9th August

Yet another swing in the wind direction and a little cloud cover saw a small rush of migrants. Willow warblers surpassed 200 with 51 trapped in the crown estate fields and garden combined, 10 Sedge Warblers, 1 Chiffchaff, 12 Wheatears, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Whinchats. We also received late news of a Marsh Harrier from two days previous. The highlight of todays sea watch came in the evening with 6 Sooty Shearwaters. The rest of the day saw: 11 Balearic Shearwaters, 5 Manx Shearwaters, 1 Arctic Skua, 6 Common Scoters, 10 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Black-headed Gulls, 7 Oystercatchers and 1 Dunlin.

Ferrybridge was quiet compared to recent days with sightings including: 3 Curlew, 3 Sanderling, 53 Dunlin, 30 Ringed Plover and 1 Redshank.

There was a distinct decrease in migrant moths within the traps this morning generating the following totals: 41 Silver Y, 9 Dark Sword Grass, 23 Diamond-back Moths and 1 Rush Veenes. 

Wasp Spiders were introduced to the UK in the 1920's and have since colonised the South coast, Portland is no exception. The males will wait at the edge of the orb web spun by a female like this one and will only mate once she has moulted, before her fangs have re-hardened  ©Erin Taylor: