First Dunlin back and sea bird dearth

Sand Point/Bay: Winds changed from south-westerly to WNW today and although still quite strong no sea birds were recorded. In Sand Bay 3 Dunlin turned up. Shelduck numbers were up to 24 and Black-headed Gulls up to 120. 219 Starling (count from photo) attempted migration off Sand Point but returned.

Manx Shearwater numbers again in treble figures

Manx Shearwater

A 2 hour sea watch off Sand Point produced good numbers of Manx Shearwater again but numbers not so good today. Yesterday 600 an hour recorded compared to todays 350 an hour. Birds were more distant today with several hundred moving mid channel. Birds were moving both up and down channel but mainly down. Also moving through 2 Woodpigeon, 61 Starling, 3 Swallow, 1 House Martin.
In Sand Bay just 104 Black-headed Gulls remained and Curlew numbers were up to 31

Max Manx Shearwater count

Off Anchor Head in an hour 600 Manx Shearwater nearly all heading south, 7 Fulmar south and 2 Gannet south before the count was abandoned for work.
Sand Point later in the morning: 150 Manx, 1 Gannet, 3 Fulmar (A.Hockey)
Sand Bay: 186 Black-headed Gulls and 15 Curlew.
Garden moth trap: 1 Silver Y

Cream-bordered Green Pea

Cream-bordered Green Pea

Lobster

Sand Bay: A quick look over the mornings high tide revealed an overnight increase in Black-headed Gulls to 270 whilst newly arrived Curlews seem to have moved on. Last night a Lesser Whitethroat was new in.
Garden moth trap: Cream-bordered Green Pea and Lobster were new for the garden.

Sand Bay/Point 18th June

Argyresthia spinosella feeds on Blackthorn

Dichrorampha alpinana feeds on Oxeye Daisy

Hedya pruniana feeds on Blackthorn

Monopis obviella feeds on refuse

Orthotaenia undulana feeds on various

Sand Bay: Curlew no.s up. Difficult to count in the marsh but 27 were eventually counted. 70 Black-headed Gulls still feeding along the tideline.
Sand Point: Diurnal micros on the wing this evening included Nemapogon cloacella, Scoparia ambigualis, Orthotaenia undulana, Monopis obviella, Argyresthia conjugella, Hedya pruniana, Dichrorampha alpinana

More micros from last week at Sand Point

Aethes tesserana feeds on Oxtongue and Hawkweed

Coleophora discordella feeds on Birdsfoot Trefoil

Homoeosoma sinuella feeds on Ribwort Plantain

Despite the poor results from over night trapping diurnal activity has been occasionally quite good in the evenings. Here are a few more micros from last week and Sand Point.

A few more sea birds

The Low system passing now and today saw lessening south-westerly winds and clearing skies. Just 13mph with gusts to 15mph. Temperatures much the same as yesterday 13c (10c with wind chill). 2 hours of Sand Point produced 27 Manx Shearwater, 1 Storm Petrel, 4 Tern sp and 13 Gannet. Black-headed Gull count in Sand Bay remained about 70 birds.