Hummingbird Hawk-moth

Another hot afternoon brought the first two Hummingbird Hawk-moths to the east side of the island.

Photo below from 2015 by @Mattthomas966 - see http://hilbrebirdobs.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/hummingbird-hawk-moth.html?m=1

17th June 2017

Weather: calm with 10 mls vis, North 1 and 30mls later.

Linnet

A surprisingly good day considering the month and the conditions. It started with Shelduck movements totalling 40 including the resident birds, then Curlew were spotted – 7 returning birds. Many more terns were about than of late with 130 Sandwich, 150 Common and a Little noted. A bonus was a Manx Shearwater going West to East close in to the North end.

Also on the sea were 8 Gannet, a Great Crested Grebe and a Guillemot.

Circa 70 Canada Geese flew from the Tanskeys and came down on the estuary North of Little Eye.

 Little Egrets numbered 6 with 2 Grey Heron.

The Kestrel was again present and there was a passage of 15 Swifts.     All photos AEH

Silver Y moth         

16th June 2017

Weather: W force 5/6
A a low tide count of the seals this morning produced a total of 484 Grey Seals and 7 Common Seals, this is a good number and  is in line with the maximum of recent times although the numbers have fluctuated over the years. Twenty one Sandwich Terns and a Common Tern were noted as were 2 Little Egrrets (below KMc).

13th June 2017

Weather:  W  force 2 vis 20mls increasing later

Following the high winds of the last few days the bracken and trees are very badly wind/salt burnt, it is hoped that no nests were damaged.

Three Shelduck and the pair of Mallard were on the East side.

Only three Gannet and a few Sandwich and Common Terns were noted off the North end.

A Kestrel disturbed the breeding birds on the main island a few times over the tide and the only other birds of note were two Swifts which were feeding over the islands for some time.

A nice find was a lovely Brimstone butterfly which unfortunately didn’t stay still long enough to be photographed.

This is only the fourth record for the Obs of this locally rare but increasing butterfly.  Photo below from 2014 (see http://hilbrebirdobs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/19th-may-2014.html?m=1).

10th June 2017

Weather: SE force 3/4, heavy rain early
One member braved the appalling weather this morning to visit the island but found normal activities were impossible in the downpour.

Seven Grey Plovers were within camera range on the shore (below).

 A Guillemot and 20 Common Terns were noted on the sea and a Little Egret and a male Mallard around the island. At the north end a single piece of Glasswort has made an appearance on the rocks by the north end pool (below).

Photos AEH

3rd June 2017

The highlight of a quiet morning were 4 Greylags

 

photos AEH

2nd June 2017

Weather: no wind, rain first thing, then drizzle on and off during a muggy day

The day began late as rain battered down on the Obs from soon after dawn.

It was a quiet start to the day with nothing new on the first couple of trap rounds.

The sub-song of a warbler was heard in the Obs garden when the drizzle subsided and an Acrocephalus appeared briefly showing pale legs and feet and fairly long wings.  However, it soon became apparent that it was in fact a Reed Warbler - not as exciting as the other possibilities but still a scarce bird on Hilbre only the eleventh record for the islands so rarer than Yellow-browed Warbler (but nine of those records have been since 2000).

The bird remained very faithful to the privet singing more confidently during the day and avoiding the mist net in the other corner of the Obs garden throughout the day.

The most exciting record of the day came from one of the two moth traps - a stunning Striped Hawkmoth was the first moth found by one of our young moth enthusiasts.

This represents the first record for Hilbre of this spectacular looking migrant moth. We understand it is the 15th for Cheshire & Wirral (since 1892!) but the first for a decade or more.

Other sightings today included a few terns around the island and smaller numbers of Sanderling (35) and Dunlin (18) and a single Ringed Plover.

1st June 2017

Weather: SE 1-2, 3/8 cloud, moderate vis, slight mist around estuary

Another quiet day bird wise with 38 Canada Geese flying north west the only 'write on'.

However, the ornithological highlight was the successful breeding of the pair of Pied Wagtails; not an annual breeding species at Hilbre.  A single juvenile was noted in the Gazebo garden and the parents continued to pay close attention providing food to the recently fledged youngster.

The weather has been good to breeding birds at HIlbre so far this year and to reinforce the point a couple more juvenile Linnets were trapped and ringed.

A few terns and waders were around the islands at high tide but numbers of Sanderling and Dunlin had decreased significantly from yesterday. Photos of Sanderling (and Dunlin) below from yesterday.

The overnight moth traps contained an interesting array of species with a Lime-speck Pug and a Latticed Heath being additions to the year list!

Ringing:  Linnet (2) [391-32]