Still very quiet on the land although a few ‘Greenland” Wheatears were seen along with nine Whinchats, the first Goldcrest of the autumn and and three Spotted Flycatchers. Hirundines passed through in decent numbers with 2000 Swallows and 600 Sand Martins along with 35 Yellow Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail. Raptors included a Hen Harrier and a Hobby.There were ten Arctic Terns, two Black Terns and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull at the Patch.
David Walker from DBO website.
Leaving a wandering trail of footprints through the dew, I dropped down into the still, moist air at the foot of the cliff, heady with the fermenting aroma of over-ripe blackberries, where a hapless young Sparrowhawk was chased round the treetops by a gang of Magpies.
In the evening, a flock of 18 Mistle Thrushes was rattling around Winchelsea Chapel Field. Squadrons of dragonflies were swirling on rustling wings in the shadow of the old cliff-line, while high above them the cirrus was stippled with thousands of fluttering martins, pusued by both Sparrowhawk and Hobby. Hawking too were at least 13 Whinchats by the canal, watchful spots of amber topping thistles, thorns and nettles. More alert silhouettes on the treetops belonged to Spotted Flycatchers scattered along the back of the marsh.
A f Garganey was still at the scrape, while 3 Green Sandpipers were whistling at the flood as the moon’s fat pink face edged up through sea-haze.
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Today’s highlight was a honey buzzard flying over the reserve at 10:40 a.m. and heading out to sea.Â
Other interesting sightings included: garganey, black-tailed godwit, greenshank, little ringed plover, dunlin and little stint.Â
Still good numbers of Yellow Wagtail at the moment, with 150+ around the reserve, about 50 of these feeding in Red Valerian opposite the Parkes Hide with small numbers of Linnet and Skylark. The sea-defence pits on Harbour Farm continue to attract some interesting species. The pit behind the western end of the electric fence (viewable from the footpath to the Wood) held six immature Little Ringed Plover, three Green Sandpiper, and two Common Sandpiper, as well as 25 Sandwich Tern and small numbers of Dunlin, Redshank and Curlew, while a Wheatear foraged on the shore behind. In addition, 38 Shoveler, two Knot and a Bar-tailed Godwit were present on Ternery Pool early afternoon.
While on a work-party at Castle Water yesterday we came across this larva on Viper’s Bugloss. it is the caterpillar of Ethmia bipunctella, (sometimes known as the Viper’s Bugloss Moth) a rare black and white micro moth the adult of which commonly occurs in the Lime Kiln Cottage moth trap (bottom). The larvae feed on the flowers and leaves of Viper’s Bugloss in June, July and September, the pupa then overwintering in leaf-litter or dead stems until May the following year.
Ethmia bipunctella -Â caterpillar