More Moths and a River Plym Walk

I worked a long day on Saturday 19th September, busy and exhausting as it always seems to be these days, and on arriving home at around 9pm I nearly didn't put the moth box out in the back yard but I'm very glad I did.

On checking out the moth box the next morning after a warm and humid night I had a very nice haul of 47 moths of 17 species with the highlights being a Black Rustic, a Knot Grass, 3 Shuttle-shaped Dart, 5 Large Ranunculus, 2 L-Album Wainscot and a Bloxwoth Snout, my second one of the year.

Black Rustic

Knot Grass

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Large Ranunculus

L-Album Wainscot

Bloxworth Snout

I haven't been for a walk along the River Plym and around Saltram Park since June of this year despite my original intentions back at the beginning of the COVID-19 Lockdown in March of visiting Saltram and the River Plym at least weekly. With the COVID-19 lockdown rules easing over the summer I concentrated my wildlife efforts elsewhere in case of another lockdown occurring (which currently seems quite likely), but with an early morning high tide on Sunday 20th September I decided to head out for my usual walk. 

The tide was very high when I arrived at Blaxton Meadow at around 10:30 and the Meadow was totally covered in water. 5 Greenshank were roosting along the embankment wall and 14 Little Egret were roosting on the small islands along with 6 Curlew. Out along the River a Mute Swan, 21 Canada Geese and 2 Common Sandpiper were seen along the waters edge and a Kingfisher was seen flashing past. 

In the Park 11 Ring-necked Parakeets were flying around screeching, 2 Stock Doves flew overhead, a juvenile Sparrowhawk flew low and stealthily amongst the bushes and a Kestrel hovered over the grassy fields. 3 Whinchats were a nice find feeding close together and getting grief from 8 nearby Stonechat and a lone Wheatear was a nice find too. 

Whinchat

A Jay, a Buzzard, 2 Raven and Chiffchaff were also seen and butterflies were represented by Red Admiral, Small White, 2 Small Copper, a male Common Blue, Large White and a few Meadow Brown. 

Small Copper

3 Roe Deer were noted too with 1 individual very curious about me as it stopped to turn and look at me regularly as it walked away. 

Roe Deer

Roe Deer

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was a surprise feeding on buddleia flowers before settling on a dead flowerhead to rest, they look quite odd when perched up and not buzzing around. 

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

A lovely walk on a warm and sunny day and very nice to be back. 

Rain!

After only just complaining about the sunny and dry weather things were about to change and with some rain forecast for the morning of Friday 17th April I decided to put the moth box out in the back yard again with the plan being to get up early in the morning before the forecasted rain arrived. However I overslept, the rain arrived and the moth box was very soggy when I eventually awoke to empty it.

There were a few moths in the trap though despite it being a bit waterlogged - a Garden Carpet, a Common Quaker (a darker toned individual than those previously caught), 2 Tachystola acroxantha and 3 Light Brown Apple Moths along with a faded Double-striped Pug, a Brown House Moth and a pale form of Diamond-back Moth (which I didn't know existed), helpfully ID'd by @UKMoths on Twitter.

 Common Quaker, Back Yard

 Light Brown Apple Moth

 Double-striped Pug

 Brown House Moth

Diamond-back Moth (Pale form) 

With the change in weather I decided to take another walk from home to Saltram, having read that migrating waders will pitch down in wet weather and I was curious to see if anything might have dropped in to the Plym. I also wanted to get out for a walk in the damp air for a change and to smell damp soil and damp vegetation (because I am a bit weird!).

The rain while heavy did pass over quickly and while it remained damp and murky for a while it did clear into another mostly sunny but breezy day. The tides were neap so despite being a few hours away from high tide when I arrived at Laira Bridge there was very little mud on show. I wandered along The Ride and noted a few Shelduck, Little Egrets, Canada Geese and a Grey Heron and eventually heard the delightful whistling of a Whimbrel although I couldn't locate it in the misty conditions. I did find the smart summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit from the previous day feeding with Curlews but it was distant out on the mud on the opposite side of the river.

At Blaxton Meadow I found a pair of Wheatear feeding out on the grass and I finally got some decent views for the first time this spring. Even better was a skulky and mobile male Whinchat feeding along the embankment of the meadow, a complete surprise and a bird I wasn't expecting to see this spring.

 Wheatear, Blaxton Meadow

Whinchat

A pair of black and white birds flew up from the estuary and along the embankment of the Meadow before landing again and at first I dismissed them as Shelduck but something about them was off and on checking them out with my binoculars I was very pleased to see they were Avocet, only my second sighting for the Plym.

Avocets, River Plym

With the tide slowly rising the Bar-tailed Godwit arrived to roost on Blaxton Meadow along with 5 Curlew, a Whimbrel and a winter plumaged Black-tailed Godwit. A Greenshank and 6 Redshank were feeding together along the river on the last patches of mud and another 3 Whimbrel were also seen flying downriver while a Swallow chittered over the meadow, presumably the bird I saw yesterday collecting mud.

Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel, Blaxton Meadow

Black-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel

Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew and Whimbrel

Black-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit

Greenshank and Redshank

I walked back through the woods and saw the usual birds - Stock Dove, Ring-necked Parakeet, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, Jay, Blackcap, etc. - while a Willow Warbler was heard quietly singing away. I sat awhile on the bench above The Folly while admiring the view over the river and across to Dartmoor and was surprised to see a Swift flying over, I think my earliest ever sighting in the UK, and it was quickly followed by 2 more.

Skylarks were noisily songflighting over the fields and 13 Roe Deer were sitting together chewing the cud but with more rain clouds approaching I decided it was time to walk back home as Ghost Trains continued their empty timetables along The Embankment and Ghost Buses did the same along the roads in these weird times. And before I crossed over Laira Bridge towards Plymouth I had some very nice views of a Whimbrel resting on a pontoon and then feeding on crabs along the tide line, a nice end to my wildlife walk.

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

It seems that Saturday 18th April was a good day for passerine migrants moving through but I was stuck at work all day and with another night shift on Sunday 19th April I didn't leave the house all day except to buy a newspaper from Tesco across the road but I did find and ID a micro moth flitting about in the house - a Sulphur Tubic (Esperia sulphurella) and a new moth for me.

Esperia sulphurella

Local Dips and Hits

With a hoopoe being reported daily from Monday 2nd September at Millbrook in Cornwall just across the River Tamar from Plymouth I decided to go and have a look for it in Friday 6th, my first free day. However it was a grey and cool day with a strong breeze and spots of rain and with the hoopoe being seen in gardens and fields in the bottom of a valley I wasn't too hopeful of seeing it and so it was to be. Viewing was difficult due to the topography of the land with viewing points difficult to find amongst the hedges, walls, buildings, trees and hills and after 90 minutes of wandering around I gave up and headed home, seeing just a fox, swallows and house martins for my troubles.

Fox, Millbrook

Fox

Saturday 7th September and I was supposed to be working a long day but had to phone in sick due to a disturbed nights sleep and some "gastric distress". I started to feel much better quite quickly and with the sun shining I caught the bus to Wembury for a quick walk.

An orange swift was found on the floor of the men's toilet which was a bit stunned from having been stepped on but I moved it to a safe spot outside although a snout resting on the ceiling was too out of reach to rescue.

Orange Swift, Wembury

Butterflies were flitting about in the sunshine but despite searching I couldn't find any clouded yellows. I did however see a small copper, 2 red admirals 2 painted ladies, a few male common blues, 2 speckled wood and lots of small whites.

Speckled Wood, Wembury

Speckled Wood

Whitethroats, blackcaps and chiffchaffs were seen along the coast path with swallows overhead and the usual stonechats on the tops of the bushes and cirl buntings skulking in the hedgerows.

Along the beach 8 turnstones were feeding on the seaweed mass with a dunlin while at The Point 63 oystercatcher were roosting with 5 curlew and 7 little egret.

A few gannet were picked up offshore while on the rocks 10 Mediterranean gulls were hiding amongst the roosting black headed gulls.

Mediterranean Gulls with Black-headed Gulls, Wembury

Mediterranean- and Black-headed Gulls

Mediterranean Gulls

I had hoped to see some yellow wagtails but was out of luck although a grey wagtail was a nice find along the beach with the usual alba wagtails along with a few meadow pipits amongst the rock pipits.

And so a nice walk despite not feeling great but I was very glad to get back home to lounge about on the sofa.

Sunday 8th September and I decided to continue the local theme and took a walk along the River Plym and around Saltram Park on another sunny day. It wasn't too busy with people either and I had a very productive walk.

The tide was heading in and on Blaxton Meadow there were 31 curlew, 5 oystercatcher and an adult lesser black-backed gull roosting with Canada geese, little egret, grey heron and black-headed gulls.

Walking around Saltram and I could hear ring-necked parakeets squawking in the trees. Stock doves were regularly seen flying over along with a single house martin and a flock of around 30 feeding swallows with the adults feeding the youngsters mid-air.

A juvenile whinchat was a nice find feeding from the top of a large bramble bush with 3 stonechats which were surprisingly quite tolerant of it.

Whinchat, Saltram

A juvenile wheatear, blackcaps and chiffchaffs were also seen and a firecrest in the usual spot above the folly was a good find, giving itself away with its call and showing very briefly amongst the ivy.

I had a look amongst the cattle for yellow wagtails with no joy but I did find 2 clouded yellows which showed very well along with a comma, painted ladies, meadow browns, a red admiral, 2 speckled wood and small whites.

Clouded Yellow, Saltram

Clouded Yellow

Painted Lady

Comma

A male and female roe deer showed well before running off into the trees and a few darters were dashing about which I think were common but could have included ruddy. The toad seen last week was still hunkered down under the same plastic sheet too.

Common Darter, Saltram

Common Darter

And so a nice weekend of local wildlife watching despite the dips and not feeling well but it shows what wildlife can be found not far from my front door.

Warren House Wander

Wednesday 31st July and I met up with Mavis at Yelverton for a Dartmoor day, something we haven't done in July before. We decided to have a walk around the Warren House area and parked up at Bennets Cross at around 10am. It was cool and breezy and the skies were grey but we headed down the valley towards Soussons with high hopes.

It was surprisingly quiet as we started our walk but as we entered the more sheltered gullies birds and butterflies began to appear. Stonechat, chaffinch, whitethroat, blue tit and willow warbler including a singing bird heard only were noted along with magpies and woodpigeons and 5 ravens together overhead, presumably a family group. Meadow browns and a few small whites were flitting about too.

Further down the valley we found a small flock of linnet feeding in the heather and 2 juvenile whinchat sat in the tops of the bracken. Keeled skimmers and a blue damselfly were buzzing around with small skippers and both sundew and bog asphodel were found in the boggy areas.

Keeled Skimmer

Sundew

Sundew

Small Skipper

Small Skipper

A break for a coffee in the ruins of a building at Golden Dagger was interrupted by 4 crossbill flying over "glipping" away and heading off high towards Birch Tor and a short time later 2 were seen flying back into the pine trees.

After our coffee we walked back to the car at Bennets Cross, seeing 4 juvenile whinchat on the bracken tops along with a gatekeeper and a small heath, and then drove round to Challacombe Farm for lunch and a look about. Unfortunately the clouds and drizzle had arrived and it was a bit soggy but we had a nice view of a male redstart along with a grey wagtail, a grey heron flying over and house martins flitting about over the trees. The attentions of the 4 piglets was quite cute too but we ended up wet and muddy as they sniffed and snuffled around us, they have grown since our visit in April and unfortunately it can't be long now before they are off to the butchers.

 Whinchat

 Whinchat

Whinchat

Heading home and we saw 2 wheatear by the roadside near Grimspound before the rain really kicked in but arriving back in Plymouth it was dry - however it had been a very enjoyable walk with Warren House looking different but beautiful at a time of the year I don't usually see it.