The prospect of close views of this juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper was enough to tempt me over to the Axe for the second time in as many weeks! A fabulous bird. Unfortunately it was like a rugby scrum in the hide so I didn't stay very long. Just long enough to see 1 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers and a Yellow Wagtail amongst the usual stuff.
Orcombe was quiet first thing with just 2 Yellow Wagtails, 1+ Grey Wagtail, 1 Sand Martin, 2 House Martins, 10+ Swallows, 8 Chiffchaffs and a Cirl Bunting making it into the notebook.
Mudbank - 16 Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 1 Ringed Plover, 13 Black-tailed Godwits, 21 Pintail, 64 Wigeon, 1 juvenile Knot, 1 Peregrine (on Cockle Sands), 2 Ravens, 1 Whimbrel and an Osprey.
I very nearly passed this Mugwort Pearl Loxostege sticticalis off as one of the numerous Vestals or Rush Veneers. It's a scarce migrant species that I've yet to trap in the garden.
The weedy corners of the top fields have been heaving with Vestals these last few weeks. I should have really attempted a proper count at some point but I never reached that level of motivation.
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