Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre: 3rd July

After a beautifully still night when another 5 Storm Petrels had been tape-lured and ringed at the Bill the day itself was again fine, warm and sunny, albeit with a brisk westerly breeze becoming a conspicuous feature. At the Bill the day's reports were all from the sea, with 10 Common Scoter, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Black-headed Gulls and singles of Manx Shearwater and Mediterranean Gull through during the morning. Elsewhere, the Hooded Crow was again at Admiralty Quarry and the Mediterranean Gull tally at Ferrybridge increased to 39.

Immigrants/wanderers caught overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps included 5 each of Rusty-dot Pearl and Silver Y, 2 Dark Spectacle and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Crescent, Beautiful Hook-tip and Cream-bordered Green Pea.

Since we hadn't seen aridella for many years - the only specimens in the Obs reference collection were kindly given to us by Norman Hall who'd caught them getting on for 20 years ago at Ferrybridge - we thought we'd have a go for it at Ferrybridge in last night's lovely calm conditions. Norman had told us that they're typically late night flyers, and so it came to pass, with none seen before 2am but then 20 or more caught between then and dawn at 4am. Unlike several of the other crambids, it seems aridella doesn't wander far from its chosen saltmarsh habitat: Dave Foot tells us that he's never caught one in his garden at Wyke Regis (only a few hundred metres from Ferrybridge), whilst there are no records from any of the static light-traps run in gardens on Portland.