Win Some, Lose Some

The winning all took place this morning...

A wild and windy night meant only one thing: a pre-breakfast seawatch. En route to the seafront I noticed the river level was right down, with mud showing, and resolved to have a look later...

The seawatch was okay. I gave it an hour and ten minutes. Two Arctic Skuas W together at 06:55 was the highlight, but 11 Med Gulls, 14 Sandwich Terns, a Manx, 2 Kitts and 3 Dunlin made for a nice mixed bag. Sadly it wasn't so lively that I couldn't count Gannets*.

Right then, before I head for home...

At around 07:45 I pulled up by the river, pretty confident that I would have the kettle on in ten minutes or less.

No waders of course, but a small gang of Mallards to check through. Since I started birding West Bay regularly last autumn, those Mallards have pulled in some quality bonus ducks. Pintail is probably the best, but also a Shoveler, plus the odd Wigeon and Teal. This morning I spied a distant small duck among their number. 'Ooh, nice', I thought, 'A Teal.' It was too far away to see any detail with bins, so I dug out the scope. No chance it will be anything but a Teal of course, but nothing ventured...

A big white loral spot and a stripy face. Flip! The Teal is a Garganey!

My fumbling dash for the camera must have been quite amusing to watch.

Garganey (left) with two Mallards.

Despite the shady gloom beneath the front of Rise restaurant, that contrasty face pattern is pretty striking.

I called this as a juvenile bird, but I wonder now if the white trailing edge of the secondaries is a bit too strong. Perhaps it's an adult female?

In profile, that is quite a hooter!

I never got a decent look at the wing pattern, but a couple of shots from a brief, front-on wing-flap might also suggest adult female rather than juv...

Is that belly too extensively pale for a juv?

And does that glimpse of upperwing look a bit too grey?

Ah, well. Whatever its age, it's a Garganey, and my best find for yonks. I was especially delighted to hear later that it hung around long enough to entertain Bridport birders Pete Forrest and Tom Brereton also.

So, that was the winning. And now time has run away with me, so the losing I shall save for another post...

*91

Blogging in the Twitter Age

June 21st, 2008 was a momentous day: Not Quite Scilly came into being. But NQS was not my first experience of engaging with an online audience. A few years earlier I had joined BirdForum and gradually become increasingly talkative. Having lots to say on a shared platform is all very well, but the desire for one's own show is strong. And so the blog was born.

Clearly I was bubbling over with ideas back then, publishing two posts on that first day. One included a brief introduction to the author, the other looked like this...

...and so it continued in similar vein

In 2008 Twitter was an infant, barely two years old. In 2023 it is all grown up, a complex creature of contrasts. On the one hand a fount of information and home to selfless experts, on the other a festering cauldron of bile and hatred. Between your latest request for ID help with that tricky moth, posting a bit of bird news or shamelessly promoting a blog post, it is all too easy to wander off into dark and depressing places.

On the plus side, some Twitterati posted fascinating threads (thread = series of sequential tweets) that would have made excellent blog material. And some were just outright entertaining, regularly posting great content. But Twitter output is ephemeral, posted and gone. Try finding it again six months later. Ah, if only such folk would publish a blog...

I remember Stewart Sexton (Stewchat) likening blogs to magazines, that you can pick up and read any time, at your leisure. Twitter is not like that. It demands attention now, not later, and there is a lot of interaction. It is far less relaxed a medium than bloggage.

I must admit though, leaving Twitter feels like leaving a community, as if I have stepped out of a vast hall of chattering people and shut the door behind me. And now I can no longer hear any of them. A shame that, because some I miss. Not all though. No, definitely not all.

And what of blogging?

Writing a blog post takes time. Preparing and selecting photos or other images takes time. Deciding how to arrange your material takes time. I am fussy about words and grammar, so editing and checking for errors takes time. Everything about blogging is slow. But I like it that way. To re-read an old post and still feel pleased with it is a satisfying thing. And if a few others enjoy it too? Well, win-win.

Between 2008 and today, in my experience blogging hasn't changed much. A blog post is what it is, what it has always been, and at the end there may or may not be one or two reader comments and author replies. NQS is hosted by Blogger, beneath the Google umbrella. Thus far they haven't charged a penny for indulging me the privilege of publishing this blog, nor forced adverts upon me or my readers. Of course I do not take that for granted. You only have to look at Twitter to see how unwise that would be. I feel sorry for anyone whose livelihood depends on a Twitter presence, and the fickle whims of that medium's owner. But while Blogger exists - and while I exist - so will NQS. Well, that's the plan.

Whole Again

A highlight of last Saturday's Birdwatching Tram from Seaton was a flock of at least 11 Cattle Egrets with cattle. They were darting about among the small herd in characteristic fashion, a lively scene that I would normally have recorded in pixels. But you can't do that without a camera. I'm so out of practice with my old FZ38 that it seemed pointless to take it along. I have carried it on recent local outings, but at the same time hoping I wouldn't need it. Thankfully the new Nikon arrived yesterday, and I am whole again...

At some point I might write some boring stuff about how the P950 differs from the P900 (because it does, a bit) but hopefully there will be enough birds, moths and random opinionated tosh to prevent the need for that.

Since the last post, I've managed a couple of early seawatches and pre-breakfast walks. Highlights have been modest. Two Shags E together on Sunday was nice (they are fairly scarce here) but hardly what I spend precious time in the West Bay shelter for. However, absolutely nothing else is worth mentioning. On the land, migrants have been sparse. Two groups of Yellow Wagtails W yesterday morning (4 and 9) were the best of it so far.

And I don't even have a ropey Wheatear shot for the blog. So...

Saturday night, August 12th

83 moths of 34 species; one new for year and garden.

The new moth was an intriguing puzzler. Rather worn, with no dramatic markings but a distinctive, sharp little fold in the wing. ObsIdentify was no help ('Tortrix sp', which I already knew) but Chris Manley's excellent photographic field guide led me to an obvious candidate, a very variable moth with one form that looked a bit like mine. An expert concurred. Well, 'almost certainly' is good enough for my slack standards. With just four dots on the Dorset Living Record map, I give you...

Those photos were taken with my old Panasonic. It is actually not bad at micros.

Monday night, August 14th

89 moths of 44 species. Just one new for year, a Copper Underwing. After a calming period in the fridge I practiced my moth-wrangling skills by checking the underside of its hindwing for evidence that it might actually be Svensson's Copper Underwing. It was just as I remembered from last year - like trying to grip a greased almond. It was definitely a Copper Underwing. I apologised and let it go.

Tuesday night, August 15th

A good night. 174 moths of 65 species; four new for year, one new for garden. The new one was another worn micro, but a bit easier to identify. Also unexciting. Its inclusion here is a nod to my completist streak...

A thrilling new moth for the garden. Quite common apparently.

Our fourth this year. There are still no other Bridport area dots on the Living Record map.

I caught two of these little beauts in our wildlife hedge. Home grown? Just look at those crazy scale tufts!

All three of the above were photographed with the old Lumix. I'm pretty happy with those, and I'm not sure whether the P950 (or P900) could do any better. The FZ38's advantage here is an ability to focus at almost zero centimetres when in macro mode. I wish the Nikon could do that!

Also a few nice macros...

Currant Pug

Very common, but this is a fresh one: Garden Carpet

Orange Swift. New for the year, but not uncommon. We trapped the species on five nights in 2022.

The last three pics are also from the Lumix. When the Nikon arrived, there was one more moth which needed recording for posterity...

Blair's Mocha #19

 

Wednesday night, August 16th

120 moths of 46 species; one new for year and garden.

Moth of the night was clinging to the cabin wall this morning. Initially I thought it was a species we've already had twice this year, but something about it seemed a little off. Was it a bit more crisp and contrasty than usual? I couldn't remember the diagnostic features, but a quick look in the field guide confirmed my hope...

Lesser Swallow Prominent

That sharp white wedge on the wing is a crucial field mark, but a side-by-side comparison with its close relative is quite revealing. In the collage below, the Lesser Swallow Prominent is depicted alongside both Swallow Prominents we've caught so far this year...

Left: two different Swallow Prominents caught in July this year.
Right: Lesser Swallow Prominent.

Locally, Lesser Swallow Prominent is uncommon, as the Living Record maps show...

The Bridport area blob represents eight records.

That hot blob represents 98 records.

Interestingly Swallow Prominent apparently feeds on Aspen, poplars and willows, while LSP likes a nice birch. The top map suggests there are a lot of birch trees on the sandy heaths of East Dorset, unlike around here.

Definitely a pleasing moth to have added to the garden list.

Last night's trap included a single Rush Veneer, a migrant. Apart from a slightly freakish February record, this is our first of the year. In the coming days and weeks I am hoping for a few more migrants, and not just the moth kind.

RIP Old Friend

The sea was productive this morning. A typical dribble of Gannets was suddenly interrupted by a wave of Kittiwakes arriving from the east. I stopped counting at 166, when I realised they were beginning to gather with Gannets into a sizeable feeding flock. Presumably this was what drew in several Arctic Skuas. Following a few sightings of between one and five birds from 06:50, a tight flock of seven headed W at 07:55, but I've no idea how many there were in total. In 20 years here, I've never seen a flock of seven Arctics. Factor in 5 Med Gulls, 4 Manxies, 3 Sandwich Terns, 2 'commic' Terns and at least two Common Dolphins by 08:00, and it was a very decent seawatch for here. Pete Forrest joined me for a bit, before heading off with a promise to let me know as soon as he found the mega...

At 08:30 Pete did just that!

Spoonbill is certainly a West Bay mega! In a flooded field visible from an inland corner of my West Bay & Eype patch, and a very welcome sight indeed!

And then tragedy struck...

For a few months now, my Nikon P900 has been showing signs that its days were numbered. The fold-out viewing screen was the first organ to shut down, but I mostly used the eye view-finder anyway, so pressed on. As long as the camera could 'see', I was happy. Well, today it went blind. Moments after taking the photo above, the view-finder stopped working. And, as I type, the camera still cannot see. I have tried everything. It still has a beating heart, and a functioning brain, but no eyes. It sees only darkness. I am...there is only one word...distraught.

I was especially hacked off because there were moths to photograph...

 

Friday night, August 11th

A windy, though mild, night. Just 50 moths of 31 species; one new for year and garden.

It didn't take me too long to find my old Panasonic Lumix FZ38. It looked so dated, and ridiculously tiny, but beggars can't be choosers. Thankfully one of the two batteries I have was still okay, and took a decent charge. I never really used its macro function, so the questionable quality of what follows is no surprise...

Oak Hook-tip. New for the garden, but quite common I think.

First Small Square-spot since mid-June.

One last year and, so far, two in 2023.

The nicest example of Metalampra italica so far, but it's pretty obvious that the Panasonic is not going to manage little micro-moths very well.

A new camera is on order, though unfortunately the P900 is no longer manufactured. In the meantime, bird photos might be few and far between.

 

EDIT

I nearly forgot! Two more Blair's Mochas last night. Despite ropiness, photos are obligatory...

Blair's Mocha #17 and #18. I think the colours here are not quite as true to life as I would like, but one of them really was much yellower than the other.

Catching Up, Fully

Photographing the moths I catch has become a mild obsession. After more than a year of trial and error I mostly do get images that I'm happy with, given the limitations of my kit, though the smaller micros are a bit of a push. Mind you, there are two variables which give me headaches. One, the light, when it is dim, and two, the moth, when it is naughty.

A few species are as docile as you like, and will sit still for ever. But there are lots at the other end of the spectrum (especially among the micros) which never sit still. There are tricks and techniques that help, but it's amazing how many moths can look totally relaxed one moment, but a nanosecond later have vanished. This is particularly galling when a garden first is involved. Two recent examples in this category are Bucculatrix thoracella and Monopis weaverella. I'm especially miffed at the latter, because I was looking forward to blogging about a moth whose larva feeds on animal carcasses, faeces and suchlike. Its vernacular name is more appropriate than many: Carrion Moth. Ah well, hopefully one day I'll get another.

In the meantime, here are some that behaved...

Monday night, August 7th

102 moths of 56 species; four new for year, three new for garden. The aforementioned B. thoracella was one of the new species for the garden, but the other two posed just fine...

What a stunner! This is Gold Spot. Quite a common moth apparently, but I've certainly not seen one before. It made my day! Typically, as it's a moth with irridescent bits, the camera cannot really do it justice.

As so-called clothes moths go, at 12mm+ this one is a monster. But I think our clothes are safe. Doesn't seem to be that common, with just four Bridport area records on the Living Record map.

Some other well-behaved moths from that night...

Maiden's Blush

Four-spotted Footman. Our first female this year, the sex which does actually have four spots; the males have none.

A strikingly dark Shuttle-shaped Dart.

Roughly 4.5mm of tiny moth. Our third this year.

Our third one of these too.

A very fresh example of this micro. Also a very large example, which turned up with an equally beefy mate...

Beasts!

Not sure why I bothered photographing this dull creature, our fourth of the year. As I said earlier, it has become a mild obsession.

Tuesday night, August 8th

A good night. 159 moths of 63 species; six new for year, two new for garden.

The garden ticks first...

A new tripod moth! I love these things. This one appears to be quite common.

We are not in an area with many pines, so a slightly surprising catch. Common enough elsewhere, but there is only one Bridport area dot (representing two records) on the Living Record map.

Plenty of other decent moths in the trap that night...

Common enough, but this one is fresh out of the box.

Our first immigrant White-point of the year. Last year we recorded it on 12 nights, with a peak of four, but 2022 was an exceptionally good year for migrants.

The first Canary-shouldered Thorn of 2023, accompanied by...

...the first Dusky Thorn of 2023.

Quite often I struggle a bit with the Wormwood/Currant Pug species pair, but this has got to be the most obvious Currant Pug I've seen. Last year we caught seven, which compares with a Living Record tally of eight records (four sites) in the rest of the Bridport area. This one is our fourth of the year. As I've said before, we seem to do very well for pugs here.

Our first Rosy Minor of the year, one of two.

A common and attractive pyralid, and this one is brand new.

Talking of brand new, how about this for an immaculate Yellow-barred Brindle? Apparently they fade to yellow, but I'm not sure we've had one that colour yet. Why name a moth from its appearance when worn?

Wednesday night, August 9th

111 moths of 50 species. One new for year and garden.

The new moth was Monopis weaverella, the Carrion Moth mentioned earlier. 

A really nice, pale Dun-bar.

One of my favourite 'subtle' moths, this is Pale Mottled Willow, and a super-fresh example too.

A fairly common but unspectacular micro. Its appearance here is yet more evidence of my mild obsession with photographing the things.

One benefit of taking all these moth pics is that many species are becoming increasingly familiar to me, and easier to recognise when I meet them again. Repeatedly taking and viewing images definitely helps the learning process. For example, although Blair's Mocha does not feature in this post, I'll bet many regular NQS readers with minimal interest in moths would instantly recognise one!

There is no trap report for Thursday night. It was our 43rd wedding anniversary on Wednesday, and a slightly belated celebration took place in and around Weymouth last night...

The view from our balcony last night. Large glass of single malt just out of view.

Catching Up, Partly

Five days can be a long time in Blogland, and so it is right now. Too much material to do it proper justice, so here is a very much thrown-together post...

Birding etc...

Finally I am getting back to some sort of birding routine, with a few morning walks at West Bay. The first was on Monday, and the timing could hardly have been better. A pod of Common Dolphins off the seafront around 06:45, slowly heading east...

They weren't too far out but, as usual, not easy to photograph.

Cetaceans are not an everyday sight here, and these were my first dolphins since the back end of last year, so I put a message out on the local birding WhatsApp group. Less than ten minutes later, a message from Mike Morse at West Bex:

'Group of 13 egrets coming your way Gav. Too far out for me to know if any Cattle Egrets in mix'

At this point I was heading up West Cliff, and the sea was out of view. So I retraced my steps until I could see it again, and waited...

Here they come...

...and there they go: 13 Cattle Egrets!

A much-anticipated West Bay & Eype patch tick for me, and a perfect illustration of why I love our little WhatsApp group. Also my camera. With bins alone, those egrets would likely have remained 'egret sp', but 2000mm of zoom nails it.

The camera came in useful again this morning, when a group of six ducks plonked onto the sea, well offshore. Four were definitely drake Common Scoters. I guessed the other two were probably females, but couldn't be sure...

The main pic is full-frame 2000mm zoom, and the pale cheeks of two female Common Scoters are obvious when you enlarge it a bit. 

There hasn't exactly been a flurry of migrants so far this week, but a few Wheatears and Willow Warblers, a Garden Warbler every morning (probably the same one!) and a Sedge Warbler so far. Better than nothing...

Garden Warbler

First Wheatear of the 'autumn'

Just after the Cattle Egrets went through I heard a Wood Sandpiper calling, but never saw it. I am pretty sure Wood Sand must be a patch mega. My only other local bird was at Cogden (or West Bex?) a few years back, also an unseen fly-over.

That's about it on the bird front, but there is sometimes other stuff to look at. Yesterday morning I came across my first patch Roesel's Bush Crickets, a busy little gathering of four or five in some long grass. I took some snaps from a distance...

Roesel's Bush Cricket - a winged female...

...and an unwinged male.

In April last year I learned that a rare (though naturalised, not native) plant lives at West Bay (thank you, Seth) so made an effort to look for it this week. And here it is, I hope...

A big mat of Rottingdean Sea-lavender Limonium hyblaeum.

Up close, the flowers are rather nice.

Unexpectedly fleshy leaves at the base - visible lower left here.

Obviously I cannot get fully involved with botanising (because I am mortal, with just the same 24 hours a day that everyone else gets) but the occasional diversion is manageable.

Which brings me to the final chapter in this post...

Moths etc...

Saturday night, August 5th

Pretty poor. 40 moths of 21 species. None new for year.

Probably the best moth of the night: Nutmeg, our third.

Sunday night, August 6th

52 of 31; one new for year and garden.

New for the garden. Listed as 'local'. There are lots of blobs on the Dorset Living Record map, though just two in the Bridport area.

A worn (and quite small I think) Rivulet, our second this year.

Worn Rivulet vs worn Small Rivulet.

A really fresh Cydia splendana.

Another Blair's Mocha - number 16.

Loads more moth stuff to catch up on, including one or two belters, but no time now. Soon.