Tuesday 29 September 2020

Bits and bobs at Beddington

Spent the weekend on the south coast looking into getting a holiday home/coastal birding base. Turns out it's not cheap and as far as I can work out it's cheaper to rent than buy. We first checked out Hastings area and then the Selsey Peninsula, for logistical reasons looks like Selsey area is best place. What with family commitments, awful weather and home hunting ironically didn't get any birding done (had good numbers of House Martins along the coast and a flock of Siskin going over) and the only birding I've done is at Beddington when I got back and another visit this evening. Ebird lists HERE and HERE

Highlights included 3 Golden Plover heading north yesterday evening, 3 Lesser Redpoll flushed by a Sparrowhawk, a juvenile Shelduck, Common and Green Sandpiper showing really well from the wet grassland hide and this evening there were 4 Stonechat, 1 Whinchat and a flock of Swallow overhead. 

New for years in the moth trap were Deep-brown Dart and Beaded Chestnut and a nice selection of autumn moths including Large Wainscot, Dewick's Plusia, L-album Wainscot (3 again last night), Blair's Shoulder Knot, Ruby Tiger, Lunar Underwings, Angle Shades, Square-spot Rustics, Diamond-back Moth, Dusky Thorn, Barred Sallows, Pink-barred Sallows and Sallows etc

Here's a few pics. My laptop literally blew up over the weekend so I've got a new one and trying out the free photo editing software. 


Juvenile Common Sandpiper 
Golden Plovers flying over 
Juvenile Shelduck
Whinchat (above ) and Stonechat (below). Steve Gale has been recording large numbers of Stonechats on the North Downs nearby recently.

First-winter Whinchat
I'm going for Beaded Chestnut (rather than a Lunar Underwing)?
 

3 comments:

Edward Evans said...

Lunar Underwing for me.

Stewart said...

Sorry Edward, it is Beaded Chestnut. It lacks the two black dots at the apex of the forewing that they all have regardless of colour form.

Peter Alfrey said...

cheers guys. I also checked the underwing and that looked better for Beaded Chestnut too