17th May
Little Stint-East of lighthouse-Hale
Greater Scaup-Adult drake still-West Kirby Marine Lake
Ruddy Shelduck-Again, flew west-Runcorn
16th May
Scaup (drake) still - West Kirby Marine Lake.
c250 Dunlin (including some alpina), 200 Ringed Plover and 30 Sanderling at high tide - Hoylake.
c30 Swift low over Park Lane - Meols.
Little Stint-East of lighthouse-Hale
With sunshine finally forecast for this morning, I was keen to make the most of the conditions and head out into the field for the day.
This morning I awoke to sunshine, a welcome change after a spell of unsettled weather. After getting myself sorted and enjoying a quick breakfast, I took advantage of the conditions and headed out to two sites for a day in the field.
My first stop was Hawkridge Wood in the Valley of the Pang, Berkshire, with one particular target in mind: the Drab Looper moth.
Hawkridge Wood
On arrival, conditions were ideal, with good numbers of Drab Loopers on the wing alongside Speckled Yellow moths, both feeding on wood spurge.
In Britain, the species is largely restricted to southern England and Wales, where it inhabits wooded areas. The larvae feed on wood spurge, and adults are typically on the wing from May to June, with a partial second generation occurring in August in the south.
I headed back to the car for a drink, and then the rain set in, although thankfully it was only a short shower. As the sun broke through again, I resumed my search.
Halfway down the plain, there in front of me in the undergrowth, was a Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth. The moth then emerged from the vegetation and started feeding, allowing me to grab a few images before it flew off.
I felt incredibly lucky to find it, but it was just a reward for a good three-hour search. Soon afterwards, the rain returned, so I happily made my way back to the car.
On the drive home, I called in to see the Great Bustards and was rewarded with brief views of a Stone-curlew and a very vocal Corn Bunting.
Corn buntingDays like this are a reminder that patience in the field often pays off, especially when the weather finally decides to cooperate.
A thoroughly enjoyable day out and two more moth species added to the list.
Little Stint-One on the Maersey-Hale
Wood Sandpiper-Carr Lane Pools-Hale
Cuckoo showing well in horse paddocks, also 2+ Wheatear and a Grasshopper Warbler - Leasowe Lighthouse.
2 Spoonbill - Parkgate.
Yellow-legged Gull - Hilbre.
1,500 Knot- Burton Mere Wetlands.
Red Kite heading north over Gayton Lane at 17:15 hrs - Heswall.
8th May
Spotted Redshank and 2 Garganey (drake) on main scrape - Burton RSPB
Whinchat by sheep pens, 2 Hobby by Nets Cafe - Burton RSPB
Osprey flew north late morning, Arctic Skua mobbing Sandwich Terns this evening - Hilbre
Osprey-One flew over this afternoon-Grappenhall
7th May
European Beeeater-Going low south at 19.00pm over Pinfold Lane towards West Kirby 5 mins ago-Flew low over Morrisons car park (just above house height) heading south 19:10 pm-West Kirby
Common Scoter-Mere Farm Quarry
Eurasian Spoonbill, Garganey and Spotted Redshank-Burton RSPB
2 Garganey-Drakes-Still on No3 bed-Woolston Eyes-PERMIT ONLY
6th May
2 Garganey (drakes), 6 Spotted Redshank and a Little Ringed Plover - Burton Mere Wetlands.
234 Whimbrel, 85 Curlew, Greenshank, 20 Redshank on rising tide this afternoon - Heswall Shore.
2 Grasshopper Warbler and a Whinchat - Leasowe Lighthouse.
Garganey-Drake-Still on No3 bed-Woolston Eyes-PERMIT ONLY
5th May
2 Whinchat-Leasowe Lighthouse
Osprey-One flew Over-Burton RSPB
45 Black-necked Grebes and 3 Drake Garganey-Woolston Eyes-Permit ONLY
4th May
10 Spotted Redshank-Burton RSPB
Slavonian Grebe-Acre Nook Sand Quarry
Eurasian Spoonbill-Three flew south over Hale Head-Hale
Eurasian Spoonbill- Flew south overBurton RSPB]
Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate
Wood Sandpiper-Two on flood from footpath-Sweeney Wetlands
Greater Scaup-Adult drake still -West Kirby Marine Lake
3rd May
2 Wood Sandpiper - Burton RSPB6 Little Tern, 450 Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Whimbrel, 3 Eider, 5 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff and a Whitethroat - Hilbre.
9 Spotted Redshank and 3 Spoonbill - Burton Mere Wetlands.
Greater Scaup-Adult drake still on the east side, and a Common Scoter-West Kirby Marine Lake
Ruddy Shelduck-Wigg Island
1st May
Ruddy Shelduck-Drake still on River Mersey-Widnes
Common Crane-One flew east over the yellow barrier at the east end of Thelwall Lane-Woolston Eyes-PERMIT ONLY
Channel Wagtail-Hale
For a lucky few this past week, Temminck's Stints were on offer. As many as 37 were totalled across England, including those in landlocked Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire. The young male Kentish Plover continued at Broom GPs, Bedfordshire, until 6th: the last county record came as long ago as 1967. Read more>
Friday 8th May
Working in Oxfordshire, my partner Jenna was due to come down and visit for the weekend. The weather didn’t look great for an already planned trip to Pewsey Downs National Nature Reserve, as Jenna had never seen a Marsh Fritillary before.
Then some news came through on Facebook that Glanville Fritillaries were being seen on the Isle of Wight, a species we had both never seen and had originally planned to look for in June. There was a real chance their flight period might be over by then, so I got in touch with someone via Facebook who had photographed them. Kindly, he gave me the location, and we decided to book onto the Saturday morning ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth, hoping the forecast would hold.
Jenna arrived on Friday to beautiful sunshine, so we headed out to Pewsey Downs National Nature Reserve. It turned out to be a great decision.
Pewsey Downs is a classic chalk downland reserve in Wiltshire and one of the more reliable sites in southern England for the rare Marsh Fritillary. The population here is especially important because it represents a surviving natural metapopulation, maintained through careful grazing and habitat management rather than reintroduction.
Adonis Blue
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Pewsey White HorseSaturday 9th May
We got up at 4:30 this morning and drove an hour and a half down to Lymington in Dorset, managing to get on an earlier ferry as it wasn’t full. The weather was now forecast to be a nice 20 degrees. Why do we even take notice of the weather forecast? If you listened to it all the time, you’d never go anywhere.
Anyway, we boarded the ferry and enjoyed the early morning sun as we crossed over to the Isle of Wight.
The site a gentleman on Facebook had kindly given me was only a 15-minute drive from the ferry terminal, and when we parked up, we were met with beautiful views of the white cliffs and sea. Following the directions, we made our way down the coastal path and down some wooden steps to two ponds by the beach.
The species exists as a metapopulation, with colonies naturally expanding and declining in cycles depending on weather, foodplant availability and parasitism. In good years, the butterfly can spread beyond its core sites and form temporary colonies elsewhere on the island.
A well-known mainland colony now exists at Hutchinson’s Bank in south London, believed to have originated from unofficial introductions around 2011. Although controversial because the species is not native there, the colony has become firmly established and is now one of the most reliable mainland sites to see the butterfly.
After enjoying views of the butterfly, we headed into Freshwater for a celebratory breakfast.
Our next move was a boat trip around The Needles; the speedboat we went on had us out there in no time.
The Needles are one of the most recognisable coastal features in the UK, and one I’ve always wanted to see. They are a line of three striking chalk stacks rising out of the sea just off the western tip of the Isle of Wight. Despite the name, there’s no needle-shaped rock; it comes from an older fourth stack called “The Needle”, which collapsed in the 18th century.
Geologically, they are remnants of a long chalk ridge that once extended from the Isle of Wight towards Dorset. Over thousands of years, erosion and marine action cut through the soft chalk, leaving these isolated stacks standing offshore. Their distinctive shape is constantly changing as the sea continues to wear them down.
Because of their exposed position and dangerous surrounding waters, a lighthouse was built in 1859 on the westernmost stack, replacing an earlier light at nearby Alum Bay. The Needles Lighthouse remains an iconic navigation marker today and, together with the coloured cliffs of Alum Bay and the chalk stacks themselves, the area has become one of the Isle of Wight’s most photographed landscapes.
Back on land, we headed back to the car and, unbelievably, a Glanville Fritillary practically landed at my feet.
We arrived back at Lymington and headed west towards Badbury Rings, an old Iron Age hill fort owned by the National Trust. On arrival, the sun had followed us again, and we made our way up to the wooded area surrounded by calcareous grassland.
An hour passed, aimless wandering around, but we did find plenty of Dingy and Grizzled skippers, before I finally saw one sitting out on some vegetation not far from where Jenna had her sighting.
Grizzled skipper
What a day. We had connected with everything we had set out to see over the weekend.
Absolutely shattered, we sat down, took in the evening sunshine and finally headed home, arriving back just before 8pm for a well-earned curry!
