Low moth numbers but incredible visible migration.

Monday 6th October 2025.

What an amazing morning for ‘visible migration’! Sadly, the Moths were very low in numbers this morning, but what I lacked in Moths, the birds flying overhead made up for that. At 7.20am this morning, the sky was covered in high cloud, but by 8.30am, the cloud had disappeared to the east, leaving behind a bright blue sky and wall to wall sunshine. It even warmed up a bit too as it topped 18 degrees centigrade, with next to no wind at all.

My Moth Box:

This Large Yellow Underwing was only one of two macro moths!

There were just 10 moths of 8 species present this morning, which was very disappointing and even the micro moths well outnumbered the macro moths for a change! Two Common Masoner’s and a Pale-backed Detritus Moth were new for October, though nothing this morning to get too excited about.

The Micro moth Pale-backed Detritus Moth.

The Moths recorded this morning were as follows:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Large Yellow Underwing x1	Pale-backed Detritus Moth x1
Double-striped Pug x1	Common Masoner x2
	Ruddy Streak x1
	Light Brown Apple Moth x1
	Common Plume x2
	Beautiful Plume x1

The ‘Vis Mig’ however, was a different scenario altogether. There was what seemed a constant stream of Meadow Pipits going over with flock after flock going through and a lot of them flew very low overhead. Better was to come when I heard my first Lesser Redpoll of the year and I was lucky enough to watch a calling  bird flying east over the rooftops. Could it get better? I then heard the distinctive calls of Crossbills and sure enough, a flock of 10 birds flew low over the house heading west! Incredible stuff. Though not a ‘garden first’ as I have seen this species over my house before, a Reed Bunting was as it flew over the house heading west. October is a month that can be full of surprises and this morning was one of those. A high flying House Martin was heard and then seen also flying westbound.

The Hoverfly Common Globetail (Sphaerophoria scripta). It is not a Hoverfly species that I regularly get in my garden and this one was on my Moth Box.

The species of birds didn't stop there either for other birds noted included a flock of 4 Chaffinches heading south, several flocks of Siskins, a flock of 4 Linnets heading south and a pair of Pied Wagtails heading north! A pair of Grey Wagtails flew over my road when I was making my way to the car! If I had the morning off, what else was going to fly over?

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

A beautiful start to the week and a busy bird day too.

An impressive 20 species were seen or heard from Pembroke Road this morning on my first shift! This included numerous Meadow Pipits and Siskins going over, with smaller numbers of Skylarks, Linnets, a single Goldfinch, Chiffchaff and several Pied Wagtails going over. A pair of Jays flew in to land in the trees by the Bowling Green to add to this morning's variety. It can be simply amazing that one small part of Portsmouth can produce so many species of birds in such a short space of time; but October is well known for that as both the summer and winter birds are now on the move.

The species seen here today included the following:

• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Magpie 
• Carrion Crow
• Jay
• Pied Wagtail
• Meadow Pipit
• Grey Wagtail
• Chaffinch
• Goldfinch
• Linnet
• Skylark
• Siskin
• Wren
• Robin
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Blackbird

On my afternoon shift at Pembroke Road, there was still a trickle of Meadow Pipits and Siskins flying over and a Chiffchaff was seen briefly. While driving around Portsmouth around lunchtime,  I saw a male Sparrowhawk being harassed by a Carrion Crow to add to today’s species seen.

This 1st winter male Siberian Thrush had 'twitchers' scambling for a view of this extremely rare thrush. It was found at Loch of Asta, in the Shetlands. Photos by Will Bowell.

An early walk in the Cemy and a trip to the seaside.

Sunday 5th October 2025.

Looking very Autumnal in the Cemetery.

I was up early this morning and with a clear blue sky outside, I thought I would take the dogs out for their early morning walk around Highland Road Cemetery. It was still windy, but not as strong as yesterday as we made our way to the entrance gates where a pair of Cormorants flew high over the Cemy and headed off northbound. We are now entering Yellow-browed Warbler territory as we go into October and although many have been seen on the Scottish Islands and down the east coast of the UK, none have been reported yet here in the south. Could there be one lurking in here again?

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

This Speckled Wood butterfly was showing well in the sunshine upon this Ash tree.

The trip here kicked off nicely with at least three Goldcrests in the Blue Atlas Cedar Conifer near the main entrance and a Chiffchaff calling close by. Sadly, the birds would not stay long enough for a photo or two and although many Chiffchaffs were present throughout the Cemy, I simply could not get a decent photo of the birds. There was a good movement of Siskins flying over, though apart from a small group of three birds heading south, many were virtually invisible in the bright blue sky. A few Meadow Pipits also went over and a small flock of Greenfinch flew up to one of the tall Lime trees but did not linger long enough.

Above, a fleeting glimpse of a Chiffchaff within this Ash tree. They were so difficult to photograph this morning. Below, many Ivy Bee's were enjoying the flowering Ivy.

Above, a Red Admiral soaking up the morning sunshine and below, a male Greenfinch flying over was part of a small flock.

That was virtually the story of the morning here as the birds were so active, they did not linger enough to get a decent photo. The zoom on my camera lens is too slow to capture a lot of the birds as they flit in and out of the vegetation, but at least the butterflies were more co-operative! A Coal Tit was heard calling again and reasonable numbers of both Blue and Great Tits were heard and sometimes seen throughout the Cemy.

Above, a pair of Jays were seen fleetingly near the Mausoleum and below, one of many Herring Gulls flying overhead.

Above, yesterday's wind had blown off most of the cones from this Blue Atlas Cedar Conifer (below).

The early morning sun attracted a few butterflies and both Red Admiral and Speckled Wood were seen this morning as well many Bees and Hoverflies enjoying the flowering Ivy still. I didn't have too long here as my wife was making breakfast and so my dogs and I said ‘Adios’ and so made our way back home.

Hayling Island seafront:

The lovely view from the Beach Huts. The sea was a lot calmer than yesterday!

At midday, Becky and I met up with our friends to catch up and also talk about the forthcoming funeral of one of my best friends, Chris Warren. Sadly, we lost Chris a few weeks ago who was one of the most loveliest men I have ever met. His partner, Allison, invited us down to the Beach hut on the seafront for Fish & Chips along with her brother and his family and also Becky’s cousin Jane and her husband Rob. We spent the next couple of hours there and though it was a bit breezy, the Beach huts protected us from the wind and when the sun came out from behind the clouds, it was actually very warm!

As per usual, I am always looking for birds or anything else of note flying over and sure enough, there was a strong movement of Meadow Pipits going over and I think I must have counted around 40+ birds during that time. Not only Mipits, but a Skylark also flew low over as did several flocks of Linnets. On our way out of the Car Park, I found a Clouded Yellow butterfly close to the roadside, which was only my second one of the year to round off a lovely couple of hours here on the island.

Above, this Bloxworth Snout moth followed me into my house last night through the back door! Below, a Looped Flutter Fly (Toxonevra muliebris) was on my kitchen ceiling this morning.

Above, a good friend of mine, who lives in South Africa, kindly sent me this photo of a Cabbage Tree Emperor Moth that was outside here house this morning. Its a monster of a moth!

Gilkicker woes and Butser Hill Goshawk.

Saturday 4th October 2025.

Possibly the most exciting bird we saw at Gilkicker this morning was this Great Black-backed Gull passing close by.

With the UK being battered by Storm Amy, what better was there than to go ‘sea-watching’ at Gilkicker with a whole bunch of ‘Lazee Birders’? Right? Wrong!!! Despite gale force south-westerly winds blowing across the Solent, that was arguably the worst 4 hours of ‘sea-watching’ I have done for a very, very long time. Seriously, though it was bright and sunny throughout the morning, apart from a few Gulls, in those four hours, we saw absolutely nothing; not even a Cormorant!!! Yes, it looked good for either a storm driven Leaches Petrel or Sabine’s Gull, but nothing? 

After the four hours, with sightings of Ring Ouzel at a few known hilly sites in Hampshire, we then headed off to Butser Hill to try our luck there. But first, there were Moth Boxes to check and thankfully, at least mine provided the numbers.

My Moth Box:

One of three Golden Twin-spot moths this morning.

There were 26 moths of 11 species present this morning, all typical Autumn species for this time of year and so no surprises, though a late Large Pale Masoner was a surprise. The Golden Twin-spots are still arriving in my Moth Box, despite being a very scarce moth to Hampshire.

Above, a Feathered Ranunculus was present on one of the egg trays and below, this Large Pale Masoner was resting on the outside of the Moth Box.

Above, this moth proved too worn to be ID'd.

The Moths recorded this morning in and around my Moth Box included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Golden Twin-spot x3	Rusty-dot Pearl x2
Double-striped Pug x4	Large Pale Masoner x1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x2	Light Brown Apple Moth x5
Large Yellow Underwing x3	Common Plume x1
Turnip Moth x1
Lunar Underwing x2
Feathered Ranunculus x1

Two Spotted Thintail Hoverflies were perched on the brick holding down my rainguard.

Geoff and Andy overlooking Cowplain Marsh (Andy's garden pond) and discussing the biodiversity and management plans for the coming season.

There was no ‘visible migration’ overhead this morning as I was carefully checking the Moth Box, but there were a few interesting insects that included several Lacewings, two Spotted Thintail Hoverflies (Meliscaeva auricollis) that were perched on the brick holding down my rainguard and the expected return of a Yellow-striped Flatworm! These creatures turn up in my garden annually and I usually find them on the patio or making their way up one of the walls of the house outside in the garden. They seem to arrive in very wet conditions and this morning was no exception with heavy rain overnight. They are an invasive species from Australia and considered a pest as they are impacting our native wildlife here in the UK (see photo).

The Yellow-striped Flatworm.

I remember finding one some years ago climbing one of the house walls and being fascinated, I checked out all the info on the creature and eventually potted it and sent it to a Laboratory in Aberdeen to be ID’d and they gladly replied and told me all about it.

Sadly, Andy’s Moth Box held just two moths: a Lesser Yellow Underwing and one that was so worn, it was impossible to ID the moth, though it looked a bit like a Square-spot Rustic in shape and size.

The Solent, Gillkicker:

Despite gale force winds and a very choppy sea, virtually all we saw here were distant Gulls, bar a few close Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight, is in the distance.

As mentioned earlier, all we saw in the four hours we were there were mostly distant Gulls flying at speed with the wind behind them. Most of the Gulls were over the Isle of Wight side and nothing interesting among them either. On arrival, around 9am, we joined another seven ‘Lazee Birders’ in the shelter and even after an hour there, they all went off to get some breakfast in the nearby Cafe further west along the promenade! They already had seen their bird of the day, a flock of four Eiders heading west!

Above, these hardy souls soon tired of a very disappointing 'sea-watch' and sensibly went off for a good hearty breakfast! Leaving behind the two miserable chaps (far right) to sit it out! Photo by Chris Spate. Below, we missed the birds of the day here, a flock of four Eider, minutes before we arrived. Photo by Andy Friend.

There was more action behind us with a large flock of Starlings swirling around in the wind and settling on the lush grass to check for insects. A gathering of mostly Herring Gulls were also on the Green behind us along with a few Wood Pigeons. So, yes, there was absolutely nothing else to look at and so by 1pm, we made our way to Butser Hill and hopefully, our luck might change.

Butser Hill, nr Petersfield:

The glorious landscape from Butser Hill looking north-west from the Car Park.

Though there was a rain shower when we arrived at the Car Park, it soon quickly disappeared because of the wind, but it was nowhere near as strong as Gilkicker. We made our way to the usual ‘Ouzel’ site of Grandfather's Bottom and found a good spot to overlook the site for the Thrushes. Cut a long story short, there was no sight or sound of any Ring Ouzels, but we did get to see a superb juvenile Goshawk sailing over the valley. The bird was not alone, as up to four Ravens were in the area and two of the birds tried to chase off the Goshawk, although they probably thought better of giving the Hawk a bad time!

Above, a juvenile Goshawk being closely watched by one of the Ravens and below, the Goshawk being followed by another of the Ravens.

On our way to the Grandfather Bottom area, we flushed a Wheatear which quickly flew off and disappeared down behind some vegetation and not to be seen again, unfortunately. Another raptor, a male Kestrel, was also hunting over the valley and seen several times during our stay here. A Green Woodpecker was heard and eventually seen briefly; but no sign of any Ring Ouzels in the windy conditions.

Two of the four Ravens over Grandfathers Bottom.

There was a ‘Shoot’ going on way down in the valley some distance away to the north and the sound of gunshot had pushed a lot of Wood Pigeons our way and a few Pheasants too. We decided to retrace our steps and then take a walk south around the Telecommunications Tower, just in case any Ring Ouzels were hiding from the wind. Sadly, none to be seen, but we did see at least three Stonchats, a couple of Meadow Pipits and a Skylark. That rounded off our day’s birding today and so took the guys home.

The male Stonechat we saw near the Tower.

The strong winds did not really produce much along our southern coastline, with even Selsey Bill only getting a distant Sooty and Balearic Shearwater for their efforts. More than what we saw anyway.

Feathered Ranunculus moths arrive.

Friday 3rd October 2025.

One of two Feathered Ranunculus moths today.

I had some good news yesterday when my new MV 125w Bulb was delivered to my address and it didn't take too long to attach it to the Moth Box and so, it was back to checking the Moth Box this morning where I got another moth ‘year-tick’. Unfortunately, Storm Amy that is hitting the UK (thankfully, the north of the UK) has produced a wet weather front hitting the south coast and so awoke to a very wet, but drizzly morning.

 My Moth Box:

One of two Golden Twin-spot moths.

So my bit of ‘Mothing’ this week produced a total of 21 moths of 10 species and though low in numbers, it did produce my first Feathered Ranunculus moths of the year. These are annual to my garden around this time and always are quite an attractive moth that do vary in size and colour. Two Golden Twin-spots were also present and despite being a rare moth on the South coast, they seemed to be having a damn good Autumn in my garden!

One of two Turnip Moths.

Other notable moths included two Turnip Moths and a Rush Veneer and along with the Rusty-dot Pearls and Pale Mottled Willows; all were probably migrant moths from the Continent.

The Moths recorded this morning in and around the Moth Box included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Golden Twin-spot x2	Rusty-dot Pearl x3
Double-striped Pug x1	Ruddy Streak x2
Pale Motted Willow x2	Light Brown Apple Moth x1
Turnip Moth x2	Rush Veneer x1
Feathered Ranunculus* x2
Lesser Yellow Underwing x4

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The French Ocean Liner, Mont St Michel, sailing out of Portsmouth Harbour and past the Royal Garrison Church in grim weather this morning.

The drizzle eventually turned into light rain and with a breezy south-westerly blowing, I was getting a tad damp on my first shift here in Pembroke Road. I managed to get up to 9 bird species during my hour there, despite the grim weather and it looked as though Governor’s Green was getting all the birds as a large number of Herring and Black-headed Gulls were making the most of the wet weather in search of earthworms. Large numbers of Wood Pigeons joined them, but I am sure they were after the new shoots of grass to feed on and there was just the one Pied Wagtail on the Bowling Green. Next to no ‘Visible Migration’ going on today due to the inclement weather, but there is always this afternoon to look forward to.

This afternoon was just as wet, but there were hardly any noteworthy bird sightings, which was disappointing. There was no Bowling action on the Bowling Green, so the two Pied Wagtails had the whole place to themselves! The weather was going to get a lot worse overnight with heavy rain and strong winds and it looks as though the guys and myself will be visiting Gilkicker tomorrow along with several other ‘Lazee Birders’ it seems. Very strong winds are forecast tomorrow with a rough sea. With a bit of luck, this could bring in some interesting seabirds. We shall see.

In Hampshire today:

The only real noteworthy birds in Hampshire today was a flock of 20 Redpolls at Woolmer Pond Cottage.

A cracking Red Kite over Old Winchester Hill recently. Photo by Di Stedman.