Autumn

Autumn is a flexible thing. Astronomically, autumn begins shortly after midnight tonight, though meteorologically it's been in full swing since September 1st. Birders have been enjoying so-called autumn passage - or a lack of it - since...well...probably late July. So, take your pick. One thing is certain though: it is exactly one year to the day that we moved into this house in Axminster, and September 22nd in 2025 was actually autumn in every sense. I was a bit preoccupied with other stuff last year, so there wasn't much birding, and moths didn't really get a look-in until mid/late October. 2026 has been very different, especially on the moth front. So, this post aims to address at least a small part of the significant backlog of NQS material taking up space on the laptop, with special emphasis on autumn...in its most flexible sense.

Bird of the Autumn

No contest here. Red-necked Phalarope is a Devon rarity, and a species I haven't seen since an autumn juvenile at Stockers Lake, Herts in August 1995. At the time I lived just ten minutes walk away from Stockers, but Blackhole Marsh on the Seaton Wetlands is about five miles from home. Even so, I was down there like a shot, within just...er...nine hours of the initial report. Well worth the rush...

Juvenile Red-necked Phalarope on Blackhole Marsh, 24th August.

A proper little character. My first Red-necked Phalarope was a breeding-plumage female on the north basin of Staines Res in June 1983. There haven't been many others in the interim, and I expect this one will have to last me a while too.

The 'smart wader' theme was reprised a fortnight later...

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, again at Blackhole Marsh, Seaton

I've taken the opportunity to have a mooch around Cogden once or twice when I've been over that way, and bagged a few Redstarts, Whinchats, Tree Pipits and whatnot, but my heart isn't really in the birding at the moment. There's no denying that Seaton Wetlands is doing the do just now, but mostly I am put off by its popularity and the consequent numbers of people.

A few more bird pics before the moths muscle in...

After a trip to the Seaton Tesco one day in late August I stopped by the estuary to check the gulls. Steve was already there, doing just that, and had turned up two Casps!

Casp 1 - a nice juv.

Before I'd finished with Casp 1, the whole lot flew, flushed by an Osprey. It looked like my unbroken record of at least a record shot of every Caspian Gull I've ever seen was doomed. However, not so...

As Casp 1 takes to the air, Casp 2 is just coming into shot from the right. Complete fluke!

Casp 2 was a 2cy bird with interesting bleaching or leucism on some flight feathers. The back end of Casp 1 exits stage left.

I'm pretty sure I've never seen an autumn Caspian Gull before September, but this was August 29th. The Osprey responsible for their departure circled overhead briefly...

Comfortably the best Osprey pic I've ever managed.

Late-August Spotted Flycatcher at Cogden

August 25th. Cogden looking very, very dry and crispy.

Moths

Because I've been keeping a spreadsheet I can tell you that our little bucket trap has pulled in upwards of 11,250 moths so far this year. Among that lot was a first for Devon - Langmaid's Yellow Underwing - as featured in the previous post. The Langmaid's tally is now three, with two more added on August 19th. In the month or so since then the trap's contents have taken on an increasingly autumnal flavour. One species that I associate with autumn proper is Lunar Underwing. It was very much a September moth back in Bridport, with up to 69 at a time in a night's catch. I didn't have to wait until September to catch one here...

August 22nd, and Lunar Underwing makes an entrance.

I had no idea what was coming. Last night's catch included 234 Lunar Underwings! Have they peaked, I wonder?!

Anyway, mostly the moth jollies have been about the migrants and the scarcities, and the many and various beauties...

Four-spot Dot Bohemannia quadrimaculella. 11 Devon records to the end of 2025. We've had two now, this one on August 4th

Four-spot Dot up close - 3.5mm of iridescent beauty.

Saltmarsh Knot-horn Ancylosis oblitella. A presumed migrant in Devon, with 13 records up to the end of 2025. This was our first, on August 3rd. We've had four now!

Twin-spot Plume Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla, our 2nd of three. Just ten Devon records up to the end of 2025. 

Marbled Yellow Pearl Evergestis extimalis. A new moth for me. With only 28 Devon records up to the end of 2025, and almost all along the S coast, I'm guessing a probable migrant.

Narrow-winged Pug. 1300+ Devon records, but a new moth for me.

A bit battered, but this is the 2nd of three Mugwort Pearls Loxostege sticticalis so far. There are just eight Devon records of this scarce migrant prior to 2026, but I suspect that number is about to grow significantly!

Our first Mugwort Pearl, a nice fresh one, on July 18th.

Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella. Dead common, but packs a lot into 4mm.

Beautiful Carpet, trapped August 17th. 520+ Devon records, but a new moth for me.

A rather dull Rosy Knot-horn Oncocera semirubella, trapped August 25th. Only 120-odd Devon records, and a good one to get in the garden.

The garden's first Vetch Moth Aproerema anthyllidella. Just over 100 Devon records, and we've had five now.

The most recent of seven garden Ni Moths, trapped on August 27th. Just 61 Devon records of this scarce migrant up to the end of 2025. I think that number will be obliterated by the end of 2026.

The garden's first Scarce Bordered Straw, trapped September 12th. With 870+ Devon records, it's a moth I'd expect to see more often, but don't.

Dewick's Plusia. An absolute stunner, we've had three now, including two together last night. 67 Devon records up to the end of 2025.

Bordered Straw. With 530+ Devon records it would make sense if we saw this species less frequently than Scarce Bordered Straw (870+ records) but this is our 8th (cf 1 SBS)

Black Rhomboid Grey Hypatima rhomboidella. 215 Devon records, and this is our first.

With 2,250+ Devon records, the regular migrant Turnip Moth is another we'd expect to see quite regularly, yet this is only our 2nd.

A totally unexpected catch a few nights ago, two Heath Rustics arrived from who knows where? A Heather feeder, there are just 215 Devon records, which isn't loads for a macro. A real looker, so I'm definitely not complaining!

A nicely-marked Pearly Underwing, the garden's third record of this regular migrant.

I thought it would be nice to close with this absolutely stunning Vestal, possibly the pinkest version I've seen. There are 2,150+ Devon records up to the end of 2025, so it's a pretty common migrant really. We've had 14 so far this year, including three together twice.