This ain't Pembrokeshire!!

 

Well,  little to report locally with all the action being on various western islands and coastlines with this being probably the best autumn for years for American passerines, if you're able to travel. Locally, this Grey Phalarope at Titchfield was the only decent bird on offer with another in company of a Red-necked Phalarope at Pennington. West Sussex has also failed to produce much although the Arun valley eagles have been good value.

Above Grey Heron, Myathropa florea and Ivy Bee and Helophilus pendulus.

Mid - September

Mothing is still pretty thin and it proved to be impossible to get to the last public session at GWH so 152/33 at home over two warm nights was better than average. The second night was a subset of the first with less individuals and substantially fewer species. An Old Lady both nights was presumably the same individual and a couple of other species were new-for-year. A few days later the catch dropped back to the usual minimal numbers with three fresh L-album Wainscots the best.

A good number of waders were present on the Farlington lake at high tide including twenty-five Greenshank. The RA fence line had at least three Whinchat and the North Binness Osprey was just visible although with 6.5/21 binoculars it could have been anything!!

A sparring pair of Kestrel and Sparrowhawk disturbed about thirty Meadow Pipits and a few Yellow Wagtails and later were probably responsible for all the waders departing the lake en masse, although most of the Greenshanks soon returned whilst all the godwits and Redshanks stayed out in the harbour.

Another recent feature has been inbound/outbound/coasting Siskins and Meadow Pipits even over the garden whilst clearing the trap or walking to local shops. Small numbers of Siskins were also evident on a local walk, at QECP(6) and Pulborough (10) whilst RCL had 100+ at Sandy Point - will this be a better-than-average finch winter?

A brief stop at Broadmarsh on a nice mill-pond-still morning saw both an adult and a 1cy Osprey fishing successfully with the latter perching up on Long Island and the former taking its catch to the usual North Binness dead trees. About 60+ Turnstone were roosting on boats and forty or more Little Egrets were moving about, some at least flushed by the Ospreys.

A catch up with PW at Pulborough prior to his birding jaunt in Spain was quiet but one brief eagle sighting and one Marsh Harrier plus a couple of Hobbies and a few waders including thirty Snipe and three Ruff were the best of the bunch. 

(Old Lady, a rather battered Aplocera spp, Rusty-dot Pearl, Dusky Thorn and Marbled Beauty)

August summary

Moths

Just half a dozen sessions in August with many nights or early mornings plagued with showers. A few new moths for the garden, namely Cypress Carpet and August Thorn. A lack of early morning's brains(!) saw my first ever Portland Ribbon Wave photographed but left unidentified for a few hours. Was feeling rather pleased at this 'first' until I noticed social media was full of them from the south-west to the south-east. Luckily, on the same day, my first Clifden Nonpareil was being held in the PB fridge and kindly showed to me by Anna. 

Late on one afternoon after the previous night's session a Poplar Hawkmoth was perched up on plants - presumably attracted to the light but hidden away enough to be missed when clearing the trap. Another unusual sighting was a moth disturbed from the vegetable rack whilst preparing the evening meal and which conveniently landed on a frying pan and sat long enough for me to pot it up - a Bloxworth Snout and only the third I've ever seen!! Sadly, despite cooling, it was too active for a photo and bolted before I could press the camera's shutter.

(Portland Ribbon Wave, Canary-shouldered Thorn(PB), Angle Shades and Poplar Hawkmoth)

Dragons

Migrant Hawker and tatty Brown Hawker at Arundel and female Southern Hawker at GWH pond.

Other inverts

Ant Damsel Bug instar, Willow Emerald Damselfly, Panzeria spp, Tachina fera, Ferdinandea cuprea, Paracorymbia fulva, Tiphia femorata and Athalia rosae.

Arundel Saturday 2nd

An impromptu visit to WWT saw a nice catch up with Ian and Sue who I've not seen for many years and a long chat with Jonathan.

Typically a Kingfisher was catching its breakfast in the shadow of the nest bank whilst my own brekkie was being consumed! 

Bird wise the main pool was devoid of birds - I've never seen it so quiet but a little surprise was waiting. Exiting the hide a bird flashed passed and, if it had dived into cover would have been dismissed as a LBJ but luckily it chose to perch up in a berry tree/bush and showed brilliantly for a couple of minutes - a Wryneck! Sadly, it dashed off out of sight and I couldn't relocate it. A nice year tick, a reserve tick and one of my top 10 autumn birds.

Later, decent numbers of Chiffchaff were passing through the Black Poplars as is usual in September here.  The main pool livened up with two Common Sandpipers chasing each other up and down, another sighting of Kingfisher and two Cattle Egrets, one still showing some head colour. A few chattering Swallows were literally a great heads-up for a fine Hobby and later a couple of hundred Swallows and House Martin's dropped into view before dispersing. 

And finally, closer to home, a typically distant Osprey on usual North Binness tree from Broadmarsh, so about half a mile away.