500 miles, two lifer's, the best fish and chips in the world....oh, and visit Mum on Mothering Sunday

This flying visit to Ireland had been booked for some weeks, so was relieved to hear that the Stejneger's Scoter was still hanging around at Rossbeigh.  Arrived Cork Friday evening, and spent an hour or so at Cobh, missing the Indian House Crow for the second time.  I then drove to Killarney for something to eat, and then on to Rossbeigh for the night.  Heavy rain and strong winds overnight, but awoke to some blue sky with odd showery clouds scuding by.  A sweep of the bay saw at least 500 Common Scoter in scattered groups, seven Great Northern Divers and an Eider.  Three other birders walked down the lane, so I walked up the lane, and sure enough soon picked out the target bird at several hundred metres range among 200 or so Common Scoter.  It was suprisingly easy to pick out, with the white flash behind the eye and the white secondary panel, but if any further out would have been a real challenge.  I called the other birders over, casually asking where they had come from....and yes it was bloody Yorkshire.  What a fabulous vista of the choppy sea, especially as the sun came up casting shadows, loads of Gannets wheeling about, and several Chough calling from the hillside.

Rossbeigh

It then took 4.5 hours to drive across country to Wexford to stay the night at Mums, where we paid a brief visit to Kilmore Quay.  I had my first Sandwich Terns of the year fishing off the quay, summer plumaged Razorbill, and close views of a Guillemot, which unfortunately was oiled on its breast.

Guillemot, Kilmore Quay

 On Sunday, had a brief visit to Ladys Island, where there were small numbers of wildfowl, but of interest were at least 40 Mediterranean Gulls, mainly summer-plumaged adults, a single 2nd summer, and at least two first-winters.  The rather effeminate 'oooeer' call from some of the Meds was very distinctive, if not rather amusing.  Not much to report from nearby Tacumshin due disturbance from several birdwatchers walking about, but was more than compensated for by some battered cod goujons and home-made tartare sauce from the best chippy in the world at Kilmore Quay.

Heading back to Cork in the late afternoon, heard the flight running at least 2 hours late, so swung down to Cobh for a very brief visit, and within a couple of minutes saw the Indian House Crow perched on its favorite drain attached to the Papa John's fast-food outlet.

Indian House Crow

   So, third time lucky for the House Crow......if you can call it lucky, pass the bucket... but then again it is an interesting bird.  It rounded off a very successful and enjoyable weekend, and even the delayed flight and not getting to bed until 0200 this morning did not spoil the memories.

A new micro and a couple of Barn Owls

Tried the aspen copse in the birch wood at Pilmoor again for a couple of hours last night.  No more Lead-coloured Drabs, but just before I packed up I spotted a micro on the sheet that resembled Semioscopis steinkellneriana, but I remembered there was another that looked similar.  I potted it, and sure enough it was the ' other one' a Semioscopis avellanella.  Checked the record with Charlie Fletcher who kindly supplied the Yorkshire distribution map for this species.

On the way home, had a Barn Owl quartering the verge close to Pilmoor and another nearby at Thornton Bridge - always great value to see.

 

Semioscopis avellanella

 

Know your trees.....

As a boy I was always interested in putting names to things and was able to identify most of the common trees in leaf or by bark and shape alone. A couple of winters ago, I was puzzled over a clump of about 15 trees in the mature birch woodland at Pilmoor, and came to the conclusion they were Aspen Populus tremula, which was confirmed when they came into leaf last summer.

Knowing that some species had Aspen as a foodplant, I set the moth-trap under the trees on a number of occasions. I made a mental note that a moth I had never caught, Lead-coloured Drab, was also an Aspen feeder.

So, with a reasonable evening forecast and the temperature holding up, I went to Pilmoor and set up the 160 watt MBV over a sheet, which soon started to draw Orthosias in. While inspecting the sheet, I noted a slightly smaller drab, similar to a pale Clouded Drab, but this had the more rounded termen, and a distinct neat line of dots inside the sub-terminal line. It immediately stood out as being interesting, and despite prodding, I could not get to see the antennae which would have clinched it.

On trying to photograph the moth in early daylight at home this morning, the moth appeared to have died, so at least it made it easy to photograph, but I could still not see the antennae. While writing an email with my sighting to Charlie, the County Recorder, I thought if it is dead, I should be able to pry the antennae out into the open....the moth took umbridge and suddenly became rather lively. However, the antennae came into view, and sure enough they were feathered! A quick couple of shots in the poor light, and enough to clinch the i.d. with Charlie.

Just goes to show, by knowing the food-plant, getting the time of the year right, you might just get what you are targeting.

(image updated 26 March).

Lead-coloured Drab



The first post for far too long.....

The last few months have been extremely busy, one way or another, and very little to report on the wildlife front.  One notable sighting was on 3rd January near Wath, when a daytime flying bat sp was of interest.  The several months of snow and frost made for some interesting photography, but ensured the moth traps were stowed firmly away.

So, daytime temperatures of 11 degrees in Leeds yesterday, prompted me to have a go with a lamp over a sheet at nearby Pilmoor wood in the vale of York.  In less than 2 hours, over 60 moths were recorded, with several new ones for the site, only because I have not trapped before mid-March before up here.  It was still +9 at 2230, indeed it is still +8 as I write at 0615.

1025 Tortricodes alternella 31
1044x Acleris ferrugana/notana 1
1659 Yellow Horned (Achlya flavicornis) 9
1663 March Moth (Alsophila aescularia) 11
1932 Spring Usher (Agriopis leucophaearia) 3
1934 Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria) 3
1947x Engrailed/Small Engrailed (Ectropis bistortata/crepuscularia) 4
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 1

A weekend in Ireland.....

So.....fresh after the BBC4 programme on Twitchers in the last week, there I am standing quietly on a raised mound at Tacumshin, Co Wexford, having had stonking views on my own of the American race of Hen Harrier, and several Hen Harriers and the Glossy Ibis. Then several cars of English twitchers turn up, and the first voice I here is the irritating whine of one of those featured in the programme...bathing in the thoughts that everyone else might even be faintly interested in what he had to say, and still talking bollocks.   The hardcore were hardly looking around, just glued to pagers, and driving off at speed to far flung corners of the lake.  In contrast, several Irish birders there were fine gentlemen, unpretentious and friendly.  Several hours after daybreak, LGRE turned up...at least the whiner could tick his bird if the 'boss' said so....TIME TO LEAVE!

The real purpose of the visit was to see my folks, and my dear old Dad was in Wexford hospital.  Spent the night listening to the Whooper Swans calling, and had fabulous views of several harriers again next morning.

Distant and heavily cropped view of the harrier

Departing after lunch I headed back to Cork to catch my flight, but had an hour or so looking for the Indian House Crow on Cobh quayside in deteriorating weather.  No luck with the plastic corvid, but more than compensated for by an adult Sabine's Gull parading up and down the seafront.

What a great end to the trip!

First pup of the year

 

I took a boat trip around the Farne Islands today, in an attempt to see the seal pups.  The first birth date can be as early as September, and maybe as late as end of October.  We were lucky to see the one pup which has been born 7 days ago, but there were several hundred heavily pregnant females drawn out on the rocks and shingle birthing banks. 

The number of birds was pretty poor, and I can imagine the empty cliffs being draped with thousands of breeding seabirds in the breeding season.  Sounds like a visit required in May and June is on the cards.....

Variation in Green-brindled Crescent

The first trapping night for a couple of weeks, and spent 5 hours or so at Pilmoor woods.  70 or so moths, mainly November Moth agg. (I'll save their identification for another time...), usual Red-line Quakers, Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Dark Chestnut etc, but the highlight was both types of Green-brindled Crescent.

Green-brindled Crescent [ab. capucina] (Allophyes oxyacanthae ab. capucina) on the left, with the regular form on the right.