Overnight temperatures remained mild and this morning, there was a clear blue sky overhead and with next to no wind at all, it was around 17 degrees first thing this morning. While I was checking the Moth Box, there was a constant trickle of Meadow Pipits flying south and when I walked the dogs after checking the Moth Box, a Grey Wagtail flew over Highland Road Cemetery and a flock of 6 Siskins flew low over the rooftops, calling in doing so. Pembroke Road, this morning, was getting busy again with plenty of bird species seen today on my first shift.
My Moth Box:
Up to three Plumed Fan-foot moths were present this morning. A Garden record.
An excellent number of moths present this morning in and around my Moth Box with at least 77 moths of 23 species. Yesterday’s Sombre Brocade was still present, perched on the floor by the Moth Box and last night’s tatty Old Lady moth was still present, but this time within the Moth Box itself. A garden record of FIVE Clancy’s Rustics were recorded this morning as was another garden record of THREE Plumed Fan-foots.
Above, two Large Pale Masoner micro moths were present and below, a large total of at least a dozen L-album Wainscot also this morning.
Other notable moths included a Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Golden Twin-spot, Blair’s Mocha and the return of both Large Pale Masoner and Narrow-winged Grey. Also, 12 L-album Wainscot and 10 Lesser Yellow Underwings was impressive.
Above, yesterday's star moth, the Sombre Brocade was still present this morning and below, a Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing was my first for this month.
The moths recorded this morning included the following:
MACRO MOTHS
MICRO MOTH
Wiilow Beauty x5
Common Plume x4
Old Lady x1
Large Pale Masoner x2
Sombre Brocade x1
Tree-mallow Tortrix x2
Clancy’s Rustic x5
Light Brown Apple Moth x3
Double-striped Pug x5
Rusty-dot Pearl x2
Lime-speck Pug x1
Ruddy Streak x3
Large Yellow Underwing x7
Narrow-winged Grey x3
Lesser Yellow Underwing x10
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x1
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x1
Plumed Fan-foot x3
L-album Wainscot x12
Square-spot Rustic x2
Blair’s Mocha x1
Golden Twin-spot x1
Pale Mottled Willow x1
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
Among all those Spiders around the Bushes in Pembroke Road, I found this Light Brown Apple Moth.
The movement of Meadow Pipits continued throughout my first shift within Pembroke Road this morning as did the Siskins going over; although these could only be heard when there was a lull in the traffic. A female Sparrowhawk flew high overhead, heading north to probably ambush some of these birds? A Grey Wagtail was actually seen this morning (normally only heard) flying over the Bowling Green and trying to sort out somewhere to land.
The early morning cloud was disappearing as the sun rose higher, leaving behind a clear blue sky and it most certainly warmed up too. Up to 16 bird species were recorded this morning, the most I have seen here for a few weeks.
The Bushes, from where I stand, were full of Garden Spiders with at least 8 present and above them, a Giant House Spider was tucked into the wall. I did find a Light Brown Apple Moth resting on one of the plants, but no Butterflies or Bees to speak of this morning.
The bird species seen here this morning included the following:
Herring Gull
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Wood Pigeon
Feral Pigeon
Starling
House Sparrow
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Meadow Pipit
Siskin
Pied Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
On my afternoon shift in Old Portsmouth, the temperature really did climb as it got into the 70's and I have to say, I was a little overdressed for the heat! No other new bird species were seen, but a few Small White butterflies were on the wing here and dodging the many Spider webs! The warm sunshine brought out the Bees and Hoverflies in my garden, all nectaring on the flowering Ivy. Also attracted to the Ivy were the butterflies where I had a showy Comma, a couple of lingering Red Admirals and a Small White.
Above and below, a Comma butterfly was nectaring on the flowering Ivy in my back garden.
In Hampshire today:
This Grey Phalarope graced one of the pools at Keyhaven Marshes today. Photo by Steve Laycock.
A late juvenile Caspian Gull was found at Hill Head this evening and on nearby Titchfield Haven, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Ruff, a Curlew Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis, Goosander and 6 Common Snipe were present. Farlington Marshes held 7 Curlew Sandpipers and a Ruff were seen and an Osprey was in Langstone Harbour. A Pied Flycatcher and a Redstart were seen at Castle Farm, Warblington and over at Keyhaven Marshes, a showy Grey Phalarope was spinning away on one of the pools and a Curlew Sandpiper nearby.
The Curlew Sandpiper on Keyhaven Marshes. Photo by Steve Laycock. Below, film footage of the Grey Phalarope. Film footage also taken by Steve Laycock.
Not only was it an awesome morning for Moths, despite the drizzly weather, but also a very good haul of birds seen in Pembroke Road this morning on my first shift there in Old Portsmouth. A cracking SOMBRE BROCADE moth was re-identified for me among a host of excellent moths and a few nice surprises were among the birds seen this morning. A Grey Wagtail was heard again calling somewhere over the rooftops while I was taking the dogs for their early morning walk and a Chiffchaff was calling in my neighbours garden while I was checking the Moths. Though it was drizzly, it was very mild with temperatures around 18 degrees with a light south-westerly wind.
My Moth Box:
Above, my first Blair's Mocha for the month and below, one of two Golden Twin-spot moths.
I was blessed with my first ever SOMBRE BROCADE moth this morning, which was perched high up under the eaves of my kitchen roof and I had to grab a box to pot the moth. At first, the Obsidentify App was 95% sure it was a Beautiful Brocade, but when I put a few photos on Hants Moths website as I was a bit doubtful, Ben Dale came back to me and said he was happy it was a SOMBRE BROCADE. Happy days indeed.
One of FOUR Clancy's Rustic's this morning.
There was also an excellent supporting cast of Moths present that included 2 Golden Twin-spots, FOUR Clancy’s Rustics (a record here for my garden), Blair’s Mocha and a Plumed Fan-foot! 45 moths of 18 species was nothing to be unhappy with for this time of year here in Southsea.
The Plumed Fan-foot moth.
The Moths recorded this morning included the following:
MACRO MOTHS
MICRO MOTHS
SOMBRE BROCADE x1
Light Brown Apple Moth x3
Willow Beauty x2
Rusty-dot Pearl x`
Blair’s Mocha x1
Chevron Grass-moth x1
Large Yellow Underwing x7
Common Plume x2
Lesser Yellow Underwing x6
Dark Moss-moth x1
L-album Wainscot x7
Ruddy Streak x1
Square-spot Rustic x1
Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Clancy’s Rustic c4
Golden Twin-spot x2
Pale Mottled Willow x
Plumed Fan-foot x1
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
The Holm Oak where the Firecrest was calling.
Within the first five minutes of starting work in Pembroke Road this morning, I had already notched up 9 species that included a calling Firecrest in the nearby Holm Oak trees and a Grey Heron flying low overhead and eventually headed off westbound. The weather was still drizzly, but hardly any wind this time as I was picking out some good sightings for this area.
Not the sharpest of images from my mobile phone camera, but this Grey Heron lingered long enough for a record shot of it passing over.
A Cormorant flew high overhead and headed east and just as I was leaving, a pair of Swallows flew low over the road and headed off south. It isn't easy picking out the calling birds due to the consistent traffic going past, but occasionally there is a lull in the traffic and I can pick out birds calling in the distance. Not a bad start in the morning with 15 species in total seen on my first shift here. What will the second shift add to this total?
Birds seen or heard this morning included the following:
I had the Moth Box on overnight and though I knew rain was coming in, I made sure that the outside egg trays were raised and therefore avoided getting a soaking. This actually paid off as not only were the trays dry, but there were plenty of Moths upon them. However, it was still drizzling a little at 6.15am this morning, but not too damp to check out my Moth Box. The forecast today is showery with a breezy south-westerly wind and will remain overcast throughout the day.
My Moth Box:
Above, the Bloxworth Snout and below, one of three Golden Twin-spot moths.
I was quite surprised this morning on how many Moths were here today as I recorded up to 52 moths of 19 species. 12 of these were Large Yellow Underwings, which easily outnumbered any other species. Notable moths this morning included a Clancy’s Rustic, 3 Golden Twin-spots and a Bloxworth Snout and among the micro moths, my first Black-banded Masoner and Tree-mallow Tortrix for September.
This Large Yellow Underwing I had to rescue from a spider web. Below, the Tree-mallow Tortrix.
The Moths recorded this morning included the following:
MACRO MOTHS
MICRO MOTHS
Large Yellow Underwing x12
Pale-backed Detritus Moth x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x5
Dark Moss-moth x2
Garden Carpet x1
Ruddy Streak x3
Bloxworth Snout x1
Brown House Moth x1
Golden Twin-spot x3
White-shouldered House Moth x1
Square-spot Rustic x2
Black-banded Masoner x1
L-album Wainscot x6
Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Clancy’s Rustic x1
Light Brown Apple Moth x3
Double-striped Pug x1
Common Plume x2
Pale Mottled Willow x5
Jasmine Moth x1
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
Not the most pleasant of days, with drizzle and a blustery wind blowing down the road, but I did manage to see 10 bird species during my first shift here in Pembroke Road. Two flocks of Swallows were making their way overhead (flocks of 6 and 11 respectively), heading in a south-westerly direction into the wind and my first of the Autumn here at this site. Sadly, very little else of note, but I did hear a Dunnock calling somewhere along the footpath between the Bowling Green and Governor’s Green.
This afternoon, the wet weather had disappeared on my second shift in Pembroke Road, but the wind had increased to near gale force at times. However, I did hear two more bird species with a Blue Tit calling somewhere within the nearby Holm Oaks and a Grey Wagtail somewhere over the rooftops. I had a quick look around my Moth Box this afternoon, for sometimes, a Moth I might of missed this morning and low and behold, I flushed a Jasmine Moth which promptly flew off over to next doors garden.
In Hampshire today:
Easily the best bird in Hampshire seen today was a juvenile Long-tailed Skua off the Milford Shelter, near Lymington. Also seen there were an adult Little Gull and a juvenile Kittiwake. Elsewhere, at Titchfield Haven, there were 2 Ruff, a Curlew Sandpiper and two Common Sandpipers. A Black Tern was on Fleet Pond early this afternoon.
Spotted Flycatcher. These birds are also on the move back south. Photo by Pete Appleton.
Within my garden, Drone Flies were abundant today on the Ivy plants.
The stormy weather over the past few days has somewhat relented here on the south coast and I am hoping to have my Moth Box on overnight once more; the strong winds and heavy rain put paid to putting the Moth Box on. The very strong winds of yesterday were rather problematic for me yesterday in Pembroke Road and literally standing up at times was proving difficult in the very strong winds. The consistent rain didn't help matters either, but this morning, it was a lot better, although it was somewhat cold.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
I found this Common Carder Bumblebee crawling on the floor yesterday over in Eastney.
As mentioned, yesterday was extremely windy and wet at times and I only saw 12 bird species during both my shifts there. On a positive note, a cracking male Peregrine kicked the first shift off very nicely as it flew low over the road and then Governor’s Green and headed off towards Portsmouth Harbour to the west. A pair of Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green in the morning and a few Meadow Pipits went high overhead, heading southbound.
The tiny flowers of the Ivy plants are now in bloom and should attract a wealth of insects.
This morning, I heard a few Meadow Pipits going over Pembroke Road, but I only saw one bird that was heading west. Just 9 bird species were recorded this morning that included a pair of Pied Wagtails again on the Bowling Green and apart from all the usual birds, nothing else unusual was seen this morning. This afternoon, three more bird species were added to my day list here that included a Blue Tit, Great Black-backed Gull and a Grey Wagtail; the latter was heard only.
Above, the Grey Phalarope that graced Hayling Oysterbeds recently. Photo by Emma Parkes. Below, a Meadow Pipit feeding a juvenile Cuckoo in the New Forest during the summer. Photo by Pete Appleton.
Meanwhile, late this morning while tidying up all the fallen leaves in my garden, I noticed a lot more Drone Flies and Common Wasps enjoying nectaring on the flowering Ivy. Though my wife doesn't like it, I purposely leave the Ivy alone to flower and in turn, it attracts numerous Bees, Hoverflies and Butterflies around this time and into late Autumn. Yesterday, a Red Admiral butterfly enjoyed the Ivy flowers and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth was a nice surprise, as it went in search of flowers to nectar on. It spent a good couple of minutes in my garden (no camera to hand though!) before flying off at speed over the garden and gone.
Above, a close up of one of the Drone Flies in my garden.
Above, other insects enjoying the Ivy flowers were Ivy Bee's and below, Batman Hoverflies.
In Hampshire today:
This morning, a Wood Sandpiper was on Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marshes and nearby Normandy Marshes, a Little Stint and a Spotted Redshank were present. An Osprey was reported circling over Gosport. On Farlington Marshes, up to 6 Curlew Sandpipers were present on the Stream and a Hobby went through over the reserve. An Arctic Skua was seen off the Milford Shelter.
Though not in Hampshire, this juvenile Red-backed Shrike was down at Dungeness, Kent today. I was told, sadly, that it only had one eye. Photo by Andy Dickety.
At last, Highland Road Cemetery suddenly awoke to migrant birds this morning. I took the dogs for a walk around 8am this morning and thankfully, the entrance gates were open nice and early. This morning's weather was good with a light southerly wind and an overcast sky, which was most helpful in picking out birds on the move high overhead. I spent a good 45 minutes here today because there was plenty to look at and to be honest, I was half expecting (or hoping) for something scarce, but despite plenty to look at, that real special bird did not materialise.
Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:
A gothic look at the Cemy.
There was a healthy number of migrants within the Cemetery today, though the majority of them were Chiffchaffs. Over in the south-west corner, I heard an unusual ‘Chiff’ call coming from the Conifer there and after waiting patiently for the bird to show, it was clearly a juvenile Chiffchaff (it got the blood pumping for a bit). However, I was starting to regret not bringing my binoculars, for there were a lot of small birds flitting around in the trees here, of which I counted at least 10 Chiffchaffs and a lot of both Blue and Great Tits among them. Even a Goldcrest got in on the act as it followed the main flow of birds into the trees. More Chiffchaffs were found throughout the Cemetery and so could easily be 20+ birds around.
Above, a Coal Tit on top of the Monkey Puzzle tree along with a Blue Tit, Both birds flew off south over the rooftops. Below, the red leaves of the Virginia Creeper really stand out on this Conifer over in the northern end of the Cemetery.
I can see you! This Chiffchaff was one of many here today. Below, because I didn't have my binoculars, I was relying on the zoom on my camera to identify this bird on the gravestone. It turned out to be a Robin.
Above, the Holly is now beginning to flower which should in turn attract many Bees, Hoverflies and Butterflies over the coming month. Below, the path leading south down the west side of the Cemetery. I didn't notice the bird flying in on the right and I think it might be a Jay after I zoomed in on the photo.
Above, Chestnuts littered along the footpath. When I was a kid, I would have been hoovering all these up for a good game of Conkers!
The Chiffchaffs were not the only warbler here as I heard the distinctive ‘chacking’ of a Blackcap coming from one of the Bushes. It or another one was heard again near the Mausoleum and I was lucky enough to see the bird fly out of a tall bush and into nearby vegetation. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker flew high over my head and headed off southbound over the houses and a Green Woodpecker was heard several times while I was walking round with the dogs, but I didn't get any sightings of the bird. Overhead, there was a bit of visible migration going on with Grey Wagtail, up to 7 Meadow Pipits and a Siskin going over and what was pleasing, a Coal Tit (a rare bird here) was first heard and then eventually seen perched high up on the Monkey Puzzle Tree at the southern end of the Cemy, with a Blue Tit.
Above, a series of Chiffchaff photos taken this morning at various locations in the Cemy.
Above, a Blue Tit picking off seeds with the cones of a Blue Atlas Cedar tree. Below, a preening Wood Pigeon on one of the gravestones.
A Jay was heard and then seen flying over the Cemy while I was talking to an old gentleman walking his dog. He told me he had been coming here over the past 25 years, but also asked me where all the birds seemed to have disappeared. So we had a nice chat on what I have seen here over the years. I had recorded 20 species of birds here this morning, which wasn't a bad total, but the potential of something special here is always on the cards.
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