Back to the patch and the fifth wave

It was a bit topsy turvy coming back from the holiday rain and cool temperatures in Scotland to the hot and dry conditions back home, exaggerated by the beginning of the fifth heat wave this summer. It really has been an extreme summer this year with several serious wildfires and droughts across the country. Our local area is on an extreme fire risk warning. 

Thanks to Kath and Kyle our plants and pets were kept alive while away (apart from our Mexican Red Knee that mysteriously died despite having all it should need). I got on with watering everything as soon as I got back yesterday.

So yesterday afternoon was spent just catching up in the garden. It was quite lively on the bird front HERE with a nice flock of mixed hirundines on the front garden phone wires and one or two juvenile Sparrowhawks playing cat and mouse with them. 

This morning I headed over to East Side and walked to the Spit and back and then went over to Mill Lane and Ferry HERE. 74 species of over 2500 individuals. Mill Lane Marsh has dried out but fortunately the RSPB have partly flooded Ferry again. Highlights included an influx of autumn wildfowl with 18 Teal, 3 Shoveler and 8 Gadwall, huge numbers of Med Gulls (I estimated 1500), 9 Yellow Wagtails in White's Creek and my first 2 Wheatears of the autumn. A nice little selection of waders on the rising side with 14 species including 4 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 7 Whimbrel and 6 Knot. An adult Peregrine was out hunting over the spit at high tide. Oystercatcher numbers have gone up to nearly 90 HERE where as Black-tailed Godwit has dropped right off HERE. 

The moth traps were quite lively with 90 species inlcuding 8 Portland Ribbon Wave and 2 Blair's Mocha which have been scarce this year so far.  Also a few NFYs, now on 494 for the year and a Delplanqueia dilutella/inscriptella - a first for site. Straw Underwings have appeared now too. Other 'migrant' species included two Cydia amplana, four Silver-Y, four Rusty-dots, 2 Dark Sword Grass, a single Diamond-back and Vestal, two Delicates, about 25 Small Mottled Willow, 9 Rush Veneer, six European Corn Borer and a handful of White-points.  Derek over in Bracklesham has had extremely high numbers of Small Mottled Willow over the last week- no obvious increase round here. Also a couple of Yellow Belles. 

Seems like more butterflies around (Common Blues and Brown Argus are in the garden meadow) and there was a Ruddy Darter in the garden yesterday too. 

Sand Martin( above) and Swallow and Sand and House Martins on the front wires

Sand and House Martins

Juvenile Sparrowhawk

Whimbrel- a few more of these today

Autumn ducks- Gadwall and Shoveler (above) and Teal (below). Oddly the Teal were out on the sea/harbour entrance. 

Wheatear- my first of the autumn . There was a small influx today on the Peninsula with 3 at the bill, 2 at Norton, one on the wall and the 2 on the spit.  Despite the clear blue skies and high pressure there was a brisk south east wind today which could have held up migrants. As usual all the local bird news HERE. 

Huge numbers of Med Gulls were out on the Spit 

The Pagham Harbour Common Seals have peaked at 10 individuals (9 here and one by the harbour entrance) 

Delplanqueia dilutella/inscriptella- retained for critical examination. Either species would be a first for the garden. 

Rosy Knot-horn- NFY at last  

According to I-Nat AI this is Common Groundhopper. Latest pan species observations from the garden HERE

It must be August not just because Wheatears have returned, hirundines are gathering on the wires and the first autumn ducks have arrived but also because there is an abundance of food ready for harvst in the garden now

Scotland Road Trip Days Nine and Ten

The last two days of our trip were basically driving back home with a few stops. After leaving Blyth and Jacob's first full English breakfast with black pudding, we had a quick stop at Heddon-on-the-wall to see Hadrian's Wall for Jacob's school photo and then we headed to Bakewell in the Peak District for the rest of the day and sleep over. We had lunch and a stroll round Bakewell and a drive round the moor in the hope of Red Grouse but it was very busy with tourists.

Today we woke up early and headed back to Holly's old home in Worminghall to visit her parent's grave and then completed the last couple of hours of the journey home back to Sidlesham. 

A great little trip. Sadly very little in the way of proper natural history stuff on the way home but if we do Scotland again I would do a longer stop over around Holy Island and the Farne Islands and the Lakes too. Kentish Glory is an April moth so could be the focus of a longer easter trip. 

Our route

The Peak District (above and below) 

Hadrian's Wall at Heddon-on-the-wall 

Scotland Road Trip Day Eight

Sadly our journey south began today. We left the Highlands and stopped off for lunch and a city walk in Edinburgh before heading south for our overnight at Blyth. Blyth is a stark contrast to the wild Highlands and is actually a pretty grim place but we found some good fish and chips at Coastline restaurant at South Beach and the beach is okay. We ended up here because it was one of the few affordable places to stay over night last minute.

The moth traps were unfortunately dissappointing at Invernahavon on the last night as the wind was really strong. Final lep tally for the trip was 87 species HERE with no new last night lifers. There were actually quite a few confusing moths too (see photos). 

One of the most interesting aspects about the moths this week was the incredible diversity of several of the commoner species. Check out the variation on these July Highflyers HERE and the Dotted Clays HERE. The Lesser Yellow Underwings were also remarkably variable HERE.  Also the Dark Marbled Carpets were really variable HERE. 

I managed to get a lot of my target moth species but didn't get the mountain carpets because of a lack of access to high altitude due to the wildfires. I also didn't get Exile. So a few major misses but a good excuse to try more mountain areas for moths. Also a lot of Scotland's best moths like Kentish Glory and the special underwings are not flying this time of year so definitely thinking of some more trips.

Targeting moths is the most suitable semi-serious natural history exploring when on family holiday as it's something that works passively over many hours at night and just involves processing them before everyone else is even awake and a quick set up when everyone has gone to bed. Trying to target some of the Caledonian bird and mammal species with a young family is more of less impossible and I've seen everything here before anyway. 

Tomorrow we head to the Peak District on our slow journey back south for another overnight. 

Neglected Rustic- quite a few of these although I'm not entirely sure this one isn't a Square-spot Rustic lookalike. Here's a link to one I'm more confident of HERE. 

Twin-spot Carpet. Male (above) and female (below)

The apps say this is Dark Brocade but not sure if it's that or a Common Rustic agg

Rufous Minor is a likely Marbled minor agg candidate in the area and this one fits the bill but presumably requires critical examination to confirm

Ground-moss Grey, Eudonia truncicolella- the most numerous 'scop'. 

The apps say this is Garden Dart but not sure if its a melanic Turnip- it had a pale hindwing

Another shot of the incredible Invernahavon valley this morning

Edinburgh Castle 

View from our hotel window, The Commissioners Quay Inn in Blyth. It's a sea view but quite a stark one

Scotland Road Trip Day Seven

Sadly it's our last full day in the Cairngorms today as we start our journey back south tomorrow morning.

We spent the day at the Highland Wildlife Park which was great for the kids and a nice selection of some more unusual mammals too like Mishmi Takin, Bukhara Deer, Turkmenian Markhor, Vicuna, White-lipped Deer and Himalyan Tahr among the more expected zoo mammals and a few Caledonian specialities like Wild Cat and Pine Martin. Sadly we saw a Pine Martin dead on the A9 on the way to the park but this morning we did have Red Squirrel and Roe Deer at the campsite. 

The Cairngrom exlusion zone opened today after three weeks of wild fire control so we took the drive to the Cairngorm ski resort car park. We were able to see some of the burnt area. Will be interesting how this area recolonises in the coming years. Looks a bit bleak at the moment.

I had the Heath trap out at the Ralia Cafe moorland and the lepiled at the campsite last night. Another great night of moth trapping with a few more lifers. I'm getting lifers every night and still got tonight to go so fingers crossed for one or two more. 86 species of moth and butterfly so far HERE. 

Barnacle Geese at the Wildlife Park, apparantely wild. 907 for the year now. A few other bits and bobs there too HERE including Hooded Crow (below). Still hoping that one day I find something good at these wildlife family attractions. I have seen (not found) Black-throated Thrush at Whipsnade Zoo, had a White-tailed Eagle go over Arundel WWT on a family day (and seen a few good local bits like Hen Harrier, White-fronted Goose and Goosander there) and have had Yellow-legged Gulls and Spot Fly at Wolburn Safari Park.  

Scarce Silver-Y, another top of wish list. From the Heath trap. Lifer.

Great Brocade- another top of wish list from the campsite trap. The campsite has been incredibly diverse with a nice mix of riverine birch and rush meadows backed by moorland. Lifer. 

Purple Clay, another hoped for one and a bit late in the season too. Lifer.

Twin-spot Carpet. Lifer. 

Green Arches

Pale Straw Pearl, Udea lutealis - lifer

Large Birch Bell, Epinotia brunnichana- lifer I think

Mirifircama mulinella- an unimpressive lifer.

Agonopterix assimilella- another little lifer. 110826 update- there's been a suggestion on I-nat that these are A.nervosa HERE

View from Cairngorm

View over our campsite valley at Invernahavon

Scotland Road Trip Day Six

The moth traps were a bit quieter last night with only one new lifer albiet a good one. I'm planning on putting the heath trap out on some moorland habitat nearby tonight to target some of the remaining targets. I've luckily got most of the targets from the campsite so far. As the campervan is out of action at the moment (head gasket waiting for repair) we brought the car up so didn't have much room for moth traps so I just brought the lepiled and an old heath trap up instead of the MV and twin actinic. I'll leave the lepiled at the campsite tonight and put the heath trap up on nearby moorland.

Today we went to Loch Ness and took the kids to the Loch Ness Experience and then came back via a stop at Inverness. There were some Bottlenose Whales in the Moray Firth recently but a quick check revealed nothing obvious apart from lots of Goosanders. 

In the evening I had a stoll by the river near the campsite and had a nice Dipper and lots of Scotch Argus butterflies. 

White-throated Dipper, year tick 906. 

Plenty of Willow Warblers around the campsite. Had a Crossbill and a Hen Harrier go over the campsite and we had Hooded Crow near Loch Ness today too. 

Scotch Argus- lots of these by the river. The only butterfly I've seen up here although it has been raining more or less non-stop until today.

Angle-striped Sallow- top of the wish list. Lifer.

Northern Spinach- a better photo.

Male Anamolous- what a stunner!

Dotted Carpet (above) and Suspected (below). Better photos. 

Plain Clay- last night's catch was basically more of the same from previous nights but most of them lifers before this trip

Loch Ness and Urqhart Castle- the kids enjoyed the Loch Ness Monster Centre. 

Tulloch Moor- unfortunately no sign of any Red Grouse

Dipper habitat near the campsite 

Fortunately the local wildfires are under control and the Glenmore exclusion zone is opening up tomorrow. More from the national park Here.