I finally managed to get the moth box out in the back yard on Friday 13th July but overnight the temperatures and humidity had dropped and it was quite breezy, good for sleeping but not so good for mothing, and in the morning there was only a modest haul of moths again. The highlights were a male Ringed China Mark, 3 Crassa unitella, 3 Knot Grass, 1 Lychnis and 1 Dark Fruit Tree Tortrix. I also had my first Light Brown Apple Moth of the year, presumably badly hit by the Beast from the East earlier in the year, and a scarce silver lines unfortunately caught in a spiders web in the window frame and very dessicated so presumably caught a few days ago.
Ringed China Mark
Ringed China Mark
Crassa Unitella
Knot Grass
Lychnis
Birdy and Burdy watched me intently as usual and were joined by one of the adult herring gulls which made me a little nervous but suddenly all hell let loose and an adult herring gull came bombing in and chased it away while another adult bird flew around overhead making a hell of a noise - as I had suspected we have had a pair of interlopers present, maybe adults that have lost their own chicks nearby as we have quite a few nesting on the roofs around the area, and maybe explaining why this year the birds are so much more vocal and noisy.
Saturday 14th July was bright, sunny and still but cool as I walked down to Sutton Harbour for a mini-pelagic trip organised by the Plymouth branch of Devon Birds. I met my mate Mavis there and we were soon heading off out to sea off Rame Head to see what we could see. I wasn't expecting much as the weather has been so settled for such a long time now and there was hardly any breeze but we did get to see a few gannets and Manx shearwaters including a feeding raft of 38 birds which we managed to get quite close to. 2 adult guillemots with a juvenile gave some close views too and we also later saw a more distant adult bird
Manx Shearwaters
Manx Shearwater
Guillemots
Rame Head
Heading back to Plymouth and we motored close to shore from Rame Head to Cawsands and then to Sutton Harbour and along the way while enjoying the glorious scenery we found 5 adult, a second summer and 3 juvenile Mediterranean gulls along the rocks amongst herring gulls and black headed gulls.
We had signed up for both trips and so after a brief stop in Sutton Harbour to change passengers we headed out again, seeing a nice adult Mediterranean gull on a post in Sutton Harbour as we waited to pass through the lock gates.
Mediterranean Gull
Heading out to sea again and it was noticeably breezy and the sea was quite lumpy after a flat calm morning and this time we headed out to The Mewstone at Wembury first, seeing fulmars on the cliff face and a few fledgling great black backed gulls with adults on the grassy slopes. Heading out to sea and we picked up a few gannets and Manx shearwaters but viewing was difficult in the swell and harsh light. Rubby-Dubby (chum) was chucked overboard off Rame Head and did attract a few Manx shearwaters close to the boat and we had distant views of a very dark looking shearwater which may have been a sooty but was too far away to call.
Heading back to Plymouth and the scenery was again stunning and to cap off a great couple of trips as we moored up in Sutton Harbour a grey seal came close to the boat and enjoyed the last of our mackerel, an old individual which looked to be blind in its left eye but a regular animal often fed by the fisher men using the harbour.
Grey Seal
Grey Seal
Grey Seal
Grey Seal
Grey Seal
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