Last days of summer

The high pressure returned today and temperatures got up into the low 20s. I started the day off at East Side with 69 species of over 1700 individuals HERE, there were basically no bird highlights but a few increases in certain species including Turnstone (54 present), Shelduck (29) and a small increase in Pintail and Wigeon numbers. I also had a few Skylarks flying over- the first for the autumn. 

After a break at home doing some bits in the garden, office and kitchen (see below) I  decided to make the most of the weather so walked from Ferry to Church Norton. Additional species and migrants HERE. The highlight was a juv Marsh Harrier and a group of 5 Stonechat along the long pool. 

Only one Yellow Wagtail today following a very good run of them in the last few weeks. Still good numbers of hirundines around. 

Once again there were Clouded Yellows in small numbers more or less everywhere including in the garden. 

So basically a very quiet day but very nice weather.

An increase in Turnstone (above) and Shelduck (below) 

The small waders , Dunlins and Ringed Plover, were close today but there was nothing in them

A record count of Common Seal for me today with 16 animals on the banks at East Side

Little Egret with extensive yellow legs and some in lores too. Presumably immature transitional traits.

Stonechats- my first presumed autumn migrants in the harbour (following a local family party a few weeks ago)

With no Baird's, Buff Breasted or Pec Sand despite weeks of searching during an excellent season for american waders, consolation prize today was an omlete made from 100 per cent garden ingredients including Duck eggs, cherry, money makers and beef tomatoes, yellow and padron peppers, thyme, basil and parsley and garlic. There were no decent moths in the moth trap either. This post is basically a polite way of saying it was crap today, however, a crap day in nature is a good day in the matrix so all good. 

Local Round-up

Aside from a couple of days in the West Country last week I have mainly been stuck in the matrix doing paperwork and family stuff but I did manage to do a bit of moth trapping and bits in the garden and even scrambled yesterday for the Grey Phalarope on Ferry found by Jacob Bowley. I also managed to sneak in a quick look at Snowhill Marsh today HERE while on the family walk round East Head and this evening I popped out for an hour or so from Church Norton HERE. The highlights were 2 Ruff at Snowhill and a Curlew Sandpiper and a Spotted Flycatcher at Church Norton. A garden watch this morning before the gang got up produced a Hobby HERE. 

Matt was over on Wednesday and we did the first haycut in the back meadows and also sorted out the side and back gardens. There has been some periods of warm sun in the established westerly airflow and mid-week there were Common Blues, Small Copper, Small Whites, Cloud Yellows and also the first record of Brown Hairstreak for the garden. There have also been a couple of Common Darters and up to four Migrant Hawkers in the garden.

In the moth trap new for years have included Large Wainscot and Lunar Underwing but overall the traps have been quiet in the cooler and sometimes wet evenings. Friday night was the first time in months that I didn't catch a Small Mottled Willow. There was one last night with a Scarce Bordered Straw and the good run of Vestals continue with 4 last night. 

There have been Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs feeding in the wild carrot in the back garden which is amazing to see, (there was a fall of phylloscs locally mid-week) and also a few Blackcaps and yesterday morning six Golden Plovers flew over the garden. Hirundines, mainly House Martins and Barn Swallows, and Meadow Pipits have been steadily moving overhead for the last few days. Yesterday morning's garden migrants HERE. 

Been harvesting the garden crops recently too, we left the sweetcorn too long but its good for the ducks (which are now laying up to three eggs a day between them) and the tomatoes, peppers and raspberries just keep coming. Also harvested the sunflowers and have buckets of seeds. After clearing the sunflowers and sweetcorns we have now got space for onion sets and broad beans to go in. 

First-winter Grey Phalarope (above and below) on Ferry. Looking very storm blown. Now on 182 for the local year.

Distant Curlew Sand at Norton- not sure on the age- looked very dark on the upperparts. There are a lot of american waders in Britain and Ireland at the moment, with a really good year for Baird's Sandpiper including one in Oxfordshire where they must have had their best year ever with mega after mega in my old county. Hope we get a good wader round here, relying on 'trickle down'. 

Willow Warbler in the wild carrot 

Common Blue (above) and Common Darter (below) in the garden meadows. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the Brown Hairstreak which was posing well on the Liquidamber but had gone by the time I got back with the camera. 

It's official mid-autumn is here. Lunar Underwing. Garden year list now on 543. Large Yellow Underwings continue to dominate the trap now with over 100 most nights. 'Migrants' in last day or two have included single Blair's Mocha, Scarce Bordered Straw and Clancy's Rustic,  two L-album Wainscot, two Small Mottled Willows, up to 3 Delicates and a couple of Rusty-dots and a handful of Rush Veneers. Also there is still a Hummingbird Hawkmoth around the garden in the day- almost an unbroken run of those for months now. A bit of colour in the trap is being provided by the odd Frosted Orange, a Red Underwing yesterday and the odd Sallow. After making a big appearance Feathered Gothics seem to be over. Notable absentees this year include Radford's Flame Shoulder and Cliften Nonpariel.  

We only did a hay-cut on a section of the back garden becuase voles were running out and also butterflies and grasshoppers were still using the meadow. Hopefully everything has taking refuge into the remaining part that we will do a later hay cut on. We can now feed the rabbits home grown hay too which they seem to be enjoying. We want to increase the plant diverstiy of these meadows so we have to do a cut and remove the arisings to try and get the nutrient level down. The meadow has been incredible this year (looks messy this time of year)- see HERE for when it was in it's prime and we hope to improve it even further next year. 

Our garden harvest festival. This is just what we have been collecting in the last few days. It's been relentless for weeks and still got plenty to come. One benefit of the extremely hot summer.  

A couple of days in the west

A couple of depressions crossed the Atlantic this week so I decided to position with Jaffa in Devon in the hope that there might be an influx of american vagrants that we could head to. There wasn't unfortunately apart from an American Pipit and a couple of REVs in Ireland but there was also a few more American waders along west coasts. 

As our main hope therefore was maybe a new wader we went to Siblyback Reservoir and Davidstow Airfield yesterday. The Pec Sand that arrived in a group of four earlier in the week was still present at Siblyback but there was no sign of the Buff-breast that was seen yesterday morning. There were a few other bits including Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Ringed Plovers and Dunlins and a few Wheatears HERE. 

Davidstow had a few waders including Golden Plovers, Dunlin and Ringed Plovers and also a few Wheatears HERE. We had a bit of excitement with a dark and heavily marked Golden Plover that showed some American Golden Plover features but after sharing standing shots with friends and eventually getting a view of the underwing (which showed too much white) we had to conclude that it was indeed a dark juv European Golden Plover. 

It was great to be back in Cornwall checking some of our old regular spots when Jaffa and I, Sam, Lee and others were at Plymouth University in the 1990s. It was nice to see  Davidstow airfield has not changed and is as surreal as we remembered it with waders running and up and down the old abandoned runways. 

Today we checked out Jaffas patch at the Otter Estuary and surrounding area HERE and HERE. Highlights included a juvenile White-tailed Eagle (a bird first recorded in the week which was a first for the site), a migrating Hobby, a bit of vis mig with nearly 80 Mipits west and some nice Cirl Buntings. 

A nice little mini trip and great to catch up with Jaffa.

Pec was a world year tick so now on 930 for the year. 70 to go to hit the target! 

Juv Pec (images above)

Dark juv European Golden Plover with a more typical one. We discussed the possibilty of introgresion or hyrbids and frequency of dark juv Golden Plovers in the population with Killian who also shared some images of extreme AGP look-a-likes from the Netherlands. Interesting stuff.  

Cirl Buntings (above and below) 

Juv White-tailed Eagle 

Gos Returns

After a day quoting in London I decided to unwind by spending the evening in the harbour. I wanted to check the waders on the falling tide but the water in the harbour was still full so I decided to check Ferry and Long Pool. HERE

A Marsh Harrier went over the field opposite Long Pool putting up about 100 Meadow Pipits, 100 Linnets and 30 Yellow Wagtail. There were also 4 Whinchat and a Wheatear in the fields. 

I got to the bench at the end of the Long Pool and decided to chill and scan. Soon I heard the call of a Curlew Sandpiper that flew around with a Dunlin before going back down in the saltmarsh with the roosting waders. Not long after that I had a distant Osprey heading west but I got distracted from the Osprey by some commotion over the harbour with a group of Rooks and Jackdaws incessantly mobbing a raptor. It was a large accipiter so I rattled off some shots and it looked like a Gos candidate but I wanted to check on the big screen as it was so distant. I followed the bird as it went low over Halseys and sent all the Woodpigeons up. 

I then went to Church Norton and bumped into Andrew and showed him the accipter photos and he agreed it looked interesting. When I got home I sent them round for second opinions and Andrew, Ian, Jaffa and Marc all agree it was a Gos too.  

Maybe the same bird I had a few weeks ago in July HERE. A local mega bird so hopefully it reappears and more people see it. 

Goshawk (all images above with Rooks and Jackdaws)

First-winter Whinchat

Birding Mondays

After a weekend of family ties it was good to have the traditional Monday off to head out into the field. I was up at 430am so decided to do the moth trap by head torch before sunrise and then headed over to Church Norton.  

I walked through Greenlease Farm to the Severals and then to the breach along Norton spit and then back to St Wilfred's HERE. Sadly the highlight (in terms of local status) was a vocal Ring-necked Parakeet flying around the trees between the Severals. There were also a couple of Spotted Flycatchers, a Redstart and 3 Wheatear. Hirundines were on the move and there was also about 30 Meadow Pipits over but only 3 Yellow Wagtails. A flock of 15 Golden Plovers were flying around too. 

After a stop off at Julie's Seafood and Enticott's bakery I had a quick look at Ferry where the two Little Stints were still showing well and a juvenile Merlin flew low over the Ferry field causing a commotion. Merlin was a patch year tick so now on 181. 

After an early lunch with Holly I then went over to East Side and walked to Pagham Spit and back HERE. Highlights included a juv Curlew Sandpiper (identified from a photo again retrospectively), the Osprey on cue at high tide, the usual occasional adult Yellow-legged Gull and a good increase in wildfowl numbers with 254 Teal. 27 Pintail and 37 Wigeon. After dissappearing for a few days, the small waders also reappeared with 110 Dunlin and 60 Ringed Plover. 

I was watching a wader distantly which I couldn't make up my mind if it was a Ruff or a Barwit and before I could clinch it, a Peregrine took it. It could have been the Ruff that has been around. 

Juv Little Stints

Juv Curlew Sandpiper- once again one of the best ways of checking the waders on east side is to wait for them to get disturbed at high tide and do a fly-by. They are often distant or hiding in the saltmarsh so its a good chance to get some photos as they whizz past and then check the photos later. Today's check revealed a Curlew Sandpiper that I didn't see in the field. Not sure how I will feel if I ever find something like a Baird's Sandpiper like that! It's also a good way of counting the waders as I can upload the photo to ChatGPT and ask it to count the birds in the image. 

Fly-by Ringed Plovers- couldn't see anything in with them. According to Chat there are 66 of them (and a few Dunlin).  Ringed Plover graphs HERE showing some interesting fluctuations in the harbour. 

Juv Black-tailed Godwits- an increase in numbers today and of juvenile birds after a few lean couple of weeks for Blackwits 

Wigeon. Wildfowl numbers are now beginning to take over wader numbers in the harbour. Graphs for Teal HERE, Pintail HERE and Wigeon HERE all showing a kick off point in last week. 

The daily Osprey

The adult Yellow-legged Gull 

Redstart at the Severals

Another Silver-spotted Veneer was the highlight of the moth trap. 57 species last night. There was also a Blair's Mocha, Pearly Underwing, Rush Veneers, Delicates, Sean Clancy's Rustic (my new name for them now I'm friends with him!), Portland Ribbon Wave, a few Small Mottled Willow and a few Silver-Ys on the migrant front and Sallow was new for year. Also 140 Large Yellow Underwing once again dominating the catch. Unusually I had a few day flying moths in the severals including Carnation Tortrix (several), Mullein Wave and Agriphila tristella. I keep meaning to mention the good number of Clouded Yellows over the last week or two. Marc Read estimated 60 over the weekend in one field alone. They are dotted around everywhere and one day a week or two ago I had a small vis-mig of them over the garden. 

Pied Tortrix, Eucosma campolilana was also a NFY. Now on 542. 

Weekend round-up

It was mainly a family weekend but managed to get out for a few hours on Saturday morning with Marc HERE and today Lee and Rachel visited and we managed to squeeze in a quick look at Snowhill Marsh after a walk round East Head HERE. Pretty quiet really, the Ruff was still at Snowhill and the Little Stints were still on Ferry and a few migrants hanging around Church Norton with a Marsh Harrier over the harbour first thing .

The weekend highlight came from the moth trap- a Heath Rustic which was a lifer. 

Marsh Harrier at dawn

Goldcrest

Wheatears on the Beach

Heath Rustic- lifer. Garden list now on 720 and year list on 540. A rare moth in West Sussex by the looks of it HERE. 

Vestals continue their good run with 9 yesterday night 

The once local legend Silver-spotted Veneer again. Must be near double figure of these now for this year. 

Brindled Green- NFY. There was over 100 Large Yellow Underwing in the trap last night which are completely dominating the catch. Around 36 species a night. 

Super September

After jamming in about 50 hours work this week I took today off to do an all-dayer locally. It was almost a perfect day with comfortable weather and light and birds everywhere, with lots of good photo opportunities. 92 species HERE in Pagham Harbour alone is a personal day record with highlights including 2 cracking juvenile Little Stints on Ferry, an Osprey, 3 Spotted Redshank, a Ruff flying around the harbour, 3 late Little Terns, 2 Redstarts, 4 Spotted Flycatchers, 3 Whinchat, 7 Wheatear and good numbers of wildfowl. A group of 6 Raven going over was unusual.

After lunch with Holly at Runcton, I then went over for the high tide at Snowhill where additional species included 6 Golden Plover, 2 Stonechat and also another Ruff. 

It was then back to Pagham Harbour. I had done North Wall and East Side in the morning so went over to Church Norton for the evening.

Juv Little Stints on Ferry

Two juv and one adult Spotted Redshank

Got the shot I was after, Redstart on the St Wilfrid's Church gravestones (above and below)

Chiffchaff with Blue Tits 

Spotted Flycatcher 

Wheatear

Whitethroat

Whinchat

Osprey with catch 

Juv Ruff

Little Terns

Juv Ringed Plover on Ferry 

Red Underwing (above) and Mullein Wave (below) have been recent moth trap highlights