Seabirds, 'Scillies running', scuppered... #DorsetBirds

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Very much a 'birder's photo' but at least it features one of West Bay's iconic 'red baskets' as @tombrereton.bsky.social would call it. Juv Sabine's Gull was well worth getting wet for in this evening's rain. Off the end of the West Pier. 😎 With thanks to Tom for the shout. #DorsetBirds

Cogden bushes dead quiet this morning but plenty of birds offshore - mostly milling around it seemed - including double figures of Balearic Shearwater (25+ in one scan) and Med Gull; also 7 Ringed Plovers on the beach. #DorsetBirds

A week of ups and downs. Mostly ups... #DorsetBirds

325 Balearics and 210 'commic' Terns (including 6+ definite Arctics) E past Seaton by 07:50. Movement had pretty much fizzled out by then, but nevertheless amazing numbers for here. #DevonBirds

Given recent events in and around Lyme Bay, thought there should be a decent chance of a Grey Phalarope at Cogden this afternoon. A bit of effort produced two, though strictly speaking one was too distant to ID to species. Lovely. 😎 #DorsetBirds

Summer ends on a high note... #DorsetBirds

Admittedly on my 'outside chance' radar this morning, but this is still the first Lyme Bay Sabine's Gull I've found in 20-odd years living here. And very nice it was too. 😄 Cogden, #DorsetBirds

Juv Sabine's Cogden found b.y @notquitescilly.bsky.social it flew east at around 9.00am...

Delighted to discover a juv/1w Yellow-legged Gull on the Axe Estuary while on pre-Birdwatching Tram recce this afternoon. Thought, 'nice if that stays for later', convinced it wouldn't. It did! Needless to say, punters thrilled out of their boots by the brown thing. #UKbirding

An early afternoon stroll around Cogden was very quiet bird-wise, but produced a really smart new moth for me: Rosy Knot-horn. I was pretty impressed by the first individual I saw, but a later one was in a different league! Also a stack of Rush Veneers and 4 Clouded Yellows. VC9. #TeamMoth

No birds. No moths. Rather, a rare fishing post...

Death's-head Hawk-moth cat on the coast path near Cogden, Dorset VC9 today. Photos taken by friends, and posted here with permission and massive envy! 😄 #TeamMoth

Garden's 2nd Tissue last night, following one in 2023. Seemingly a rare moth in Dorset. Unless there have been any others more recently than our last one, Dorset Moths website reckons these are the first in the county since 2015! Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

And this is why almost the whole garden needs checking after a night with the trap out... Peach Blossom 😍 Lyme Regis VC9 #TeamMoth

A nice result while babysitting in Lyme Regis last night. Royal Mantle is quite rare in Dorset, and this is only my second. #TeamMoth VC9

Not a massive catch, but certainly some interest: NFG Brown-veined Wainscot, 2FG Twin-spotted Wainscot, a beautifully marked Tawny Shears, and a surprise Beet Moth. I wonder if the latter is a one-off, or the start of something, like 2022... Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

Latest NFG trio brings garden list to 600. Or rather, 600 *minimum*. With all the aggs, gen-det only, and now DNA-only so-called spp - none of which I can be bothered with - it's a bit academic really... Nice to amaze non-mothy friends with the big number of course! 😄 Have a Slender Pug... #TeamMoth

Moth trap still not very inspiring right now, despite at least three NFG micros last night: Three-spot Dot, Shaded Tortrix and the handsome Chequered Grass-moth. Pictured here with a nice Beech Mast Piercer. Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

Blackthorn Knot-horn was NFG on Friday night, and there was opportunity for nice comparison with fresh Hawthorn Knot-horn trapped last night. Two Dusky Sallows last night the first since a single in July 2022. This hot spell has produced far fewer moths than I was expecting. Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

I do like going rogue and getting lost among the backstreets and alleyways in old towns: What I found in Whitstable yesterday #2: An in the window pop-up display on the sad history of 'Sparrow Clubs'. Still some when I was young, but had forgotten about them, had me reading up lots last night.

Anyone want these Devon Bird reports, free to a good home? Collect from Plymouth or Colyton.

Medway's Spotted Redshanks - a plea. Pease keep to public footpaths. When Coast Path does open here, it veers inland a lot for good reason - to avoid disturbance. Year round you will disturb feeders at low tide, and pre-roost assemblies / roosts (esp on low hts) if go off-piste. 1/10

NFG, and one of the most amazing moths yet to come my way. The Lappet is much bigger than I expected. Basically a tank disguised as a dead leaf. Wonderful! 😎 Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

More sleep deprivation... #TeamMoth

Not sure how much longer they'll be around, but migrants still evident here in Bridport VC9. Small Marbled (4th for year), Bordered Straw (6th), Rusty-dot Pearl and European Corn-borer last night, with first Dark Sword-grass of the year the night before. #TeamMoth

Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis) is a little stunner, especially when they settle with wings spread like this...😍 Only get the odd one here. Brisport VC9 #TeamMoth

Ribwort Stilt (Aspilapteryx tringipennella) NFG last night, and a reminder always to have pots in your pocket when releasing the catch. My bleary eyes didn't see it when I went through the trap earlier. 😄 Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

Nine NFG... Honestly, if you're not into moths, don't bother. 😄 #TeamMoth

This Shaded Pug was a major highlight of another busy trap. Appears to be rather scarce in most of Dorset but is actually 2FG here, following one caught in my first 3 weeks of mothing back in June 2022. Haven't counted properly yet, but I think at least 7 NFG last night! Bridport VC9. #TeamMoth

Another five NFG... #TeamMoth

Another 5 NFG last night, including a Tufted Oak Knot-horn (Acrobasis tumidana) which frustratingly escaped pre-photography. Other migrants included another Small Marbled + Bordered Straw. Pick of trap prob this pristine Small Ranunculus. Seem to be very few Dorset records. Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

The truly unexpected... #TeamMoth

Another treat from last night's trap here in Bridport VC9: Gold-barred Marble (Celypha aurofasciana). NFG obviously! #TeamMoth

Can hardly believe I potted this off the garage wall while attending the trap just now! The Druid! With grateful thanks to @paulupwey.bsky.social for help with very recent search image creation! 😄 Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

Apple Leaf Skeletoniser was NFG last night, there was a tatty Bordered Straw representing migrant quality and a Garden Stilt (Gracillaria syringella) for quirkiness appeal, but it was the pristine Privet Hawk-moth that won my vote for Pick of the Trap. Simple pleasures...😍 Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

Elder Pearl and Woundwort Pearl comparison, from last night's catch. Wing shape - stubby, slightly hooked - gave away the stachydalis the moment it arrived. Amazed I got decent photos - they were both dreadful in the studio. Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

What a busy night! Ridiculous numbers for here - largely due to 2-300 ermines - plus proper quality. For now, some middle-of-the-night pot shots to illustrate: NFG Small Marbled, 2FG Woundwort Pearl (Anania Stachydalis) and Bramble Bronze (Argolamprotes micella). 😎 Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

A very nice result last night, with the garden's second Scarce Light Plume (Oxyptilus laetus), almost exactly 3 yrs to the day after the first. Also, first Bordered Straw since 2022 as well. That'll do. 😎 Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

I'll have closer look tomorrow, but a bit of déja vu here in Bridport VC9, and shades of my first fortnight of mothing three years ago. Looking good for Scarce Light Plume I think... #TeamMoth

Disappointing trap last night, with 3 token Diamond-backs to assure me that moth migration had not bypassed the garden entirely. Highlights otherwise first Burnished Brass, Hoary Tortrix and Mottled Oak Tortrix of the year, the latter by far the smartest example I've seen. Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

Some cracking moth trap bycatch last night: Lesser Stag Beetle and my first male Glow Worm, the latter a species I never for a second expected to encounter in the garden! #TeamMoth

Despite presence of some busy, long-serving moth folk in the Bridport area, there are no nearby dots on the Living Record map for Mottled White Tortrix (Gypsonoma sociana), yet this is our fourth. I guess our local 'poplar, aspen, sallow' must be especially palatable or something... #TeamMoth

Back to moths I've seen and birds I haven't... #TeamMoth

This striking gelechiid was last night's highlight. Turns out it is a Maple Snout (Anarsia innoxiella) and NFG. With only 15 Dorset records on the Living Record map and none in Devon so far, a nice result. Interesting background on the sp here: gelechiid.co.uk/species/anar... Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

2/6/22 Virgin moth trapper lights up for the first time. 17/6/22 Scarce Light Plume arrives on waft of southern air and Sahara dust. 5/6/25 Moth trapper appreciates exactly how jammy he was back then. 😄 Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth

Attached article is excellent read. Nicely explains how 'shifting baseline syndrome' affects understanding of scale of losses over time...

Some nice highlights from last night's modest trap of almost 40 moths. Middle-barred Minor is 2FG I think, and Foxglove Pugs usually come one at a time. Ash Bud Moth (Prays fraxinella) not ten-a-penny locally. Bridport VC9 #TeamMoth