19th June

An unexpectedly windy day saw clear skies interrupted by sudden, heavy downpours. Avian life was dominated by a seeming mass fledging of the garden tits, Whitethroats and Wrens. Migrants were under represented throughout the Obs area with a singles of singing Reed Warbler and Blackcap holding the fort. The sea was disappointingly quiet, despite the wind whipping up a fair swell, and the highlight of a single Bonxie was supported by a cast of only the most frequent fliers (a handful each of Common Scoter and Manx Shearwaters).

Perhaps the most exciting find of the day was once again a moth, with a Cloaked Pug trapped at the Obs being a first for the island.

As pugs go, Cloaked Pug is pretty sizeable and distinctively marked so has always had a certain cachet. It also has a rather peculiar status, being established once again in spruce plantations here and there throughout Britain after being presumed to have been lost as a resident moth earlier in the 20th century; immigrants - like our specimen from last night - occur infrequently just about anywhere © Martin Cade: