Last Monday (10th) I had my latest species of moth that was New For Garden – metalampra italica. It’s quite a smart micro, and was only first recorded in Hampshire in Aug 11 but has since become widespread through the county [Hants Moths website].
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| Metalampra italica, Fareham garden – 10 Jun 24 |
Good mothing,
Tony T BSc (Hons) GeoSci (Open)
Each morning, I used to rise early and loop the promenade deck a few times, looking for birds that might have crash landed during the night. On the 16th of February I managed to capture a Leach's Storm Petrel that was hidden behind a bench and also a Wedge-tailed Shearwater, which was more out in the open. The 19th February saw me picking up two Wedge-tailed Shearwaters from the same deck. Glad to report that all the birds were safely returned to the sea after a quick once over inspection. The snaps were taken on my phone, so not the best quality, but it gives you an idea.
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| Wedge-tailed Shearwater 1, 19 Feb 2024 |
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| Wedge-tailed Shearwater 2, 19 Feb 2024 |
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| No 2 again |
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| And Again |
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| Close up on Wedgie 1 |
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| Tail of Leach's Storm Petrel, 16 Feb 2024 |
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| Leach's Storm Petrel 16 Feb 2024 |
Steve C
It is fair to say that after the ship sailed south from Hawaii, en route to Samoa that sea birds became rather less common than I expected and certainly would have wanted. I knew from previous passages through tropical waters that it is not uncommon to go a day or two without seeing any action. Although on this leg we did pass relatively close to a few island chains, this proved to be the case. A single Laughing Gull on the 16th of February at Lat/Long of 5.497, -164.116 was an outstanding and unusually strange record. 100s of Kms from the nearest land mass of the Kiribati Islands.
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| Laughing Gull, location as stated above,16 Feb 2024 |
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| Same bird different view. |
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| Bulwer's Petrel, 19 Feb 2024 |
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| Masked Booby, 15 Feb 2024 |
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| Pomarine Skuas, 19 Feb 2024 |
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| Poss Short-tailed Shearwater, 19 Feb 2024 |
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| Sooty Tern, 14 Feb 2024 |
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| Wedge-tailed Shearwater, 15 Feb 2024 |
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| Wedgie again, as above |
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The ship left San Francisco on the 7th of February heading for Honolulu in Hawaii. The passage was disappointingly quiet on the whole, however a new life bird did appear briefly on the 10th, Murphy's Petrel. A single bird passing by the ship.
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| Murphy's Petrel, Central Pacific, 10 Feb 2024 |
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| Murphy's Petrel, Central Pacific, 10 Feb 2024 . |
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| Black-footed Albatross, Central Pacific, 11 Feb 2024 |
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| Black-footed Albatross, Central Pacific, 11 Feb 2024 |
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| Green Turtle, Pearl Harbour, 12 Feb 2024 |
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| Green Turtle, Pearl Harbour, 12 Feb 2024 |
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| Green Turtle, Pearl Harbour, 12 Feb 2024 |
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| Pacific Golden Plover, Pearl Harbour, 12 Feb 2024 Steve Copsey |
The 6th of February found us in San Francisco. We had booked a trip to Alcatraz, as you do. Part of the trip involved a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and a visit to the village of Sausalito on the north side of the bay from San Fran. We had 90 minutes in this pleasant village, so after a coffee stop we walked along the seafront in the winter sunshine. I could pick out both Clark's and Western Grebes in a mixed flock of Grebes about 100 metres offshore. After a little patience a few did come that bit closer allowing a snap. A couple of Red-throated Divers were also present, with one bird swimming very close to the shore. In the village centre a single adult Heerman's Gull was perched on the sea wall. I was particularly pleased with this sighting as I thought I had missed my chance as I hadn't seen it along the Mexican coast earlier that week. In a small park on the north side of town, I had a small flock of Golden-crowned Sparrow and a single Western Scrub Jay, conveniently rooting around in a small patch of scrub. On a nearby roof of the local marine I had my first Brandt's Cormorants of the trip along with Plenty of Double-crested and numerous Brown Pelicans. The Brandt's showing the distictive blue throat patch.
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| Brandt's Cormorant, Sausalito, 6 Feb 2024 |
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| Brandt's Cormorant along with Double Crested and Brown Pelicans |
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| Clark's Grebe, Sausalito, 6 Feb 2024 |
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| Golden-crowned Sparrow, Sausalito, 6 Feb 2024 |
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| Heerman's Gull, Sausalito, 6 Feb 2024 |
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| Red-throated Diver (Loon), Sausalito, 6 Feb 2024 |
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| Western Grebe, Sausalito, 6 Feb 2024 |
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| Western Grebe, Sausalito, 6 Feb 2024 |
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| Western Gull, Alcatraz, 6 Feb 2024 |
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| Western Scrub Jay, Sausalito, 6 Feb 2024 |
Steve C.
Corncrake remained the only UK resident, regular winter migrant or summer migrant bird species that I had yet to connect with until my recent 4-night stay on the Southern Hebridean Isle of Islay. I travelled north on Sunday 12 May 24 stopping overnight in Dumbarton visiting RSPB Leighton Moss and RSPB Morecambe Bay en route. I had the good fortune to hear Corncrake each day (late evening and early morning) on Islay due to a male singing from the field opposite Gruinart House B&B. Thankfully, I took my thermal imager that enabled me to locate that particular bird on the 14th singing from within a clump of tall, dense vegetation just 20m away from 21:30.
Highlights of the trip as follows:
Sunday 12 May 24
RSPB Leighton Moss
RSPB Morecambe Bay
Little Gull, RSPB Morecambe Bay – 12 May 24
Monday 13 May 24
Kennacraig Ferry Terminal
Little Egret, Kennacraig Ferry Terminal – 13 May 24
Passage to Islay on the ‘Lord of the Isles’
Loch Indaal (viewed from north of Bowmore)
RSPB Loch Gruinart
White-tailed Sea-Eagle, Loch Gruinart – 13 May 24
Little Tern, Loch Gruinart – 13 May 24
Tuesday 14 May 24
Loch Gruinart
Whooper Swan (adult), RSPB Loch Gruinart – 14 May 24
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| Whooper Swan (immature), RSPB Loch Gruinart – 14 May 24 |
Wednesday 15 May 24
Ardnave Point
Whimbrel, Ardnave Point – 15 May 24
Loch Ardnahoe
Red-throated Diver, Loch Ardnahoe, 15 May 24
Thursday 16 May 24
Loch Cornabus
American Wigeon, Loch Cornabus – 16 May 24
RSPB Mull of OA
Golden Eagle, RSPB Mull of Oa – 16 May 24
Twite, RSPB Mull of Oa – 16 May 24
Homeward bounders. ‘Lord of the Isles’, Port Ellen
Apart
from any twitches that take my interest, my next target will be European
Bee-eater since the species has bred in the country in recent years.
Unfortunately, I was unable to spare the time to visit the pair that bred
successfully on the Isle of Wight back in 2014, or at Trimingham for the last
two years. However, with my time serving in the Royal Navy drawing to an end
that won’t be such a problem in future.
Good birding,
Tony T BSc (Hons) GeoSci (Open)
Last Monday (10th) I had my latest species of moth that was New For Garden – metalampra italica . It’s quite a smart micro, and was only fir...
