Moths

Common Pug.

A couple of new species last night. Weather was foggy and rainy with a calmish NE2 7 degrees.

1746 Shoulder Stripe 1

1750 Water Carpet 7 ( 4 dark, 3 light)

1834 Common Pug 1

1917 Early Thorn 2

2063 Muslin Moth 1male

2186 Powdered Quaker 6

2187 Common Quaker 2

2188 Clouded Drab 2

2190 Hebrew Character 11

Total 33 moths of 9 species...

Muslin Moth . What a cracker.

Moths

A new year addition last night....

1738 Common Carpet 1

1746 Shoulder Stripe 1

1750 Water Carpet 2

1917 Early Thorn 1

2078 Least Black Arches

2186 Powdered Quaker 4

2187 Common Quaker 11

2188 Clouded Drab 9

2190 Hebrew Character 16

Total 46 moths of 9 species.

Bluethroats?

Anyone seen the forecast for the weekend?

Friday 7th May, North Easterlies....Now, if it had been the following Friday, the 14th, I'm sure a Union Jack waistcoated chat or two would have graced our coastline...

I always think that 12th - 22nd May is the optimimum time for a Northumberland Bluethroat. This weekend might just be a stretch too far...

Unless you think differently....

Try - Chare Ends, Excavations, Snook on Holy Island, Football Hole ( Gary) or Bamburgh or Hauxley or Newbiggin Golf Course or St Mary's Island ...or get a boat to the Farnes.

Star Wars Day today...

'May the 4th be with you....'

It seems like the cold has addled my brain. This is a combined Bank Holiday Post for the weekend. It'll still just take a paragraph or two because I havent seen very much....

Cherry Blossom out in masses at the village entrance, pity I didnt take it when the sky was blue?

 

The northerly wind settled all weekend with some bright sunshine yesterday.

On Sunday, my seawatch had 5 Common Scoter S and 1 Red throated Diver N along with 5 Sandwich Terns. Along the road to Alnmouth where we had 3 Swifts ( I refuse to call them Common Swifts. You'll hear me when they are a different swift species believe me), a few Sedge Warblers along with Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs.

On Sunday pm I walked west through the Hall woods and found a whole pond I had never seen before! It held 20+ Tufted Ducks, 20+ Greylags complete with two broods of 5 and 6 and another adult incubating. At least 3 Herring Gull nests, and Oystercatcher and a dozen House Martins  prospecting potential cliff nest sites. A single singing Lesser Whitethroat was my first of the year. Worthy of another visit I think.

The mystery quarry pond...

A male Orange Tip was in the garden.

Early on Monday Bunty wanted out at 5am. This was just in time to see a Tawny Owl still out hunting and sitting up looking at me to the sound of a ringing dawn chorus.

Last night moth trapping had only 10 of 4 common species.

Lets hope that wind swings back south soon...

May Day....May Day...

Its help we need up here. Its turned cold again with a fresh NE'erly dropping temperatures again. Last nights Garden Moth Survey only had 19 of 5 usual species. I've slipped into depression when I see what is caught further south :(

Anyway my April Garden Moth total stands at 1339 moths of 32 species.

Not much happening on the bird front either. Yesterday there were 6 pairs of Tufted Duck on the pond, a Yellow Wagtail flew over and 4 Greenland Wheatears were in the coast fields but thats about it.

Tomorrow I might try a sea watch to see if I can add to the tern species...

More Moth Trapping....

Some variety! Including a new one for me...

0663 Diurnea fagella 2
0672 Parsnip Moth 2
0688 Agonopterix heracliana 3
1746 Shoulder Stripe 1
1750 Water Carpet 4
1917 Early Thorn 1
1862 Double striped Pug 1
2078 Least Black Arches 1 ( new species for me, left)
2139 Red Chestnut 2
2179 Pine Beauty 1
2186 Powdered Quaker 2
2187 Common Quaker 6
2188 Clouded Drab 23
2190 Hebrew Character 24


73 moths of 14 species

Moth Trapping last night...

Last night was lit by a bright nearly full moon with some clouds, 9 degrees. At 9pm I had a flock of about 350 Barnacle Geese yapping away north only visible very high in the light of the moon. No plumage details but the call was like a flock of Yorkshire Terriers going over!


But back to the job in hand -

663 Diurnea fagella 1
1746 Shoulder Stripe 2
1750 Water Carpet 2
1862 Double striped Pug 1
1917 Early Thorn 1
2139 Red Chestnut 3
2182 Small Quaker 3
2187 Common Quaker 5 (much depleted numbers of these now)
2188 Clouded Drab 22
2190 Hebrew Character 37

Total 77 moths of 9 species.

I have taken them away to the wood as tonight is much calmer and milder still so trap is going on again.

OFFH List 124

Spring has sprung...

Above - Whitethroat and House Sparrow in classic pose.

A few new additions to the on foot from home lists today. The route was from home, obviously, via the long walk to Boulmer and back by the coast path. The weather was pleasant, mostly, except for a short light shower.

First new species were 2 Common Whitethroats along the lane , followed by a Sand Martin down at the beach footbridge. Our first of many today with loads of Swallows. A single House Martin moving north was the only one of the day, and the last new bird was a calling Whimbrel at Longhoughton Steel.

Other birds of note were 8 Sandwich Terns, 1 Yellow Wagtail N,  4 Wheatears, 20 summer plumaged Turnstones and 2 pairs of Red breasted Mergansers.

Not to be outdone, mammals were added to when my first live Red Squirrel of the year skipped over the road at the Lane End, and a Pipistrelle hunted around the moth trap. 

Up near the Hall a fantastic show of daffodils and primroses were in a little visited area of the woods.

Last nighst moth trapping was similar to Friday -

0672 Parsnip Moth 1
1746 Shoulder Stripe 1
1750 Water Carpet 4
1917 Early Thorn 2
2139 Red Chestnut 1
2186 Powdered Quaker 2
2187 Common Quaker 16
2188 Clouded Drab 29
2190 Hebrew Character 52

Total 108 moths of 9 species. No new species added this week.

OFFH List 123

Moth Trapping...

Garden Moth Survey last night. 7 degrees, Light SSE, misty, cool.

A more respectable total last night after a cold week...

1750  Water Carpet  1
1862  Double striped Pug  1
1917  Early Thorn  4
2139  Red Chestnut  1
2182  Small Quaker  3
2186  Powdered Quaker  2
2187  Common Quaker  15
2188  Clouded Drab  31 ( largest count so far)
2189  Twin spotted Quaker  1
2190  Hebrew Character  46

Total 105 moths of 10 species.

Brrr...

Cold again last night, down to at least -1 possibly -3, clear. Car all frosted up this morning and my brake lights were frozen on! Shades of Speyside there....

Last nights moths -

Suprised to catch any but they were there -

March Moth 2
Clouded Drab 2
Hebrew Character 8

12 moths of 3 species...

This evening another spring migrant appeared to find its way onto my list, a Yellow Wagtail flew over E, calling, towards the Bathing House.

OFFH List 119

'Groppers is in...'

...used to be the cry. Often accompanied by the similar 'Sedgies is in...' Now, in more enlightened, grammatically correct, blogging times, I think the phrase should read 'The Grasshopper Warblers have arrived' ( and the Sedge Warblers too?)

This afternoon a couple of walks around the village and coast with Bunty was very pleasant.

This Fieldfare was feeding most of the day in the Rectory paddock alongside the resident Mistle Thrushes.

My first Grasshopper Warbler of the year was reeling away in Village Wood at teatime. I collected the camera and went straight back to get a pic but no sight or further sound was had. New birds are starting to trickle in as spring finally arrives in the north...

The pairs of Gadwall and Tufted Duck remained on the pond and 'our' Swallow has returned to the outhouse...

OFFH List 118

The Joy of Lek...

A pre dawn drive, 30 miles west from home saw me up on the wildest parts of Northumberland by 4.50am. My neighbour, John, works up here and kindly offered to give me a tour of the MOD Otterburn Ranges using his Toyota 4x4. Many of the roads would be impassable in my car, so this was a bonus.

We stopped at a passing place just as the sun broke the horizon and were greeted by the wheezing and bubbling of a displaying male Black Grouse. In the gloaming, this single individual did his dance for a while, but didnt attract any attention and soon moved off.

As the sun rose the temperature dropped to 2 below, with a bitterly freezing NW breeze.


At another spot more bubbling calls could be heard, this time from more than one bird, but try as we might we couldnt see them in the rolling moorland.

John noticed something sitting in the heather not far from the car that soon revealed itself to be a nice female Merlin fresh out of roost. It gave good scope views as it flew up into a birch to catch the early sun. A few Buzzards, a Wheatear, 3 Snipe and a couple of Curlew were also seen.

By 7am John headed off to work and I dropped down to Holystone to eat my breakfast near Yardhope Oaks. From the car, there was plenty of activity from Crossbills, Redpolls and Siskins and a female Goosander flew from a small burn.

After the drive back I was home for 8.30am, and ready to get some shut eye...a much better way to start the day than going to work, cheers John!

The Quakers...

Above, from the left - Powdered Quaker (Large), Common Quaker (Medium) and Small Quaker ( er, Small)...

Last night was hopeless for moth trapping, but, its no use just monitoring species in the best weather, so, the light was on. In a cold, blustery NW4 under a starry sky. I had to put a weight on the trap rain guard.

So I was pleased to get -

Small Quaker 1
Powdered Quaker 1
Common Quaker 2
Clouded Drab 1
Hebrew Character 7

12 moths of 5 species.

Tonight we had a cold, windy walk around the coast path. 2 Common Sandpipers fighting to perch on a single rock were the first this year, a few strings of Gannets flew N and 40+ Linnets were in the field.

OFFH List 117

Its Black, its black.....

I hear that there is some controversy over the Cresswell Wagtail? I have taken the 'scissors' to an article to show the bits most relevant to the bird. Its by Andrea Corso, an Italian, for Birding World Vol 14:4...

Please have a read if you saw the bird. If the print is too small just click on it for a bigger image. Have a look too at John Malloy's images to compare... 

In short I think the Cresswell bird is a first summer male Black headed Wagtail. I mean, anything with that 'black' a head will do for me!

From Balkans to Baltic...

After a morning out on the Alnwick moors with JWR all we had to show was a multitude of Crossbills including several post breeding flocks (yes, already!) and a pair of Ravens.

When I got home, Ian Fisher sent me a text to say that there was a male Black headed Wagtail at Cresswell Pond. After missing last years bird on Holy Island, I decided to have the half hour drive south...

The bird was still present in the increasing rain, and showing very well indeed alongside 6 Yellow Wagtails and a White Wagtail for company. What this bird must be feeling in a cold NE4 with rain when it should be in Yugoslavia, Greece or Turkey we can only guess, indeed the last time I saw this race of Yellow Wagtail was in central Turkey feeding along the roadsides over 10 years ago.

This is only the third Northumberland record and the first to be really twitchable. A really cracking bird too!

Around the patch, two new species turned up - a pair of Gadwall on the pond and the first Willow Warblers about a week late.  7 Crossbills flew E over Village Wood while 3 Redpolls flew N ( a one and a two). The Green Woodpecker was finally seen at the Lane End briefly.

Moth trapping last night didnt produce any new species but it was another century...

Diurnea fagella 1
Shoulder Stripe 1
Water Carpet 2
Double striped Pug 1
Powdered Quaker 4
Common Quaker 34
Clouded Drab 17
Hebrew Character 43
Chestnut 2

Total 105 moths of 9 species. And that was after releasing Friday nights catch into the woods a good way off to prevent duplication / retrapping. 
 
OFFH List 116 

One Swallow doesnt make a summer....

...but 3 does. Get in! Our village Swallows are back and onto my list. We saw them last night hawking above the paddock from our garden. Another OFFH list first last night was a Barn Owl that flew along the back field at dusk and over our neighbours house, to hunt. A two tick day, not bad.....

Last nights Garden Moth Survey was quite good, being mild and calm but clear....

Diurnea Fagella 3
Agonopterix heracliana 1
Shoulder Stripe 3
Water Carpet 3, first for the year. Our local Robins like these...oops.
Brindled Pug 1 a new species for me.
Double striped Pug 2 new for the garden
Early Thorn 3
Red Chestnut 2
Small Quaker 1
Powdered Quaker 3
Common Quaker 25
Clouded Drab 26
Hebrew Character 40
Chestnut 4

A total of 117 moths of 14 species.

Top Left, Double striped Pug, Top right, Brindled Pug, Bottom Left Shoulder Stripes, Bottom Right, Water Carpet.

OFFH List 114

Despite the cool evening ( down to 4 degrees) I tried the trap on after two nights off. Although the catch was less than the two previous sessions it was still ok with -

Agonopterix arenella 1 (new)
March Moth 1
Red Chestnut 1
Common Quaker 12
Clouded Drab 7
Hebrew Character 20
Early Grey 1

Total 43 of 7 species.

This is only my second garden Early Grey ( top right, I didnt take any pics but this is one of the first garden Early Grey from a couple of weeks back).

Bottom Left - Agonopterix arenella


Last night a pair of Brown Hares were grazing the back field in close proximity to each other from our kitchen window. Still no new migrants in though. I suppose there wont be any change until the wind swings away from NNE...

A Vice County first!

This little moth from the last posting, Caloptilia stigmatella, is officially the first record for VC68, North Northumberland! Tom Tams, Moth Recorder, tells me he only has 15 records of it in total, all from the south of the county.

Get in!

Its not suprising though, is it really, its not exactly a Great White Egret. I wonder how many have been swatted over the years....

Moth Trapping last night...

Calm overcast, 8 degrees down to 1 degree with frost at dawn.

Another nice session with a few new ones -

288 Caloptilia stigmatella 1 (below) the size of a tiny midge. You could get one of these in your eye! A new species to me.

663 Diurnea fagella 1
672 Parsnip Moth 2
1746 Shoulder Stripe 2 (below)  new to me.

1917 Early Thorn 1 (below) first of the year.

2139 Red Chestnut 5
2186 Powdered Quaker 3
2187 Common Quaker 22
2188 Clouded Drab 26
2189 Twin spotted Quaker 1
2190 Hebrew Character 65

Total 129 of 11 species.

This evening as it was lovely, clear and sunny we took Bunty along the coastal path where my first 2 Sandwich Terns of the year flew North.

OFFH List 112

Lovely weekend...

Out and about locally this weekend in the much appreciated sunshine. On Saturday lunchtime we walked down the Long Walk and back home via the coast path. The smell of gorse blossom and sea-salty air against a backdrop of Skylarks in full song made this the first real summery day. It was fantastic.

On route were -

Bee Fly 3 - No idea what their real names are but these are the first Ive seen in Northumberland.

 Bee Fly on Lungwort.

Our first butterflies of the year -

Left , Peacock and Right, Small Tortoiseshell

2 Grey Seals were easily seen on the mill pond flat sea.

Sparrowhawk 2+

Blackcap 3 singing

Brown Hare 1

But no Willow Warblers or hirundines...

Today, I met up with JWR to do an atlas count at Seaton Point, Boulmer. 3+ Sand martins were at the breeding colony, several Bar tailed Godwits and 2 Grey Plovers were on the beach. 

From here we called at Alnmouth where this was the bird of the day -  

A bright male Yellow Wagtail with a few Meadow Pipits.

Unfortunately nothing to add to the OFFH list, but it wont be long now...

PS A nice sunset from the kitchen window too...