Digitising Moth Photos

Crimson Speckled

I've just finished digitising a big chunk of my collection of moth photos, the majority of which are in albums. I haven't added dates or locations yet but I'll get round to it at some point. The photos can be seen by clicking on the 'moths' tab on the menu bar (guessing that's what it's called) at the top of this page. So far 460+ macro species have been added and I plan to add micros (and possibly butterflies too) in due course. It's mainly for my benefit but if, like me, you enjoy looking through moth photos you may find it of use. I should point out that the majority of photos were taken in east Devon but there are some European species in there too.

Merveille du Jour

Tamarisk Peacock

Green-brindled Crescent

Old Subalp Stuff and Local Stuff

 

Western Subalpine Warbler - presumed S.c.iberiae - Higher Kineggy, Cornwall - April 11th 1996

 

The first Subalpine Warbler that I saw in Britain was way back in 1996, at Higher Kineggy in Cornwall. I twitched it with Kev and I think I'm right in saying that there was no question about which race it was. As far as I remember, back then, Subalpine Warbler was just one species and that was that, or at least as far as we were concerned. Seeing the Eastern Subalpine on Sunday prompted me to dig out my notes for that day and although my sketches are pretty crappy I'm glad I did them, because I reckon they point strongly towards it being a Western Subalp - sullied underparts (with a definite orange tinge on my sketch), not too dark on the throat and a narrow sub-moustachial too. I even mentioned there was no clean white below so perhaps I did have an inkling about eastern races back then. I can't remember and to be honest I very much doubt it! It was good to get to the 'tac' call too. I don't think I can do anything to rule out the north African Western subspecies and I don't really trust my detail on the tail. I drew what I saw but I doubt I paid much attention to the exact pattern of white on the outer retrices back then.

Prior to 1996 I remember going for a Subalp in Dorset with the legendary Pete Dennis but we dipped it. Believe it or not, before Sunday, I'd not seen another Subalp in Britain since the Higher Kineggy bird, but that just goes to show how little twitching I've done.

 

female-type Western Subalpine Warbler S.c.iberiae - Madrid 27/7/13 - common birds in Spain and fairly plentiful in southern France too.

 

Female-type Moltoni's Warbler - Corsica - 30/7/11 - This bird drew attention to itself by uttering a Mistle Thrush-like rattle - very different to Western Subalp. I saw several on Corsica but as you can see they were difficult to photograph and I devoted more of my energy to finding Marmora's Warblers that shared the same habitat. I also found Moltoni's in western Italy, on the Livorno coast - again birds were located by the odd Mistle Thrush - like call but they were sods to see.

 

As far as birds in Exmouth go - there were 3 Arctic Skuas lingering off the seafront yesterday evening and 27+ Manx Shearwaters went south during a brief spell of sea-watching.

Today there was a single Arctic Skua present along with 11 Common Scoter, 1 Sanderling, 1 Great Crested Grebe 2 Little Tern and 15+ Sandwich Tern.

Eastern Subalpine Warbler

Eastern Subalpine Warbler - Dawlish Warren - don't worry there will be much better photos of this bird elsewhere on line I'm sure!

 

For the first time in what must be weeks I had a lie-in this morning. Well 7am to be precise but that's two hours longer than usual for me at this time of year. I came downstairs to a text from Mark - 'Subalpine at the Warren'. Now I'm not normally one for twitching, as you know, but this was too much of a temptation. I've seen masses of Western Subalps (Spain, France etc), a few Moltoni's (Italy and Corsica) but no Easterns, so I had to chance it, plus it would be a Devon tick whatever it was. On  arrival at the Warren I met Kev and Bob and it quickly became apparent that it may not be easy to catch up with. Ivan had found it and Lee had seen it briefly but it had last been seen heading off across the golf course. The assembled birders included Mark Bailey, Brian Heasman, Andy Bond, Dave Jewell, Lee Collins and Bill McDonald. We began to fan out and go searching for it. I headed up towards the hide and had nearly reached the cut-through when Kev texted to say it was back in its original hawthorn. A short jog and some hurried walking later and I was stood with everybody else waiting for the bird to appear in some sallows behind the main pond. I got on it just as it flew out of the sallows and flew to another large clump, singing as it went. My first reaction on seeing it was how white it looked below. Not the orange of a Western that I was kind of expecting. It fortuitously chose to land on some bare twigs where it continued to sing right out in the open - a short warble - pleasing to the ear, being less scratchy than Whitethroat and more melodic. Bob very kindly let me look through his scope and I was met with a really stunning little male Subalpine, but one unlike any other I'd seen before. I was immediately struck at how the richly-coloured dark red throat contrasted with very white-looking underparts. Additionally it was a lovely pale powdery blue-grey up top with a nice broad white sub-moustachial stripe. The general consensus was now leaning  towards it being an Eastern Subalpine Warbler!
I would like to have stayed longer but I needed to head back home. It was great to catch up with everybody. I literally can't remember the last time I went to the Warren which is a shame as it's an exceptional little reserve. Weird to think I see it most days from Exmouth but go there so rarely.
Anyway a big thank you to Ivan for a fantastic find. One which many would agree has been an awful long time coming.

A tatty-looking migrant Painted Lady in our garden yesterday.

BTD and Pintail

Sunrise looking east towards Otter Head from just above Sandy Bay caravan park -  9/5

 

A short sea-watch from the lifeboat station after work this afternoon, just after some rain had moved through, produced two surprises in the form of a drake Pintail and a Black-throated Diver. Also recorded were c10+ Sandwich Tern, 1 Great Northern Diver and 2 Great Crested Grebe. The Pintail was sat on the sea near the numbered marker buoys and the Black-throated Diver, a summer-plumaged bird, flew in from the east and landed in the same area, last seen actively feeding and heading towards the Warren.

Wader numbers are pretty low off Mudbank. This evening's count included just c10+ Whimbrel, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 Dunlin. Two Peregrines (male and female) were sat out in the middle of the estuary.

On Tuesday morning a Yellow Wagtail (presumably Monday's Blue-headed) was on Orcombe Point and a quick check off the seafront produced an Arctic Skua, 4 Swift, 1 Ringed Plover, 2 Great Crested Grebe and c10+ Sandwich Tern.

Blue-headed Wagtail and Spot Fly

When it's good on Orcombe in the evening you know you've missed stuff! A Blue-headed Wagtail was in the newly rolled field at the top of Gore Lane late this afternoon, associating with a bunch of 6 Wheatear. A beautiful male Redstart was in the corner of the same field with a female across the road in the old dung field, and a further male in the Bristol Schools camp. Also 2 Willow Warblers (both big, washed-out colourless individuals - presumably northern birds) and my first Spotted Flycatcher of the spring. A flyover Greenshank was a good record for Orcombe.
Yesterday Rupert and I had a Red Kite flying just above tree-top height near Wright's Lane. It was heading towards the town.

Female Redstart - the 3 birds this evening take the spring Orcombe total to at least 10 birds - by far the highest number I've ever had in a spring.

Very ropey shot of the Spotted Flycatcher, glimpsed only briefly before going in to hiding.

 

Diamond-back Moth doing a pretty good camouflage job!

Odd Mix

Bar-tailed Godwit - on the beach by the Lifeboat Station shortly after dawn.

It has been a bit of an odd day weather-wise here in Exmouth. Dawn was overcast with a bit of a north-easterly blowing and this afternoon has been grey but perfectly still. The mix of species on Orcombe this morning was equally odd. I started at 0530 and recorded 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Redstart, a singing male Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Wheatear, 1 Willow Warbler, 1+ Siskin, 2 Stock Dove, and 1 Yellowhammer.
Mudbank yielded 4 summer-plumaged Grey Plover, 10 Bar-tailed Godwit and a high but noisy flock of c60+ Swift that slowly headed south-west.

Stock Doves

High Swifts - 6 of c60+ over Mudbank

Pom

Two short visits to Orcombe again today, pre and post work  - in order of appearance - 8 Whimbrel, 4 Sanderling, 1 Turnstone, 13+ Sandwich Tern, 6 Swift, 1 Dunlin, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Wheatear, 1 Guillemot, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Great Skua, 4 Manx Shearwater, 1 Pomarine Skua and 1 Whinchat.

The Bonxie was loafing around off Orcombe Point this afternoon, in a strengthening easterly, and the Pom was picked up sat on the sea, viewed from the clifftop by the bench. I watched it for quite some time, hoping it would get up and chase something but there was very little else around for it to chase. Four Manx Shearwaters were the first I've seen this year and Tern numbers remain very low. We've normally had Roseate Tern by now.

A quick look off the Imperial, on the dropping tide, produced a nice selection of waders that included 1 Greenshank, 2+ Bar-tailed Godwit, c40+ Whimbrel, 50+ Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover, 10 Grey Plover and 2 Knot.

Yesterday, first thing, I picked up my first Garden Warbler of the spring, on Orcombe, and a single Willow warbler.

Whinchat - I just love this species and every record on Orcombe is warmly welcomed. This could be my second of the spring but it looks awfully similar to the bird I had a couple days ago!