Bonaparte's Gull and a week around Sennen Cove

Had a really good week in Cornwall. Started off dipping the Scarlet Tanager but bumped into Mike Edgecombe who joined up with us on the Azure Tit twitch in Finland. Found 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 3 Firecrests and a few other things like Water Rail and Short-eared Owl. There was also a good passage of skuas (Great, Arctic and Pomarine) in the early part of the week and a Great Northern Diver in the bay at the end.

The icing on the cake though came just as we were packing to go. I noticed a chap at the bus stop opposite the house taking a photo and went over to him. He said he'd just found an adult Bonaparte's Gull and sure enough there it was. I went back to get scope and camera and got these shots although the scope is badly damaged at the moment (off for repair next week). I'd been checking the gulls in front of the house all week so I guess if it had turned up on any other morning I might have found it. As it is it was only present for about an hour so I'm glad to have got it at all.

Note the small black bill, darker back and grey nape compared with Black-headed Gull. It also had pale pink legs and relatively plain white underside to the primaries.

Bonaparte's Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia, adult with first winter Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus


Bonaparte's Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia, adult with Black-headed Gulls Chroicocephalus ridibundus


Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and (broken) Leica APO77 x20

Visual Migration

Can't quite bring myself to use the term 'vizmig' but the last three days of easterly winds have brought birds flooding through in their thousands. The Ferry Meadows regulars, Don Gardener, Matt Webb, Mike Weedon and Chris Avanti, have been excellent company as we've logged masses of Redwings, Fieldfares, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Chaffinches, Linnets and even the odd Bullfinch flying south or west.

The highlights were a party of four Brambling over on Thursday morning and an amazing female Hen Harrier on Friday. The latter is a very scarce bird away from the fens.

Today was much clearer and colder, with an extensive ground frost, and far fewer birds but I still managed a Brambling over at Greenhill, Elton.

Last for a while

Last night was the last warm 'mothy' night forecast for a while so the trap went out again. Probably my best ever catch for an October night with 2 each of the migrants Rusty Dot Pearl and Silver Y, another 2 Dusky-lemon Sallows and the second Brown-spot Pinion for the garden. With 6 micros awaiting identification that's 53 moths of 27 species last night.

0648 White-shouldered House-moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 1
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 1
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 1
1395 Rusty Dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis) 2
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 2
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 2
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 4
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 1
2240 Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri) 3
2245 Green-brindled Crecent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) 1
2262 The Brick (Agrochola circellaris) 1
2266 Brown-spot Pinion (Agrochola litura) 1
2267 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) 7
2270 Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 11
2272 Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago) 2
2274 The Sallow (Xanthia icteritia) 1
2275 Dusky-lemon Sallow (Xanthia gilvago) 2
2306 Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) 1
2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 2
2477 The Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1

Moths moths moths

Another Dusky-lemon Sallow and a late Common Wainscot last night.

0985 Carnation Tortrix (Cacoecimorpha pronubana) 1
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
2087 Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum) 2
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 3
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 2
2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 1
2240 Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri) 3
2248 Brindled Green (Dryobotodes eremita) 1
2263 Red-line Quaker (Agrochola lota) 1
2267 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) 16
2270 Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 13
2272 Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago) 3
2274 The Sallow (Xanthia icteritia) 3
2275 Dusky-lemon Sallow (Xanthia gilvago) 1
2477 The Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1
7-spot Ladybird (Adalia 7-punctata) 2
Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) 1

Raven at last

Thanks to Karen I now have Raven on many lists including PBC and garden. She heard a call and then spotted two birds flying by. I got bins on them and watched as one rolled over twice and they both headed off west into Northamptonshire.

List totals now:
Garden: 106
PBC: 238
PBC Self found: 214
BIGBY 2011: 148

More moths and Hornets

Another good catch last night with another migrant Rusty Dot Pearl and this form of Garden Rose Tortrix which I don't remember getting in the garden before.

Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana


Large Wainscot Rhizedra lutosa


Hornet Vespa crabro


Canon Powershot A640
0994 Clepsis consimilana 1
1041 Acleris sparsana 1
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 2
1342 Eudonia angustea 1
1395 Rusty Dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis) 1
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 3
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 1
2240 Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri) 1
2252 Large Ranunculus (Polymixis flavicincta) 1
2267 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) 19
2270 Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 18
2272 Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago) 3
2273 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 1
2361 Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) 2
2375 Large Wainscot (Rhizedra lutosa) 3
2389 Pale Mottled Willow (Caradrina clavipalpis) 3
2477 The Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1
Hornet (Vespa crabro) 2