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Thursday, August 20, 2026

 


Your daily round-up of all the latest bird sightings from across Cheshire and Wirral

20th August 2026

Little Stint and 4 Yellow Wagtails-Meols Shore.

Osprey-Going North - Burton Point.

Black-necked Grebe-Woolston Eyes NR (permit only)-Three (adult and two juveniles) still on No 4 Bed; reserve open from 08:00-20:00, permit and key obtainable at www.woolstoneyes.com

Wood Sandpiper-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-One still at Bevyl Road Flash; also 8 Eurasian Spoonbill still at Boathouse Flash

19th August 2026

Slavonian Grebe-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Adult still from Whisterfield end

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Female-type still at Elton Hall Flash

Spotted Redshank-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Still at Boathouse Flash; also 9 Eurasian Spoonbills still

Wood Sandpiper-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Three at Boathouse Flash

18th August 2026

Curlew Sandpiper-Meols-Adult still on beach off Sandhey slipway

Eurasian Spoonbill-Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB-10 still at Centenary Pool from Border Hide this afternoon; use reserve car park off Puddington Lane (CH64 5SF; open 09:00-19:00, £7 entrance fee for non-RSPB-members)

Red Knot-Woolston Eyes NR (permit only)-Injured adult still on east cell of No 4 Bed from viewing platform; reserve open from 08:00-20:00, permit and key obtainable at www.woolstoneyes.com

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Female type at Elton Hall Flash























Wednesday, August 19, 2026

CROSSBILL SPLIT PROPOSED TO AVILIST

Two-barred Crossbill could be split into two species, following a proposal to the AviList Taxonomic Committee (TaxCom). Read more>

Sunday, August 16, 2026

A MEMORABLE NIGHT OF MIGRANTS – AND AN UNEXPECTED CRICKET FIRST

Alan Lewis and I had planned this weekend some time ago to visit two sites in the South West. Our first port of call was Cornwall to target migrant moths. The main prize was Slender Burnished Brass, a rare immigrant that has been recorded fewer than 100 times in Britain, most of them in southern coastal districts. 

It is most likely to appear between August and October and is usually taken at light. A scarce visitor from North Africa and the Mediterranean region, it turns up in southern England only in small numbers. The standout year was 1969, when at least ten were reported; although the records were spread over eight weeks, the mid-October concentration formed part of a larger immigration that brought in several other scarce species. 

With that target in mind, we set out to spend the night moth-trapping in Cornwall. Alan had identified some promising spots for pheromone lures, so I made straight for Porthgwarra. We met before sunset and quickly got the traps running. 


Porthgwarra

The light traps produced a fine selection: a Convolvulus Hawkmoth, a Porter’s Rustic (new for me), at least four Grass Eggars and eleven Striped Hawkmoths, together with a scatter of other migrants.

Convolvulus Hawkmoth

                                                                          Porter’s Rustic                                                             

Grass Eggar
Striped Hawkmoth

During the night, we heard a Verge Cricket calling. This species had only recently been added to the British list, the first being found in Sussex on 13th July. An influx into southern England this summer has already produced further records at Dungeness in Kent and at Portland Bird Observatory in Dorset. Alan managed to trap one; then, remarkably, another appeared in my own moth trap.

The Verge Cricket (Eumodicogryllus bordigalensis) is widely distributed across the Palaearctic and is expanding its range northwards, with climate change thought to be a contributing factor. It has also recolonised Poland after long absences (single records in 1952 and 2002). Our two individuals become the sixth and seventh for the United Kingdom. What an incredible and completely unexpected result from the night! The first cricket (the one Alan found) was wingless and was calling from beneath a rosette of plantain at the base of a kerbstone beside a small cottage above the cove; it was eventually trapped.


The second, a winged individual, came to my MV light.


It certainly wasn’t what we had set out to find, but it made an already exciting night even more memorable. In the morning we collected the pheromone lures we had left out overnight, but they produced nothing. 

After breakfast we repositioned ourselves about two hours further north at Hartland Point in North Devon. 


 Hartland Point

Looking out from Hartland Head with Lundy Island in the distance

A strong northerly breeze made conditions less than ideal for moth trapping, yet overnight five of the very local Scarce Blacknecks still appeared, three to MV and two to LED. It was another species that both Alan and I needed, so we were delighted. 


Scarce Blackneck 

Another target, Black-banded, for which Hartland Point is a premier site, was unfortunately a few weeks too early; they were not yet on the wing. We’ll be back! 


As the sun rose, a fresh Devonshire Wainscot was a welcome bonus, along with five Convolvulus Hawkmoths and two Striped Hawkmoths.

Devonshire Wainscot

As we were packing the cars, Alan took a call from Martin Cade at Portland Bird Observatory: a Pale Shoulder had been trapped and was being held for us. We headed straight to Portland. 


 Portland Bird Observatory

When we arrived, I was thrilled to find that Martin had just emptied the traps and there was another superb surprise waiting. He had also trapped a Bedstraw Hawkmoth and a Passenger. Wow! 


Pale Shoulder

Pale Shoulder (Acontia lucida) is a rare migrant to the south coast. There were several nineteenth-century records, followed by a long gap until two appeared on the same night in August 1994, one in Kent and one in Dorset. Since then there have been only a handful of further records, mostly in July and August. On the Continent it occurs in southern Europe, flying between May and August in two broods. It prefers sunny days, although recent British specimens have all been taken at light at night. The larvae feed on mallows (Malva and Althaea spp.) and field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).


Bedstraw Hawkmoth 

Bedstraw Hawkmoth (Hyles gallii) is a large, striking hawkmoth found across Europe and much of Asia. In Britain, it is a scarce, local species, with larvae feeding mainly on bedstraws. It is also occasionally recorded as a migrant.

Passenger

Passenger Moth is a scarce migrant to Britain, mainly arriving from southern Europe and North Africa. It is attracted to light and is most often recorded in southern England.

It was a brilliant way to finish what had already been an outstanding few days. Although our main target, Slender Burnished Brass, had eluded us, we had still enjoyed a fantastic selection of migrant moths, several new species for our life lists, five Scarce Blacknecks, some superb Hawkmoths and, most unexpectedly of all, two highly significant Verge Cricket records. A great few days trapping with Alan,  plenty of moths, plenty of surprises, and a few new ticks on the list. Roll on the next trip!



BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF THE WEEK:10TH-16TH AUGUST 2026

In just about any other circumstances, you would scarcely be able to stop birders from discussing a first-for-Britain New World warbler. Such is the controversial nature of ship-assisted passage, however, that this week's record in Merseyside was met by most birders with little more than a disinterested shrug. Read more>

Thursday, August 13, 2026

FIRST BRITISH YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER DOCKS AT LIVERPOOL

A Yellow-throated Warbler was photographed at Liverpool Docks, Lancashire, yesterday [13 August 2026]. Read more>

GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER-ACCEPTED AS A CATEGORY A SPECIES OF THE BRITISH LIST

The British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (BOURC) has made the following decisions about the British List: Read more>


Wednesday, August 12, 2026

TWO NIGHTS OF MOTH TRAPPING AT PAMBER FOREST-HAMPSHIRE

I spent two enjoyable nights this week at Pamber Forest and Silchester Common with my good friend Alan Lewis, doing some late-night moth trapping. We had a fantastic couple of nights, with some really quality moths recorded.

Pamber Forest and Silchester Common is an area of woodland and heathland in Hampshire and is designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Pamber Forest contains mature deciduous woodland, with hazel coppice dominated by mature oak, creating excellent habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, including some very interesting woodland moths.

Pamber Forest

The main highlights of our two nights were three spectacular Underwing species: Light Crimson Underwing, Dark Crimson Underwing and Red Underwing. We were particularly lucky to see them coming to a sugar solution that we had smeared onto the trees and hung up sugar ropes.

Alan applying the sugar base to the trees


Sugar ropes

Red Underwing



Dark Crimson Underwing

Light Crimson Underwing

Light Crimson Underwing and Dark Crimson Underwing were new moths for me, so to have the opportunity to see them at such close quarters was absolutely fantastic.

Seeing these impressive moths emerge from the darkness was one of the real highlights of the visit. Underwings can be easily overlooked when resting during the day, but when they reveal their brightly coloured hindwings, they are truly spectacular moths.

We also recorded Small Black Arches, another excellent woodland species. It is a localised moth in Britain, occurring mainly in the southern counties, and is associated with mature deciduous woodland. Its larvae are believed to feed on oak (Quercus), making the mature oak woodland at Pamber Forest particularly suitable habitat.

Small Black Arches

A fantastic couple of nights, some exceptional moths and a very memorable visit to Pamber Forest, which really delivered.


Sunday, August 09, 2026

BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF THE WEEK:3RD-9TH AUGUST 2026

Summer 2026 will go down in the history books for its simply stunning rarities, with surreal events on the Northumberland coast this week adding further to the special tale. There was plenty to enjoy up in Scotland, too, and exciting news from Suffolk. Read more>