Saturday, 8 September 2012

Portland 8th Sep

Sunny, 22º, light E.

A rather uneventful day birdwise as visible migration appeared to have virtually dried up; even Hirundines were very thin on the ground today figuratively speaking.
As many birders had come to Lodmoor for the Dowitcher the Obs was very popular with visitors today; as a couple of Moths appeared on the “pagers” and the (third for the week); Convolvulus Hawk Moth was photographed frequently throughout the day until it decided to disappear around mid afternoon.

The “Natural History bookshop” at the Obs also did some good business; I was also tempted to buy a couple of books.
The Monarch butterfly was still present in Easton and attracted many visitors.

As for the birds, little seen!  First light saw just a few Yellow Wagtails, two Tree Pipits, and a single Grey Wagtail overhead, as for the rest, two Chiffchaff, nine Willow Warbler, two Whinchat, a family group of four Stonechat, a single Spotted Flycatcher, Blackcap and Reed Warbler, two Whitethroat, eight Wheatear and a slight increase in Meadow Pipits. A single Ringed Plover flyover and two Balearic Shearwater feeding off the bill.
A very educational and entertaining evening with some members of the Gwent birdwatching society staying at the Obs, identifying various species of Bush Crickets, Spiders etc and picking up Common Pipistrelles on a bat detector hunting over the moth traps.

Stonechat

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