Sunday 29 September 2013

Loving Every Minute - Lighthouse Family

A couple of 'catch-up' identifications from yesterday's Post with thanks to Martin Cade, Janet Read and John Gifford, both Insects are from Parley Court Farm and welcome additions to the Property List.
 PEARLY UNDERWING*
Best Bet at this time is
WESTERN CONIFER SEED BUG
A recent addition to the Great Britain Fauna List first found at
Weymouth Collage by our friend and local Wildlifer
Bob Ford - Photo Library 
GUELDER ROSE
not Field Maple as suggested.
A stiff sou'-easterly overnight breeze heralded my arrival which brought in a fair amount of heavy rain for the morning and backed into the east later in the day, Setting the Moth Trap in Secret's Garden at Sweethill allows for the best of both worlds, my own first then the 6 run each night at the
The Old Lower Light
aka Portland Bird Observatory
another 'first for me as I have never slept in a Lighthouse before.
The best from mine were
FEATHERED BRINDLE
and
FEATHERED RANUNCULUS
and at the Obs
BEAUTIFUL GOTHIC
From the traps it was straight on to the birds and just for once I
seem to have made the right call. With only a single medium-size
Wader (at great distance) at Ferry Bridge the area was by-passed
until later. Continuing on to the Caravan Camp at Littlesea all that
was added to the list were
c114 BRENT GEESE
so back to the BRIDGE.
At a distance this
PIED WAGTAIL
made for a nice picture if nothing else. Given the tide, the water
not pushing right up to the Visitors Centre, gave great opportunity
to view all the Waders present at fairly close quarters.
TURNSTONE
totalled 23
while there were
c6 BAR-TAILED GODWIT
as shown on
Portland Bird Obs - Latest News 
in excess of 50 DUNLIN
and RINGED PLOVER
SANDERLING totalled c3
as did GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL
Otherwise there were just singles of
MEDITERRANEAN GULL
and
RED KNOT
which was the most obliging bird of all.
Others added during the day included Collared Dove, Starling, Oystercatcher, House Sparrow and Lesser Black-backed Gull. I may have missed a couple out but the Trip List now stands at 59. It should be pointed out we are one day in arrears, so today is yesterday!
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