going to be a dry day too. We shall see. Though there was high patchy cloud, it was bright and therefore, there was a bit of visible migration overhead this morning, namely a trickle of Meadow Pipits over as per usual, but a Grey Wagtail passing westbound low over the houses and a Greenfinch heading north noted. A Chiffchaff was heard only again in the neighbouring gardens, though yesterday, I did see the bird standing out well on the tall tree at the back of my garden, calling and flicking its tail. 

Lesser Yellow Underwing & Lunar Underwing side by side.

Within the moth box and surrounding egg trays, there were all the usual suspects for this time of year. It was the turn of the Lunar Underwings to be the most numerous moth this morning with 12 individuals recorded, but again, very few micro moths are coming through now. 44 moths of 11 species were the sum total this morning. 

The following moths were present this morning:

• 9 Lesser Yellow Underwing
• 5 Large Yellow Underwing
• 12 Lunar Underwing
• 1 Feathered Ranunculus
• 3 Double-striped Pug
• 4 L-album Wainscot
• 6 Square-spot Rustic
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow
• 1 Garden Carpet
• 1 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 1 Clepsis consimilana

It was nice to see a lot of the ‘Lazee Birders’ getting to see the juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Medmerry Car Park over the last few days and some superb photos were added to the Whatsapp group as well. I see that elusive Wryneck was still present yesterday by the Severals at Church Norton and some birders managed to grab a few half-decent photos of the bird.

A nice close up of the juvenile Red-backed Shrike yesterday at Medmerry Car Park. Photo by Andy Tew.

Common Nighthawk in Oxfordshire!

Tuesday 27th September 2022.

Another good mixture of moth species this morning. 

A partly cloudy morning with a bit of drizzle in the air and cool, roughly 10 degrees, but comfortable enough to check the moth box early this morning just before 7am. Nothing new again this morning for the year, but a healthy number of moths that included 4 Angle Shades and a Turnip Moth representing the migrants and Lesser Yellow Underwing being the most numerous species. 52 moths of 16 species were recorded this morning.

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From top to bottom: Lesser Yellow Underwing, Angle Shades & Lunar Underwing.

Moths present this morning included the following:

• 11 Lesser Yellow Underwing
• 7 Large Yellow Underwing
• 5 Lunar Underwing
• 6 Square-spot Rustic
• 4 Angle Shades
• 3 Feathered Ranunculus
• 4 Pale Mottled Willow
• 1 Vines Rustic
• 1 Double-striped Pug 
• 2 L-album Wainscot
• 1 Turnip Moth
• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 1 Willow Beauty
• 1 Beautiful Plume
• 1 Common Plume
• 2 Tachystola acroxantha
• 1 White-shouldered House Moth

Not many moving birds overhead, with just a few Meadow Pipits trickling through. Yesterday, an incredible record of a Common Nighthawk, a North American species of Nightjar, was found perched on a back garden fence in Wantage, Oxfordshire; which set all ‘twitchers’ and local birders scrambling to get a view of the bird. As expected, a £10 entrance fee was required to view the bird, which seems quite the norm now to see a ‘mega’ rarity.

The Common Nighthawk on a garden fence yesterday in Wantage, Oxfordshire. A big thank you to Patrick Earith who allowed me to use his superb photo of the bird on my Blog.   

I was not surprised that it was not present this morning and begs the question, check your garden thoroughly in future! You never know! One of the ‘Lazee Birders’ had some Redwing over his house last night, so I shall be keeping an ear open during the week. Last night, I checked out the planet Jupiter through my telescope. Apparently, it was the closest to earth for many years and quite impressive through my Swarovski scope where you could see two faint dark bands going across the planet and also the four moons were on show.

Red-backed Shrike at Medmerry RSPB Reserve.

Monday 26th September 2022.

The juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Medmerry RSPB car park this morning.

There was overnight rain which I did not expect early this morning and having not covered the moth box up, I feared the worst; however, I was pleasantly surprised on how many moths were present this morning. It remained overcast during the early morning and breezy and I had a job to make sure the egg trays did not blow away or fall into any water.

Two Angle Shades were in my moth box this morning. 

There were 38 moths of 14 species present this morning, but I think the rain had a lot to do with the lower numbers. Clancy’s Rustic, Turnip Moth and 2 Angle Shades were the migrant moths today. No visible migration this morning regarding the birds, though an unseen Pied Wagtail did fly over.  

The moths present this morning included the following:

• 11 Lesser Yellow Underwing
• 7 Large Yellow Underwing
• 2 Lunar Underwing
• 1 Clancy’s Rustic
• 1 Brimstone Moth
• 2 Angle Shades
• 3 Square-spot Rustic
• 1 Turnip Moth
• 1 Vines Rustic
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow
• 2 Eudonia angustea
• 3 Common Plume
• 1 Box Tree Moth
• 2 Light Brown Apple Moth

Having today off, I was most interested if yesterday's Red-backed Shrike was still at Medmerry RSPB Reserve and so I gave Andy a text to see if he was interested in making the trip into West Sussex? Yes, he was up for it and I was more than happy that he had put his moth box on overnight, which in turn attracted a few moths to enjoy. I could not grumble about his small catch around his box that included a late Swallow-tailed Moth, TWO Black Rustic and a Blair’s Mocha! If he had a moth box like mine, I wonder what numbers and other goodies it might attract in his garden?

Top photo: Black Rustic and bottom photo: Blair's Mocha which were both by Andy's moth box this morning.

The following moths were present in and around Andy’s moth box this morning:

• 1 Large Yellow Underwing
• 4 Lunar Underwing
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow
• 2 Black Rustic
• 1 Blair’s Mocha
• 1 Swallow-tailed Moth
• 2 Square-spot Rustic
• 1 Common Plume

Lunar Underwings and Black Rustics in Andy's garden this morning.

After packing the moth box away, we made our way to the car park by Medmerry RSPB Reserve and joined a few people already looking for the Shrike. Birdguides had reported it being around the hedge opposite the car park around 10am, which was encouraging, but despite a lengthy 90 minutes, there was no sign of the bird. Even Barry and Margaret Collins came down for the bird and joined in the search as did Selsey stalwart Owen Mitchell, but to no avail.

Above, some of the juvenile Red-backed Shrike photos taken today. 

By 11.30am, Andy and myself were getting a bit hungry and so we decided to take a drive back to the Garage to get some refreshments and as I raised the boot of my car up to put my birding gear in, Andy spotted something long-tailed and light coloured fly up from the scrub in front of us and into the hedge. He was convinced it was the juvenile Red-backed Shrike and so we waited patiently for the bird to hopefully show itself. And it did! Out it popped and we were literally around 20 feet away from the bird as it sat there out in the open, showing superbly while I took both photos and video footage of this superb bird.

Top photo: a Wheatear on the main path. Bottom photo: a pair of Roe Deer grazing in the field to the south of the main path.

I told Andy to tell the others and so he went back to the main road and gave them the shout it had returned. We think it must have been in that scrubby area in front of my car all the time, while we searched all the fields and hedges nearby! Still, it was well worth the wait as we eventually watched the bird fly up to the top of the hedge and then flew off behind and out of view. We then made our way to the Garage and picked up something to eat and drink and returned to the car park again.

Top photo, an Avocet between a couple of Black-headed Gulls on the Stilt Pools. 

After lunch, we made our way to the Stilt Pools, keeping an eye out for anything interesting. During our search for the Shrike, we enjoyed good numbers of both Swallow and House Martins flying over the fields and hedgerows in the blustery conditions, although the sun did come out behind the large clouds overhead now and then. A Tree Pipit was heard and then seen flying overhead and soon landed in a distant field, while small flocks of both Linnet and Meadow Pipit also flew over. A Common Buzzard was seen perched up in a conifer nearby and a very brief view of a Sparrowhawk on a distant hedge was added to our raptor list for the day.

Top photo: Wigeon on one of the islands at the Stilt pools. Bottom photo: the female Peregrine flying off eastbound after unsuccessfully catching anything after stooping over the Stilt Pools.

Making our way to Marsh Barn, we had sightings of a distant female Marsh Harrier over the fields and also at least one, possibly two, Kestrels. A Wheatear was on the footpath ahead of us and showed well till it flew off into the neighbouring field. A large puddle beside the Barn held several small Frogs that were nowhere near adult size yet,  but cute nonetheless as they dived to the bottom of the puddle.

Top photo: Wildfowl and Lapwing on the Stilt Pools. Bottom photo: one of three Cattle Egrets by the Pools.

As we neared the Stilt Pools, several Stonechat were seen around the Gorse area and also a few around the barns to the west. Another Wheatear was seen perched on a fence post, but there was no sign of any Dartford Warblers around the Gorse area. The Stilt Pools looked busy with birds, which was mostly dominated by wildfowl that included Teal, Wigeon, Mallard and at least 6 Egyptian Geese. A pair of Common Snipe flew up and flew off west, which left only Lapwing to represent any waders left on the pool. While checking out the wildfowl, a female Peregrine swooped down to try to grab a bird, but failed and then it flew off east over the reserve at speed. A few Little Egrets were seen wading along the edge of the water and a pair of Cattle Egrets took flight and also headed off east.

Top photo: another photo of the Cattle Egret. Bottom photo: this Clouded Yellow butterfly allowed us a very close approach.

Once we reached the sea, we noticed the tide was up, but there was very little to be seen here. However, I did pick up a very distant Gannet flying east and a pair of Med Gulls flew together westbound over the sea. Walking back, three Cattle Egrets were now present by the edge of the Stilt Pools, attracted by the small herd of Cattle feeding on the reserve. More Stonechats and another Wheatear was seen and then our fifth raptor of the day was seen, a female Sparrowhawk flying low over the main footpath and then heading off east. Looking east, I was impressed by the high tide flooding a lot of the area, creating a perfect area for wildfowl to rest and in the distance, another distant female Marsh Harrier was seen quartering the fields. 

Two more photos of the superb juvenile Red-backed Shrike within the car park this afternoon. 

A large flock of Goldfinches showed well by the main footpath and Andy spotted a Clouded Yellow butterfly of which it eventually landed and allowed us a very close approach. In fact, it actually allowed Andy to literally poke it with his finger before it flew off! Not a great deal else was seen on the way back because we were hoping we would be in the car before the rain came. Lucky for us, it stayed dry as we neared the car as we noticed a female birder taking photos of something within the car park. That was to be our second ‘bite of the cherry’ as the juvenile Red-backed Shrike was showing very well again in exactly the same place as before. A cracking way to end our trip here. 

The juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Medmerry RSPB Reserve car park.