Last couple of days

I've been sneaking out into the field  over the last couple of days to help cope with the summer holidays. I was up early yesterday morning for the high tide roost at East Side HERE and was back home by 10am for family proceedings (Shopping and then Kath's party- Indy cooked Sri Lankan Rice and Curry so a more than tolerable social occasion). Highlights on East side was basically nothing but a nice selection of 78 spcies of over 1000 individuals. 

The moth trap was pretty poor in the morning too, the highlight being a Palpita vitrealis, so overall quite a lot of effort for not much reward on both the bird and moth front. I bumped into Andrew and he concurred that there's not a lot of change over at the moment and especially quiet off the Bill. Even though we are not in a heatwave the dry and mid-20 degree high pressure conditons have persisted for the last couple of weeks, the only recent change being a shift to a westerly breeze from the persistent north-easterly. So overall rather slow and steady migration.  

The highlight of the day was a flock of 21 very noisy Sandwich Terns flying over the garden yesterday evening. Presumably migrating off from the harbour. Up to three Common Terns are also still flying around. Seem to be a few Swifts moving through too and there were over 70 Barn Swallows last night and also been getting Sand Martins coming in late too. 

I was up around 5am again this morning and processed a more interesting moth trap with 115 species of about 250 individuals from only two traps. Highlight was a cracking Clouded Buff. 

I then only had until 9am before having to be back at home so I did Ferry and Mill lane. 67 species of about 500 indiviudals (not including distant birds in the harbour in the strong light and heat haze) HERE. No real highlights apart from a new Shelduck family, a couple of young Stonechats on Ferry field, more warblers now in the bushes/reeds, Coal Tit again at Mill Lane and a Yellow Wagtail over. 

The local Cattle Egrets are usually in the North Wall area and are surprisingly infrequent on the west side so the 25+ today in the Ferry field area were a bit of a surrpise

The Shelduck and Oystercatcher family on Ferry are coming along well (above and below)

Only three juvenile Avocets now left on Ferry (and a couple of Adults) which is drying out fast. The Little Ringed Plovers are now gone (Andrew had one early on).

A lone Lapwing on Ferry and about 18 or so out in the main channel- not much in the way of post breeding dispersal build up yet

Plenty of Reed and Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats around Mill Lane and Blackcaps calling (and one still singing a bit) around Ferry. Also a few Chiffs. Beginning to get that autumn feel.

Juvenile Stonechats on Ferry- presumably a locally bred family (Medmerry?). According to the main Ebird data the first record in Pagham Harbour since April HERE

Clouded Buff- stunner! Moth 698 for the garden and 479 for the year. 

Ni-moth - the 5th this year

Vestal- two today but only the fourth or so this year. Also had the year's 4th Silver-spotted Veneer- only recorded for the first time this year. 

Oak Eggar- a much appreciated first for the year

Still nice and colourful in the garden despite the local drought- still a few butterflies (not as many as earlier in summer). The lavender at night is attracting around 8 or so Silver Y and a couple of Dewick's Plusia and still attracting Hummingbird Hawkmoth by day. Seems like less insects on the umbellifers in the back garden now- maybe things winding down. 

Moth mig and Ring-necked Parakeet

There was probably only 150 individuals of 60 or so species of moth last night but proportionally quite a few were migrants with the first Scarce Bordered Straw of the year, another cracking Light Crimson Underwing, another Bordered Straw, about 17 Silver-Y,  19 Small Mottled Willow, 5 Rusty Acorn Piercer, 4 Turnips, 5 Rush Veneer, 3 Rusty-dots, a Dark Sword Grass and a single Dark Spectacle. Poplar Kitten was also new for year.

Once again the garden birding provided a few early autumn surprises including 5 Common Tern, a Ringed Plover and Grey Wagtail this morning and a Ring-necked Parakeet, Hobby, 2 Yellow Wagtail over, 35+ Sand Martin, 25+ Swallow, 15 Swift, Chiffchaff, Common Tern and a Whimbrel this evening. The Ring-necked Parakeet is a Peninsula tick. It was calling from the Oaks opposite before flying to the corner of Chalk Lane but after meeting up with Andrew we couldn't relocate it. Presumably the same bird seen by a couple of others recently. 

Ring-necked Parakeet now puts me on 119 for the garden (Ringed Plover was a garden tick too), HERE and my Selsey Peninsula list is now on 214 all time, 176 for this year and Sussex list is 223 HERE. 

It was the first day of the school summer holidays today so we took the kids to the Portsmouth Reef Aquarium and spent the day along the Espanade. 

Light Crimson Underwing- the 2nd one in as many weeks

Scarce Bordered Straw- they have actually been scarce this year with more Bordered Straws

Poplar Kitten

Coronet- not a common moth here and a nicely marked one 

Common Dumbledore Beetle was the most interesting by-catch in the trap today 

A day at the lodge

Wednesdays are generally sedentary days around the house and garden. There was far too much paperwork to do but I managed to get most of it done and inbetween admin did a garden birdwatch and the moths first thing and popped out a few times in the garden throughout the day.

The garden birdwatch was the best in a long time HERE with 3 Common Terns, a Little Ringed Plover and a Sandwich Tern going over with Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Whitethroat in the bushes. I've had Curlew and Whimbrel going over for the last two evenings so its got a real autumn feel especially with the Chiffchaffs beginning to 'tu-eet' now.  There were also 2 Yellowhammers in the field opposite. 39 species in total of over 120 individuals. 

I had the four moth traps out again, mainly trying to slip stream an Eastern Bordered Straw as it seems the influx in the Spring (that I missed) has now produced a new generation. Mike had another one in East Wittering a couple of nights ago and they are being seen across the region. Unfortunately I didn't catch one although I did have something fly off the egg trays that looked good but dissappeared without confirming the identification. There were quite a few migrants including 2 Silver-spotted Veneers, a Ni-moth and a Bordered Straw. 

Also had some new dissection results from Mike. A few more Coleophora species were confirmed including follicularis, glaucicolella, peribenanderi, caespititiella and spinella. A surprise was Obscure Snout, Anarsia spartiella and also got confirmation of Dichrorampha acuminatana and alpinana plus confirmed Regal Piercer, Pammene regiana. Quite a haul overall with 5 site ticks (now on 695) and 11 year ticks (now on 473). Thanks again Mike for excellent work. 

I'll be dropping the next batch off tomorrow from the heatwaves- there must be 100 or so specimens and likely to be some interesting species in there. Looking forward to the results! 

Common Terns over the garden. There have been upto five vociferous birds in the early morning or evenings. Presumably Medmerry birds.

Silver-spotted Veneers (above and below). A nice unworn one above but both were in better condition than the first one here last week

Not the Bordered Straw we are looking for 

Obscure Snout, Anarsia spartiella . I presumed this was the usual Maple Snout, A.innoxellia but following ciritcal examination apparantely not. A lifer. 

Buff Rush Case-bearer, Coleophora caespititelia 

Orange-spot Daisy moth, Dichrorampha alpinana. 

While looking for the dissection result photos I noticed this image which appears to show a Wood Carpet which will be a first for site. I passed it off as a Common Carpet on that busy day. Update; the CMR is happy with it so now on 697 for the garden and 476 for the year. 

Everywhere is dry, barren and straw coloured in the area apart from our gardens which are still full of insects in our 'oasis'

The Art of Staying Wild

This weekend I realised how easily freedom and wildness disappears and how domestication creeps in.

We were trying to book a family summer holiday (with stealth birding included) and ran into a wall of restrictions and commitments: medical appointments, school readiness schedules, play dates, birthday parties, travel logistics, rising costs, and the limited window of the school holidays. In the end, we could barely manage to book a single week away.

It struck me that we weren’t making a free choice; we were navigating a system of obligations that had quietly fenced us in.

Humans have always domesticated animals, gradually turning wild creatures into increasingly controlled, productive and often compromised versions of themselves; Wolves into Poodles, Tarpans into Beach Ponies, Aurochs into Friesians.  But we have also domesticated ourselves. We have bred ourselves from lean and finely evolved hunters and farmers into all manner of domesticated shapes and sizes with associated dodgy backs and health problems.

Modern life channels us through schedules, mortgages, jobs, social expectations, algorithms, and institutions that reward predictability and convenience. The fences that contain domesticated humans are not made of barbed wire. They are made of calendars, contracts, prices, economics, norms and responsibilities.

Who are the farmers on this human farm?. While it could be argued that it is the rich and the elites, those who own the means of production and the systems , it is often individuals who volunteer themselves to it to lesser or greater degrees.  In many ways the rich often trap themselves in their own castles. Everyone is responsible for their own freedom. 

Most of us don’t actually want complete freedom. Few people would choose the uncertainty of a truly wild existence. Comfort, security, and community are valuable. The danger is that comfort becomes the bait that draws us into ever more intensive systems, until our lives are organised almost entirely around maintenance: appointments, bills, deadlines, and social obligations. As Nietzsche argued- comfort and convenience is the ultimate trap

The goal, then, is not to reject civilisation but to find the right balance between domestication and wildness. Part of rewilding is rehumanising. 

For me, “staying wild” means preserving a connection to nature, adventure, and self-reliance. It means leaving space for unplanned experiences, spending time outdoors, learning practical skills, and resisting the idea that every hour must be scheduled and optimised for system outcomes and expectations.

So when I ask how we stay wild and free, I don’t mean abandoning our responsibilities or expectations. I mean refusing to let them become the whole of life. Sometimes the answer is simply to prioritise the adventure: take the trip, accept the inconvenience, disappoint a few expectations, upset a few over domesticated associates and remember that life is much more than servicing the system.

Wildness is rarely lost all at once. It is usually surrendered one small obligation and comfort at a time…and that is not going to happen, so somehow I need to work out how to get another week away this summer holiday. There's been an outbreak of food poisoning in Cape Verde so package tours are going cheap and I need the endemics there. I can feel a plot brewing. 

In the field Monday

Another Monday and another attempt at an estimate at the birds in Pagham Harbour. The high tide was at 0417 so I got up early to catch the falling water and walked from White's Creek to  Pagham Spit and back. Then a quick look at Mill Lane before a lunch stop and then headed back out to check Ferry and Church Norton.

Checklist HERE. 76 species of over 1500 individuals. The tern and gull colony is more or less deserted now but with lots of birds and recently fledged young hanging aorund the islands and salt marsh. The main change since last week is more autumn waders in the harbour including the autumn's first Curlew Sandpiper, the Ferry nursery also closing down and a few more Sand Martins going over.  A Snipe was also my first for the autumn. 

Adult summer Curlew Sandpiper leading the pack of Dunlin and Redshank. Only noticed this bird when I checked my photos back home as when waders fly by close I take photos and ask questions later. 

Adult moulting Spotted Redshank- one of three today, also four Greenshank. There were also 2 Green Sandpiper on Mill Lane Marsh and about 4 Common Sands dotted around. 

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull- lots of these around today after the first ones appearing by the colony last week 

Juvenile Little Tern- Andrew reports that they have finished breeding on the island now and beginning to disperse 

Juv Pochard flying down the East Side channel was a surprise 

Adult and non-breeding Knot- a noticeable influx of Knot and other Arctic waders today with 34 Knot and a count of 161 Dunlin. Also a few more Ringed Plovers around but fewer Blackwits, Barwits and Grey Plovers. A juvenile Peregrine was hunting them all at one point. 

Only 65 species of moth in the trap last night as the third heatwave came to an end. A few migrants still including Bordered Straw (above) and Ni moth (below). A Meal moth was the only NFY so a real slow down now. 

Yesterday Jacob and I did a boat trip in Chichester Harbour - the highlights included good numbers of Whimbrel and Curlew (above) and the Ice cream boat (below), although at £6 an ice cream they were basically pirates. Had a few Whimbrel going over the garden for the last two evenings and three Common Terns on Friday morning so clearly lots moving around locally. 

The Sound Approach Book Launch

I met up with Jaffa yesterday and we attended the Sound Approach to Birding Second edition book launch at Poole Harbour. It was a two part event, first a birding boat trip round Poole Harbour and then in the evening an interview with the Sound approach team. HERE

A great day and evening and nice to pay homage to a great birding team. 

 

The Sound Approach in interview with Megan McGubbin 

Mark Constantine- the boss

Killian Mullarney- artist and birding guru

Magnus Robb- sound master 

Jaffa, Killian, Lucy and me - great to see everyone

Good views of Osprey on the baot trip

White-tailed Eagle. This was year tick so now on 903 for the world in 2026. 

Spoonbills on Brownsea lagoon. Ebird checklist from the boat trip HERE- was mainly chatting on the boat so just an indication of what was around 

THE SOUND APPROACH

Silver-spotted Veneer

Another one on the wish list appeared today, Silver-spotted Veneer, Euchromius ocellea. Only the 13th record for Sussex according to the Sussex Moth Group website. 689th moth for the garden and 457th for the year. 

Silver-spotted Veneer. A few other migrants today too including 10 Cydia amplana, the customary swarms of Small Mottled Willow and a few of the other usual suspects 

Hook-tipped grass moth, Platytes alpinella - only the 2nd record here 

Dark Seedhead moth, Apodia bifractella - a new for garden