A quick walk along the coast path at Wembury on Wednesday 1st August in the continuing hot weather and there were more signs of autumn in the air with 7 curlew, 3 whimbrel, 53+ oystercatchers and 5 little egrets roosting at Wembury Point on the high tide. An adult winter plumaged Mediterranean gull was picked up offshore flying east and along the path there were the usual stonechats and whitethroats, 4+ skittish and skulky cirl buntings in the sewage farm hedge, 3 fledgling carrion crows with an adult hunting for scraps of food left by holiday makers on the main beach and a flyover sparrowhawk.
Butterflies were flitting about as usual with a painted lady, a red admiral and a speckled wood seen along with large white, common blue, wall, meadow brown, gatekeeper and small white. The toilet block held a magpie moth, a dark bush cricket and 2 oak bush crickets and along the footpath I found a carnation tortrix, a new moth for me and ID'd with help from @MothIDUK on Twitter.
Painted Lady
Red Admiral
Wall
Wall
Carnation Tortrix
Dark Bush Cricket
Oak Bush Cricket
With Mum and nephew Jack visiting for a few days we took a drive up to Bude for the day on Wednesday 8th August but the hot weather had broken and on arrival it was raining. It did clear up eventually and I did manage a quick look at Maer Lake where 2 dunlin, a curlew, 3 lapwing, 14 black tailed godwits and a wood sandpiper were seen in the drizzly gloom - the wood sandpiper was unfortunately a little distant (as the birds always are at Maer Lake) and the poor light and drizzle didn't help viewing but it was a delight to watch as always.
Wood Sandpiper - Honest!
Wood Sandpiper (with Mallard and 2 Dunlin)
A brief trip to Wembury on Thursday 9th August before Mum and Jack headed back home and in the rock pools we found shanny and cushion starfish and in the toilet block another magpie moth and a garden pebble.
Cushion Starfish
Garden Pebble
Pebble Prominent - found by David at work on a night shift at Derriford, Plymouth
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