Five Ruff, Little Gull

The first Wigeon back. Present for its second day.

A good morning this morning. First I had a look at Bull Hill from Shelly Beach. No sign of yesterday's Roseate Tern but 185+ Common Terns, 40+ Sandwich Terns and 3 Mediterranean Gulls were roosting on there. Off Mudbank - 5 Ruff flew through and rested on Cockle Sands for a short while. Also 1 juvenile Little Gull, the first returning Pintail, yesterday's Wigeon still, 5 Teal, c70 Common Terns, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 22+ Whimbrel, 80+ Curlew, c570 Mallard (highest count so far this summer), 9 Sanderling, 2 Ringed Plovers, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 1 Grey wagtail. I didn't make it up to Orcombe 'til mid-morning and only spent thirty minutes or so in the top fields where a single fly-over Tree Pipit, 1 Collared Dove, 1 juvenile Kestrel and 14 Goldfinches were logged.

An early-returning Pintail.

Juvenile Kestrel.

Roseate Tern, Wigeon

Apparently migrant-less on Orcombe this morning but nice to have concrete proof that the Cirl Buntings have bred. The above recently-fledged juvenile (probably one of a second brood) accompanying the adult male this morning.

The river was far more productive with a look at Bull Hill from Shelly Beach, on the rising tide, producing 1 Roseate Tern, c175+ Common Terns, c20 Sandwich Terns, 4+ Mediterranean Gulls and a large juv/fw Yellow-legged Gull. Also 8 Turnstones roosting on boats off there.

Mudbank produced my first Wigeon of the year along with 1 Greenshank, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, c90 Canada Geese, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits and at least 12 Sanderling (Cockle Sands).

Yesterday - a Tawny Owl heard calling from the back garden before dawn and a quick look off the Imperial revealed c100+ Common Terns and a fly-over Yellow Wagtail.

Banded Honeysuckle Leaf-miner Phyllonorycter trifasciella. One of two new moths for the garden Sunday/Monday. This and Beech Mast Piercer Cydia fagiglandana. Also yesterday - 2 Dark Sword-grass, 1 Vestal, 1 Saltmarsh Knot-horn Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Spindle Knot-horn Nephopterix angustella, 1 Angle Shades, 1 Bordered Straw, 7 Rush Veneer, 5 Small Mottled Willow, 3 Portland Ribbon Wave, 2 Silver Y, 1 Rusty Dot Pearl, 2 European Corn-borer, 2 Turnip, 1 Tree-mallow Tortrix Crocidosema plebejana, 1 Nutmeg, 1 Delicate and 3 White-point. Additionally - 1 Burnished Brass, 1 Marbled Green, 1 Mullein Wave, 1 L-album Wainscot, 1 Rosy Rustic and 5 Pale Mottled Willow plus a load of the expected stuff.

Brindled Poplar Tortrix Epinotia nisella. Catch these regularly but they all look different! Two more recent ones pictured below.

Beech Mast Piercer Cydia fagiglandana. First garden record.

Osprey

 Osprey with fish on Cockle Sands this morning.

Orcombe quiet first thing - 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Willow Warbler, 6+ Swallows and 2 Yellow Wagtails. Off the Imperial rec this morning - 1 Grey Plover, 40+ Common Terns, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Osprey and 1 juv Yellow-legged Gull. A very quick look off Mudbank on the dropping tide - 9 Great Crested Grebes, c320 Mallard, 4 Mute Swans, 2 Redshank, 2 juv Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Sandwich Terns, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 8 Dunlin and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits. This evening - 1 Little Tern and 1 Peregrine.

Delicate. My first record this summer of a species I normally trap more frequently. Also last night - 4 Silver Y, 1 Olive-tree Pearl Palpita vitrealis, 14 Small Mottled Willow, 3 Portland Ribbon Wave, 4 Rusty Dot Pearl, 5 Rush Veneer, 1 Scarce Bordered Straw, 3 White-point, 2 Turnip and 1 Nutmeg.

My second record of Nutmeg.

Scarce Bordered Straw.

Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat

This Pied Flycatcher was feeding silently in Oaks along the very outer limits of the Exmouth parish - the footpath between Castle Lane and West Down Beacon that runs along the edge of Budleigh golf course.

Mudbank on this morning's rising tide - 100+ Common Terns, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Sanderling and 1+ Common Sandpiper.

Just a quick look at the top fields late morning in the scorching heat but worth it with my first Whinchat of the year, 1+ Wheatear and 4 Swallows.

Whinchat - Orcombe top fields. My first anywhere this year!

A small party of Common Terns past Mudbank early this morning. At least a hundred birds were feeding along the edge of Cockle Sands.

 Wheatear.

Little Tern, White Speck

White Speck - a smart immigrant species that I only catch infrequently. Also last night - 4 Silver Y, 13 Portland Ribbon Wave, 10 Small Mottled Willow, 5 European Corn-borer, 9 Rush Veneer, 6 Dark Sword-grass, 3 Turnip and 1 White-point. Also 3 Spindle Knot-horn Nephopterix angustella, 1 Beautiful Knot-horn Rhodophaea formosa, 1 L-album Wainscot and 2 Common Wainscot.

Mudbank on the early morning incoming tide - 50+ Common Terns feeding reasonably close in (a notable influx). A distant roosting flock on Cockle Sands may well have contained more birds. Also 1 juvenile Little Tern, 1 juvenile Yellow-legged Gull and a number of Sandwich Terns. Four Teal were in with the large Mallard flock (not counted) and waders included 40+ Whimbrel, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Redshank, 1 Turnstone and 4 Bar-tailed Godwits. The 6cy Yellow-legged Gull was on the cricket pitch and 1 Wheatear and 2 Kestrels were the only birds of note on a lightning-quick look at the top fields of Orcombe. Clouded Yellow butterflies weren't counted but there were many more whizzing around than yesterday.

Beautiful Knot-horn Rhodophaea formosa.

Yellow Belle - Orcombe Point.

The 6cy Yellow-legged Gull is preferring the cricket pitch to the Imperial rugby ground at the moment. Presumably because of the green square in the middle!

Saltmarsh Knot-horn

Saltmarsh Knot-horn Ancylosis oblitella. A second individual pictured below.

Highlights from last night's moth trap were my first two garden records of Saltmarsh Knot-horn. Also last night - 2 Tree-lichen Beauty, 31 Portland Ribbon Wave, 26 Small Mottled Willow, 31 Rush Veneer, 1 Dark-bordered Pearl Evergestis limbata, 1 Rusty Dot Pearl, 1 Grey Oak Knot-horn Acrobasis consociella, 2 Dark Sword-grass, 1 Turnip, 1 White-point and 1 Diamond-back. Additionally of note - 2 Marbled Green, 1 Mullein Wave, 1 L-album Wainscot, 1 Wax Moth, 1 Chinese Character, 1 Flame Carpet, 1 Golden-rod Pug, 1 Toadflax Pug, 1 Lychnis, 1 Riband Wave and 3 Sallow Kitten.

Orcombe Point this morning - 1 Sedge Warbler, 12+ Swallows, 1+ Yellow Wagtail, 2 Tree Pipits and 2+ Ringed Plovers (heard only). Also of note - 1 Hummingbird Hawkmoth and at least 9 Clouded Yellows. Off the Imperial rec first thing - 12+ Common Terns and off Mudbank late this afternoon - 1 Ringed Plover, 2 Turnstones, 1 Redshank and 12 Great Crested Grebes. Way too hot to count anything else!

Grey Oak Knot-horn Acrobasis consociella.

Bordered Straw. This was in yesterday's trap along with 14 Rush Veneer, 1 European Corn-borer, 26 Small Mottled Willow, 1 Olive-tree Pearl Palpita vitrealis, 32 Portland Ribbon Wave, 3 Rusty Dot Pearl, 3 White-point, 1 Turnip, 1 Blair's Mocha, 1 Mocha and 1 Diamond-back.

Mocha.

Bonxie

Did my usual dawn whiz round Orcombe first thing, hoping for fly-over pipits and wagtails. This Great Skua was not what I was expecting! Hard enough to see these days on a sea-watch, this bird breezed over my head along the cliff-top towards Sandy Bay, no doubt eyeing up the Kittiwake colony on Straight Point. Great bird!

Orcombe - 1 Great Skua and 1 Wheatear the only birds of any note. Also 1 Clouded Yellow.

On Cockle Sands this morning - 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 4 Dunlin.

Mudbank on this afternoon's incoming tide - 61 Whimbrel, 3 Teal, 4 Common Gulls, 1 Redshank, 1+ Ringed Plover, 9 Dunlin and the 6cy Yellow-legged Gull (earlier on the cricket pitch).

Hawthorn Moth Scythropia cratagella. Catching this species quite regularly at the moment. Also last night - 2 Olive-tree Pearl Palpita vitrealis, 18 Small Mottled Willow, 20 Portland Ribbon Wave, 3 Dark Sword-grass, 8 Rush Veneer, 3 Rusty Dot Pearl, 2 European Corn-borer, 3 Blair's Mocha and 1 Turnip. Also of note - 3 Box-tree Moth, 1 Poplar Hawkmoth and a big female Oak Eggar.

Yellow-legged Gull - Exmouth cricket pitch.