Another slow day but a day of numbers.
All of this past week there has been 3-4 thousand Gulls feeding of the east side of the bill. Comprising up to 6 species. Feeding with them have been Gannet and Manx Shearwater. We are not sure what they are feeding on but they have been up and down the coast from the bill to approx. 1 Km along. Today there were approx. 200 Black-headed Gull and 100+ Manx Shearwater feeding in and around the flock.
Around 14:00 this afternoon the weather got very humid and out of nowhere, literally millions, and I mean millions of small flies started to appear moving from the south and flying north. Some of the guys at the Obs caught one and identified it as a Fever-fly (Dilophus febrilis). This movement continued for around 2 hours and the numbers began to peter out. I doubt these flies erupted at the bill, so maybe these flies originated on the continent and have crossed the Channell. Who knows?
Anyway, back to it: Birds today was. A Sedge Warbler, a Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Common Whitethroat, a Wheatear, a Whinchat, 5 Swallow, c10 House Martin, 2 Swift, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3-4 Buzzard and a Peregrine.
On the sea watch: 2 Whimbrel, an Arctic Skua, Kittiwake, a Puffin, and good numbers of Gannet, Guillemot and Razorbill as well as all the above.
Dragonflies: Broad-bodied Chaser.
Butterflies: Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.
Moths of note: Puss Moth and Cinnabar.
Whinchat
Puss Moth & Cinnabar
A Small section of the Obs lighthouse covered in Fever-fly. the whole south facing area , 20m high was covered in this density of insects for over 2 hours.
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