Yet more Yellow Wagtails and Balearic Shearwaters

Friday 3rd September was forecasted to be cloudy with sunny spells and so we decided to take a walk along the coast from Thurlestone to Hope Cove and back despite it being the last day of summer holiday hell time. As it turned out it wasn't too busy and it was mostly sunny with cloudy spells and we had a very enjoyable and restorative walk. 

A large (300+) flock of Balearic Shearwater had been reported as present offshore in Thurlestone Bay the previous day but I wasn't expecting them to still be present for our walk. However as we walked along the cliffs towards South Huish Marsh there was a large feeding frenzy of birds out in the Bay, mostly Gulls and a few Gannets but amongst them were around 40 Balearic Shearwater with a large raft of Shearwaters also sat on the sea much further out.

The Balearics, although distant, gave some nice views, wheeling low across the waves and splashing into the water to feed. I had foolishly left my scope at home but I met 2 birders from Plymouth at South Huish Marsh and I was able to have a look through their telescope for some better views.

On South Huish Marsh I found at least 20 Yellow Wagtails, fidgety and flighty and neurotic as they always are and including some beautiful bright yellow males.

Yellow Wagtails

Yellow Wagtails

Yellow Wagtails

A Bar-tailed Godwit, a Ringed Plover, 2 Black-tailed Godwit and 6 Dunlin were also seen while Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins hawked overhead. A Peregrine, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk were also noted flying over and at least 2 Wheatear were feeding amongst the cattle.

Black-tailed Godwit

A Bloxworth Snout was the only moth present in the toilet block by Thurlestone Golf Course.

Bloxworth Snout

I had also had the moth box out in the back yard before our walk along the coast at Thurlestone and was very pleased to have caught a Jersey Mocha, a new moth for me and ID'd with help from @UKMothID on Twitter (it's not pictured in my edition of the Waring et al. moth field guide).

Jersey Mocha

Other highlights in the trap included a female Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, my first back yard Silver Y of the year and a yellow (lutescens) form of Jersey Tiger Moth.  

Silver Y

Jersey Tiger Moth

Back Yard Moths

Birds really are taking a back seat at the moment with the current hot weather but back yard mothing is keeping me occupied.

It was back to work on Tuesday 20th July after my annual leave and with the hot weather it was not a joy.  I must have drunk my body weight in water from the cooler but my pee was still like toothpaste and after 12 and a half hours of hot and sweaty work I arrived home tired and cranky. I wasn't going to get the moth box out but it was a very hot and airless night and so I decided to make the most of it. 

I was up early the next morning, around 5am, and it was delightfully cool as I sorted out the moth trap. It was nice to see Birdy 2021 on the flat roof enjoying a drink from the water bowl put out for him and he was joined by one of the adults which kept very quiet for a change. 

The moth box was full, the best night of the year so far, and the most obvious moths were 5 Jersey Tiger Moths flitting about in the trap, my first of the year. 

Jersey Tiger Moth

Also present were 5 Peppered Moth, again my first of the year and much more docile and accommodating than the Jersey Tigers.

Peppered Moth

There were a total of 34 species in the trap with the highlights being 2 Marbled Green, 4 Coronet, Swallow-tailed Moth, Brussels Lace, Knot Grass, Clouded Border, Cabbage Moth, Nut Tree Tussock, Common Carpet, Bird Cherry Ermine, Acrobasis advenella, Dioryctria abietella and Cydia splendana. 

Swallow-tailed Moth

Brussels Lace

Knot Grass

Nut Tree Tussock

Common Carpet

Bird Cherry Ermine

Acrobasis advenella

Dioryctria abietella

Cydia splendana

The biggest surprise was a Black Rustic, a moth that is usually on the wing in September/ October.

Black Rustic

Despite the pleasent and cool conditions at such an early hour it quickly became another baking hot and sunny day and so I had a quiet time trying to keep cool before heading off to work for a night shift. I had hoped it would be a bit cooler at night than the previous days shift had been but it didn't prove to be so and it was another hot and sweaty and uncomfortable shift and I was glad to get home the next morning. Yet another hot day ensued but with cooler and breezier weather forecast for the following day I had the moth box out in the back yard again that night and on waking at 5am on Friday 23rd July the moth box was full yet again. 

It was indeed noticeably cooler and with quite a strong breeze as I sorted out the trap and it was all very refreshing. The trap held just 2 Jersey Tiger Moths and a Peppered Moth this time but there were a total of 28 species all together.

The highlights were 2 Marbled Green, a Coronet, a Dot Moth, a Dunbar, a Single-dotted Wave, a Dingy Footman, a Common Footman, a Buff Ermine and a Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing.

Single-dotted Wave

Dingy Footman

Common Footman

Buff Ermine

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Spindle/Apple Ermine

After sorting out the moths I headed out to Wembury for a walk, enjoying the fresh breeze and cloudy skies although it still felt quite warm. Gatekeeper, Ringlet and Meadow Brown were flitting about but in much lower numbers than seen in the heat and sunshine of last Monday and a single Speckled Wood was also noted. A single Common Lizard was also seen basking on a wooden fence post, probably enjoying the cooler weather conditions as much as I was.

I wasn't expecting much in the way of bird life but was very pleasently surprised with a definite feel of autumn in the air despite the heat wave weather. The tide was dropping and along the beach were the usual Oystercatcher with a Whimbrel, 2 Common Sandpiper, a Redshank, 2 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone and 12 Dunlin along with 3 Little Egret and 4 female Mallard.

Gulls were roosting on the rocks and amongst the mostly Herring Gulls of various ages were Great Black-backed Gulls including a few juveniles, a few dark looking juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls, quite a few juvenile Black-headed Gulls mixed in with the adult birds and at least 5 Mediterranean Gulls including a nice looking juvenile.

Mediterranean Gulls with Herring Gull

Black-headed Gull

Despite scanning through all the Gulls with my tired eyes I couldn't find any Yellow-legged Gulls this time but I did find something yellow, a very smart juvenile Yellow Wagtail feeding along the beach and being constantly harassed by the Pied Wagtails also feeding nearby. It was very flighty due to all the attentions from the Pied Wagtails and I eventually lost sight of it when it was flushed off by a walker.

Yellow Wagtail

Another interesting sighting was a family group of 5 Mistle Thrush feeding in the horse field, 2 adults with 3 well grown fledglings and presumably locally bred.

Mistle Thrush

Stonechat, Whitethroat, Cirl Bunting and Linnet were all noted along the footpath too and despite having a very interesting and enjoyable walk I was glad to return home for a quiet afternoon of just mooching about after all the recent heat.

Cirl Bunting

Wembury, 8th August

A quick walk along the coast path at Wembury before yet another dreaded night shift on Thursday 8th August was relatively quiet but signs of the approaching autumn were in the air.

Waders were roosting at The Point on the hgh tide and along with 4 little egrets there were 77 oystercatchers, 5 curlew and my first Wembury ringed plover of the year.

Ringed Plover

A cirl bunting was heard singing and I had a few brief flight views of birds flying over the wheat in the wheat field which was looking very much like it was ready to be harvested. Better views were had of a nice male feeding a fledgling in the sewage farm hedge.

Offshore a few gannets and fulmar were seen but there was much excitement with 2 presumed juvenile peregrines busily chasing after a flock of 7 small waders, probably dunlin. The peregrines managed to isolate 1 bird from the other 6 which rapidly disappeared off westwards but the lone bird very fortunately managed to eventually escape westwards too.

A small feeding melee of gulls close to shore held 2 scruffy adult winter plumaged Mediterranean gulls and 2 juveniles amongst variously plumaged herring gulls and black-headed gulls and juvenile great black-backed gulls.

A blackcap was heard singing and chiffchaff were heard and briefly seen along with just a single scruffy looking whitethroat  but stonechat showed very well including good numbers of fledglings.

No moths in the toilet block again but I did see my first Jersey tiger moth of the year flitting about on the road leading up from the beach. A very active knot grass caterpillar was seen on the wooden fence but the best was a privet hawkmoth caterpillar found on a privet bush near the bus stop and my first one ever.

 Jersey Tiger Moth

 Knot Grass

 Privet Hawkmoth

Privet Hawkmoth 

Painted lady, red admiral, gatekeeper and whites were flitting about and 2 small and black common lizards with a large male were seen along with bloody nose beetles while a dark bush cricket catching a ride on the window of the bus on the journey home was a surprise.

Dark Bush Cricket

Garden Moths and Birding in Bude

I had the moth box out in the back yard overnight on Wednesday August 24th - Thursday 25th August and I had quite a decent catch in the morning, the best catch I have had in the yard this year.

Highlights were 4 Jersey tiger moths (first of the year), a marbled green, a common marbled carpet, a currant pug, 2 yellow barred brindle, 2 lime speck pug, 1 Vines rustic, 1 shuttle shaped dart, 1 brimstone moth, 1 cabbage moth, 1 knot grass and 1 lesser broad bordered yellow underwing. There were only 3 large yellow underwings in the trap which is unusual for this time of year but there were loads of light brown apple moths and quite a few wasps.

 Vines Rustic

 Cabbage Moth

 Marbled Green - hiding on the pebble dash

Currant Pug

Thursday 25th August and an unscheduled day of annual leave from work due to rota and staffing issues had me thinking of a trip to Fontmell Down in Dorset to look for silver spotted skippers and chalkhill blues. However the weather had other ideas and despite being warm and humid it was cloudy and misty and drizzly and with heavy thunder storms forecast later in the day especially for Dorset we headed off to the caravan at Bude for the day instead. The drive to North Cornwall was wet and misty but by the time we arrived at Bude the sun was beginning to show from behind the clouds and the day wasn't too bad although we did have a few prolonged periods of drizzle mist.

I headed off to Maer Lake as soon as we arrived at the caravan while David worked on the wheels and brakes of the caravan ready for its potential move at the end of the summer. The lake still had lots of water in it but with some lovely muddy margins and I could see various sized waders feeding across the water. However as I arrived at the gap in the hedge overlooking the lake some of the large number of roosting Canada geese took to the air and spooked all the feeding birds but I managed to find a curlew sandpiper and a little stint flying around amongst dunlin, ringed plover and black tailed godwits. The waders soon resttled and with the curlew sandpiper and little stint I counted 3 ringed plover, 18 dunlin and 41 black tailed godwits along with 3 curlew and a common sandpiper - not bad. I had some great views of the little stint feeding with dunlin along the muddy shore but the curlew sandpiper was more distant and feeding with dunlins in the water where it was much more skittish and flighty.

Even better was a yellow wagtail flying over calling as it headed north, I had hoped it would drop down on the marsh around the lake but it carried on flying over without stopping. Later at the caravan a (the) yellow wagtail flew over heading south towards the lake but again it didn't appear to drop down to the ground.

Otherwise it was quiet with an adult gannet offshore, a painted lady along the clifftops, a fulmar along the cliffs, a very yellow juvenile willow warbler along the hedgerow at Maer Lake and 2 adult mute swans with 3 cygnets along the canal.

Juvenile  Herring Gull, Bude Canal

The toilet block had an orange swift, a rusty dot pearl and an oak bush cricket inside which I caught and released outside.

 (Faded) Orange Swift

Oak Bush Cricket

Not a bad day out and what was to be the beginning of an excellent couple of days wildlife watching.