Wednesday 8th October 2025.
A poor photo due to the low light early this morning. However, this Hummingbird Hawk-moth was seen fluttering around the rooftops and then landed between mine and my neighbours house.
Another grey start to the morning as it didn't really get light till around 7.15am when I could finally check my Moth Box out. It was around 15 degrees centigrade this morning with next to no wind whatsoever as I went about checking the Moth Box. There was virtually nothing moving overhead, but that was to change when I got to Pembroke Road as I think I broke my record in bird sightings this year!
My Moth Box:
This was the same Golden Twin-spot from yesterday, but was still present this morning.
If it wasn't for the Hummingbird Hawk-moth I saw flying around the roof eaves of my neighbours house, it would have been virtually a repeat of yesterday! Yes, it was a surprise as I watched it fly around just under the roof and then settle on the brick wall between mine and my neighbours house. I rushed back in to grab my main camera, but the light was still rather poor and I have tried to sharpen up the photos the best I could.
The micro moth Large Pale Masoner.
Just 11 moths of 9 species recorded this morning and judging by those on Hants Moths website, everyone else is getting low numbers too. Yesterday’s Golden Twin-spot had not moved since yesterday, so I gave it a helping hand and safely put it on one of the plants. As per usual, I got a bit of flack from one certain individual again whether my Golden Twin-spot sightings were actually Gold Spot moths. I put him straight on that. If I am wrong with an identification, I am more than happy to be corrected; but to be cynical and downright rude about it sometimes, I am very reluctant to put anything on this website.
The Moths recorded this morning included the following:
MACRO MOTHS | MICRO MOTHS |
|
|
Hummingbird Hawk-moth x1 | Pale-backed Detritus Moth x1 |
Double-striped Pug x3 | Common Masoner x1 |
Golden Twin-spot x1 | Large Pale Masoner x1 |
Feathered Ranunculus x1 | Light Brown Apple Moth x1 |
| Beautiful Plume x1 |
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|
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
Again, a poor photo of the small flock of Little Egrets flying over Pembroke Road this morning.
A staggering 24 bird species were recorded there this morning and with a low cloud overhead, picking birds up against the grey background was rather easy, despite the noise of all the traffic going past. The morning here kicked off well when I saw a small flock four Little Egrets circling high over. I have seen a few Little Egrets flying over from here during the past few years, but never a flock of birds. The birds flew overhead and circled again before flying off north.
More excitement followed as a flock of 4 Crossbills were first heard and then seen flying south; which meant that I had seen this species three days in a row now! It didn't end there either, as both Siskin and a Redpoll flew over and a Grey Wagtail rounded up what was a busy morning with bird sightings. Virtually all the expected species were seen or heard this morning and at least three Goldcrests were up in the Holm Oaks for they all flew out and chased each other before flying across to the other side of the road.
The birds recorded here this morning included the following:
- Herring Gull
- Black-headed Gull
- Wood Pigeon
- Feral Pigeon
- Carrion Crow
- Magpie
- Jay x2
- Little Egret x4
- Goldfinch
- Crossbill x4
- Goldcrest x3
- Blue Tit
- Great Tit
- Pied Wagtail
- Grey Wagtail
- Meadow Pipit
- Starling
- Robin
- Wren
- House Sparrow
- Dunnock
- Blackbird
- Redpoll
- Siskin
On my afternoon shift, two more species were added to my day total; a Chiffchaff that was searching for insects in one of the tall trees by the Bowling Green and then a Chaffinch flew high west. Twenty six species in one day here is probably a record for me and very much like it will not be beaten and I am also doing my job at the same time!
In Hampshire today:
This White-tailed Eagle was at Fishlake Meadows today. Photo by Andy Tew.
With so many passerines on the move, I was not surprised to read that there were a lot of Redpolls on the move. Now they have been ‘lumped’ together as one species, Redpolls (or Lesser Redpolls?) , there were 80 seen together at Ibsley Common and 20 birds at Woolmer Pond Cottage. I have seen them for the past couple of days over Southsea; so they are certainly on the move.
A good number of Little Stints were on Keyhaven Lagoon with at least 7 birds present and nearby Normandy Lagoon held a Curlew Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank. A good count of 130 Golden Plovers were on the nearby Jetty Lagoon. One of the released White-tailed Eagles was on Fishlake Meadows and posed nicely for the birders.
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