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.

Tree Pipit, Wood Carpet

Wood Carpet. Not a new species for me but the first time I've trapped one here in Exmouth and the first I've seen in a long while. Also last night - 18 Small Mottled Willow, 1 European Corn-borer, 13 Rush Veneer, 3 Silver Y, 2 Rusty Dot Pearl, 3 Dark Sword-grass, 1 White Point, 13 Portland Ribbon Wave, 1 Tree-lichen Beauty and 1 Red Admiral butterfly. Also - 1 Clouded Border and my first Six-striped Rustic of the summer amongst the usual bits and bobs.

My first Tree Pipit of the autumn flew over Orcombe this morning but otherwise migrants were a bit thin on the ground. Just 1 Sedge Warbler, 1+ Willow Warbler, 11+ Swallows, 1 Sand Martin, 5 Whitethroats and 4 Blackcaps made it into the notebook. Also - 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Green Woodpecker, 9 Skylarks, 2 Stonechats, 1 Peregrine, 1+ Cirl Bunting, 1 Kestrel, 2 Bullfinches and 1 Mediterranean Gull.

Mudbank - 54+ Whimbrel, 2+ Redshank, 5 or 6 Common Gulls, 6+ Dunlin and 1 Turnstone. Couldn't face counting the sizeable Mallard flock this afternoon.

9/8 - Mudbank - 67 Whimbrel, 430+ Mallard, 2 Common Gulls, 1 Greenshank and 2 Redshank.

8/8 - Mudbank - 4 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 375+ Mallard, 62 Whimbrel and 1 Grey Wagtail. Across the river - 8+ Buzzards and 1 Goshawk airborne.

Bystock - 1 Crossbill, 2+ Siskin, 1 Willow Warbler, 1+ Bullfinch and 1 juvenile Moorhen accompanying an adult.

7/8 - Mudbank - c400 Mallard, 2 Greenshank, 2 Redshank, 54 Whimbrel, 1 Knot, 1 Ringed Plover, 9 Dunlin and 12 Great Crested Grebes. Across the other side of the river - 2 Goshawks.

Tree-lichen Beauty.

White Point.

Common White Wave. Also trapped on 9/8 - 2 European Corn-borer, 10 Rush Veneer, 8 Portland Ribbon Wave, 20 Small Mottled Willow, 1 Vestal and 2 Rusty Dot Pearl. Additionally of interest - 1 Pale Prominent, 1 Golden-rod Pug, 1 Buff-tip, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorn, 1 Orange Swift, 1 Rosy Rustic and 1 Yellow-barred Brindle.

Golden-rod Pug

Stonechat - Orcombe Point.

Peppered Moth caterpillar - Blackhill Quarry.

This is one of two Comma butterfly pupae hanging on a wall a few doors down our road.

Peregrine.

Juv Swallows

Juvenile Swallows - Orcombe Point this evening.

Green Sand, Reed Warbler

Reed Warblers never show this well for me. I fact I usually struggle to see them at all in Exmouth.

A Green Sandpiper flew over the house (unseen) early on before heading over to the river where it called another couple of times. My first in Exmouth this year. On Orcombe Point - 1+ Willow Warbler, 2 Sedge Warblers, 1 Reed Warbler and 5+ Blackcaps. Also my first Meadow Pipit of the autumn flew high west and at least 2 of the three juvenile Stonechats are still present around the Geoneedle. Four Ravens flew through and both Sparrowhawk and Peregrine were on the prowl.

Off Mudbank - 1 Greenshank, 2 Redshank, 41 Whimbrel and high numbers of Mallard still. An Osprey flew into Powderham park with a fish at 0932.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg. Yet another example of a species that's not uncommon and yet this is the first I've trapped here in Exmouth. Also last night - 1 Ni Moth, 1 Turnip, 3 Rusty Dot Pearl, 16 Small Mottled Willow, 2 Dark Sword-grass, 1 Tree-mallow Tortrix Cocidosema plebejana, 7 Portland Ribbon Wave and 1 Rush Veneer.

Mudbank today - just a quick look with the 6cy Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Redshank and c400+ Mallard noted. Earlier, off the seafront - c105 Sandwich Terns and a Mediterranean Gull. 

Yesterday off Mudbank - c420 Mallard, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Greenshank, 43+ Whimbrel, 40+ Sandwich Terns, 4 Common Terns, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and 2+ Ringed Plovers. Also the 6cy Yellow-legged Gull again present.

3/8 - Mudbank - 1 Redshank, 390+ Mallard, 1 juvenile Mediterranean Gull, 2 Common Gulls, 45+ Whimbrel, 1 Sand Martin and a juvenile Peregrine lazily practicing some hunting skills over Cockle Sands. Bystock - 1 Redstart and 3+ Spotted Flycatchers.

Tree-Mallow Tortrix Crocidosema plebejana.

Ni Moth.

Brindled Poplar Tortrix Epinotia nisella.

Flame Carpet.

Trapped on 4/8 - 2 Striped Hawkmoths (both pictured above), 26 Small Mottled Willow, 4 Dark Sword-grass, 5 Rusty Dot Pearl, 13 Rush Veneer, 2 European Corn-borer, 2 Silver Y, 4 Turnip and 1 Vestal. Also of interest - 2 Wax Moth, 2 Cream-bordered Green Pea, 1 Oak Eggar, 1 Elephant Hawkmoth, 1 Poplar Hawkmoth, 1 Pale Mottled Willow and 1 Tawny-barred Angle.

Oak Eggar - this is a male being smaller and darker than the huge golden female.

Male Redstart - Bystock Meadow 3/8.

 Juvenile Spotted Flycatcher.

Another Osprey

This Osprey flew straight upriver without pausing at 0810 this morning, passing over Powderham Castle in the above photo. Little else off Mudbank today apart from 54 Whimbrel, 1 Dunlin, c25 Sandwich Terns, 1 Teal and 1 Redshank.

Orcombe was really quiet first thing with just 8 Canada Geese and a Redshank past of note.

Kestrel - Orcombe Point.

Wood Sand

A stroll around Bystock mid-morning revealed at least 1 Marsh Tit still present. Also 1+ Spotted Flycatcher on the fence at the bottom of the meadow. Two Snipe flew up through the reserve calling - presumably flushed by one of the many dogs off the lead up there.

Very little time proper birding today but the clear highlight was a Wood Sandpiper present on the shrinking Cockle Sands between 0744 and 0755 when it flew off high north. Remarkably only my third ever in Exmouth! The only other stuff noted was the continuing flock of 300+ Mallard and lingering 2 Common Gulls. An earlier walk round Orcombe produced at least 5 Willow Warblers but little else.

Yesterday Orcombe early on - 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull, 4 Canada Geese, 5+ Willow Warblers, 5+ Sedge Warblers, 4+ Blackcaps and 1 Whitethroat.

 Snipe - Bystock.