My first ever Rosy Wave moth was a lovely surprise.
After yesterday’s carnage by the local House Sparrows, I was actually out in the garden at 4.45am (yawwwwnnnn!) checking my Moth Box. The weather was overcast, but very mild with no wind with the current temperature well into double figures. However, the moth numbers were low again, but where there were few moths, it certainly made up for it by quality. A reasonable first shift total of species at Pembroke Road this morning and a few insects to look at within the Lemon & Lime Bushes.
The Moth Boxes:
Up to three male Four-spotted Footman moths were in my Moth Box today; including this one with a smily face!
There were just 25 moths of 12 species this morning, despite it being very mild last night, but among them was a ‘Lifer’ in the form of a Rosy Wave. I thought I had seen one of these before, but checking my Life List, it turns out I have not. Apparently, it is both a coastal species and also known to reside in boggy areas of the New Forest and is certainly an uncommon species in Hampshire. Another moth new for the year was the Four-spotted Footman. Up to three male individuals were present within the Moth Box and all probably immigrant moths as well. The only other immigrant moth was the Diamond-back Moth.
Diamond-back Moth.
The Moths recorded this morning included the following:
Macro moths:
Rosy Wave x1
Four-spotted Footman x3
Willow Beauty x4
Lime-speck Pug x2
Riband Wave x4
Dark Arches x1
Setaceous Hebrew Character x1
Green Pug x3
Macro moths:
Common Plume x3
Garden Grass-veneer x1
Diamond-back Moth x1
Light Brown Apple Moth x1
Emma & Matt’s Moth Box:
Another White Ermine for Emma & Matt's Box this morning.
Emma kindly sent me a photo of the only moth in their Moth Box this morning, a White Ermine and they also had a Ladybird species. As they say, something is better than nothing. Keep going guys.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
I managed to notch up 14 species of birds on my first shift this morning that included a pair of Jays (only one seen) opposite where I stood and a good number of Swifts overhead. Up to 5 Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green, though a sixth bird was probably in the area. The ‘Lemon & Lime’ Bushes held the usual Harlequin and 2-spotted Ladybirds and even a Parasitic Wasp species flew in, but would not settle long enough for a photo. A couple of Hoverflies came in of which one was of the Syrphus species,; but they are very difficult to ID in the field.
The Red-belted Clearwing moth found this morning. Photo by Andy Dickety.
It is going to warm up considerably today and so there should be more insects around later on my second shift. Thunderstorms are predicted for tonight that will freshen the air a bit. On the subject of moths again, birding pal Andy Dickety had a Red-belted Clearwing moth on his Conservatory window this morning. I have only ever seen one of these species and that was many years ago. In fact, it's the only Clearwing I have ever seen!
Above, an Orange-shouldered Sawfly and below, a Ladybird without spots!
It was very warm this afternoon on my second shift and while most of the birds were seen this morning on my first shift, it was back to the insect life this afternoon and the ‘Lemon & Lime Bushesduly obliged. More Ladybirds were seen and joining them was an Orange-shouldered Sawfly and a spotless Ladybird! Earlier today, I flushed a Treble Brown Spot moth near my road; my second one of the year.
My first Smoky Wainscot of the year. This species is uncommon within my garden and I think I have had only a handful of sightings over the years.
I knew rain was on its way here on the south coast this morning, but not till later in the morning when it started to cloud up and a few drops actually came down before I headed off to my first shift on Pembroke Road. Possible thundery showers are forecast today and tomorrow here in the south coast, but it was very mild with temperatures around 16 degrees this morning.
The Moth Boxes:
Mottled Oak Tortrix. Another good micro for the year.
I made the bad mistake of not getting up early enough by setting my alarm for 5.30am. The local House Sparrows were obviously well awake before that time and so my poor moths that were attracted to my MV light this morning suffered and consequently, the Sparrows had a nice breakfast on my catch! On a positive note, they did not attack the moths on the outside egg trays and also within my Moth Box and so I had at least some moths to record, including four more that were new for the year.
Above, the very small micro moth, Dingy Concealer.
Above, a fully laden Buff-tailed Bumblebee and below, one of three Marmalade Hoverflies.
A Smoky Wainscot was new for the year within my Moth Box and the micro moths: Large Pale Masoner (Blastobasis lacticolella),Dingy Concealer (Borkhausenia fuscescens) and a Mottled Oak Tortrix (Zeiraphera isertana) were also added to my year list. As well as the moths, the insects took a liking to my Moth Box overnight with a Buff-tailed Bumblebee and up to three Marmalade Hoverflies present within the egg trays.
The Moths recorded this morning included the following:
Macro moths:
Riband Wave x1
Pale Mottled Willow x1
Willow Beauty x1
Smoky Wainscot x1
White Ermine x2
L-album Wainscot x1
Green Pug x1
Heart & Dart x1
Micro moths:
Common Plume x1
Mottled Oak Tortrix x1
Apple Leaf Miner x1
Ruddy Streak x1
Beautiful Plume x1
Dingy Concealer x1
Large Pale Masoner x1
Matt & Emma's Moth Box:
This White Ermine moth was attracted to their Moth Box this morning.
Meanwhile, over at Matt & Emma’s Moth Box, it had attracted three moths: a White Ermine, a Common Plume and one that flew off before it could be identified.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
One of several Mirid Bugs on the bushes within Pembroke Road.
I was lucky not to be caught in the latest rainfall here in Southsea as it was between both my shifts that it poured down. More thundery rain is forecast for tomorrow, but this afternoon, it was pleasant and dry with some sunshine thrown in too. Temperatures are averaging around 20 degrees centigrade and it certainly brought out the insects!
A Two-spotted Ladybird on one of the bushes.
Both Two-spotted and Harlequin Ladybird were found on the bushes from where I stood and a good number of Mirid Bugs were also enjoying the sunshine with at least a dozen present. It is always surprising what two large bushes can produce when it comes to the insects, but the owners of their garden fronts really do look after them and produce a nice range of flowers and plants to look at.
A Harlequin Ladybird on one of the Bushes.
Regarding the birds here so far this week, it has been averaging around 13 to 15 species of which today, the most notable was the Collared Dove that flew into the trees between Governor’s Green and the Bowling Club. That is only the 3rd sighting this year at this site and therefore added to my blog. Up to 4 Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green early this morning along with at least 20 Starlings and a Blackbird (we are told to keep monitoring the Blackbird population for there is a disease they are picking up from a type of Mosquito which is devastating the European population).
I watered my garden yesterday evening and this Red Admiral butterfly was sat on my garden fence and was then joined by a second individual and both then flew off.
It was fairly quiet in Hampshire today, though Mark Francis saw a Roseate Tern flying over the scrapes at Titchfield Haven early this morning. Nationally, a Bridled Tern (a species I would love to see in the UK) has been found in the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire and the Western Sandpiper is still at Maidens, Ayrshire
The Western Sandpiper at the Ythan Estuary. Photo by Dennis Morrison.
Yet again, it was overcast first thing this morning as I ventured out into the garden at 5am. The good news was that the local Sparrows had not arrived to chomp on my moths! A total of 39 moths of 15 species were recorded this morning with three more moth species added to my year list: the macro moth Cypress Carpet and two micro moths, Double-striped Tabby and Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix. Strangely, I never had a Cypress Carpet in my garden last year, though I picked one up at Andy’s house. The two other ‘year-ticks’ were also annual though I only get single figures of these moths. The Green Oak Tortrix was my second for the year.
Two other moths new for the year included a Cypress Carpet (above) and a Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix (below).
Above, my first Summer Chafer beetle of the year, which was within my Moth Box.
The Moths present this morning included the following:
Macro moths:
Cypress Carpet x1
White Ermine x7
Heart & Dart x5
L-album Wainscot x1
Lime-speck Pug x5
Garden Carpet x3
Bright-line Brown-eye x2
Riband Wave x2
Green Pug x1
Common Pug x1
Macro moths:
Green Oak Tortrix x1
Common Plume x6
Brown House Moth x2
Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix x1
Double-striped Tabby x1
A rather quiet day in Hampshire with hardly anything reported on the Hants Birding website. I had some good news today when BOTH my Swift nestboxes are being occupied. I see them regularly flying down our street when I walk the dogs, but I am hoping the birds are on eggs. In the UK, three stunning rarities were reported on Birdguides that included a singing Song Sparrow at Thornwick Bay, East Yorkshire, a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater on the island Iona, Argyll, an Eleonora’s Falcon at Walcott, Norfolk and a Western Sandpiper at Maidens, Ayrshire. Some of the rarest birds always turn up in June and this year, there is no exception.
Both of my Swift nestboxes are now occupied.
Away from birds, local birder, Pete Gammage, found a Red-veined Darter dragonfly on Portsdown Hill; a species of Dragonfly I have never seen. I hope it sticks around.
Back to the working week and of course, my day kicked off with the Moth Box. It was overcast this morning with a light south-westerly blowing over the garden and the forecast today looks to be dry throughout the day. I never had the Moth Box on overnight yesterday due to the inclement weather on Saturday so I had to put it on last night and again, it delivered some very nice moths.
The Moth Box:
My first Heart & Club moth for a few years.
As soon as I stepped out the back door to the Box, I saw on the white sheet my first Pine Hawk-moth of the year. They are becoming virtually annual now which is very pleasing and this individual constituted my fourth Hawk-moth species of the year. There were 52 moths this morning of 25 species of which another ‘year-tick’, a Heart & Club, was also present. This is an irregular species of moth to my garden, so this individual was most welcome.
One of two Varied Coronet moths this morning.
However, it didn't take long for the local House Sparrows to discover my moths and sure enough, despite putting out a load of dried Mealworms, they did gorge on some of the hapless moths. I can hear the fledgling Sparrows in nearby gardens, so all I can say is Mother Nature at work.
The local House Sparrows enjoy the dried Mealworms.
The Moths present this morning included the following:
Macro moths:
Pine Hawk-moth x1
Straw Dot x1
Riband Wave x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x1
White Ermine x2
Vine’s Rustic x3
Bright-line Brown-eye x1
Heart & Dart x7
Heart & Club x1
Garden Carpet x1
Dark Arches x1
L-album Wainscot x1
Pale Mottled Willow x2
Varied Coronet x2
Lime-speck Pug x4
Green Pug x1
Willow Beauty x8
Bloxworth Snout x1
Yellow-barred Brindle x1
Micro moths:
Ruddy Streak x2
Common Plume x3
Garden Mompha x1
Bronze Alder Moth x1
Apple Leaf Miner x3
Light Brown Apple Moth x1
Birding pals Emma & Matt Parkes took a trip to Hickling Broad Nature Reserve, Norfolk, and took these superb photos of the Swallowtail butterfly.
The lush vegetation within the Cemetery would be providing a lot of insects for the young birds to feed on.
Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:
A few Common Poppies were found on my walk around the Cemy today. This individual was found by the entrance to the Cemetery.
I took the dogs for a nice stroll around the Cemetery late morning, seeing the weather was still pleasant with high clouds and sunny spells that kept the temperature quite warm. Earlier this morning, while putting our washing out in the back garden, a Herring Gull was giving off its alarm call and so I quickly rushed out expecting a Sparrowhawk to be soaring over the house. However, there was no sign of the Sparrowhawk but the Herring Gull was still giving off its alarm call and it was then I saw a large raptor soaring very high above in the blue sky.
The Osprey flew very high over my house this morning.
Luckily, I have a spare pair of binoculars in the kitchen and so I rushed out and relocated the raptor, which I thought was a Buzzard at first, it certainly looked very interesting. The Booted Eagle has been doing a grand tour of the UK although it has not been seen for about a week now, but even through the binoculars, it was still difficult to establish a true ID on the bird. So I grabbed my camera and took as many photos of the bird before it drifted off west. Zooming in on playback with the camera, I then realised it was actually an Osprey!
Another photo of the Osprey.
This was my second ever Osprey I have had over the house, the last being many years ago, but a damn good record for here though and my first for the year too!
Above, a large swathe of Cat's Ears plants and below, False Oat Grass growing on the graves and swaying in the breeze.
A close up photo of the False Oat Grass.
Back over the Cemetery, there were a lot of dog-walkers present here late morning, but all behaved nicely. I didn't expect too many birds to show up this morning and that was really the case as I slowly made my way along my usual route. A few Swifts soared low over the trees and fledgling Blue Tits could be heard noisily begging for food in the smaller trees. A few Blackbirds were seen along with the usual Starlings and only a single Blackbirdand Robin was heard singing here today.
Above, this male Blackbird kept a beady on us as we walked past and below, one of the fledgling Blue Tits begging for food in one the Cherry trees.
Above, one of my favourite parts of the Cemy. I can stand here for twenty minutes or so and simply just watch what goes by.
A lot of plants are flowering now and grabbed my attention which included a few Poppies, Ox-eye Daisies, Scarlet Pimpernel, Common Speedwell and Birds-foot Trefoil. I didn't have a lot of time and so cut my usual walk down a little, but the dogs thoroughly enjoyed their walk as I had to make my way up to Old Winchester Hill by 3pm.
Old Winchester Hill, Hampshire:
The amazing view my parents had on Old Winchester Hil when sitting on their favourite bench.
My two brothers and I met up on Old Winchester Hill this afternoon to finally spread the ashes of my late Mum and Dad by their favourite bench overlooking the beautiful scenery. There was a small crowd of family and friends along to witness it and it was not only a lovely afternoon, but it was fitting that a Red Kite and a male Kestrel flew low over while we were scattering the ashes. My parents would have loved that.
In Hampshire today, Geoff was with Jason Crook this afternoon and while talking to him by the Deeps area, Jason found a Red-necked Phalarope at the back of the Deeps, but the bird disappeared behind the small islands and was never relocated again, sadly. The female Long-tailed Duck is still on Normandy Marshes and a couple of Arctic Skua’s were seen off Cut Bridge, near Lymington.
It looks as though we had a good winter for Song Thrushes as we found many in the New Forest today.
The Moth Box:
This tiny Apple Leaf Skeletonizer (Choreutis pariana) was my first ever.
It was very wet overnight though, thankfully, the rain had stopped by the time I got into the garden to check the Moth Box. Bright sunshine with a bit of cloud overhead got me buzzing to check the moths and as expected, there was a low turnout. Despite only being just 23 moths of 13 species, there was a ‘Lifer’ among them. It was a micro moth, but my first ever Apple Leaf Skeletonizer (Choreutis pariana) that was carefully balanced on one of the egg trays inside the Moth Box. How on earth did this little moth get a name like that probably needs therapy? Sounds like something out of a cartoon! However, Geoff came up with probably why. The moths caterpillars eat the leaves and leave the stem behind which look like the skeleton of the leaf! Makes sense!
My secondSetaceous Hebrew Characterof the year after finding one in Devon recently.
I think I flushed a Willow Beauty for it did not settle and flew out of the Box only to be chased by a House Sparrow and was nearly caught twice, but thankfully flew off high and away. My second Setaceous Hebrew Character of the year was present within the Moth Box; my first being in Devon a few weeks back.
The Moths present included the following:
Macro moths:
White Ermine x4
Straw Dot x1
Buff Ermine x1
Heart & Dart x3
Dark Arches x3
Bright-line Brown-eye x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x2
Setaceous Hebrew Character x1
Micro moths:
Light Brown Apple Moth x2
Rusty-dot Pearl x1
Apple Leaf Miner x1
APPLE LEAF SKELETONIZER x1
My first Turtle Doves of the year:
Swallows were hawking insects over the fields.
Not getting back into ‘Turtlegate’ again, I have not put on my blog where we went to find the Turtle Doves this morning, but the good news is that we DID see at least two at the site we drove too this morning, with possibly three birds present of which put a big smile on our faces. The weather was going to be very ‘iffy’ today and though it rained heavily overnight, it had eased up around 6am and we had a window of around 7 hours afterwards before the heaven opened yet again. I had made up my mind to go for the Turtle Doves first thing this morning and then hammer down the M27 (with all the horrible roadworks) and into the New Forest to see the Wood Warblers afterwards.
Above,Bladder Campion and below, Greater Knapweed, both growing by the side of the country road.
So, from the first site, we waited patiently overlooking some beautiful countryside and being entertained by the local birdlife and plants from our viewpoint. Geoff was pointing out the plants growing along the roadside that included Bladder Campion, Pyramidal Orchids, Greater Knapweed, Cow Parsley and Hedge Rose to name some of the flowering plants.
Above, this Common Whitethroat was singing on an overhead wire when we got out of the car and below, a flock of Long-tailed Tits were by the roadside.
Above and below, a male Blackcap was foraging for insects and successfully picked out a big caterpillar and quickly disappeared.
Above, we enjoyed scanning the nearby fields for birds and watching the Swallows hawking for insects. A few Rabbits were in the fields too. Below, a Great Spotted Woopecker shared some space with a Song Thrush.
The birdlife present included numerous Swallows hunting insects over the fields, a Common Whitethroat singing from an overhead wire that greeted us when we got out of the car, a Chiffchaff in full song close to the main road and a male Blackcap foraging for insects in a nearby tree. A Linnet flew over our heads as did a Grey Heron heading northbound, while over a nearby hill, a pair of Ravens soared over and Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen foraging on the ground in a nearby field along with a few Song Thrushes. What a lovely place to be first thing in the morning. But where was the star bird?
Above, this singing Chiffchaff was just yards from where we stood as we waited patiently for the star birds to show.
Above and below, this Grey Heron lazily flapped northbound over the gorgeous Hampshire countryside.
Enough said!
I was checking much further north using my binoculars and then something caught my eye. I quickly got the telescope onto the said bird and there it was, my first Turtle Dove of the year. The bird was perched on a post at first and behind it was a second bird. I quickly got the guys on the birds as we enjoyed a very relaxed ten minutes or so just enjoying one of the UK’s rarest birds through my telescope. Sadly, the birds were just too distant to get a photo. The future for this species is still uncertain despite a ban on shooting of the species on the Continent, but there is hope as more and more areas are making huge efforts in getting the right areas for the birds to breed in. So, the first bird species to see was now in the bag and next, it was into the New Forest for our second.
The singing Chiffchaff at this site this morning.
My first Hampshire Wood Warbler for the year:
While I was in Devon having a thoroughly relaxing time with Becky and the dogs, last Saturday, Geoff and Andy went into a place in the New Forest where they eventually came across two Wood Warblers. So we all went back to that site and after nearly an hour of a singing Wood Warbler singing deep within the wood, we eventually saw the bird briefly singing within the canopy of a Beech tree. A second bird was heard singing some distance away, but the closer bird was mostly hidden from view.
Above and below, this Spotted Flycatcher put on a good show in front of us within the Inclosure.
Above, a Common Buzzard soaring high over the Inclosure and below, this adult Song Thrush was being followed by one of its youngsters.
I had never been to this location in the New Forest before, but it was a beautiful Inclosure where we had sightings of a Spotted Flycatcher, Marsh Tit, several Siskins, Common Buzzard, a female Blackcap, at least two singing Willow Warblers while other birds heard included a Cuckoo, Goldcrest, Firecrest and Crossbills. We heard a raptor calling somewhere within the woods and both Geoff and I agreed that it was a Goshawk!
Above, what is more beautiful than looking at a spread of Foxgloves in a woodland glade? Below, the footpaths were bordered by the tall Marsh Thistles.
Above, when the sun did show, the insects then came. This Common Blue Damselfly was found by Geoff and below, the Field Cuckoo-bee's were nectaring on the Marsh Thistles.
Above, the tiny Marmalade Hoverfly nectaring on a Meadow Buttercup. Below, a spray of Cat's Ears by the footpath.
Meadow Buttercupswere abundant along the footpath.
As I said to the guys, what better place to be in the summer time than in the middle of the New Forest. It's not just the birds that keep me happy, but all the other wildlife present here, whatever the weather and that includes the beautiful plants here that include loads of Foxgloves, Cats Ears, the very tallMarsh Thistles,Meadow Buttercups and many others. I took a photo of a small Bumblebee on a Marsh Thistle head and later this evening, I did some research and found out it was a Field Cuckoo-bee, which I think was a ‘first’ for me! By now, the sky was getting darker, but we made it back to the car before the heavens opened.
Blashford Lakes:
And the rain doth pour! Thankfully, we were now in the Tern Hide as the heavens opened and this poor drake Mallard took a battering from the heavy rain.
I knew the rain was going to put a dampener on any birding for the next few hours and so I suggested going to the Tern Hide and Blashford Lakes. It was thumbs up from the guys, but before we got there, it was a trip to the nearby Garage for a bit of grub and then chill out within the Hide. Not a moment too soon, the heavens really opened as we watched the birds cope with a real downpour. The Hide was quite busy with plenty of birders, ‘toggers’ and one particular annoying old miserable 'togger' that always stared at us when we moved.
Above, a Common Tern flying over Ibsley Water and below, a mixture of birds that included a Pied Wagtail, Coots, a Little Ringed Plover and an Egyptian Goose.
Above, good numbers of Sand Martins hawked over the water in front of the Hide and below, a successful catch for a passing Common Tern.
Above, Egyptian Geese flying over Ibsley Water.
Sand Martins and Swifts were hawking over Ibsley Water while Grey Lag, Egyptian and Canada Geese were all present here in good numbers and at least four Common Terns were going up and down the lake. Waders here included at least a pair of Oystercatchers and at least a dozen Lapwing with several youngsters seen from the Tern Hide. A Little Ringed Plover seen here this afternoon, where it was either on the small island or the nearby spit close by. A little later, a pair of these dainty birds flew over the lake calling. Fantastic. We even found a Common Spotted Orchid growing near the watersedge; my first of the year to round off a superb day birding with my chums.
Andy has been spending some time creating and enlarging his pond in his garden at Cowplain Marsh. I am looking forward to all the insect and birdlife his pond will attract in the coming months.
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