West Penwith, August

Only just got around to sorting out the photos from a superb 10 day visit to West Cornwall at the end of August. We normally go to Sennen in late October but for various reasons ended up going around the summer bank holiday. An excellent week with lots of walking, some surfing and a fair bit of rock climbing plus of course plenty of wildlife.

A good series of Basking Shark records, a couple of Sunfish and good seabird passage, with quite a few Storm Petrels, Balearic and Sooty Shearwaters.

Orthoptera

Roesel's Bush-cricket Metrioptera roeseli


Grey Bush-cricket Platycleis albopunctata


Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima


Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus


Lepidoptera

Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata


Prausta despicata



Grayling Hipparchia semele


Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas


Wall Lasiommata megera


Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria


Fox Moth Macrothylacia rubi, larva


Emperor Moth Saturnia pavonia, larva


Vapourer Moth Orgyia antiqua, larva


Other insects and arachnids

Bristletail


Rose Chafer Cetonia aurata



Harvestman eating grasshopper


Herps

Common Toad Bufo bufo


Common Lizard Lacerta vivipara


Odonata

Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo


Golden-ringed Dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii




Birds

Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax


Jackdaw Corvus monedula, eating Slow worm



Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus


Stonechat Saxicola rubicola, juvenile


Fish

Basking Shark Cetorhinus maximus

Gannets and Crane

I took a bike ride out to Bradley Fen this lunchtime but long before I got there I noticed four juvenile Gannets were circling low over me as I biked across the Frank Perkins viaduct. They headed off over Fletton and I rang Mike Weedon over at Lynchwood to get him to put the news out.

Ten minutes later I had a call from him to say they had just flown past his office over the East of England Showground. At that moment I was at the west end of Bradley Fen and had just noticed an adult Crane flying over me. This drifted off over Stanground where it gained height and headed off west. Sure enough ten minutes later Mike had this go over the office too! Unknown to us at the time Matt Webb had seen the same bird from Ferry Meadows.

Multiple observations of the same birds as they fly through are strangely satisfying and the whole experience made for an exciting and entertaining lunchhour.

I'd seen one Gannet earlier this autumn taking the same route as the four here. It was also seen by Steve Dudley as it flew over the town bridge five minutes before I saw it crossing Nene Parkway and heading over Orton Mere.

With the six seen by Matt and Don the day before my single Gannet is becoming a positively common bird in the area!

Autumn Moths

A good selection of typical autumn moths last night. Pink-barred Sallow is only the second garden record (last in 2007) and Light Brown Apple Moth only the fourth. The Marbled Beauty is an unusually late record.

Pink-barred Sallow Xanthia togata


Yellow-line Quaker Agrochola macilenta


Large Ranunculus Polymixis flavicincta


Feathered Thorn Colotois pennaria


The Sallow Xanthia icteritia



Green-brindled Crescent Allophyes oxyacanthae



ab. capucina


Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis


The Chestnut Conistra vaccinii


Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa


Blair's Shoulder-knot Lithophane leautieri


Marbled Beauty Cryphia domestica


Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

A good selection of moths last night during this mild spell of weather.

Canon Powershot A640

35 moths of 23 species
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 1
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 1
1795x November Moth agg, (Epirrita dilutata agg.) 1
1923 Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria) 2
2087 Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 1
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 1
2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 1
2240 Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri) 1
2245 Green-brindled Crecent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) 3
2245 Green-brindled Crecent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) 1
2252 Large Ranunculus (Polymixis flavicincta) 1
2258 The Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 1
2263 Red-line Quaker (Agrochola lota) 1
2264 Yellow-line Quaker (Agrochola macilenta) 1
2267 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) 5
2270 Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 1
2272 Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago) 4
2273 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 1
2274 The Sallow (Xanthia icteritia) 2
2306 Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) 1
2361 Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) 1
2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1
2477 The Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1

Rock Pipit, Ferry Meadows

Matt Webb found two Rockits on the rocky shore of Gunwade Lake at Ferry Meadows this afternoon. One showed very well as I cycled past on the way home but I'm sure two more flew off. So perhaps there were three!?

Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus


Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77x20

Stanground Wash Migrants

An inspired decision to head along the North Bank this lunchtime netted a few grounded migrants and a PBC lifer.

This is the year for Lapland Buntings. The numbers being recorded countrywide are huge and the first one in our area this year was reported over earlier in the week, predictably by the workers on the Nene Washes. However while I was watching the chats pictured below I heard an unmistakably 'pu' call and looked up to see four birds flying south over my head. This is not a species we get around here very often so I've listened to recording of the call every autumn for years to keep familiar with what to listen for. I always dreaded my first being a distant one calling just once and leaving you wondering if you were hearing things. But this was calls close by overhead and repeated several times. Couldn't want for better.

My 237th PBC species and 212th find for the area.

This is a very late date for Whinchat locally. In the past 10 years or more there is only one later record and that was on 13th Oct.

The Wheatear was one of two. Overall quite a lunchtime haul from this excellent little patch.

Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe


Whinchat Saxicola rubetra


Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77x20

Slender Groundhopper

A woodland clearing at Easton Hornstocks held plenty of these little orthopterans. A new species for me but overlooked rather than uncommon.

A bit later in the day my SX10 developed a lens fault so these might be the last pics we see from this excellent camera.

Slender Groundhopper Tetrix subulata, female


Canon Powershot SX10

Moths last night

1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 1
1342 Eudonia angustea 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 1
1914 Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria) 1
1923 Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria) 1
1961 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 1
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 2
2240 Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri) 2
2267 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) 6
2270 Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 30
2272 Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago) 2
2364 Frosted Orange (Gortyna flavago) 1
2389 Pale Mottled Willow (Caradrina clavipalpis) 1

Terns, Ferry Meadows

A party of 8 Black Terns dropped in on Gunwade Lake at Ferry Meadows this morning as I cycled to work. One juvenile Common Tern also remains and this was close enough for a shot at one point.

Common Tern Sterna hirundo, juvenile

Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 ad Leica APO77x20

Dusky-lemon Sallow

Only the second for the garden. The first was on the same date in 2006.

Dusky-lemon Sallow Xanthia gilvago


The Sallow Xanthia icteritia


1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 3
1342 Eudonia angustea 3
1707 Small Dusty Wave (Idaea seriata) 1
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 1
1825 Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata) 1
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1
1913 Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos alniaria) 1
1914 Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria) 2
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 4
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 1
2198 Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura) 2
2267 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) 1
2270 Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 16
2274 The Sallow (Xanthia icteritia) 1
2275 Dusky-lemon Sallow (Xanthia gilvago) 1
2353 Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea) 1
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 1
2389 Pale Mottled Willow (Caradrina clavipalpis) 1
2477 The Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1

Ventnor Wall Lizards

A return visit to the Botanical Gardens at Ventnor where the wall lizards were showing extremely well. Perhaps 30 or more seen in a variety of ages, sizes, colours and markings.

Common Wall Lizards






Canon Powershot SX10

Isle of Wight birds

A couple of snaps from the Needles.

Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe


Kestrel Falco tinnunculus


Canon Powershot SX10