Copper Underwing

Copper Underwing.

Still painfully quiet bird-wise in Exmouth with 24 Whimbrel, 5 Common Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull off Mudbank. Yesterday - 1 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, 26 Whimbrel, 95 Mallard and 6 Sandwich Terns.

Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella.

 Fool's Parsley - fruits below.

I couldn't find a single migrant on Orcombe so resorted to counting crows - one field held 80+ Rooks and 30+ Jackdaws.

 Stone Parsley - there's masses of it growing at Maer Farm.

One of two Ring-necked Parakeets hiding in Maer Valley.

Mediterranean Gull.

Brown Argus - The Maer. Two found, both pictured...

Common Blue - a really tiny male.

Sparrowhawk

This beautiful juvenile Sparrowhawk was practicing its hunting skills around our house this morning. A quick look at Orcombe Point revealed just a couple Wheatears and a Willow Warbler. Off Mudbank - 5 Ringed Plovers, 6 Dunlin, 1 Turnstone, 4 Common Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull.

Autumn Lady's-tresses

Cirl Bunting - Dawlish Warren.

A quiet trip to the Warren to look for Autumn Lady's-tresses this afternoon, following a hectic few days of exam results, Maisie passing her driving test and dropping both kids at a festival. Exmouth has been typically quiet but Maer Rocks produced 30+ Swallows and c30 Sandwich Terns first thing, and Mudbank totals included 140 Mallard, 12+ Whimbrel, 1 Teal, 1 Canada Goose and at least 7 Common Terns.

Marsh Helleborine.

Yellow Bartsia.

The Autumn Lady's-tresses are quite far behind where they were this time last year.

Cotton Thistle.

Welted Thistle.

Sea Holly with a strong pinkish purple hue - The Maer.

I think this is Intermediate Polypody - The Maer.

Teal - Mudbank.

Curlew - Mudbank.

Violet Helleborine

Violet Helleborine - near Sturminster Newton, north Dorset. A contender for my favourite orchid - the clean pastel shades of the flower contrasting with the purple stem and dark leaves is just gorgeous. The flowers seem to glow in the darkness of the undergrowth. 

This was the third spike I found and the most out in the open one.

A very dense-flowered spike!

Saw-wort.

A white form of Betony.

Common Cow-wheat.

Common Hemp-nettle.

The views from nearby Fontmell Down were fantastic. I think the last time was there was September 2005. I was hoping for butterflies but it was a bit too cold and cloudy.

Red-tailed Bumble Bee...I think.

Hoary Plantain.

Shaded Broad-bar.

Chalk Carpet.

Brown Argus. A second individual below.

Standard pink Betony.

Bramble.

Bird Lite

A small plume moth sp - possibly Hemp-agrimony Plume? Going largely on size and partly on the fact that in the second photo it's resting on Hemp-agrimony. Tricky things these plume moths...

A lone Wheatear was all I could find on Orcombe Point this morning. Mudbank was similarly rubbish with 113 Mallard and  couple Great Crested Grebes the only species making the note book.
Yesterday afternoon  a decent gathering of gulls off the seafront pulled in an adult pale-phase Arctic Skua, at least 20 Sandwich Terns and 8 Common Terns.

A wasp species on Hemp-agrimony.

I think this is one of the Leaf-cutter Bees?

 Large Skipper.