CORNWALL, DEVON & PORTLAND — A SEPTEMBER ADVENTURE

Thursday 3rd September

With work finishing this afternoon and the forecast showing north-westerly winds for the following day, I decided it was time to head south-west. The plan was to make the long journey down to Cornwall and hopefully get a good sea watch in at Pendeen the next morning.

I arrived in Cornwall just after 7:00 pm and, rather than wasting the evening, decided to put the moth traps out at Church Cove on The Lizard.

Church Cove

It was a fairly quiet trapping session, although over 100 Large Yellow Underwings were attracted to the lights, along with a few other species.

L-album Wainscot

Angle Shades

Square-spot Rustic

Friday 4th September

I arrived at Pendeen at first light, where I was joined by a good number of enthusiastic birders, all hoping that the north-westerly winds would produce a memorable seawatch.

Pendeen

Birders on site

The five-hour session didn't quite live up to expectations, but there were still some good birds to keep things interesting. The highlights for me were:

2 Great Shearwaters

4 Balearic Shearwaters

25 Sooty Shearwaters

28 European Storm Petrels

2 Whimbrels

400+ Manx Shearwaters

The sight of the shearwaters moving offshore was certainly worth the early start, and although the hoped-for mega didn't materialise, it was still an enjoyable morning of seawatching.

After lunch, I headed north into Devon for another target of the trip, although this one wasn't feathered! A few weeks earlier, Alan Lewis and I had visited Hartland Point, where we'd managed to trap Scarce Black-neck, but the Black-banded Moth wasn't on the wing at the time. I was hoping that a few more weeks would make all the difference.

I arrived a few hours before sunset and set up my three traps in the areas I'd chosen. 

Hartland Point with Lundy Island in the distance

As darkness fell, things were looking rather quiet moth-wise, probably due to the north-westerly wind.

Then, just before midnight, things changed. I checked one of the traps, and there it was: Black-banded Moth! I was absolutely made up. After the long journey and another evening spent standing around the traps, finally getting the target was a brilliant result.

Saturday 5th September

By morning, I'd only trapped the one Black-banded Moth, but that was enough. Target achieved!

In Britain, Black-banded Moth (Polymixis xanthomista) is a highly localised coastal species, found mainly along the rocky coasts of Devon and Cornwall, with populations also occurring in south-west Wales and the Isle of Man. It has also been recorded in North Anglesey.

The species is strongly associated with exposed coastal habitats, particularly rocky and stony cliffs and slopes where Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima) grows. These sites are often exposed to salt spray and high tides, and the moth is rarely encountered far inland. Adults are mainly on the wing in late summer and early autumn, with September and October producing the majority of records.

I then packed up my traps and headed towards Portland Bird Observatory in Dorset, where I planned to spend some time birding and do another moth-trapping session at Freshwater Bay.

On arrival, I was met by my good friend Dave Morton, who had just found a Beautiful Gothic on the wall around the observatory. It was a new moth for me, so I was delighted to arrive and immediately add another species to my list.

Beautiful Gothic

The afternoon was spent in the quarry trying to connect with a Wryneck.

It was incredibly elusive, disappearing for long periods and testing everyone's patience, but eventually it showed really well. I later found myself sitting in the observatory garden with Dave and Martin Cabe, enjoying a brew and chatting about the day's birding. Then Dan Pointon texted me.

Egyptian nightjar, Pool of Virkie, Shetland!  “Holy sh..!” 

That was enough. Panic immediately set in. I went straight onto the Loganair website, booked a flight, said my goodbyes and was off, heading north!