More Crossbills over Pembroke Road.

Wednesday  October 2025.

Dawn over Highland Road Cemetery this morning while I was walking my dogs.

It was another lovely morning with a spectacular sunrise again and next to no wind at all. There was no rain predicted for this morning and with it being so still, there was a lot of visible migration going on overhead; especially over Pembroke Road this morning which produced another high count of bird species. I checked the Moth Box briefly before I headed off to my first shift and the most notable moth was my first Red-green Carpet of the year for my garden (Had one recently in Andy's garden at Cowplain Marsh). When I got home from my first shift, I then resumed checking the Moth Box and thankfully, there were a few moths within there and again, plenty of birds going over still.

My Moth Box:

My first Red-green Carpet in my garden this year.

The Red-green Carpet was actually on the white sheet last night before I went to bed along with the Garden Carpet and thankfully, both were still present this morning. After a near no-show of macro moths yesterday, there were five this morning, including a Feathered Ranunculus. Light Brown Apple Moths dominated in numbers with at least 11 present this morning, but there could have been many more dotted around the garden.

Above, a Feathered Ranunculus and below, a worn Large Yellow Underwing. 

The Moths recorded this morning from my Moth Box included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Red-green Carpet x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x5
Large Yellow Underwing x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x11
Feathered Ranunculus x1
Garden Carpet x1
Double-striped Pug x1

While quickly checking the outside of the Moth Box within the garden, overhead, I could hear a Meadow Pipit, Redpoll, Siskin and a Chaffinch flying over, but apart from the Meadow Pipit, I only heard the rest. But I was to have better luck at Pembroke Road.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The early morning sunrise shone brilliantly on the Royal Garrison Church this morning.

A lovely sunrise over Southsea this morning and with no wind, there were plenty of birds flying overhead and that included good numbers of Common Crossbills. A flock of 6 birds were first heard and then seen literally as I got out of the car within Pembroke Road. A little later, a pair of birds also headed west in the same direction of the first birds and I was pretty sure that another flock of 5 birds also flew west; however, I did not hear the birds call due to the damn traffic, but judging by the way they were flying and the height they were travelling it, they probably were.

Redpoll and Siskin flew over and a Chiffchaff briefly flew from the Holm Oaks to the Sycamore Trees to the west. A flock of 20+ Goldfinch flew over with a large number of Wood Pigeons as one of the British Warships sailed out of Portsmouth Harbour and blasting out its horn! Twenty bird species is nothing to be scoffed at in just under an hour here on my first shift at Pembroke Road.

The birds heard or seen this morning here included the following:

• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Dunnock
• Robin
• Blackbird
• Chiffchaff (1)
• Goldcrest (1)
• Common Crossbill (8, but possibly another 5)
• Goldfinch (20)
• Siskin (2)
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Meadow Pipit (1)
• Pied Wagtail 
• Blackbird

When I got back home and checked the Moth Box thoroughly, overhead, another two more Redpolls went over as did a couple of Goldfinches and a Chaffinch.