Marsh Harriers

Tuesday 7th September was sunny and hot (25°c+) but very breezy and it felt like being under a hot hair dryer in the strong wind as we headed down to Perranporth in Cornwall for our annual September trip. 

We expected it to be busy again as it was on last years trip but it was ridiculously so in the good weather, and the strong breeze meant a gritty and hazy walk along the beach as it blew fine sand out of the dunes. The Watering Hole kitchen was closed so no cooked breakfast on the beach again and The Dolphin Cafe where we had a cooked breakfast last year was closed too and by the time we had wandered around looking for somewhere to get a breakfast we had missed the cut off times. We did however eventually get a cooked breakfast at The Cove, a cafe on the main street in Perranporth, and very good it was too. 

It was an enjoyable but strange day out again though, just as it had been last year, and again we had to drink our cider on the beach in plastic cups and we didnt have an ice cream but such is life in these COVID times. 

The usual Gannets were flying around offshore and the usual Trout were dashing about in the stream while in the dunes Wheatears were flitting about and Autumn Ladies Tresses were looking wilted in the dry soil while Sand Martins and Swallows were hawking about overhead. 

Wheatear

Along the beach a small flock of waders were being moved around by walkers but I managed some nice views of Sanderlings feeding in the surf with distant flight views of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. 

Sanderling

The highlight though was a juvenile Marsh Harrier picked up flying in off the sea towards the dunes, battling against the very strong wind and being mobbed by the occasional Gull. 

In total contrast the morning of Wednesday 8th September was wet with thunder and lightning and so we headed to IKEA in Exeter for some retail therapy (a rare event these days). By the time we had completed our respects to the God's of shopping it was dry and sunny and so we headed off for a quick walk at the nearby Exminster Marshes. 

I only had a short time but things started off well with 2 Spoonbill found roosting out on the marsh while a Marsh Harrier quartered overhead. 

Marsh Harrier

A Hobby briefly flew over, hawking for dragonflies as it went, and 2 Cattle Egret were chasing insects amongst the cattle. 

Cattle Egret

5 Ruff, a Lapwing and 4 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding around a muddy pool close to the road with viewing difficult into the light but a Comma showed very well as it basked in the sunshine. 

Comma

Comma

With the hot weather I had the moth box out in the back yard, adding a few species to my year list in the process and bringing the back yard list to 115 for 2021.

Marbled Green, Mullein Wave and Four-spotted Footman all put in an appearance along with Treble Bar, Small Square Spot, Common Marbled Carpet, Snout and Mecyna acinalis. 

Treble Bar

Small Square Spot - hidden in plain sight amongst the square Spot Rustics

Common Marbled Carpet

Mecyna acinalis

Thursday 9th September was grey and claggy and wet again but I headed off on the early train to Hayle anyway for the high tide wader roost. By the time I arrived at Hayle the rain had stopped but it remained overcast and the tide was just beginning to drop. 

Small flocks of little waders were flitting about around the Estuary and on scanning the saltmarsh by the road opposite the car wash I found 4 Little Stints feeding together amongst Dunlin and Ringed Plover before they all took off and headed over to the exposed mud on the opposite side of the river. 

I then spent an enjoyable couple of hours scanning through the constantly flighty and mobile waders out on the estuary, finding a grand total of 12 Little Stints amongst the Dunlin and Ringed Plover along with 3 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Knot, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Greenshank, 4 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Common Sandpiper and the usual Curlews, Oystercatchers and Redshanks. 

Black-tailed Godwits

Black-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit

Dunlin

Teal, Wigeon, Mallard, Shelduck, Canada Geese, Little Egrets and a Grey Heron were also seen along with a noisey Sandwich Tern and around 50 variously aged and plumaged Mediterranean Gulls amongst the Herring, Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls. 

A Wheatear was found amongst the rocks of the Carnsew Pool and a juvenile Peregrine dashing low over the estuary in hunting mode was presumably the cause of the continuous movement of the small waders. 

Wheatear

While waiting for the train back to Plymouth I watched a Painted Lady sunning itself on the concrete sleepers at the station along with a Red Admiral, both looking very pristine and presumably getting ready to migrate southwards for the winter.

Painted Lady

Osprey, River Plym

Monday 23rd August and it was a warm and sunny morning as I headed off for a River Plym/Saltram walk before a looming night shift.

I caught the bus to Laira Bridge to start my walk and this turned out to be a smart move as within a few minutes of arriving all the gulls started to go beserk and looking around I picked up an Osprey casually gliding past heading downriver, my first Plym sighting of one. It sadly didnt linger for long, disappearing from sight as it headed towards Plymouth Hoe but a very nice surprise.

The rest of my walk wasn't quite as exciting with the highlights being a Greenshank on Blaxton Meadow on the ebbing high tide, 2 Mute Swan and 7 Oystercatcher along the Plym, a small flock of around 40 Redshank roosting on The Embankment, 3 Mandarin Duck at the Duck Pond, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Stonechat, 2 Skylark and at least 2 Whitethroat. 

The warm weather meant plenty of insect activity and I recorded 1 Holly Blue, 1 Peacock, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, 1 Comma, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Common Blue and Large White.

Painted Lady

Painted Lady

Common Darters were buzzing around but a surprise were at least 3 Golden-ringed Dragonfly along with a Treble Bar flushed from the grass. 

Common Darter

Golden-ringed Dragonfly

Golden-ringed Dragonfly 

Treble Bar

With the improved weather I have had the moth box out in the back yard overnight with the highlights being 2 very smart looking Black Arches, a Marbled Green, an Old Lady, 4 Jersey Tiger, 2 Mullein Wave, 2 Flounced Rustic and 2 male and 3 female Four Spotted Footman. 

Black Arches

Black Arches

Pyrausta despicata

Wednesday 25th August and I met my mate Mavis for a walk along the Leat at Roborough Down before a spot of lunch at The Dartmoor Diner. It was sunny but cool and we took a slow ramble along the Leat with 2 Redstart and a Grayling being the highlights. 

Grayling

Thursday 26th August was a warm and sunny day and so we headed out to Stoke Point for our usual coast path walk to Noss Mayo and back. 

The warm weather brought out the butterflies and there seemed to be Small Whites everywhere, especially on the Buddlea flowers. A Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, a Green-veined White, Red Admiral and Painted Lady were enjoying the blossom too along with a Silver Y and along the walk I also saw a Wall, Common Blue, Large White, a Holly Blue and Speckled Wood. A Silver-washed Fritillary on the Buddlea flowers by the community orchard in Moss Mayo was a nice surprise. 

Small White

The usual Linnet, Stonechat, Swallow, Whitethroat and Cirl Bunting were seen and there were Wheatears everywhere, the walls and posts all seemed to have one present on them. I also had a brief view of a Whinchat before it flew off and some distant views of at least 6 very skittish and mobile Yellow Wagtails. 

Wheatear

Yellow Wagtail

2 juvenile Kestrel were practising their flying skills along the cliffs and a lone adult Gannet was picked up offshore heading west. 

Autumn Squill was flowering well in the usual place and I also found plants in flower at a new spot along the walk. 

Autumn Squill

Another Butterfly Trip to Cumbria

Sunday 1st August and we headed off on the train to Lancaster in Lancashire for a 4 night stay. We wanted to get away for a few days and I had plans to look for Scotch Argus at their only 2 known sites in England - Arnside Knott and Smardale Gill, both in neighbouring Cumbria and fairly close to Lancaster. 

We decided to treat ourselves and travel by train despite the cost as this would be a more relaxing and enjoyable experience and despite a small delay on the trip to Lancaster and a 2 hour delay on the trip home we had a pleasent journey. We had planned to hire a car for a day for the drive from Lancaster to Smardale Gill but as it turned out we didn't need to do so.

We stayed at The Toll House Inn in Lancaster, close to the railway station and the city centre, and we had a very pleasent stay with Lancaster proving to be a very interesting city.

The weather on our journey to Lancaster was not very promising with grey skies and rain but the forecast for the following few days was looking good with sunny periods and no rainfall predicted.

Monday 2nd August saw us heading off on the train to Arnside, just over the border into Cumbria and only a 20 minute ride away. It was warm with sunny spells but by the time we had walked from the train station up to Arnside Knott (highest point 159 metres) the skies had clouded over somewhat and there was a noticeable lack of butterflies on the wing.

David found a few Grayling camouflaged amongst the scree and a few worn Meadow Brown were disturbed from the grass but eventually we found a sheltered glade amongst the trees where Gatekeepers were feeding on Marjoram flowers and with them was a very smart looking Scotch Argus. It was very flitty and eventually flew off and out of sight but I was very, very pleased to find one.

Scotch Argus, Arnside Knott

We wandered around the Knott and eventually the sun began to appear more frequently from behind the clouds and as a result more butterflies appeared - Brimstone, Comma, Common Blue, Wall, Small Skipper, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Green-veined White and Small Tortoiseshell all put in appearances and I also found at least another 4 Scotch Argus which gave some great views.

Scotch Argus

Scotch Argus

Scotch Argus

Scotch Argus

Wall

Tuesday 3rd August and we headed off on the train to Kendal, again just over the border in Cumbria and only around a 30 minute train ride away. It was warmer than the previous day and with more frequent sunny periods and on arriving at Kendal I headed up onto Kendal Fell by the golf course where a colony of Scotch Argus have recently been discovered. It was difficult to find out much information about this colony and I wasn't sure where to look but I found some patches of Blue Moor Grass, the larval food plant, and so I guessed I was in the right place.

I wandered around but again butterflies were sparse although I did see a Painted Lady and 2 Peacock along with a few Small and Large Whites, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell and Meadow Browns. 

Kendal Fell

Painted Lady

Small White

An Orange Swift and a Common Wainscot were disturbed from the grass and Harebells were in flower everywhere. However there was no sign of any Scotch Argus but just as I was about to call it a day and head back down into Kendal to meet up with David I found one flitting over the grass. Again it was very flighty, landing a few times on the ground before flying off and out of sight but very nice to see at a site I had only found out about just a week before my visit.

Orange Swift

Harebells

Harebells

Scotch Argus, Kendal Fell

Scotch Argus

Scotch Argus

Wednesday 4th August and I caught an early  train to Silverdale, just a 15 minute ride away and close to the RSPB reserves of Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay. I walked to the hides at Morecambe Bay first where in beautiful light I had great views of 5 Spoonbills, Little Egrets, a Teal, a Greenshank, 2 Snipe, Lapwing, Dunlin, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit and Avocets along with Reed Warbler, Kestrel and Greylag Goose. 

Spoonbills, RSPB Morecambe Bay

Spoonbills

Spoonbills

Lapwing

Snipe

Avocet

Avocet

Avocet

Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank

Avocet

Avocet

Snipe

Avocet

I then visited Leighton Moss which was very busy with visitors and in the increasing heat of the day I managed to get distant views of 2 Great White Egrets along with Grey Herons, more Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit, a Sparrowhawk, Coots and a Stock Dove with Cettis Warbler and Willow Warbler heard. Brown Hawkers and Common Darters were buzzing around too but were too quick and restless for any photos in the warm sunshine. 

Great White Egret, RSPB Leighton Moss

It had become very warm by the time I headed back to Lancaster on the train and I then met up with David for a quiet afternoon wandering around Williamson Park where I added Holly Blue to my butterfly trip list. 

Ashton Memorial, Williamson Park

Ashton Memorial

Thursday 5th August and it was time to head back to Plymouth with cloudy skies and rain greeting us along the way. We certainly had been very lucky with the good weather during our time away as we had been on our trip to The Lake District in June and it had been a very enjoyable trip indeed with Scotch Argus nicely added to my UK butterfly list.