August 2nd 2011

Overnight the garden temperature did not drop below 17c so once my trap was cleared down (249 moths of 50 species) Bob and I headed to the pond before the disturbance got too much.
On our arrival there were 3 Black Tern, 6 Common Tern and a male Common Scoter out in the centre with the scoter favouring biggen bay and the “island”.
Continuing our walk in very humid conditions we picked out 4 adult Yellow-legged Gull among the many Black-headed Gulls present while 6 Little Ringed Plover and 3 Dunlin commuted between farborough spit and toft bay depending how noisy Joe public were. The Red-breasted Merganser had been flighty eventually resting on toft bank long enough for photographs before settling on the north bank.


Other sightings included a lone Swift, 5 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Shoveler, 8 Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and 5 Kestrels (family party).
On our way back home we cleared down Dave’s trap (64 species from 350 moths) then the rest of the afternoon spent trying to keep cool while watching Brown Hawker and Southern Hawker beating up the flies in my garden.

Magpie

Athes rubigana

Mark and Mason had 2 Peregrine fly over Rugby just before mid-day and this evening a juvenile flew over the garden while a steady stream of Swallows and Swifts went over all heading south.

Richard