Osprey

 Osprey with fish on Cockle Sands this morning.

Mudbank 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.

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.

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.