Stormy Weekend

Storm Lilian (Ex-Ernesto) intensified here on Friday before giving way to heavy rain for most of Saturday. Unfortunately only one Balearic Shearwater was the result of the storm and I didn't see that, the only bird of note I had was another Kittiwake past the bill. In the aftermath of the storm there seems to be a few passerines concentrated on the Peninsula with Spot Flys, Redstarts, Whinchat and Wheatears recorded yesterday afternoon and this morning. The Osprey is still around and I've yet to bump into that too. As it's the last week of the summer holiday it's going to be difficult to get time in the field but looking forward to the extra free time and birding time once the boys start their new school next week.  

A check of Mill Lane Marsh over the weekend revealed the Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, two Blackwits and a couple of Water Rail but most of the waders had been blown off the more exposed Ferry Pool.

There was a late Swift over the garden yesterday evening and a Willow Warbler. The hirundine flock that has been gathering on the lane wires seem to have gone now with just a single House Martin and a couple of Barn Swallows left. There's a roost flight of Pied Wagtails that go over the garden with several tens of birds and there was a single Yellow Wagtail over too. 

Unsurprisingly the moth trap has been pretty quiet, the twin-actinic blew over on Friday night and there were more storm dislodged wasps in the traps this morning than moths. Despite the low numbers of moths there has been a few migrants including Pearly Underwing, Scarce Bordered Straw and Rusty-dot Pearls.  

In between the wind and rain we've used the time to get on with the house and garden project. Jimmy has finished the raised beds and the electrics were completed in the week for the garden office. I spent the last couple of days setting up the nature library in the garden office. Still need to finish painting the garden office and there is the exhausting task of filling up the raised beds. 

Juv Kittiwake battling against Ex-Ernesto 

Pearly Underwing- the first one for the garden. Garden moth list is now on 341. 

Smoky-barred Marble, Lobesia absciana, NFG

Jimmy and Holly with Garden Office up and the raised beds going in 

Jacob 'helping' out with the raised beds

The garden office library work in progress