A rare tern to the left of me, another to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with Moths...

...but not really stuck at all, because it was an absolute joy to dust off one my moth traps a couple of nights ago.  I have Fran to thank for that, whose interest in learning what moths were/are using her garden was all the encouragement I needed!

One Skinner trap was run all night on the evening of 25th/26th,  and although I was distinctly rusty it was great going through the egg boxes again.  I didn't have time to give the micros, pugs and minors a proper look, but the rest of the macros were made up of 184 moths of 32 species.  A very respectable catch and a credit to Frans back garden!  

My highlight was the Lime Hawkmoth, I've only caught a couple of these in Seaton in the past...

Lime Hawkmoth

And an L-album Wainscot was nice to see, a south coast special... 

L-album Wainscot

Was great just seeing some of the common ones again too...

Elephant Hawkmoth and Scalloped Hook-tip

Moths aren't the only insects causing me recent glee... the huge invasion of Painted Ladies is just incredible!  Not seen numbers like this for years...

Painted Lady upper view

Painted Lady underside

I have been birding quite a bit lately, with the main aim of finding a patch Quail.  Not had any luck yet but I did stumble upon a churring Nightjar at a new site a couple of night's ago which is great news, and the fields between Axmouth and Rousdon seem to be home to more Yellowhammers than ever!

Male Yellowhammer

I will not give up with the Quail hunt though, this year has to be our year!

Previous Post Plus Photos

I keep going back to our new open heathland-type habitat, it's proving such a diverse site! It's clear the removal of the trees has greatly increased the variety of birds here. On the last couple of visits I've taken my camera too...

The Tree Pipit wasn't very obliging this morning, and I've still not seen more than one bird. Last year there were three (two males and a presumed female)...

The Stonechat family were still present, along with a couple of Willow Warblers, a Spotted Flycatcher, several Siskins including at least five juvs and a pair of Kestrel that I really hope are breeding nearby...

And back in some of the remaining thicker conifers, it was good to see one baby Tawny Owl still along with a brief adult...

And it's not just birds.  Am yet to note any different butterflies here, but a couple of Painted Ladies were good to see this morning...

Black Hole Marsh, Butterflies and a Balearic

Black Hole Marsh looks EPIC at the moment. There's lots of mud and it absolutely stinks, which means there's lots of lovely flies and bugs for wading birds to eat.  This afternoon Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank and Common Sands were spread about all over it - as were Green Sandpipers, 13 of them (with a 14th on Colyford Marsh).  Highlights were a stunning juv Ruff, and this juv Little Ringed Plover...

It's been here several days now

Two Med Gulls included an adult and the usual juv...

Starting to moult into first winter plumage

Yesterday morning the wading bird situation was pretty similar, just with the addition of a Turnstone which flew around calling for a few minutes as I was leaving. There were also three Teal (come on Garganey!).

Before yesterday's visit to Black Hole Marsh I had a 45 minute sea watch. I would have stayed longer but I just couldn't get out of the wind! Numbers were represented by Gannets (lots, with birds going both ways) and Common Scoter - 17 of them. There were a few notable singletons too, with a Balearic Shearwater west, a Bonxie east (my first Skua of the autumn) and a Turnstone that flew out from the Estuary. 

It's not been hard to notice the excellent numbers of butterflies flying since the suns reappearance, I thought I'd photograph a few of them too...

Peacock

Painted Lady - such a stunning underwing

Gatekeeper

The underwing of a Comma - and that's why they're called Comma's!

Hot Hot Hot!

The shorts have come back out, it feels like mid summer out there!

And this unseasonal weather has done the tricks in the ornithological world too, as Phil found two Great White Egrets on Black Hole Marsh late last night. At 9am this morning, under a layer of mist, I could see they were still with us, feeding on the flooded salt marsh north of Coronation Corner...

A record count for the Axe!!

When I was watching them, I thought they 'felt' like juvs - don't ask why or how, they just did! But looking at my photos, the lores appear to be green, which would surely be the remnants of summer plumage? This of course would actually make them adults.

I left them to have a wander along the beach, but apparently at about 09:45 they took off and flew north up the valley....

My beach wander showed 23 Dunlin and 12 Ringed Plover - but not the Semi-P that I was hoping for...

Has it gone - or does it just not like roosting on pebble beaches!??

It was nice to see a Painted Lady fluttering in off the sea, and rest on the first pebbles it came too...

Well done - you've made it, just a pity you will probably die within the next week anyway!!!

Rewinding back a bit, Black Hole Marsh yesterday morning was rather quiet, although this impressive flock of hirundines were feeding over the marsh...

More than enough for a Tree Swallow or Purple Martin!!!

The day before that, this Whinchat was at Beer Cem...

Sat on top of the tallest tree in the area!

And sometime last week, this Tufted Duck was on the Borrow Pit, Seaton Marshes...

Formerly a patch scarcity!