Wheatears are here already. Also Sand Martins and
Little Ringed Plovers. Which is lovely of course, and a galvanising
source of inspiration for the keen and eager. Sadly, that is no longer me, and unsurprisingly I have seen none of the above. The most exciting early-spring
migrants I've seen thus far are these...
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Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the Axe Estuary last Friday. The one
on the left is comfortably dark enough to be an
intermedius bird.
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As well as a few of these beauties, the gull collection that afternoon
included two Yellow-legged Gulls, a second-winter and a third-winter...
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Note contrast between black primaries and rest of upperwing (dark grey)
on graellsii...
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...whereas intermedius has uniformly black upperwing.
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3w Yellow-legged Gull
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3w YLG again
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2w Yellow-legged Gull
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2w YLG was quite a chunk.
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2w YLG again.
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Late this afternoon I visited again. Not so much for gulls, rather just a walk
in the misty murk. At Colyford Common/Marsh, on the upper estuary, I jammed
into a couple of Marsh Harriers. Almost a subliminal encounter, so I'm
amazed there are any photos at all...
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Male Marsh Harrier over Colyford Common...
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...and again. Dismal light, high ISO...blah, blah...
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This female Marsh Harrier was over Colyford Marsh, E of the
tramline.
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The 13 days since the previous post have seen the garden moth list increase to
58 and the 2026 list to 33. Among them was a new moth for me:
Shoulder Stripe, an attractive species that I'd seen many times on
other people's Bluesky posts but never in my trap. It was probably at the top
of my springtime most-wanted list. Results so far this year have made me cautiously
optimistic about the mothy prospects here in Axminster. Last night's mist and
drizzle produced 45 moths of 15 species, a considerably higher tally than the Bridport
garden ever managed in March. Anyway, here are the recent highlights...
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Clouded Drab
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Red-eyed Buff Agonopterix ocellana #2
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Small Quaker (five so far)
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Twin-spotted Quaker (seven so far)
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Hebrew Character (14 since the first on 28/2)
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Early Grey (19 since the first on 1/3)
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The very lovely Oak Beauty (nine so far)
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Brindled Pug - NFG last night, but already another this evening.
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Shoulder Stripe
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Spindle Moth Ypsolopha mucronella. Had just a single in Bridport I think.
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Another Twin-spotted Quaker.
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Water-dropwort Brown Depressaria daucella
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A third Red-eyed Buff Agonopterix ocellata. That's two more than we managed in Bridport.
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Early Thorn (five so far)
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Angle Shades caterpillar. Still a moth, and a tick for the year
list.
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So yes, it feels like the mothing in our
miniscule Axminster garden might turn out to be okay.
Onwards and upwards...
