29th September

White-point

Pink-barred Sallow

Barred Sallow

Brean Down: Clear sky with a light southerly breeze. A Redwing south over at 12:30am whilst moth trapping. Moth highlights of the night included White-point amongst the migrants of 3 Silver Y and 2 Udea ferrugalis. A Barred Sallow and Acleris rhombana were the only interesting moths in the garden trap. The Pink-barred Sallow was from D.Agassiz garden on sunday night.

26th September

Four-spotted Footman

Garden moth trap: Four-spotted Footman (first Weston record since August 1972), Sallow and Dusky Thorn the highlights.

25th September

Convolvulus Hawk-moth

Frosted Orange

Autumnal Rustic

Weather: Overnight a light southerly wind with some occasional light rain. Temperatures a constant 17 degrees.

Brean Down Moths: 1 Convolvulus Hawk-moth flew in at 1:20am, 12 Silver Y, 4 Udea ferrugalis, 4 Frosted Orange, 3 Green-brindled Crescent, 20 Angle Shades, 2 Light Emerald, Large Ranunculus, The Blackneck, Beaded Chestnut, Autumnal Rustic, Willow Beauty, Yellow-tail, Common Marbled Carpet, Large and Lesser Yellow Underwing, Dark Arches, 5 L-album Wainscot, Large Wainscot, 2 Common Wainscot, Brimstone, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Square-spot Rustic, 6 Black Rustic, Lunar Underwing, Snout, Canary-shouldered Thorn, Pale Mottled Willow, Treble-bar, Centre-barred Sallow, Hedge Rustic, Rhomboid Tortrix, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix, Mullein Wave, Turnip. 35 species in total.

24th September

Clifden Nonpareil

Palpita vitrealis

Slightly overcast with some high level cloud and a light southerly breeze.

Brean Down: Quiet at the down as expected 2 Wheatear, 20 House Martin, 20 Swallow, 10 Siskin, 15 Stonechat. Asmall influx of Red Admirals and dragonflies noted during the morning and a Wall Brown on the wing.

Moth news: A Palpita vitrealis caught by D.Agassiz over night. Sallow, L-album Wainscot, Large Wainscot in my garden trap all new for year. The Clifden Nonpareil was caught at Curry Rivel on 21st Sept.

23rd September

Rush Veneer

Lunar Underwing

Garden moth trap: Rush Veneer and Lunar Underwing last night both new for the year.

21st September

Black Rustic

Quiet on the birding front and not much better with the moths although this Black Rustic is the first for the year.

19th September

Weather: Cloudy with some low level cloud and a moderate north-westerly wind.

Sand Point: Quiet this morning. Most notable was the northerly passage of 200 Swallows, 2 House Martin and a Sand Martin. The northward passage of hirundines has been noted in other parts of the country including Northern England. Why they do this is unknown but my hypothesis can only conclude at this time that the birds are following the paths of the rain that bring milder temperatures and newly emerged insects. Other migrants over the point/middle hope 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Redpoll, 10 Chaffinch, 1 Wheatear.

18th September

Black Tern

Black Tern

Large and Feathered Ranunculus

Few birds of note on the patch today. The Black Tern still present on the UV pools.

17th September

Dichrorampha acuminatana

Weather: Cloudy with some overnight rain and a strengthening south-westerly wind.

Thursdays calm dry warm spell was a good for micro moths and on Sand Point many Dichrorampha acuminatana were on the wing with a few Acleris rhombana.

Milton: 1 Tree Pipit south over garden at first light and a Greenshank over just after dark on 15th

Sand Bay/Point: 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Sanderling, 30 Ringed Plover, 50 Dunlin, 8 Knot, 4 Sand Martin, 1 Whitethroat, 10 Chiffchaff

Weston STW: An impressive 10,000 Swallow south-east, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 9 Wigeon and a Black Tern

16th September

Raven

Weather: Light south easterly wind with patchy high level layered cloud. Forecast - Low pressure from the north-west bringing another change in wind direction and some unsettled weather.

Brean Down: 500 Meadow Pipit (mainly ground with some heading west), 1 Whitethroat, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 15 Chiffchaff, 4 Tree Pipit, 2 Wheatear, 3 Goldcrest 10 Siskin, and a moderate passage of Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin off the Welsh coast

15th September

Juvenile Little Gull - Sand Point 14-9-11

Early afternoon update:

Weather: High pressure building from the south-west bringing clear skies and a light southerly wind. Forecast - As the high moves away a light south-easterly wind for the morning with some cloud.

Brean Down: 9 Raven, 12 Siskin, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit, 10 Chiffchaff, 7 Wheatear, 1+ Willow Warbler, 20 Meadow Pipit, 200 Goldfinch

Also on Brean Down per A.Hockey: 20 Wheatear, 100+ Meadow Pipit, Garden Warbler, steady passage of Swallow including some Sand Martin. A Ring Ouzel also seen at Brean village.

Weston STW: The Grey Phalarope still present on UV pools and a Silver Y found.

Garden moth trap: 1 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

14th September

Grey Phalarope

Axe Estuary: 1 Barwit and 2 Knot

Weston STW: 1 Grey Phalarope and a Black Tern which flew off high west at 8:40.

Sand Point: 1 juvenile Little Gull showing well at the point this evening

Big Swallow movement this morning over Weston Sewage Works. A sample estimate made it about 1,200 and hour. My guess is that these are British breeders that have filtered down the west side of the country, around the Welsh coast to Lavernock Point, Wales where they hop over to Flat Holm island and then over to Brean Down where they continue south-east. This happens every year in head or tail wind conditions and for several weeks finally tailing off to just one's and two's in late October.

13th September

Yesterdays Black Tern

Grey Phalarope record shot at 300 metres.

Evening update:

Brean Down: 6+ Manx Shearwater lingering distantly off the fort, 1 Fulmar, 1 Gannet and many Swallows on the move. 3 Harbour Porpoise in the rough water off the end.

Uphill: 1 Grey Phalarope at the Axe Estuary scoped from the back end of Brean Down on Uphill beach tideline. Also a Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 adult winter Mediterranean Gull with leg irons and an Arctic Tern on the beach with the BHG's

Anchor Head per B.Blake: 4 Manx Shearwater, 1 Fulmar and a close Grey Phalarope all down plus a constant stream of swallows heading down.

19,000 Meadow Pipits south over Spurn today.

Hurricane Katia - Full of hot air

Arctic Skua

Gannet

Evening update:

Sand Point: A disappointing morning at the point with just 1 Arctic Skua that spent 45mins on a the sea before heading north, 1 Grey Phalarope south close in around the point which was only picked up because it called, 1 Manx Shearwater, 1 Fulmar, 2 Gannet one of which hung around the point for about 10mins. Other birds moving through were 10 House Martin west, 60 Swallow south, 30 Curlew south, 40 Herring Gull north, 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls north.

Uphill beach: 3 Arctic Tern

Weston STW: 1 Black Tern

10th September

Sabine's Gull

The Sabine's Gull still present in Sand bay plus 50 Dunlin, 50 Ringed Plover, 30 Knot, 10 Sanderling. (P.Gregory)

Brean Down: 400 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit

Weston STW: 1 Green Sandpiper and an Arctic Tern

Moth trap: silver Y, 3 Feathered Ranunculus, 1 Bordered beauty

9th September

Sabine's Gull

Sabine's Gull

Sand Bay: The juvenile Sabine's Gull still present this morning about 100 metres south of the marsh on the mud by the seaweed tide line by a grey barrel.

8th September

Grey Phalarope

Axe Estuary: 1 Sandwich Tern briefly before being flushed by a trio of fat slags.

Sand Bay: 1 Sabine's Gull on the beach giving excellent views this evening but unfortunately no sign after initial sighting. (N.Workman)

Weston STW: 1 juv Grey Phalarope on UV pools this evening

7th September

Arctic Tern

Cormorant

Sand Point: 7 Manx Shearwater, 5 Fulmar, 16 Arctic Tern, 2 Common Tern, 1 Little Gull and 8 Dunlin past the point.

Yesterday off Anchor Head per P.Gregory 15:45-17:30 44 Manx Shearwater, 5 Gannet, 2 Fulmar, 1 Shag, 1 Great Skua.

6th September

An overcast morning with the odd brief shower and 17mph SW wind. 20 Sanderling on Brean beach and a 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull flew south along the tideline. At the Axe Estuary 1 Knot, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 55 Ringed Plover and an adult winter Med Gull.

5th September

Curlew Sandpiper

3 Curlew Sandpipers at the Axe Estuary this morning and 10 Knot in Sand Bay.

4th September

Spotted Flycatcher

Six-striped Rustic

Common Fleabane

Brean Down: Overcast with a light to moderate NW wind. Heavy overnight rain in the early hours may have had an affect on the bird count today whether it downed them or raised the overnight temperatures causing many insects to hatch as plenty of hirundines were feeding throughout the morning. Totals: 43 Wheatear scattered along the whole of the down, 150 House Martin feeding over the down, 80 Swallow moving west, 1 Willow Warbler singing occasionally, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 8 Stonechat, 10 Whitethroat, 5 Chiffchaff, 5 Blackcap.

3rd September

Oblique Striped

Apodia bifractella

Hedge Rustic

Brean Down: Warm morning with moderate SSW wind and 100% cloud cover. Quiet on the down 1 Redstart, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Tree Pipit and a Parrot sp high north.

At Berrow 3 new moths for me Hedge Rustic, Oblique Striped and Apodia bifractella.

2nd September

2nd day of Autumn. Brean Down: Light SSW wind with clear overnight sky. Quiet on the down by 8:40am 3 Tree Pipit, 15 Meadow Pipit south, 5 Wheatear, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Crossbill heard at the fort, 1 Yellow Wagtail and a light scattering of Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat