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

Balearic Shearwaters, more Yellow Wagtails and another Osprey

Tuesday 31st August was dull and grey and with Anglia Windows due to visit for some window repair work a quiet day at home was on the cards. However the repair visit was unfortunately cancelled at lunchtime and so we made the most of it and headed out to Saltram for a walk, parking in a layby along The Ride and walking to Blaxton Meadow and back.

Yellow Wagtails had been reported at Saltram over the previous few days and I was keen to catch up with them as not only are they one of my favourite birds but they would also become the 100th bird species I've seen this year for the Plym/Saltram and would complete the second of my 3 100 challenges for this year.

On my visit to Saltram last week I had noted cattle feeding in the grass field by the footpath near the "wet wood" and with a good showing of Yellow Wagtails occurring this autumn I thought it looked like a good spot for them. Despite a quick scan of the field I drew a blank but the grass was very long and Yellow Wagtails could have been silently lurking amongst it.

I assumed that the recent sightings had been from this field but when we arrived at the field the grass had been well and truly munched and the cows had gone! However I could see a few cows through the trees in a field near the children's playground and so we walked over there for a look. 

There were plenty of Swallows and House Martins hawking over the cows as they disturbed insects from the grass and eventually I managed to find a Yellow Wagtail poking its head out of the long grass with a second bird heard calling briefly nearby. The bird I could see then flew up into a small dead tree where it was joined by 3 others before they all dropped down into the long grass and out of sight, strangely remaining quiet the whole time. 

Yellow Wagtail

Also seen on our walk were the 2 juvenile Shelduck feeding together out on the estuary, 6 Little Egret, a Grey Heron and 6 Oystercatcher on Blaxton Meadow on the dropping tide, 21 Mandarin Duck and 7 Moorhen on the duck pond and a Sparrowhawk flying over Laira Bridge.

Curlew

Thursday 2nd September and I had hoped to visit Hayle or Exminster by train for some wader action but with the trains all messed up due to a damaged rail bridge in Plymouth my plans were kind of scuppered. It was dull and breezy and so I decided to visit Wembury for a walk instead and fortunately I took my telescope with me, a very good decision.

As it turned out there was a good bit of wader action along the beach at Wembury despite the constant disturbance by walkers and dogs and I had maximum counts of 24 Turnstone, 13 Ringed Plover, 12 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling, 2 Redshank and a Bar-tailed Godwit along with the usual Oystercatchers. 

Redshank

Mediterranean Gulls were also present along the beach with the Herring, Black-headed and Great Black-backed Gulls but with the disturbance I didnt count them although at least 3 juveniles were present including a bird moulting well into 1st winter plumage.

While scanning along the beach near the sewage pipe the Gulls suddenly all flew up into the air with very little noise and the waders all stopped feeding and looked skywards and eventually I found the cause, a very nice if distant Osprey circling over the mouth of the River Yealm before it drifted east along the coast towards Stoke Point, only my second sighting of one at Wembury.

I then spent some time scanning offshore with my telescope and found a distant Sandwich Tern along with quite a few Gannet including a small group diving together which on closer inspection were diving over a feeding pod of 6+ Harbour Porpoise which were moving swiftly west before being lost from sight.

A small flock of waders, presumably Dunlin, were picked up flying east low over the waves too but the highlight were 2 distant Balearic Shearwater flying east together, my first of the year.

Also seen were 2 Whitethroat, 4 Swallow, 4 Chiffchaff, 4 Wheatear, 5 Cirl Buntings, Stonechats, a noisey juvenile Bullfinch and the first 2 flyover Meadow Pipits of the autumn. A good count of 187 Canada Geese were also resting in the stubble field before noisely flying off east.

Wheatear

Wheatear

Wheatear

Canada Geese Flock

Common Lizards, 3 Long-winged Coneheads, good numbers of Small White and a few Large White, Red Admiral and Meadow Brown were also seen.

Long-winged Conehead

Large White

Yellow Wagtails at Wembury

Friday 27th August and the August Bank Holiday was upon us and for a change the weather was looking good. As usual I was working but not until the Saturday night and so after an early start sorting out the back yard moth box I headed out for a quick look around Saltram and The Plym.

The grass was very dewy and it felt cool as the sun began to rise higher in the sky to warm up the day and I was pleased to find 2 Whinchat and 2, possibly 3 Tree Pipits along with a Willow Warbler, a Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, a female Blackcap and Swallows. The Tree Pipits and Whinchats disappeared from sight as soon as I found them but eventually I did refind the Whinchats which showed very well although they remained very mobile and flighty. Unfortunately the Tree Pipits were never seen again. 

Whinchat

Whinchat

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

The tide was high and on a brief look at Blaxton Meadow 6 Greenshank, an adult Shelduck, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 38 Curlew, 10 Oystercatcher and a Kingfisher were noted.

Kingfisher

A Purple Hairstreak was a big surprise, found on the footpath in the shade while walking down to the Meadow from Saltram House. I placed it in my hand to warm up before it weakly fluttered away, my first for Saltram.

Purple Haitstreak

Purple Hairstreak

The afternoon was spent sitting on Jennycliff Beach in the warm sunshine, our first beach day for nearly 2 years now, and a Raven, a Little Egret, 5 Oystercatcher, 2 Jersey Tiger Moths and a Magpie Moth kept me entertained as I admired the views of Plymouth Sound.

Saturday 28th August was yet again warm and sunny and so I visited Wembury for a coast walk before starting my night shifts. It was busy as expected and became increasingly so but I had a productive visit.

The tide was high and despite the constant disturbance along the beach I managed to see 79 Oystercatcher, 13 Ringed Plover, 12 Dunlin, 12 Turnstone, 3 Common Sandpiper, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and a Curlew.

Bar-tailed Godwits

Bar-tailed Godwits

The previous day had seen a good movement of passerines through the area but things were quieter on my visit although I did see at least 8 Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtails and a distant probable Whinchat along with the usual Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Swallows.

Yellow Wagtail

A Mistle Thrush feeding in the top horse field, at least 10 Mediterranean Gulls (2 juveniles) and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull roosting on the rocks amongst the Herring and Black-headed Gulls, Gannets offshore and a hunting Sparrowhawk were also seen. 

A couple of Painted Ladies and Silver Y 's were noted feeding on Valerian flowers and at least 3 male Beautiful Demoiselle were still on the wing along the stream. 

Beautiful Demoiselle

My 3 100 challenge for the year continues and I have finally reached one of my targets with 101 species of moth recorded in the back yard, achieved by paying closer attention to micro moths and with the invaluable ID assistance from @MothIDUK on Twitter. 

Maidens Blush

Dichrorampha acuminatana 

(Sharp-winged Drill) 

Mompha Propinquella (Marbled Mompha) 

Clavigesta purdeyi ( Pine Leaf-mining Moth) 

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

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