Curlew Sandpipers en masse despite poor weather.

Thursday 11th September 2025.

This Canary-shouldered Thorn was easily the 'pick of the pops' this morning among a small number of moths.

The Moth Box was back on overnight for I took a big risk with the weather and thankfully, it wasn't raining by the time I got to check for moths. However, the rain wasn't too far away and on both my first and second shift at Pembroke Road, I took a good soaking and the wind was, at times, blowing a gale! Despite the weather, there was a good number of waders being seen, notably Curlew Sandpipers on the south coast.

My Moth Box:

Just the one Square-spot Rustic by the Box this morning within a very soggy eggtray.

I didn't really expect too many moths this morning due to the overnight weather as a strong south-westerly was blowing and although a clear blue sky overhead, the garden patio was still soaking from overnight rain. I waited till it got much lighter and quickly potted a gorgeous Canary-shouldered Thorn that was perched on the white sheet, of which I released a little later after I thoroughly checked the Moth Box. All the expected species were present, although all in small numbers. A total of 14 moths of 10 species were present today.

The Moths recorded this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Canary-shouldered Thorn x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x2
Lesser Yellow Underwing x1	Box Tree Moth x1
Large Yellow Underwing x1	Ruddy Streak x1
L-album Wainscot x1	Common Plume x3
Square-spot Rustic x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x2

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

This Small White butterfly was in my garden this afternoon and below, a few Batman Hoverflies were also present.

Yes, the weather was damn awful at times, but I did manage to get to see and hear up to 12 species of birds on my first shift this morning, but nothing more on my second shift. Three Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green during the morning, including two adults and a juvenile bird. Yet again, all the usual species were present again, but nothing out of the ordinary. Considering how poor the weather was, I was lucky to get 12 species this morning and so lets see what tomorrow brings.

In Hampshire today:

This Willow Warbler was seen on a boat off the Isle of Wight. Photo by Stephen Caudle.

I was wondering if anyone did any sea-watching today due to the strong winds blowing along the coastline, but I couldn't find any news. However, both Titchfield Haven and Farlington Marshes hosted large numbers of Curlew Sandpipers today (will they hang around for Andy Fisher to finally add one to his Hampshire year list?), with Titchfield hosting 8 birds and Farlington Marshes hosting 11 juvenile birds! A Grey Phalarope was on the North Scrape at Titchfield Haven still along with up to three Ruff and a pair of Glossy Ibis were on Posbrook Floods

Above and below, Curlew Sandpipers on Titchfield Haven. Photos by Daz Gorman. 

Above and below, Curlew Sandpipers on Titchfield Haven. Photos by Pete Allison.

More rain on the way!

Wednesday 10th September 2025

I didn't bother with the Moth Box overnight because I knew there was going to be a lot of rain at dawn and I was not wrong. There was heavy rain on and off throughout the morning here in Southsea and so I was well togged up with my wet weather gear on my first shift in Pembroke Road. A breezy south-westerly was blowing too, although there were a few dry spells throughout the day. The rest of the week's weather forecast does not look good at all. A potential storm is on its way with heavy rain and strong winds, but this could bring in some interesting seabirds to our coasts.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The weather was closing in and the rain was falling as I was about to leave Pembroke Road on my first shift here today. 

I clocked up to 12 species this morning but no additional bird species in the afternoon. Up to 3 Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green this morning and the wet weather brought in a few Gulls on Governor’s Green where 6 Herring Gulls and a Black-headed Gull searched for worms on the wet grass. Several Great Black-backed Gulls flew over Curtain Moat to conclude my three usual species of Gull here. It is still nice, despite the inclement weather, to hear the Robins sing instead of their usual ‘ticking’ at this time of year.

In Hampshire today:

A lovely photo of this Whinchat photographed recently. Photo by Pete Appleton.

Local birder and ‘Lazee Birder’ Pete Gammage had an incredible 13 Curlew Sandpipers on the Lake at Farlington Marshes, along with 118 Ringed Plover and 70 Knot. Over at Hayling Oysterbeds, a Curlew Sandpiper and a Little Stint were present, while over at Titchfield Haven, up to 8 Curlew Sandpipers were on the South Scrape as well as a Common Sandpiper and a Ruff. The long staying female Red-crested Pochard was at Blashford Lakes today and finally, up to 5 Arctic Terns were recorded off Weston Sailing Club early this morning. 

Yellow Wagtails on Farlington Marshes. Photo by Pete Appleton.

Finally, a new moth for the year list.

Tuesday 9th September 2025.

Dawn over Highland Road Cemetery this morning. I took this stunning photo this morning when I was walking my dogs.

I believe it was dry overnight and this morning, the cloudless sky eventually gave way to some rather heavy dark grey clouds and then it rained heavily when I made my way to Pembroke Road. Moth numbers are getting a lot lower than this time last month, but the variety was good and at last, my first new moth for the year eventually arrived. It was around 15 degrees early this morning with hardly any wind whatsoever, however, there was no visible migration going on overhead while I was checking my Moth Box. Hurrumph!

My Moth Box:

My first Cypress Pug of the year.

At last, a new moth for the year list finally arrived in the form of a Cypress Pug. These are annual to my garden around this time of year and a most welcome addition to my year list. A good supporting cast of my first Dark Spectacle and Canary-shouldered Thorn for the month and the same Golden Twin-spot was still present on the white sheet for its third day!

Dark Spectacle. I have seen several of these this year, but still no actual Spectacle moths.

Other immigrant moths included 3 Rusty-dot Pearl and a Rush Veneer. It is always nice to have an Old Lady in the garden, with this one trying to hide under some garden utensils. 

Canary-shouldered Thorn.

The moths recorded this morning in my garden were as follows:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Old Lady x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x3
Dark Spectacle x1	Common Plume 1
Canary-shouldered Thorn x1	Chevron Grass-moth x1
Golden Twin-spot x1	Rush Veneer x1
L-album Wainscot x4	White-shouldered House Moth x1
Garden Carpet x2	Box Tree Moth x2
Large Yellow Underwing x2
Lesser Yellow Underwing x1
Small Dusty Wave x2
Square-spot Rustic x1
Cypress Pug* x1
Double-striped Pug x1

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

A Six-spotted Ladybird with Aphids on the menu. This was on one of the Bushes in Pembroke Road.

The rain had stopped when I arrived at Pembroke Road early this morning and though there was an odd light shower, it was mostly bright and sunny. I got there a bit later than yesterday and so I didn't take a look around the Curtain Moat. Sadly, there were not a lot of birds around and I could only manage up to 9 species of birds during the hour I was there. Still no real visible migration over Old Portsmouth just yet, but it will not be long before we see the likes of Finches and Pipit coming over. Lets hope.

This afternoon, my second shift today produced two more bird species for the day: a Black-headed Gull and a Great Tit, but I did also hear a Grey Wagtail flying over but eluded me in getting a sighting. Twelve species for the day. The Bushes where I stand held the usual Garden Spiders but within the leafy vegetation, there were several Six-spotted Ladybirds feasting on the Aphids. Not a single butterfly was seen here today, which was somewhat disappointing.

In Hampshire today:

Titchfield Haven hosted a nice range of birds that included 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, a Common Sandpiper and a Glossy Ibis. Up to 5 Little Stints were now on Farlington Marshes along with the elusive Wood Sandpiper and a Ruff, all along the Stream area. Another Glossy Ibis was seen at Hayling Oysterbeds early this morning and was then seen to fly off towards Farlington Marshes.

Moth numbers are dropping.

Monday 8th September 2025.

An Old Lady moth.

Back to another start to the week and it was also back to the Moth Box again early this morning. Despite being clear overnight, it took till 6.20am to be light enough to check the Moth Box and disappointingly, there weren't many moths present either. However, there were plenty of birds at Pembroke Road this morning that kept me entertained and I even managed a walk by the Curtain Moat.

My Moth Box:

Golden Twin-spot. Could they be breeding here in Portsmouth?

There were just 14 moths of 10 species recorded this morning although I was pleased to see a Golden Twin-spot and an Old Lady showing very well near the Moth Box. Some moth enthusiasts would give their right arm to see a Golden Twin-spot and I am wondering if they are breeding in the area? Among the micros, the Rush Veneer was probably the pick of the bunch.

Rush Veneer. I have seen a lot of these lately.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Golden Twin-spot x1	Common Plume x1
Old Lady x1	Box Tree Moth x2
Double-striped Pug x1	Rush Veneer x1
Large Yellow Underwing x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x2
L-album Wainscot x1	Ruddy Streak x3

Pembroke Road & The Curtain Moat, Old Portsmouth:

The pathway is leading from Pembroke Road to the Curtain Moat.

I arrived a lot earlier than expected and so took the opportunity to take a walk up to the Curtain Moat. The walk itself really notched up the species seen and heard total and my first shift here finished off with a healthy 16 species in all. Though nothing really out of the ordinary, all the usual birds were seen including three species of Gull (Herring, Black-headed and Great Black-backed Gull), several Pied Wagtails and at least 6 Robins. The Moat itself was rather quiet than expected, but a small herd of three Mute Swans headed west and a good number of Starlings were in the area.

Above, looking west over Governor's Green and below, the Curtain Moat.

Earlier today, a male Sparrowhawk was seen flying over the rooftops when I took the dogs for a walk this morning. Yesterday, birding pal Geoff Farwell was back down Farlington Marshes. Spending the afternoon there, he notched up the following sightings: Osprey, 2 Marsh Harriers, 2 Peregrine, Hobby, Common Buzzard, 3 Glossy Ibis, 6 Cattle Egrets, 2 Avocet, 6 Little Stint, 26 Greenshank, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, Garganey,  Common Whitethroat, Wheatear and 15+ Yellow Wagtails. Not a bad afternoon at all.

It's that time of year when all the Garden Spiders start appearing and there were quite a few around the garden in Pembroke Road.

In Hampshire today:

Farlington Marshes held court with the 3 Glossy Ibis, the elusive Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint and the 6 Cattle Egrets, while over at Titchfield Haven had a pair of Curlew Sandpipers on the South Scrape. Lower Test Marshes had a nice fall of Whinchats with 10 being recorded there today and a couple of Arctic Terns were seen on the coast. The Saker Falcon is still entertaining the birders on the other side of Portsdown Hill.

This Booted Warbler was on Portland Bill today. I have only ever seen one and that was a very long time ago at Pagham Harbour. Photo by Simon Craft.

In the UK today, on an ‘incredible note’, Birdguides reported today that NINETY-TWO Glossy Ibis were photographed at Walmsley Sanctuary in Cornwall and 70+ flew over the River Dart at Sharpham Marshes, near Totnes, Devon! Where on earth did that lot come from? A Black-winged Kite was at Hickling Broad, Norfolk and the long staying Western Sandpiper at Maidens, Ayrshire. The Fan-tailed Warbler (or the horribly named Zitting Cisticola) was still at Walberswick and amazing news that it bred there this year. More to come, hopefully.

A gorgeous Fox in the Cemy.

Sunday 7th September 2025.

It is always lovely to see a Fox in the Cemetery.

It was back over Highland Road Cemetery this morning with my dogs, but that persistent breezy south-easterly wind was still blowing and so viewing any birds in the trees was not going to be easy. On a positive note, it was very mild and in fact, quite warm as temperatures were up in the low 70’s. Rain was forecast in the afternoon for a few hours, but we didn't get any that I knew of. I didn't put the Moth Box on overnight as Becky and I got back late from a lovely meal out over Petersfield with friends; so it was nice to have a lay in this morning.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

Unfortunately, there were very few notable birds seen or heard today over the Cemetery with just 8 species recorded. Yes, the wind didn't help and although I heard ‘ticking’ Robins virtually everywhere in the Cemy, I never actually saw one! So it was left to the other wildlife to keep me entertained and arguably the best sighting was a young dog Fox.

Above, a Hornet-mimic Hoverfly enjoying a sprig of Buddleia and below, Ivy Bees feasting on the nectar from Ivy.

Above, I found several Rush Veneer micro moths in the short grass and below, Cats Ear flowers were everywhere as was Yarrow.

I first encountered the Fox over in the south-eastern end of the Cemetery, giving himself a good scratch. However, a dog-walker with a very inquisitive and angry looking Labrador spooked the Fox and it disappeared into a nearby garden. It was when I was leaving the Cemy, that the same Fox was seen walking along the footpath near the main entrance and then back over into the Cemetery once more and not taking a blind bit of notice of both me and my dogs. Gorgeous creature.

The Fox over in the south-east corner was having a scratch in the sunshine. Below, a sprig of Purple Toadflax was still growing on the perimeter wall in the southern end.

Above, a view of the Mausoleum and below, this is a Blue Atlas Cedar tree within the Cemy. I have been using my Google App from my mobile to identify many of the ornamental trees within the Cemetery.

The Ivy is now starting to flower and in turn, attracting a lot of insects that included Ivy Bees and Batman Hoverflies. I even found a Hornet-mimic Hoverfly nectaring on a Buddleia flower, but the only butterfly seen this morning was a Red Admiral that would not linger long enough for a photo. Still, a pleasant walk was had and I certainly enjoyed seeing a Fox in the Cemy again.

Above, a Batman Hoverfly and below, large clumps of Honey Fungus growing near one of the footpaths.

Above, Ivy Bees nectaring on the Ivy flowers. Below, the Fox enjoying the sunshine.

The main bird grabbing a lot of attention currently is a Saker Falcon that has been showing very well over the back of Portsdown Hill. It has been seen taking Pigeons and even Red-legged Partridges and there have been plenty of ‘Lazee Birders’ taking some amazing images of the 'Buzzard-sized Falcon'. The bird is an obvious escaped bird, but everyone is saying it really is worth going to see.

In Hampshire today:

The Saker Falcon behind Portsdown Hill having caught a Red-legged Partridge. Photo by Graeme Loader.

Farlington Marshes still hosted the eclipsed drake Garganey, the two Little Stints and now 4 Glossy Ibis were seen along the Stream area. However, it seemed that Keyhaven Marshes was the place to be with a Curlew Sandpiper, Short-eared Owl and a Honey Buzzard seen there today.