Another FOUR moths added to the year list.

Monday 29th July 2024.

Dawn broke over the village this morning.

Day 3 of our North Devon Holiday and this morning, I was up with a bang and after making myself a cold drink, I headed off with the dogs into the garden to check the Moth Box. Four more moths were new for the year which included a Foxglove Pug, Flame Carpet, Brussel’s Lace and a Rustic. Up to 11 Common Footman were present and the only micro moth was a Tawny Grey. I checked on the Moth Box late last night and there were a lot of Moths buzzing around the Box, which looked promising for the following day.

Above, a Flame Carpet moth and below, a Brussel's Lace moth. Both new for the year.

Above, Foxglove Pug and below, a Nut-tree Tussock moth. The Foxglove was new for the year and the Nut-tree Tussock was my second for the year having had one in Andy's garden earlier this month.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS

• Small Yellow Wave
• Riband Wave
• Foxglove Pug (New for Year)
• Nut-tree Tussock
• Flame Carpet (NFY)
• Common Footman 11
• Willow Beauty
• Brussel’s Lace (NFY)
• Rustic (NFY)
• Uncertain

MICRO MOTHS

• Tawny Grey

My first Rustic moth of the year.

After a delicious cooked breakfast that was cooked by the ladies here in the Cottage, we took a drive to Fremington Quay, near Barnstable, as recommended by a couple Becky and I met in the Bell Inn pub. Apparently, it had a nice Tea Room overlooking a large harbour which was actually the River Tor and a nice walk for the dogs. We eventually arrived there around 11am and kept an eye out for anything interesting to look at. The tide was near high when we arrived, but a sandy spit held a small Gull roost that held both Black-headed and Herring Gulls. A Mediterranean Gull was seen later on our walk here. A pair of Oystercatchers flew from the Quay area and were probably spooked by the many people here.

Above, the Gull roost by Fremington Quay and below, Ted and Buddy explore the shoreline. I was a little deterred in letting the dogs go out in the water as there was a lot of scum floating on the water which was coming down from a nearby river.

The weather was simply glorious and many people that we met said that we really did pick a lovely week to be down here in Devon. After a nice bit of cake and a drink, we took a slow walk along the footpath adjacent to the harbour. The Buddleia trees close to the main building held nectaring Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies and a few Gatekeepers and Small White butterflies flew past us. A large flock of swimming Canada Geese took off and headed off down the harbour. 

Above, House Martins coming into the sandy spit to get the materials needed to build their nests.

Above, a Painted Lady butterfly and below, a Peacock butterfly on the Buddleia trees near the Tea rooms.

Walking down the bridle path, wide enough for Cyclists to belt past us, we kept the dogs on a tight lead as we walked slowly along, taking in the wooded verges either side of us where I had sightings of Speckled Wood and Large White butterflies. Walking back towards the Car Park, we rested for a while on a bench overlooking the harbour which was simply gorgeous with the village of Chivenor on the hillside in the distance. Earlier, we had passed the River Tor near Umberleigh which looked very promising for seeing a Dipper. On the way back to Chittlehampton, where we were staying, we were going to try the pub adjacent to the River but it closed. Grumble! So we headed back to the Cottage and then onto the Pub later for our dinner.

My first Hedgehog in many a year scurrying around in the garden.

It was most certainly a warm day and it was nice to sit out in the garden in the evening and as dusk fell, I put my Moth Box on and they soon poured in! One of my dogs, Buddy, started barking down in the garden and so I went down to investigate and low and behold, I found my first UK Hedgehog in decades!!! It was a youngster and so quickly called the guys to take a look as the animal eventually crawled under a large bush. As night fell, we took a look at the moths coming through and there was such a variety that I began potting a lot of them including an Elephant Hawk-moth, an Iron Prominent and several others. While checking the moths, a Tawny Owl was hooting somewhere in the distance to add to the list of the superb wildlife here.

Five more moths added to year list.

Sunday 28th July 2024.

This stunning Cloaked Carpet moth is only the second time I have actually seen one.

After a pretty restless night (getting used to a different bed is never easy), I was awake at 5.30am this morning and so quickly dressed to check the Moth Box. The whole of the countryside was enveloped in thick fog and the sound of the Crows and Jackdaws could be heard but the birds could not be seen. OK, I was a little disappointed in the numbers of the moths this morning, but five more species that were new for the year, were pretty spectacular moths.

Above, a Small Phoenix moth was probably only my third ever and below, the gorgeous Rosy Footman moth.

Above, the dainty Small Yellow Wave was again, only my second ever. Below, a rather worn Wormwood Pug.

Above, four of ten Common Footman moths near the Moth Box. Below, a Dun-bar moth was also new for the year.

While the dogs sniffed around the garden, there were two moths I have only ever seen once before and that was in Devon too, on one of our Cottage holidays. Both Cloaked Carpet and Small Yellow Wave were present and were supported by a Small Phoenix, Rosy Footman and a Wormwood Pug, which were all new for the year. Other moths present included an Uncertain, at least 10 Common Footman, a Riband Wave and a Dark Sword-grass. Finally, two micro moths, Twenty-plume Moth and a Common Masoner were also noted. Later in the afternoon, having a recheck of the egg trays by the moth box, I discovered a Dun-bar moth sat inside. How on earth did I miss it?

Above, a foggy start to the morning and below, a Spiders web catching the early morning dew.

Above, a Wood Pigeon was watching me as I was checking out the Moths.

For the rest of the day, it was going to be a lazy day. We had Sunday Roast booked for 1.30pm at Bell Inn and before and after, we simply just chilled out in the garden and I personally enjoyed a good variety of birds and insects that came our way throughout the day. The weather was simply glorious as I sat armed with both binoculars and my camera. All in all, a total of 27 bird species were recorded and included a few surprises too.

Above, a female Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into our neighbours garden in the afternoon and the Green Woodpecker even landed in the same tree. Below, a Goldfinch sang beautifully in the sunshine.

Pick of the day's birds included a superb Hobby hunting overhead. First alerted of its presence when all the House Martins and Swallows suddenly went into defence mode and their alarm calls helped locate the Hobby as it passed over us several times and long enough to grab a few photos as well. A small bird ‘flycatching’ had me scrambling for my binoculars and sure enough, it was a Spotted Flycatcher. On closer inspection of the photos, I think it might have been a juvenile bird judging by the amount of white on the wing feathers. The bird didn't stay that long, but I managed a bit of film footage of it as it sat in a tall tree in our neighbours garden.

The juvenile Spotted Flycatcher seen today.

Both Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker put in an appearance within the garden and both Nuthatch and Treecreeper were heard but not seen. A Grey Wagtail was heard flying over the village, but no sighting of that bird either. A male Kestrel flew high over the house and a Buzzard could be heard calling throughout the day somewhere within the countryside and most likely a young bird. There were plenty of finch species too with a few Siskins flying over, a pair of Chaffinches flitting about and occasionally catching passing insects within the tall neighbouring tall trees. Both Greenfinches and Linnets were observed flying over and as the day wore on, the Swallows, House Martins and good numbers of Swifts flew low over the house and the surrounding countryside.

Above, I managed to grab a few photos of the Hobby that circled over the house several times.

Regarding the notable insects seen today in the garden, the pick of the bunch has to go to my first Pellucid Fly (Volucella pellucens) of the year. A smart individual was perched on one of the plants within the garden, but flew off before I got a photo of it. A Birch Sheildbug flew onto me and so I quickly got a few photos of the insect before I put it somewhere safe. Both Small White and Gatekeeper butterflies were flitting about the garden throughout the day and a probably Comma was seen several times but would not settle. A cracking day where the weather played its part too and the Sunday Roast was delicious too!

Above, The Bell Inn pub within the village. I can thoroughly recommend the food and the selection of beer is something else!

Above and below, the very impressive St. Hieritha Church, which dates back to 1470!

A Birch Shieldbug landed on me late in the afternoon.

Our holiday to Devon has begun.

Saturday 27th July 2024.

An evening roost of Swifts over the Village numbered easily over 60 birds. Superb spectacle.

Becky and I are staying from today, up until next Saturday in the beautiful quiet hamlet of Chittlehampton, in North Devon. We have rented a gorgeous bungalow set within the village, which we think was well above our expectations, with spacious rooms and a veranda overlooking a reasonably sized garden and plenty of trees and bushes that backs onto farmland in the distance. I, of course, have brought along my Moth Box (well actually, it's Andy’s Moth Box as this can be flat packed and transported easily in the car). The near four hour drive down here was without incident as I took my time and appreciated a lot of the countryside we passed. 

Above, a lot of Corvids came into the roost late evening including these Rooks. Below, one of several House Martins hawking insects over the gardens.

Arriving around 3pm, we quickly unpacked, let the dogs explore their new garden for the week and then chilled out till about 7pm when we got ready for a meal in the local Pub, the Bell Inn. So, during that time, I notched up 18 species that included a soaring Common Buzzard nearby, an incredible display from at least 60+ Swifts over our Bungalow and good numbers of House Martins hunting over the gardens and village;  with a few Swallows among them as well.

Above, a view of the back of the property, garden and nearby.

Other species noted included Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Rook, Magpie, Chaffinch, Siskin (one flew over), Greenfinch, Linnet, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Blue Tit, Coal Tit and a Goldcrest, which was constantly calling in a nearby Conifer. Not too bad a start and I am so looking forward to early morning when checking the Moth Box and see what goodies lay in wait for me.

Another shot of some of the Swifts late evening.

My two Birding chums, Andy and Geoff went to Longwood Warren, back in Hampshire, for the day and notched up 6 Red Kites, 4 Common Buzzard, 2 Kestrels, 2 Ravens, 750 Wood Pigeons, Marsh Tit, 2 Chiffchaffs, 150 Starlings, 45 Linnets and a single Corn Bunting. They also had a good array of butterflies that included a late Purple Emperor! In Hampshire today, three adult and one juvenile Roseate Tern were seen to fly onto the Titchfield Haven Reserve and a Grasshopper Warbler was seen reeling at Bransbury Common; a site where us guys saw our bird in the Spring.  

100 up on Macro moths for the year.

Friday 26th July 2024.

This Chinese Character moth, which is arguably one of our most strangest looking moths, was perched some distance from the Moth Box. Looking like 'bird poo', it is a useful disguise to prevent being eaten during the daytime.

Though the garden was rather damp this morning, there was a clear blue sky overhead at 6am and at first, I was a little disappointed that there was little evidence of any moths on the white sheet behind the Moth Box. However, on closer inspection, the majority of moths on there were Micro moths, but at the end of checking the moths, there were a total of 49 moths of 21 species recorded. Three more Macro moths were added to my year list that included a Satin Wave, Chinese Character and Grey Dagger, which brought me up to 100 species of Macro moth for the year so far! Two more Micro moths were also added to my year list: Straw Grass-moth (Agriphila straminella) and the very small Garden Stilt (Gracillarua syringella).

Above, a probable Grey Dagger (Dark Dagger cannot be totally ruled out but requires dissection to get a 100% ID) and below, a Satin Wave moth.

Above, the Micro moth Straw Grass-moth.

The moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHs:

• Lackey 2
• Satin Wave (New for Year)
• Silver Y
• Chinese Character (NFY)
• Brimstone Moth 2
• Grey Dagger (NFY)
• Single-dotted Wave
• Least Carpet 3
• Riband Wave 3
• Dusky Sallow
• Common Rustic 

MICRO MOTHS:

• Common Plume 13
• Apple Leaf Miner
• Rusty-dot Pearl
• Straw Grass-moth (NFY)
• Beautiful Plume 2
• Light Brown Apple Moth 8
• Tree-mallow Tortrix
• Barred Marble
• Black-banded Masoner 3
• White-shouldered House Moth
• Garden Stilt (NFY)

Six more moths added to year list.

Thursday 25th July 2024.

Mother of Pearl moth. This is an annual moth in my garden and tend to get quite a few throughout summer and early Autumn.

Despite watering the garden last night, I knew it was going to rain in the early hours of the morning and so I was quite prepared for a soggy start at dawn. More rain is forecast for the morning, but I knew I had a good load of moths to sift through. Micro moths easily outnumbered macro moths this morning and among them were this morning with a total of 55 moths of 31 species. There were SIX new moths for the year that included the Macro moths Marbled Green, Langmaids Yellow Underwing and an early Square-spot Rustic (though this individual looked a bit worn). New Micro moths for the year included a pristine Mother of Pearl, Tree-mallow Tortrix and a Dingy Concealer. I have noticed that a lot of vernacular names have changed on many of the Micro moths from last year. Why? Who knows!

Above, three more 'Macro' moths were added to my year list this morning which included from top to bottom: Langmaid's Yellow Underwing, Square-spot Rustic and Marbled Green.

The most numerous species was in fact the Black-banded Masoner, with 7 recorded; which last year, I believe, was called the Sussex Dowd! A Box-tree Moth of the dark form, was on the white sheet and it seems numbers of this particular species is a lot less than previous years. It was good to see my second Long-legged Tabby of the year too as they have been near absent from my garden over the past 5 years.

Above, Dingy Concealer and below, Tree-mallow Tortrix.

The moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS:

• Common Emerald 3
• Lackey
• Dark Arches
• Langmaid's Yellow Underwing (New for Year)
• Marbled Green (NFY)
• Marbled Beauty 
• Garden Carpet
• Least Carpet
• Riband Wave 2 
• Brimstone Moth 4
• Lime-speck Pug 2
• Square-spot Rustic (NFY)
• Common Rustic
• Willow Beauty
• Dusky Sallow

MICRO MOTHS:

• Mother of Pearl (NFY)
• Barred Marble
• Tree-mallow Tortrix (NFY)
• Meal Moth
• Box-tree Moth
• Rosy Tabby
• Black-banded Masoner 7
• Carnation Tortrix 2
• Dingy Concealer (NFY)
• Beautiful Plume
• Rufous Tortrix
• Common Masoner
• Diamond-back Moth 3
• Light Brown Apple Moth 4
• Long-legged Tabby
• Common Plume 7

Birding pals Matt and Emma Parkes are spending a few days in Wales to catch up on a few Welsh specialities, which included a boat trip to both Skokholm and Grassholm. On their way, they dropped off by the River Clydach to see their first Dipper of the year and also a trip along the coastal footpath to see the Choughs.

 

Above, a Puffin off Skokholm and below, a Dipper on the River Clydach.

Above, a Chough on the coastal path. All three photos by Emma Parkes.