Tigers in the Garden and Rock Pooling at Wembury

Moth boxing overnight on Friday 31st July/Saturday 1st August was again a little disappointing despite warmer temperatures but it was quality if not quantity with a beautiful Coronet the highlight.

Coronet

Coronet

A Ruby Tiger and a Jersey Tiger were great to see too along with 3 male Four-spotted Footmen, a faded Clay, a Lesser Yellow Underwing and a Large Yellow Underwing.

Four-spotted Footman (male)

Jersey Tiger

Jersey Tiger

Ruby Tiger

After sorting out the moth box I headed out to Wembury for a walk. It was cooler than my visit on Thursday and cloudier too and by the time I headed home it had totally clouded over and as a result there were fewer people around.

Bird wise it was quiet again with a Whimbrel, 2 Curlew, Oystercatchers, a Little Egret and 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls moulting into winter plumage seen along the beach. Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat were seen and heard along with the usual Linnet, Cirl Bunting and Stonechat. Gannets and a lone Fulmar were seen offshore and a Ringed Plover was heard calling but remained unseen. A Kestrel hovered over the hillside and a Grey Heron was disturbed from the small stream in Churchwood Valley.

Butterflies were on the wing with Speckled Wood, a Small Skipper, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Small White, Holly Blue, Peacock, Red Admiral and Common Blue all seen. The toilet block held a Brimstone Moth, a Riband Wave, 3 Dingy Footman and 2 Double-striped Pug and along the walk I found a single Silver Y. Digger Wasps were again buzzing around their burrows along the footpath and various bees were buzzing around the flowers.

Speckled Wood

Bee Sp.

 Digger Wasp

Digger Wasp

I walked over the rocks at Wembury Point on the low tide to get a better look at a juvenile gull that I thought looked Yellow-legged Gull like but which turned out to be a Herring Gull and while out on the rocks I had a look in the rock pools and found quite a few interesting creatures including Porcelain Crab, Brittle Star, Cushion Starfish, Sea Urchin and Hermit Crab amongst others.

Porcelain Crab

Porcelain Crab 

Brittle Star

Brittle Star

 Brittle Star

Brittle Star 

Sea Urchin

Common Lizards were out sunbathing on the fences with 3 seen and 3 male and a female Beautiful Demoiselle were seen along the stream in the valley to the beach.

Common Lizard

Beautiful Demoiselle showing the white pseudo-pterostigma on the tip of the leading edge of the wings

Sunday 2nd August and I decided to take my usual walk out along the River Plym and through Saltram to Blaxton Meadow for the afternoon high tide roost, something I have neglected to do recently. I took my telescope with me to scan through the gulls on the Meadow as yellow-legged gulls have been reported recently from here but there were only Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls present with a lone juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull along with 34 Curlew, Canada Geese, a Grey Heron and 11 Little Egret.

Nuthatch, Swallow, Stock Dove, Buzzard, Blackcap and a Skylark were seen around Saltram with Chiffchaff and Ring-necked Parakeet heard.

Butterflies were on the wing in the warm and humid conditions and Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Small Heath and Common Blue were all seen along with a worn Small Skipper, a worn Marbled White and a Clouded Yellow plus 6-Spot Burnet and Shaded Broad-bar.

 Clouded Yellow

 6-Spot Burnet

Shaded Broad-bar