Red-crested Pochard

Red-crested Pochard (third from right) with Pintail and Wigeon. It looks essentially like a female with a darker crown and paler cheeks, but the black breast and under-tail coverts make it a male. Not quite sure if its an immature bird or a bird coming out of eclipse.

 

I picked this Red-crested Pochard up in with the Wigeon this evening. Unfortunately the bird was always in silhouette so I haven't got any decent photos, and I haven't quite sussed its age. An unseen shooter forced every duck and goose in to the air with a single shot, and I was unable to re-find it. Half the flock had headed towards the Warren and indeed it was picked up there this evening by Kev. Otherwise c40+ roosting Black-tailed Godwit and 7+ Redshank were the only birds of note, though I had my first Redpoll of the autumn fly over as I walked to school this morning.

Red-crested Pochard - top right. The bird appears to show black breast and grey bill so presumably a

first-winter male?

 

 

This is my third record in Exmouth following an eclipse male on 20/9/97 and a first-winter male on 9/1/10

 

Pink-barred Sallow - a nice variety of moths trapped last night included Cypress Carpet, Cypress Pug, Double-striped Pug, Common Marbled Carpet, Willow Beauty, Rusty Dot Pearl (3+), Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Silver Y (2), Coastal Pearl, Feathered Ranunculus, Barred Sallow, Sallow, Pink-barred Sallow, Lunar Underwing, Beaded Chestnut, Red-line Quaker, Vine's Rustic, Black Rustic, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Treble Brown-spot, Pale Pinion, L-album Wainscot, Long-horned Flat-body, Blood Vein, Light Brown Apple Moth, Southern Bell, Square-spot Rustic and Angle Shades.

Sallow

Pale Pinion

Red-line Quaker

Barred Sallow

L-album Wainscot

Feathered Ranunculus

Black Rustic