Summer Swansong

So that's summer done. August especially has passed in a blur, with few opportunities for bush-bashing at Cogden, or much else really. Life has been a bit full-on...

I'll start with a few pics from August 1st...

Great to see that Cirl Bunting has bred successfully again.

One of four Clouded Yellows.

One of many Rush Veneers, a common migrant. This one is really well marked.

Nicely camouflaged Wall butterfly.

Rosy Knot-horn, a proper little stunner, and new moth for me.

Since then I've managed a couple more visits to Cogden, but seen little of note. Until today.

I so nearly didn't bother. I had already ignored the alarm a couple of times, then a message from Steve mentioned a few Balearics and two Arctic Skuas past Seaton. That got me out of bed. Mind you, seawatching was not on the agenda. My plan was to walk the beach at Cogden, on the off-chance that a Grey Phalarope or something might be bobbing about close inshore, following yesterday's soggy blow. I'm pretty sure I haven't walked the full length of Cogden Beach since the spring, so it was about time really...

In the end I did the coast path first, then returned along the shingle. A number of scans from inland had produced absolutely nothing of interest passing by, so upon hitting the beach I had zero expectations. Approaching half-way I spied in the distance a smallish, dark bird floating just offshore. My first thought was Balearic Shearwater, but a few paces later the penny dropped. It was much, much better than a Balearic!

Forgive the photo glut...

Juvenile Sabine's Gull - an early shot just for the record.

There wasn't much in the way of floating weed, but the Sabine's did sometimes appear to seek out and inspect small clumps of what little there was. 

My first photo is timed at 08:10 and the last at 09:00, by which time the Sabine's Gull had worked its way almost to the western boundary of Cogden. Thankfully it then did the decent thing and flew E towards West Bex, passing Mike Morse who was still several minutes away back along the beach.

To put this record in context...

In the 22-and-a-bit years I've lived here, until today I think my Lyme Bay Sabine's tally was five (Lyme Regis, Seaton x2, Seatown and West Bay) and this is the first I have actually found. To do so during my first walk along Cogden Beach in many, many weeks says it all really.

I might well have used up my autumn jam prematurely.

Other birds of interest this morning were three Shags - unusual here - and a fly-by Sanderling. Thankfully the latter was quite close enough to check for eye masks and phalarope-ishness.

One of the three Shags, all of which were bobbing around together much too far out to clinch with bins, and all of which took flight the moment I focused the camera. Nailed though!

I think the Sabine's Gull photos are very misleading, and convey no hint whatsoever of the immense challenge of getting decent pics from a low vantage point in a heaving sea. Here is the reality. Three shots from a single burst of seven...

Frame #2 'Going...'

Frame #5 '...going...'

Frame #7 '...gone.'

So yes, tomorrow is the start of meteorological autumn. Bring it on.

Exeter Canal Carp

I don't see Rob much these days. Our eldest son has lived in Switzerland since 2018, and visits home are once or twice a year at best. Even so, every time it happens we somehow make room for some fishing. Last time it was pike (documented here) but this time it was going to be tench. Not any old tench, but Exeter Canal tench; tricky tench. With no more than one night and part of the following day available, this was a big ask. A recce trip was essential...

Arriving around 9 o'clock on a warm, sunny morning, we set off along the towpath. The Exeter Ship Canal gets ever so weedy in summer. Very pretty, but it makes fishing a challenge. The gin-clear water was alive with glittering shoals of small rudd and roach, and we passed a number of mobile lure anglers - including youngsters, which was nice to see - hoping to catch some of the many pike which thrive on this bounty. So far, all pretty much as we expected. And then we spotted a carp. In fact, three carp, cruising slowly past, a foot or so below the surface. And they were not alone. Within half a mile or so we must have seen around 15 carp, up to perhaps 20-odd pounds. The tench were soon forgotten.

Several years ago, when Rob was still living nearby, we had laid plans for a modest carp campaign on the canal. Time was limited, but surely we might catch one or two if we put some effort in? Rob got off to a great start in March 2017...

24lb 8oz of lovely, dark mirror carp.

But such auspicious beginnings were deceptive. Despite a lot of effort - especially by Rob - we caught no more carp that year. One Exeter-based carp angler we met spoke of going fishless for eight months and counting since his last capture the previous autumn, which served at least to console us a little but was hardly encouraging! Anyway, the following year we focused on tench. Wisely, I think. At least we caught a few.

The Exeter Canal is deep - up to 12ft or so in the middle - and not living nearby we had found locating the carp in several miles of water very difficult. Yet now here they were, brazenly parading back and forth for us. We picked an area to fish, and decided to return in a couple of days to put some bait in...

Once again it was a sunny morning, and once again we spotted some carp. Just a handful this time, but enough to keep the plan on track. We would be back the following evening.

Arriving around 8:30pm, we were set up and fishing within half an hour. Although we hadn't seen any carp this time, confidence was high. Well, maybe hope more than confidence exactly, but we were pretty convinced that our prebaiting would have had those carp prodding about close to where our little traps now lay. As the sun set, and passing walkers and cyclists grew few, quiet descended. Considering how close it is to the sprawling city and thundering M5, the Exeter Canal can be quite idyllic at times. Like right now...

Suddenly the peace was broken by the rapid beeps of a bite alarm accelerating into a 'one-toner'. It was my left-hand rod. I lifted the rod and immediately it hooped over. Definitely a carp. The battle was delightfully epic, the fish going on several decent runs and taking line. Grudgingly it succumbed to steady pressure though, and was soon in the net. 'Got to be a big double at least,' said Rob, illuminating the fish with his head-torch. I detached the net from its handle and lifted the fish from the water. Oof! That's when you know. The solid dead-weight of a fish in a net. Surely a twenty? On the scales it weighed 22lb 6oz...

22lb 6oz of Exeter Canal carp.

I was thrilled of course, but Rob was as chuffed as if he had caught it himself. What a start! Less than three hours into our session, and already a carp on the bank! A very decent fish too. The last 20lb+ carp I caught was in the Colne Valley almost a quarter of a century ago!

I would like to go on to record how this was just the beginning, and how the Exeter Canal carp proceeded to crawl up our rods all night...

But no, that was it. When it got light I landed a bream of 6lb 12oz. Summer bream are constructed mainly of slime, so I don't make a habit of weighing them, but it is so long since I last caught one that I just wanted a benchmark in case a really big one came my way. Initially I thought the next fish was also going to be a bream. Until I looked at it properly...

Roach x bream hybrid.

This is easily the biggest roach x bream hybrid I have ever caught. With hindsight I wish I had weighed it. Anything over about 3lb is considered a specimen apparently, and this one was pushing 5lb. Incidentally, if the fish look bigger in the photos than stated, this is probably down to the fact that these pics were taken on my phone camera, which I am guessing introduces a slightly 'wide-angle' look due to its short focal-length lens. Anyway, I certainly was not holding the fish at arm's length to make them look big!

The hybrid was followed by another bream of around 7lb, then a male tench of 4lb or so. Rob, meanwhile...er...blanked. To be fair to Rob, he was using very different tactics which were a bit more carp-or-bust than mine.

Rob is back in Switzerland later today, and any further angling efforts on my part this year will likely be solo. Hopefully I can motivate myself to have a go. Because clearly I haven't quite forgotten everything I once knew!

A Very Mothy June

Judging by all the exclamation marks and 'best ever' this and that comments on social media, I am guessing that 2025 has so far been an exceptionally rewarding year for moth folk. My very limited experience suggests likewise. My fitful efforts last year yielded 20 new species for the garden (NFG) whereas the first six months of 2025 have already increased the garden list by 38, including three last night...

NFG

Lunar-spotted Pinion. Not common locally - just six Bridport area records on the Living Record map - and wasn't on my radar. Initially I had no idea what it was.

Marbled White Spot. Caught one in our son's Lyme Regis garden last year, so I recognised it. Probably a bit overdue. Certainly there are several Bridport records.

Marbled White Spot, side view.

Ribwort Stilt Aspilapteryx tringipennella. I do like the stilt moths, so it was pleasing to see a new one. Discovered as I was releasing the night's catch this morning. My bleary eyes had failed to spot this tiny sliver of a moth when processing the trap first thing.

There were also a few nice migrants. I wonder how much longer they'll be around, and when/whether we will have another arrival...

 

Migrants

In addition to the migrants depicted below, the last two nights have also produced two or three Diamond-backs and European Corn-borers...

Bordered Straw #6 for 2025. The previous three seasons have produced just four, all in 2022.

Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis. A regular here, but I don't think we've had any others so far this year.

First Dark Sword-grass of 2025, trapped Sunday night. A regular migrant, though we don't see them often. Maybe four or five a year?

The fourth Small Marbled of 2025. Without doubt an exceptional influx of this species. Many long-time moth recorders are getting their first for the garden.

So that leaves the also-rans. Last night especially was another busy trap, with quality in spades...

 

Also-rans

First Canary-shouldered Thorn of the year last night. A beautiful moth.

Canary-shouldered Thorn, alternative view.

First Marbled Green of 2025. Despite the name, they're not always green.

The Coronet is fairly common here, but the deep, dark greens and purples on this individual made it well worth a snap.

Eyed Hawk-moth. Just wonderful! I think this is our third of the year. Which is roughly what we usually get.

The garden's second Slender Brindle. And this time I managed not to discard it with the Common Rustic aggs.

Another Sunday night moth - our second Mullein Wave. Not uncommon locally.

Hoary Tortrix Eucosma cana. Just because.

Thistle Marble Lobesia abscisana. Not loads of records locally (think I've had three now) so a nice catch.

Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis is a little beauty. It occasionally rests with its wings open, so I was very chuffed to get this pic, despite the plastic pot lid showing well!

Large Tabby Aglossa pinguinalis x2. Not especially common in Dorset, with just three Bridport area records on the Living Record map currently. We have had about six now, so I'm not sure what the attraction is. The larvae have sheep poo on their menu, but it definitely is not that...

Water Veneer Acentra ephemerella. The scientific name is very appropriate, because ephemeral they certainly are. We've had this species several times - occasionally in numbers - and very few of them last the night. This one was moribund.

Back when I was just a birder, June was a killer month. Now that moths are on the agenda, June is still a killer month, but for a different reason. I am currently reading a book about sleep, and if I was to limit myself to one take-away point so far, it is this: DO NOT compromise on sleep, because doing so will give you all sorts of health issues and shorten your life.

So, one more trap. Then a few nights off, and a lot of sle-e-e-e-ep... 

Nine NFG

2024 was technically my third season of mothing (though I did start mid-way through 2022) and produced exactly 20 new species for the garden, or NFG. To be fair, my efforts were a bit sporadic, but even so, I was happy enough with 20. This year has been similarly hit and miss on the effort front, but the rewards on another level! Last Saturday night alone produced five NFG; Thursday night, one of two NFG was a ridiculous rarity; Friday night, five more NFG...

Which brings us to last night - Saturday - which produced an astonishing NINE new moths!

I am glad I no longer count stuff, because frankly I would not be able to cope at the moment. It is more than time-consuming enough just potting and photographing the highlights. Anyway, here is an illustrated summary of last night's catch...

Migrants

No migrant NFGs as far as I could tell, but some proper quality even so...

Our third Small Marbled.

Pearly Underwing x2. There is just one previous garden record, from September 2022.

Pearly Underwing, showing the grey, tufty ridge along the thorax.

Bordered Straw #5 for the year.

In addition there were two or three Diamond-backs and at least one European Corn-borer, so the night was very productive migrant-wise.

 

NFGs  

Thankfully I managed pics of all nine...

Mottled Beauty. In three years I have checked hundreds and hundreds of Willow Beauties in case they were something other than Willow Beauty, but they never have been. Until now. Finally!

Purple Clay. A bit knackered, but who cares? Nice to see a hint of purple on its wings.

Cypress Carpet

Size-wise this Gromwell Ermine Ethmia dodecea is no different to the hundreds of indeterminate ermines that have inundated the garden recently, but those fat spots nail it. Not rare or anything, but satisfying all the same.

Bracken Gall Moth Monochroa cytisella

Not quite the photo I would have liked of this rather smart Pine Knot-horn Dioryctria abietella, but like many pyralids it was a bit of a 'mare in the studio.

Barred Hook-tip

Gorse Wanderer Brachmia blandella, presumably having wandered from some gorse.

Cock's-foot Miner Elachista atricomella. This moth has a number of look-alikes, but hopefully I've got the ID correct. Anyway, it's common enough.

None of the NFG moths appear to be particularly uncommon locally, so most are just a bit overdue I guess. In fact the scarcest non-migrant last night was a species I first encountered about three weeks into my mothing journey, in June 2022. At the time I managed a pot-shot only. This morning I made up for that...

 

Quality

Shaded Pug

Shaded Pug is not common in Dorset, though the Living Record map suggests there are hot-spots here and there. Bridport is not one of them, and there are no dots other than ours.

I potted this little beauty off the trap vanes late last night. I wonder whether it would have found its way inside had I not been out there... 

Incidentally, the right hind-wing is malformed, not damaged.

 

Random

There were lots of other smart moths and a bit of interesting bycatch, so a few more pics...

Giant Lacewing Osmylus fulvicephalus. What a beast!

Pied Rabbit Moth Ypsolopha sequella. We get a few each year of this quirky micro.

Fleabane Drab Phtheochroa inopiana. Our third or fourth this year I think, but the first I've managed to photograph. Slippery blighters! Not especially common locally.

Cream-bordered Green Pea. One of those 'two or three a year' moths, but there were two in last night's catch.

Blair's Mocha. The first for a while.

Immaculate Bordered Beauty. Caught two last night, though only had one or two a year previously.

Vapourer. Another moth encountered infrequently.

So, following that ridiculously prolific session I did wonder about the wisdom of doing it all again tonight, with the inevitable consequences upon real life and my ability to function as a human...

Anyway, the trap is lit.