Weekend round-up

The highlight of this weekend was the first good autumn seawatch at Selsey Bill with 13 Balearic Shearwaters (now called Mediterranean Shearwater and lumped with Yelkouan Shearwater in the new AviList global taxonomy HERE) but I missed it all as had promised Jacob that I would play Monopoly and Chess with him this morning- and he beat me at Chess to boot. I still need any species of shearwater for the Peninsula and Manx and Balearic were seen today so hopefully I catch up with them at some point this autumn.  

I did manage to get a couple of hours at Church Norton yesterday evening HERE where the highlights were a cracking juvenile Kittiwake and a nice summer plumage Knot.

The moth traps were much quieter this morning after the cold front, rain and wind that brought the shearwaters in moved across the region last night. It was a lot busier on Saturday morning with over 120 species including my first Saltmarsh Plume. Now on 598 for the Lodge and 487 for the year. 

Juvenile Kittiwake

Adult Little Tern- quite a few juveniles have fledged now too 

Adult Sandwich Tern with Sand eel 

Juvenile Sandwich Tern 

Summer plumage Knot 

What looks like a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull (although not sure if can rule out juvenile Lesser Black-back on this view?- although the pale inner primary window is better for Yellow-legged but apparantely this feature is variable) 

Whimbrel and Sand Martins- around 200 Sand Martins appeared over the harbour in the evening

Saltmarsh Plume - a lifer 

Medmerry RSPB

Walked from Easton Lane Car park to the Stilt Pool and then onto the Breach along the beach. 60 species of nearly 1200 individuals, highlights included 200+ Sand Martins resting up on the Beach, my first Yellow Wagtail of the autumn, a juvenile Little Ringed Plover on Stilt Pool and 2 Greenshank and 7 Common Sandpiper too. There was also a male Dartford Warbler singing . Ebird list HERE

Another busy night in the moth traps back at the Lodge with over 100 species of approx 250 individuals with highlights including Marbled Green, Saltern Ear. the first Jersey Tigers for the year and Crescent. Now edging closer to the target 600 species for the garden with 594 after today and 478 for the year.

Sand Martins, mainly juveniles, gathering on the Beach

Greenshank- looks like an adult. 

Marbled Green

Saltern Ear

Jersey Tiger

Crescent

Channel Islands Pug- getting these almost daily now 

Church Norton, Roseate Tern

Finally caught up with the Roseate Tern at Church Norton yesterday evening thanks to Marc Read who was at Pagham Spit and picked it up from there and let me know. The blustery south west wind from the last few days finally calmed down yesterday and the evening was calm and the light fantastic so it was great to enjoy the ambience of the tern colony there as the sun was going down. About 300 Sandwich Tern and 300 Med Gulls were on the mud and islands with smaller numbers of Little and Common Terns. There were 3-4 Whimbrel about and the first two Shelducks that I've seen in a while locally. Ebird list HERE. I think I'm on 171 for the local year list now and 193 all time for the Peninsula. Will need to update properly soon but since last update Curlew Sandpiper,  Yellow-legged Gull and Roseate Terns were year ticks and Collared Pratincole and Lesser Yellowlegs were Peninsula ticks.

The moth trap was slow in the strong winds but a calm muggy cloudy night produced a good catch last night with several new for years. Now on 468 for the year and 589 all time. Webb's Wainscot, Silky Wainscot and Ear moth agg were new for years and Poplar Bent-wing was new for the Lodge. 

Adult Roseate Tern 

Juvenile Med Gull - plenty of these around now . Also the first juvenile Herring Gulls out too. 

Sandwich Terns including juveniles

Ear moth agg- have retained this for dissection to see what species it is. 200725- Colin Pratt, the CMR says I can have this as an Ear Moth. According to the Sussex Moth Group website there are no records of Crinan Ear in the county and only a couple of records of Large Ear in the north of East Sussex. 

Tawny barred angle - a new for year 

Poplar Bent-wing, Phyllocnistis unipunctella - might actually be a lifer

Soundscape from Church Norton- Sandwich Terns, Curlew, Little Egret, Herring Gull, Oystercatcher

Autumn picking up

Trying to get back into the routine of spending Monday in the field now that autumn is picking up. After doing the moths I checked out Ferry (one single Black-headed Gull on this sorry looking state), Mill Pond Marsh and I then went over to east side and checked out North Wall, White's Creek, East side and Pagham Spit. Ebird list HERE, 67 species of over 1000 birds, highlights including two adult and one juvenile Yellow-legged Gull and thirteen wader species including a summer plumage Spotted Redshank in White's Creek and Greenshank, Green and Common Sandpiper at Mill Pond Marsh. Also had my first Shovelers of the autumn at Mill Pond Marsh where there were also some Teal and a family party of eleven Gadwall. 

There were a couple of mixed autumn passerines flocks too with Long-tailed and Blue Tits carrying a few Chiffchaffs and Reed and Sedge Warblers and a few family parties of Whitethroats about while a few Sand Martins and Swallows were migrating through. All in all, what with the blustery south west wind and all the migrants, today felt like the first proper day of autumn. 

The moth traps were busy last night with over 300 individuals of around 120 species. Highlights included a Hook-tip Grass moth (a lifer) and the first Pine Carpet for the year. Now 585 for the garden and 461 for the year. 

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

Black-tailed Godwits 

The main theme of the harbour is still large flocks of Med and Black-headed Gulls and the racous tern colonies 

Ringed Plover- intersesting that this one has quite a well defined orange orbital ring 

Juvenile Sedge Warbler 

Hook-tip Grass Moth, Platytes alpinella- a lifer. Not too  many records in West Sussex by the looks of it HERE

Pine Carpet 

Weekend

A bit of an artery hardening weekend with mainly shopping yesterday, chores this morning and then a school choir concert this afternoon. Managed to get out to have a look at the terns at Church Norton on Saturday for a couple of hours- still no Roseate Tern for me but still a spectacle there.

A few new moths but overall the number of moths has dropped off significantly despite the current heatwave. However the winds are pretty local and with some easterly in them so not too many migrants and the nights are very clear. Garden list now on 583 and year list 455. Aiming for 600 and 500 respectively by the end of this year with any luck. 

A couple of weeks away from a road trip to France with the family so counting down the days for the next adventure. The birding seems to be picking up on the Peninsula too with a big movement/arrival of Sand Martins and some Barn Swallows over the North Wall and quite a few new waders in including the first Spotted Redshank at Breach Pool this morning. Hoping to get out tomorrow to have a day in the field. 

Brown-veined Wainscot- a new for year

The concert was at Bishop Palace Garden at Chichester Cathedral which is really nice garden with some fantastic trees

Meanwhile back at our humble abode some of the socialist architecture softening gardening is beginning to make a difference to the front of the house with the help of some Gladioli and Lillies, the small tree planting and the climbers and trellis on the front of the house which hopefully will cover the front wall eventually. The caravan air bnb is more or less booked up every weekend now which is good. 

Bits and bobs in the week

I managed to get out birding a couple of times this week locally. The highlights have been the booming tern and gull colony at Church Norton and the beginning of wader passage at Mill Pond Marsh. I've still not managed to connect with the Roseate Tern that keeps appearing at Church Norton but the sight of the hundreds of Sandwich Terns, Little and Common Terns and hundreds of Med Gulls is incredible. 

The RSPB estimate about 100 breeding pairs of Sandwich Tern and 35 breeding pairs of Little Terns (More here) with many young already fledged but it's been a late start to the season and still plenty of juveniles to fledge.

Meanwhile at Mill Pond Marsh there has been one or two Green and Common Sandpipers, a Greenshank and up to 9 Blackwits. Sand Martins are also on the move at the moment with several over the garden and seen across flying over other areas of the Peninsula including Mill Pond Marsh. 

The moth trap has been the main focus of interest still with plenty of highlights this week. I made a couple of moth trapping investments this week, first a new Robinson's trap to go with the twin-actinic electrics I already have and I finally took the plunge and bought a Lepiled which has arrived but is missing a bit so not tested it yet. Now on 580 for the garden and 445 for the year. 

Also been getting on with work around the Lodge. Matt was here yesterday and worked on the roof , clearing the gutters, sanding down the fascias ready for painting next week and also did the lawns and a bit on the mini-farm. 

Sandwich and Common Terns and Med and Black-headed Gulls at Church Norton

Plenty of juvenile birds around including Med Gulls 

There was an emergence of flying ants over the garden yesterday morning which attracted hundreds of Med and Black-headed Gulls. Apparantely the flying ant swarms only occur in mid July during temperatures above 22 C and light breeze. Winged virgin Queens and winged males take to the air to meet and mate and then the Queens go off to start a new ant colony- the males go off to die. The females are larger than the males. 

Moth highlight of the week was this Crescent Striped - a lifer

Large Clothes Moth- another lifer

Another Bright Wave

Drinker- new for year and always great to see

According to Obsidentify this is likely to be a Channel Islands Pug? It does seem to show the elongated discal spot. 120725 update- yes confirmed by CMR. Another lifer. 

The Ni Moth lure is consistently attracting Dewick's Plusia- up to three and also a few Silver-Ys. No Ni moth yet.

Plumed Fan-foot appeared for the first time this week for the year

The new (second) Robinson's. Can run two Robinson's a night now, one an MV and one twin-actinic. Once I get the Lepiled going will be able to run three traps. 

View from the scaffolding while its still up . Might have to try one of the moth traps up here. 

So the goose comes with us everywhere now