The fourth wave

It's back up to nearly 30 C today and across the country even higher temperatures. I've been working in London yesterday and stuck in the office again today but there has been some migrant activity in the moth trap to provide some interest. 

There was also a Willow Warbler, surprisngly singing, in the garden this morning- my first of the autumn. 

Seems like these dry and sunny conditions have been going on too long becuase there doesn't seem to be many butterflies or other insects in the garden and there was probably only 100 or so individual moths of 40-50 species last night across three traps. Maybe it's the lull between summer and autumn insect populations?

The front garden pond is becoming an increasingly busy drinking spot for the local birds. 

Small Marbled- always nice to see. The proportion of migrant moths is quite high. 

Cosmopolitan- a new for year

Another two Silver-spotted Veneers over the last couple of days. Now five records this year, unrecorded previous to this year here. 

Fleabane Pearl- another NFY

Black-tailed Skimmer- a new for garden. Also had lots of water beetles in the traps last night so presumably drought movements

We grew artichokes this year and had one for dinner tonight (with tomatoes and potatoes from the garden too followed by blackberry, elderberry and rhurbard crumble also from the garden) 

Common Shrew and a glimpse of a Hedgehog. There's also Wood Mice in the log sheds and Short-tailed Field Voles in the meadow.. and Brown Rats by the ducks which are not so welcome 

Goshawk Pagham Harbour

Another Monday and another day in the field. I contemplated going to twitch the Long-tailed Shrike but the thought of five hours in the car put me off. I've already seen 13 Long-tailed Shrikes this year when in Thailand and seen many in Asia before but I do need it for my Western Palearctic list but I still couldn't muster up the energy.  If it's still there on Thursday there's a chance I might meet up with mates to twitch it which will be more fun. 

Anyway so I decided to do the usual rounds locally. I only had the morning becuase once Holly and the kids found out I wasn't going twitching I was roped in for afternoon activities. So I set out early and ahead of the high tide checked out Mill Lane and Ferry and then over to East side for the rising tide. I met the North wall crew over there and then Andrew arrived too but between all of us we couldn't find anything too exciting. The juvenile Spoonbill which arrived a few days ago was still around, as were the 3 Spotted Redshanks, there was a Yellow Wagtail in the saltmarsh but surprisingly fewer waders than earlier in the autumn HERE. 84 species of over 1500 individuals. 

I decided to go to Pagham Spit to check out any high tide roosting birds there and the others guy went back. I wasn't expecting too much and indeed there were only a few Ringed Plover and Dunlin on the gravel islands but there were very large numbers of Med Gulls (about 750) and an adult and two juv Little Terns still. I started walking back beginning to think I should have gone twitching and also contemplating the relatively low rewards with local birding over the last many weeks which I'd also discussed with Andrew. Apart from the Ring-necked Parakeet (!) I hadn't seen any local scarcities or rarities since mid-June. 

Then suddenly all the Med Gulls and Sandwich Terns roosting on the spit islands went up calling loudly which started spreading to the harbour too. I suspected a raptor maybe a Peregrine and then caught sight of an accipter only a few tens of meters away and relatively low too. A quick look in the bins and something wasn't right so I quickly went for the camera and started firing off shots and through the lens could just about make out streaks on the breast. I followed the bird as it went low over the harbour putting everything up, causing a massive commotion. A quick check of the photos confirmed what I was suspecting- a juvenile Goshawk. It wasn't a massive bird so presumably a juvenile male. I put the news out and then saw it again heading towards Norton and then updated the news but lost it after that. It seemed to fly off over Norton towards Selsey. 

Apparantely only the 2nd record of Goshawk this century for the Peninsula so a good Peninsula tick and unlike Long-tailed Shrike also a world year tick, now on 904 HERE. 'Dare-to-be-dull' and staying local paid off again. 

Juvenile Goshawk (all images above)

Juvenile Spoonbill and Whimbrel

Adult moulting Spotted Redshank

Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks- Redshank was the only wader today that have increased in number

Another Striped Hawkmoth last night . Also another smart Clouded Buff, Bordered Straw, 3 Vestals and a Palpita vitrealis. 

Colin Pratt says this is White-line Snout which will be a lifer (obsidentify says a Pinion-streaked). Now on 485 for the garden year and 699 for all time. Fingers crossed for an Eastern Bordered Straw for moth number 700. 

More moth mig

The alarm went off at the usual 5am today and I was shocked to notice it still seemed dark. For the first time in literally weeks and weeks it was overcast and at around 830am there was actually a very brief period of very light rain. Unfortunately no respite for the thirsty and dry land locally but there has been some rain regionally and importantly some rain in the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands where a national emergency was declared recently due to wildfires. We are heading there on our summer holidays next week so this is good news for us as they were evacuating villages near to where we are planning on staying.

National emergencies have been declared, due to wildlfires, in France and Spain and actually near to where we went on holiday in France this time last year. We actually booked Scotland this year as mitigation for weather risk because it always seems a gamble booking a summer holiday in southern Europe now due to the risk of oppressive heat and wildfires (I almost dipped Blue Chaffinch in Gran Canaria due to wildfires too during the summer holidays). 

There's always a call during these situations for someone to do something about the climate emergency but I think as most people agree, the ability to make long term plans or mitigate for future risk is not possible in our governing systems. A liberal democracy with a four year rolling political system can only make short term plans and react to emergencies. Nobody is going to vote for compulsory responsible consumption and travel and no corporate lobbyists are going to lobby poltiicains for redistribution of wealth, the reconnection of people to nature and a more eco-social blueprint to governing systems. 

Sadly we are on this ride to the bitter end- escalating climate chaos, a deepening ecological crisis and the fundamental collapse of our economic systems. It's either blindingly obvious that we are in the midst of this or just willful blindness. 

Anyway the 'upside' of the climate emergency is the great moth trapping and studying (and getting inspired by) how our co-inhabitants of this planet are adapting to climate change and the insects are certainly on the march northwards and dispersing in these conditions. The highlight in the light traps last night among 92 species were four Striped Hawkmoths and six NFYs in total. There was also another Light Crimson Underwing. So its not all bad news! 

Striped Hawkmoth- usually a denizen of the desert and southern Europe. According to the Portland blog these fresh individuals could be locally south coast bred individuals. 

A well marked Gypsy Moth- not all our insect colonisers are welcome, In 1995 the government tried to eradicate this potential pest but have since given up. 

I'm getting to the stage where I'm not posting photos of former mega migrants (such as Ni-moths and Bordered Straws etc) but I can't bring myself not to post this bad photo of our third Light Crimson Underwing which a few weeks ago was on top of the wish list

Marbled Green- a new for year

Saltmarsh Knothorn- a first for year

Clay Triple-lines- another NFY

Black-dot Stilt, Caloptilia populetoreum- NFY

Before family summer holiday proceedings, which today included going to church and then to the theme park rollercoastering (above) I popped into Mill Lane marsh to see if any waders had dropped in with the frontal conditons- 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Snipe and 12 Teal was all I could muster up

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'