10th June

The bit of a break down in the weather brought drearier skies and a freshening breeze today but didn't spoil the enjoyment of some more Rosy Starling action: yesterday's bird remained tucked away in private gardens at Easton, whilst a new arrival popped up for half an hour at the Bill during the morning; we also received a report from a member of the public of a third (seemingly differently plumaged) bird seen in a private garden in another part of Easton yesterday evening. Migrant interest was otherwise limited to singles of Reed Warbler and Blackcap at the Bill and the lingering Spotted Flycatcher at Avalanche Road. The sea was also quiet, with little more off the Bill than the lingering flock of 15 Common Scoter.

Today's two Rosy Starlings: the presumed adult male at Easton © Sharon Box...

...and the female/first summer at the Bill © Martin Cade:

Today's pick from the overnight moth-traps is another seaside special, the fabulously leggy little pyralid Long-legged China-mark Dolicharthria punctalis that was new for the year for us only yesterday. Although far from common it's a frequent enough visitor to all the garden moth-traps operated around the island and in our experience is most numerously encountered by torchlight after dark around the cliffs and at Ferrybridge. It has a very restricted national distribution and even in Dorset is strictly coastal, seemingly rarely wandering even a short distance inland...

...During our night-time rambles we don't recollect ever having observed the moth feeding at flowers but it was interesting to see this specimen's really long proboscis that had become partly unravelled - no doubt entirely usual for a pyralid but something we'd not had pointed out before © Martin Cade: