Tuesday, October 21, 2025

A moth 'year-tick' & highest bird total in Pembroke Road this year.

Tuesday 21st October 2025.



A Carrion Crow by the seawall overlooking the Solent.


A much better morning than yesterday with a clear blue sky, very bright sunshine, but much cooler of late with temperatures around 10 degrees first thing. Sadly, it was too dark still to check the Moth Box as I had to leave early for my first shift, but I did take a good look around Curtain Moat this morning. A very good turn out of bird species this morning at Pembroke Road and when I did eventually get home this morning, there was a Moth ‘year-tick’ waiting for me.


My Moth Box:



My first Lead-coloured Tortrix moth for the year.

This morning will probably be remembered for the number of Light Brown Apple Moths with at least 30 counted at 10.30am this morning. There could have been a lot more once it got light, but as mentioned, I had to leave early this morning for my first shift. Macro moths were really scarce this morning with just 5 moths, but the micros were in abundance and my first Lead-coloured Tortrix (Acleris sparsana) of the year was rewarding. Also present was my 3rd Common Fern Moth (Psychoides filicivora) for the year and the Rush Veneer and Rusty-dot Pearl moths added a bit of moth migration to my garden.



My 3rd Common Fern Moth for this year.


The Moths recorded this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS

MICRO MOTHS



Large Yellow Underwing x2

Light Brown Apple Moth x30

Lesser Yellow Underwing x1

Common Plume x1

Double-striped Pug x2

Rusty-dot Pearl x3


Rush Veneer x1


Common Fern Moth x1


Lead-coloured Tortrix* x1



Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:


The early morning sun is rising over Southsea with Curtain Moat in the foreground.


An incredible 25 bird species were recorded here this morning, my highest total this year for this site and considering how poor the weather was yesterday, I suppose it triggered a lot of birds to be on the move. Easily the pick of the bunch was actually around 10am when I was returning back to the car with my pal Gary after a coffee; a small flock of 4 Common Crossbills were first heard then seen flying west. That's the second time within a month I have seen this species over Pembroke Road.



The Curtain Moat looking west from the Bridge. An awful lot of history surrounding this place.

 
Other notable birds among the 24 species included the male Sparrowhawk flying low over the road and then heading north over the houses and a flock of 5 Cormorants flew first east then a juvenile bird (sporting a very pale breast) split off from the rest and headed back south while the other four headed north. Two Goldcrests were heard in the trees opposite from where I stood; one in the Holm Oaks and another in the Sycamore trees. A Chiffchaff was also seen briefly in the Sycamores before flying off west and one of the Jays made a brief appearance flying from the roadside trees over to the trees bordering the Bowling Green. A Grey Wagtail was first heard and then seen flying low north over the road.

I arrived earlier than I expected this morning and had 15 minutes to kill and so took a walk over to the Curtain Moat, crossing the bridge after walking through the tunnel and up to the seawall and back. Lots of Starlings and Feral Pigeons around, but a calm Solent only held a Black-headed Gull loafing on the water.

The bird species noted this morning included the following:

  • Herring Gull
  • Black-headed Gull
  • Great Black-backed Gull
  • Wood Pigeon
  • Feral Pigeon
  • Jay (1)
  • Carrion Crow
  • Magpie
  • Cormorant (5)
  • Dunnock
  • Wren
  • Robin
  • Blackbird
  • Chiffchaff (1)
  • Goldcrest (2)
  • Common Crossbill (4)
  • Linnet
  • Goldfinch (1)
  • Siskin (2)
  • Blue Tit
  • Great Tit
  • Meadow Pipit (1)
  • Pied Wagtail 
  • Grey Wagtail (1)
  • Sparrowhawk male


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A moth 'year-tick' & highest bird total in Pembroke Road this year.

Tuesday 21st October 2025. A Carrion Crow by the seawall overlooking the Solent. A much better morning than yesterday with a clear blue sky,...