September begins with another 'year-tick'.

Monday 1st September 2025.

This Old Lady moth was present last night and still present this morning.

I had the Moth Box on overnight, knowing that rain was expected some time throughout the night, but with a rainguard to my Moth Box, I have every faith that when I check the Moths this morning, I should get a few goodies among them. Last night, before I headed off to bed, there was an Old Lady moth and also a Bloxworth Snout, but only the former was still present this morning. It had obviously rained heavily in the night as the garden was sodden and literally seconds after checking the Box this morning, the rain came again! A southerly wind blew over Southsea and some dark menacing clouds drifted over, but thankfully, it was dry when I walked the dogs.

My Moth Box:

One of two Golden Twin-spot moths today.

The Old Lady moth was still present this morning, perched on the white sheet, though it did fly off after I finished checking the Moth Box. Immigrant moths present included TWO Golden Twin-spots, 2 Lesser Yellow Underwing and 5 Rusty-dot Pearls. A new moth for my year list was a micro moth, the Dark-spotted Moss-moth (Bryotropha basaltinella), which are normally annual for this time of year. The only other insects within the Box were a few Leafhoppers.

Above, one of two Lesser Yellow Underwings and below, my first Dark-spotted Moss-moth of the year.

The Moths recorded this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Old Lady x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x5
Double-striped Pug x1	Chevron Grass-moth x1
Golden Twin-spot x2	Beautiful Plume x2
Willow Beauty x1	Common Plume x2
L-album Wainscot x6	Box Tree Moth x1
Vine’s Rustic x2	Ruddy Streak x2
Square-spot Rustic x1	Dark-spotted Moss-moth x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x2
Large Yellow Underwing x1

Other than the Moths, both Yellow Wagtail and a Greenfinch were heard flying overhead.

In Hampshire today:

There was a lot of bird action around Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve and the Canal Path today with a showy Pied Flycatcher along the Canal Path for its second day and on the reserve itself, up to 5 Ruff were present in front of the Meonshore Hide (yet to see one this year!) along with a Green Sandpiper and a superb group of three Glossy Ibis.

The Pied Flycatcher by the Canal Path today. Photo by Mark Francis.

On Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes, there were now two Black Terns and a Grey Phalarope dropped in briefly in front of the Goosander Hide. A Merlin was seen at Deadman Hill, in the New Forest this afternoon (another species I have not seen this year!). Yesterday, birding pal Geoff Farwell spent the day on Farlington Marshes where he saw the following: 3 Ruff, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Green Sandpipers, 30 Yellow Wagtails, Wheatear, Kingfisher, 2 Spoonbills, Swift, 2 Ravens and a Common Buzzard. 

My local patch & Moors Valley Country Park.

Sunday 31st August 2025.

One of at least two Willow Warblers in Highland Road Cemetery this morning. Both birds sang a little.

The dogs got their walk this morning around Highland Road Cemtery where I was hoping there might be a migrant or two lurking about on my ‘local patch’. The weather was good this morning with a clear blue sky overhead and bright sunshine with a bit of a breeze. Not too bad. However, I knew rain was coming this afternoon and my wife had booked the ‘Go Ape’ at Moors Valley Country Park late this morning for our Granddaughter, Isabelle.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

The leaves are starting to turn brown on the Horse Chestnuts but they bear a lot of fruit.

There were a few migrant birds around the Cemetery and it kicked off nicely when I found a couple of Willow Warbler flitting about high up in the trees in the south-west corner of the Cemy. A Blackcap was heard ‘chacking’ deep within vegetation over on the east side, but I did not get a sighting of the bird. 

Above, Horse Chestnuts bearing fruit and below, the walk to the southern half of the Cemy from the west side. The Willow Warblers were in the tall tree in the background. 

Above, there were two clumps of Honey Fungus growing and below, a juvenile Robin coming into adult plumage.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew out of cover and flew off west before I could get a photo of the bird and the only other bird of note was a Jay; first heard calling near the Mausoleum and then seen trying to hide behind leaves in the trees by the Holm Oak clump. Up to 15 species of birds were recorded here today, so it was well worth the journey over there. 

Above, I found this Common Field Grasshopper on the fence panel near the main entrance, which I found unusual to be so exposed. Below, a Jay was being coy in the trees.

Above, several Blue Tits were present and below, this Starling was lit up by the early morning sun.

Above, Yarrow plants were everywhere on the short turf. Below, a pair of Starlings on the roof of one of adjacent houses.

Above, Lady Bedstraw was still in bloom around the graves at the southern end.

Regarding the insects, both Migrant Hawker and a male Common Darter were seen, but proved too difficult to get a photo of the dragonflies as were the few butterflies seen: Large White and Speckled Wood. At least plants don't hardly move and although very few were in flower now, there was a lot of Yarrow still in bloom in the grassy areas. Two large clumps of Honey Fungus were growing where the old Beech Tree used to stand, reminding me that Autumn is now around the corner. 

Moors Valley Country Park, Ashley Heath, nr Ringwood:

The Lake within the Country Park.

As mentioned earlier, Isabelle had been booked to go on the ‘Go Ape’ and we had to be there for 11.15am of which we got there nice and early. While Isabelle and her Dad took part, I kept an eye out around the site for anything of note and I did find a few interesting birds to keep me entertained.

Above and below, one of the Chiffchaffs by the Lake.

Above, there were two Water Strider's on the Lake close in from one of the Swims. Below, sleeping Mallards.

Within the woodland, there were sightings of a large Titmice flock that included a few Coal Tits, several Long-tailed Tits and a Treecreeper nearby. Both Siskin and Crossbill were heard flying over (not seen), but a Great Spotted Woodpecker was a bit more obliging as we watched it flying over the trees.

Above, a male Mute Swan and below, one of its offspring.

Above, a family flock of Mute Swans on the Lake and below, Purple Loosestrife was still growing by the edge of the Lake.

While Becky sat on one of the park benches, I took a walk by the large lake there and heard a couple of Chiffchaffs and saw them flitting about in the Willows and a Cetti’s Warbler was heard calling deep within the reedbeds there. A calling Mistle Thrush was seen flying high over the lake, but nothing on the lake itself bar a family flock of Mute Swans and several Mallard. What fascinated me was the Water Strider insects on the still water and below them, I could see small fish swimming about in the clear water. Realising that nearly 45 minutes had passed, I quickly made my way back to Becky and then returned to the ‘Go Ape’ to pick up the guys and then get a bite to eat. It was a mixture of sunshine and showers there, but, thankfully, it wasn't too wet. On the way back home, along the A31, I saw a pair of Ravens flying low over the road and then flew back over the neighbouring heath.

In Hampshire today:

Mark Francis found this leucistic Arctic Tern on the foreshore at Hill Head this morning.

The Wryneck at the Oysterbeds did not show for the small crowd present today and that included Matt & Emma Parkes, but on a plus side, they did see their first Osprey this morning with a bird perched on North Binness Island, within Langstone Harbour. They then went off to Blashford Lakes and got to see the juvenile Black Tern, of which they added to their year list.

This Magpie gave this Sparrowhawk a bad time over at the Oysterbeds today. Photo by Emma Parkes.

Hill Head regular, Mark Francis, found a stunning leucistic Arctic Tern on the beach among the Gulls (see photos), but little else of note there today. Over at Keyhaven Marshes, there was no sign of yesterdays Bonaparte’s Gull, but up to 4 Ruff and a Curlew Sandpiper were present and two Pied Flycatchers were noted; one at Northney Paddocks and another at the Old Cemetery, Southampton.

My first Hampshire 'Manxie'.

Saturday 30th August 2025.

The Wryneck was just visible in the vegetation from the Hayling Billy Line.

Sadly, Geoff couldn't be with us today as he had already made other arrangements and so it was Andy Fisher and myself grabbing a hatful of ‘year-ticks’ of which Andy notched up 5 to my 4 ‘year-ticks’. We were originally going for the Wryneck by the Hayling Billy Line on Hayling Island, but when Andy read out from Hants Birding that a Manx Shearwater had been seen off Hill Head, then that took priority! 

Before this though, there were two Moth Boxes to go through and both the Boxes threw up some nice surprises. The only downside today was that the weather was very unpredictable despite the weather forecast saying that rain was coming in around 2pm. WRONG! The morning was peppered with heavy showers and a good soaking was had at times.

My Moth Box:

This Clancy's Rustic moth was my second for the year.

My first morning back from Devon and I was pleased with a total of 52 moths of 25 species present today. There was a clear blue sky overhead and temperatures were around the 15 degree mark with hardly any wind. However, that was to change later in the morning as rain made its way in and the wind really picked up. Autumn moths are now starting to come through and this morning, a Clancy’s Rustic (my second of the year) was present, along with 2 Square-spot Rustics, a Turnip Moth and 3 Lesser Yellow Underwings; all classic Autumn moths. Among the micros, pick of the bunch was the Tree-mallow Tortrix (Crocidosema plebejama), which was my second of the year. Other immigrant moths present included 3 Langmaid’s Yellow Underwings and 7 Rusty-dot Pearls.

The Moths recorded this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Clancy’s Rustic x1	Box Tree Moth x2
Brimstone Moth x2	Rusty-dot Pearl x7
Double-striped Pug x4	Common Masoner x1
Willow Beauty x2	Apple Leaf Miner x1
Square-spot Rustic x1	Common Plume x4
Small Dusty Wave x2	Beautiful Plume x1
Turnip Moth x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x2
Lesser Yellow Underwing x3	Ruddy Streak x2
Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing x3	Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Setaceous Hebrew Character x2	Barred Marble x1
Pale Mottled Willow x2	Chevron Grass-moth x1
L-album Wainscot x3
Vine’s Rustic x2
Bright-line Brown-eye x1

While checking the Moth Box, a pair of Yellow Wagtails flew high overhead heading westbound. Apart from a few Starlings passing over, all was quiet.

Andy’s Moth Box, Cowplain Marsh:

My second Small Emerald Moth of the year.

As Andy made me a cup of coffee, I got about checking out the make-shift Moth Box Andy devised using a lamp and all the lights on in his back room. I had used his Moth Box while I was staying in Devon and brought it back today. He did warn me that he had a Hornet somewhere near the Moth Box of which I did find and carefully potted it and released it at the back of his garden.

The Hornet that was by Andy's Moth Box.

There were 20 moths present of 12 species of which easily the best was my second Small Emerald Moth perched on his back door. Though there were not many species here, it certainly produced quality with another Small Blood-vein present and two species of Grass-moths. Not bad, seeing that his lamp produced this many Moths.

The Moths recorded in Andy’s garden included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Small Emerald Moth x1	Common Grass-moth x3
Small Dusty Wave x4	Narrow-winged Grey x2
Small Blood-vein x1	Common Plume x1
Square-spot Rustic x2	Box Tree Moth x1
Willow Beauty x2	Chevron Grass-moth x1
L-album Wainscot x1

The Solent, Hill Head, Fareham:

As mentioned, our plans had changed entirely as we then made our way to Hill Head for this Manx Shearwater seen early this morning amongst a feeding flock of Gulls. Both Andy and myself have never seen a ‘Hampshire’ Manxie and I am pleased to say we managed to see the bird. The weather was looking a bit ‘iffy’ as it was now overcast and the wind was picking up. I had my scope with me and got about checking the large number of Gulls (and a few Terns) around half a mile out within the Solent. While Andy checked with another birder nearby if he had any luck, I picked out a light-phased Arctic Skua chasing the Gulls and waited patiently for Andy to return and put him on the bird. 

While watching the Arctic Skua, I then picked up the Manx Shearwater flying around low over the sea in front of the Gulls. Regular birder Mark Francis and his father then joined us when I gave the shout that I had the Shearwater in my sights. Mark and his Dad quickly picked up the bird, which had gone missing for over an hour, and so did Andy through his binoculars and finally, I had my first Manx Shearwater in Hampshire waters. Huzzah! Then a large rain shower came in and to avoid a severe soaking, we took shelter back in my car till it passed over.

We picked up both the Skua and Shearwater again and incredibly, while watching these two superb birds, Mark gave the shout that a Grey Phalarope was passing through and flying low over the water heading west. To be fair, it was difficult to see at times without a scope, plus the bird landed on the sea a couple of times and virtually disappeared until it took flight again. We saw the bird a couple of more times before it flew off west again and by now, more and more birders were turning up hoping to see these amazing seabirds. Very happy with today’s sightings, I suggested to Andy to try our luck for the Wryneck on Hayling.

Hayling Billy Line, Hayling Island:

Another photo of the Wryneck from the Hayling Billy Line.

We got lucky and managed to park up in the main Car Park near the Esso Garage and then took a walk to the Oysterbeds. The tide was coming up and so I wanted to check the islands to see if I could find an Osprey for Andy who needed this for his Hampshire year list. Sadly, no sign of any on the islands or in Langstone Harbour, but while sat on the bench overlooking the Tern rafts, I picked out a juvenile Arctic Tern flying past! Though I had seen Arctic Terns off Falmouth earlier this month, this was my first in Hampshire this year and an unexpected bonus; it certainly put a big smile on Andy’s face.

Above, you can just about see this Common Tern chick on the Tern Raft upon one of the pools at the Oysterbeds. The parent bird was seen a few times close by. Below, a Little Egret keeping a watchful eye on us as we strolled past.

We made our way to the Hayling Billy Line and joined a few other birders present. One of them, a chap called Roger, told us that he had seen the bird five minutes before we arrived, which meant the bird was still present. Excellent. Another large shower came over and therefore another soaking, but after the rain departed, out popped the Wryneck low down on a bramble. I managed to grab a few photos of the bird and though obscured a little by small branches, we had a good view of the bird before it flew down onto the ground and out of sight. After around 30 minutes or so, it flew south and landed on another bramble where I got a good view of the bird through the scope before it flew down yet again. But during that time, a lady who had waited very patiently for the bird to show was about to go, but I told her to look through my scope to view the bird, which made her a very happy lady and gratefully thanked me and went home happy.

Above and below, I found this peculiar looking plant called Weld or Dyers Weed. Its stems look similar to tentacles!

Above, a Common Gull resting on the Oysterbeds and below, Yellow Toadflax also grows by the Oysterbeds.

Andy Friend and his mate Kev joined us, along with our old pal, John Cronin. The Wryneck had flown up once more and landed on a distant bramble and I managed to get all the guys to view the bird through my scope. The bird was happy to be there for quite a while as I managed to take some film footage of the bird, though it wasn't easy with the wind buffeting my scope (see below). The bird would disappear for a length of time, but during this, we had a host of nice birds to look at that included a superb Hobby flying low over the same field and then over the rooftops before flying off south.

The Wryneck at the Oysterbeds from the Hayling Billy Line. Photo by Andy Friend.

Above, it was windy at the Oysterbeds and therefore the film footage is a bit shaky, but the Wryneck showed very well on top of a bramble.

Other sightings during our two hour stint here included a male and female Sparrowhawk, a Common Buzzard, several Common Whitethroats, a very brief Blackcap, Green Woodpecker and a Grey Heron flying over. An Osprey flying over would have been the icing on the cake, but we had to wait later for that species! So with four new Hampshire species seen today for my year list (now on 198 species for Hampshire this year), I decided to try our luck over in Portsmouth Harbour to round off our day.

Portsmouth Harbour from Portchester:

We made our way to the Salt Cafe Car Park to view Portsmouth Harbour from there and as there was a reported FOUR Ospreys seen there this week, we surely had a chance in finding one out there. Peewit Island was our best bet and so after ordering some hot drinks from the Cafe, we grabbed a table, set up my scope and then BINGO, I found an Osprey feeding on a fish perched on a signpost on the island. Andy was ecstatic and now he had his fifth ‘year-tick’ for the day. Though distant, the bird still showed well enough to see it was an Osprey as the bird continuously fed on the large fish and occasionally spread its wings for balance against the blustery wind blowing across the harbour. Some great birds and moths today, despite the unpredictable weather and with Autumn now upon us, what goodies lie in wait for us over the coming months.

Also present in Hampshire today was a Bonaparte’s Gull that was found on Keyhaven Marshes today. Hopefully, the start of a string of rarities coming in. Earlier today, Mark Francis also had an Osprey flying over the Solent heading towards the Isle of Wight and up to TWO Arctic Skuas were seen.