Not rare but a highlight

 

A Tuesday visit to Pulborough, rather than the usual Wednesday, was a good choice with AA mentioning a sat-out Nightjar over the previous two days.  Within minutes she stopped me just before buying a coffee with word that the 'Tuesday crew' had it all scoped-up in the conifers at Fattengates. Mostly still but occasionally gaping, shuffling around and wing and tail stretching before settling back down for another nap. This was present all day until dusk but didn't reappear on Wednesday for PW et al. A quick look through notes showed this to be my first Nightjar in seven years -  where does the time go!! Further checking showed the only other daytime perched up Nightjars were in Bulgaria (2010) and at Obedska Bara (1978), then in Yugoslavia but now in Serbia.

Four Cattle Egrets, four Stonechats and two Reed Buntings feeding amongst a mass of Goldfinches and a perched up Kingfisher were the best of the rest An eagle was apparently hiding in the vegetation of its 'usual tree' but invisible to me and everyone else in the hide without a scope. 

Later, at WWT six Cattle Egrets and increasingly noisy and active youngsters in the hidden nests. Another Kingfisher, a brief flyby, and a Great White Egret constantly striding away from a typically irate Mute Swan.

A brief coffee outing Thursday produced a dashing Hobby chasing a passerine south over Hilliers but it seemed to lose interest and slipped off westwards.

And Friday saw pulses of Swallows heading north into the wind as the rain eased with birds over the house,  more over the harbour and even birds over Warblington whilst stopped at the railroad crossing.

Plenty of these Garden Spiders locally along with a few paired migrant Hawkers, a couple of Green Woodpeckers and the first Jay of the autumn. Last Thursday saw the first returning Brent Geese, a tight group of ten, whilst waiting at the Farlington traffic light.

Middle month tedium

The warmer days have seen plenty of Common Darters, many mating or ovipositing and the odd patch of umbellifer has had a fair few Turnip Sawflies. 

A single Great White Egret high over MSH and then soaring higher still and out to the west was a precursor for the six in the meadow loafing and preening with three Glossy Ibises amongst them - all very Mediterranean!!

The Dunlin below was squelching through the mud alongside three or more Common Sandpipers and a few Redshank; Snipe were up to 15+. Sadly, no better waders here nor any decent migrants. 

The ringers must almost be bankrupt with the cost of ringing Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs although the former can me amazingly invisible to us normal birders.

Locally, plenty of Garden Spiders and Nursery Web Spiders plus this Common Damselfly, the tenth species of Odonata of the year at this small spot. Any other species would be 'megas' here.

The last meadow session this year at GWH with Chris and John was certainly well-attended presumably, because as an open day, it was free!! I ducked out half way round to head off for lunch. The Danewort looks good in fruit. Just a few Ivy Bees, Hornets and this Sargus bipunctatus perched up near the pond. A minimum of five, and maybe as many as ten, Ravens were overhead.

What will probably prove to be the last moth trap of the year in increasingly wet conditions  produced the hoped for Lunar Underwing,  a common moth, but only the second here and all others being eight years ago!! This Rusty Dot Pearl adopted the 'Vulcan bomber' pose rather than the the more usual 'Concorde' shape.

This miniscule fly was in the moth trap and barely 3 m.m. long. Despite cooling for a while it set off up the conservatory window making any pictures a challenge!! Apps and FB Diptera expertise came up with Tephritis praecox, a spreading species possibly causing problems for growers of Calendula/Marigold.

Local stuff... and some old stuff

 

These caterpillars on birch amounted to about 20 individuals yesterday and in the fullness of time will turn into Bufftip moths. I checked some other birch in the same area today but couldn't find any more caterpillars. 

The small pond and its surrounding scrub is now a temporary home to Migrant Hawker dragonflies - only two today struggling low down in the very windy conditions.

Curiously, Small Dusty Wave moth (above) is something I've never seen in a trap, only ever settled on fencing or in this case the glass panel near the front door, and not for the first time.

With such a cool and windy night the trap held little, three L-albums being the best and freshest - no migrant Covolvulous nor Small Mottled Willows for me - and just a Rusty Dot Pearl representing immigrants.

Locally, an increase in Tufted Ducks to over a dozen and the first five Shovelers of the autumn included two eclipse drakes.

Whilst trying to switch off flickr emails I realised I still had old pictures on there including these below- these two Wrynecks were much more obliging that Sunday's TH bird!!

Long-billed Dowitcher from Poole Park, LRPs from Blashford and Shore Lark from Cuckmere

An autumn speciality

Yesterday's visit to TH, the first for 10 weeks without access to the west side, was pretty uninspiring with just Kingfisher, some visible Water Rails on the river with several others heard and good numbers of hirundines, mostly Sand Martins.

By teatime it transpired that a Wryneck had been seen by a visitor but posted 6 hours later much to the chagrin of everyone else who was on site!

Luckily, the ever reliable MF was on site early today to refind the bird in the area of the ant hills which previous year's birds have favoured.

The bird showed on and off and, although its definitely a top-ten bird for me, its location between the road and the fence line ensured it would always be distant. Thunder and lightning were over the IOW and Southampton water and a waterspout was briefly off to the east but quickly dissipated. A coffee from the van was welcome and just in time, as the rain arrived and the thunder and lightning moved closer. Luckily, it  didn't come to much although there was torrential rain between Hill Head and the motorway. Back in Pompey it didn't look as if it had rained at all.

This Snipe popped out in front of MSH briefly and it was nice to see a few juvenile Black'wits.

And a few moths from yesterday morning.

A Beautiful Plume, a Garden Tiger egg laying on the fence and a Snout.

End of summer - autumn starts here.

 

(Toadflax Pug, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Angle Shades, Heralds, Agrypnia varia, Cypress Pug, L-album Wainscot, Marbled Beauty, Yellow Shell, Clancy's Rustic)

No birding to speak of in the last week and a short visit to Titchfield was a let down with only one hide open and the west side works still ongoing. Just as well SDOS cancelled their visit tomorrow; let's hope RSPB Pulborough volunteers dont have to next month!!

A 'surprise' raptor watch over coffee at Hilliers with M had 10-12 Buzzards and a Kestrel but sadly nothing more interesting, although one juvenile Buzzard, with the slightly different structure, did have me doing a double-take - but sadly, Honey-buzzard isnt going to trouble my list this year!!

Nowhere near other people's catches but a few interesting nights produced about 240/40 in total including some NfGs and a few I've not caught very often.

This caddisfly above was new and reasonably identifiable and confirmed by FB experts; the few Cinammon Sedge (Limnephilus species) were suggested as flavicornis or marmoratus. Otherwise bycatch has been very small with not a single wasp this year nor any beetles.

The Heralds above were both very fresh and, I think, roosting/hibernating/ diapaused(??) under a garden picnic table rather than attracted to light.

A brief visit to the art exhibition at the old Rookesbury school was something different but the only three pieces that took my eye were silly-money so I spent no more that coffee and bacon roll!!

And finally, another trap session was much reduced in numbers and variety but at least added another species to the garden list in the form of Dark Spectacle; although common, until now I've only a record of that species from Blashford.

 

Yesterday Titchfield was typically quiet with no access to west side still and now the balcony has been permanently blocked off!! One Wheatear, four Common Sandpipers, two Water Rails, two Common Scoters and one of this year's juvenile Marsh Harriers was about it.  A brief stop at Broadmarsh on the way home saw three Cattle Egrets heading east and an Osprey on its usual North Binness perch.

GWH last session

Taken from Alton Nat Hist Soc and CP.

Our final Moth Night of the year was last week. Chris Piper gave us a run down of his findings... 

"Unlike July, numbers were markedly down on the same day last year. In addition to the weather over Winter and earlier this year, other factors might have been at play including the temperature low of 12c cf 17c. On the night, guests saw and enjoyed a good variety representing what is flying at the moment, such as Angle Shades, Black Arches, Brimstone, Dingy Footman etc on this occasion finishing with the delight of an Elephant Hawk-moth. In the cooler morning, we counted 155 moths of 62 species (cf 409 of 86 last year). There were far fewer wasps, hornets and other insects around as well as fewer moths. We had two notable new species for the garden - (Neo)cochylis molliculana - on the one hand just another slightly differently marked tortrix on the other, another insect apparently on the move - still described as 'very rare inland' in the Field Guides. Also a Hoary Footman (Eilemma caniola) at the moment Nationally Scarce B but spreading now it seems. Some highlights for the recorder (!) and perhaps a taste of what we saw in the morning…. 

Yellow-tail - a bit shy to reveal the reason behind the vernacular name!  

A Canary-shouldered Thorn.

A fantastically fresh Angle Shades taking moisture from the picnic table! Haven’t noticed the articulated neck quite so much before. And a view to show the rather impressive crypsis. 

More on the species can be found https://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/index.php in addition to Field Guides and apps. "

And a members talk on Thursday night in the barn covering butterflies and transects and moths over the greater Selborne area was informative. In the early part two or three Roe Deer were quite close in although they melted away into the dusk as a late night dog walker strolled around the grounds!!

Sunday morning at home was dire with just the first Flounced Rustic (below) of the year and just six other moths; it was cold and windy overnight and next Tuesday looks to be the best opportunity for the week.

PS My purchase of 100 30ml screw top specimen tubes looks to have been overly optimistic; maybe I need to offload some!!

Moths - home and away

 

Home - Dusky Thorn, Gypsy Moth, Canary-shouldered Thorn x 2 and Noble False Widow. Nice in both gardens to FINALLY not get any Jersey Tigers! 

Away - well Selborne. And the last trap of the year with Chris and Kimberley - fewer moths but more pleasantly calm after the previous fortnight's BNA visit. All done and dusted before 9.am. which meant revitalising coffee was taken at Hilliers.

Orange Swift, September Thorn, Fern (new), Pandemis corylana, Ear Moth spp, Rosy Rustic close up, Prominent wrangling and the star-of-the-show, Pretty Chalk Carpet,  also new.

The common moth Six-striped Rustic passed me by and would have been new and a possible Hoary Footman needed more examination (P.S. recorded as such by CP).

A smart Copper Underwing was also left at spp although Obsidentify was confident it was Svenssons!!

Three Roe Deer were in the meadow but bird life was pretty much nil other than a flyover Tree Pipit.