Yellow-legged gulls

Sat (20th): a morning sea watch from 'La Falaise' produced little other than a small flock of common scoter west and one juv yellow-legged gull tagging along with herrings and a fishing vessel.

Tue (23rd): SCP, early morning, was fairly quiet. A few willow warblers. More exciting was a flock of 'something' that went over the fields east of the lighthouse. One of the group I concentrated on looked like a sparrow and the flock's calls were reminiscent of 'tree' sparrows; but other than when I head up North I seldom hear them, so I couldn't be that sure. They carried on eastwards into an easterly breeze.
The cuckoo appears to have gone now. Otherwise, some gulls landed that included a juv yellow-legged.

Herring gulls - sadly the LBB gull nest failed for reasons unkown

Fledged juv buzzard being fed

My first HB hawkmoth - didn't hang around.    

July

The cuckoo was still in the area of SCP/Knowles farm and more 'showy'. But not much else of note.

Recent LRP at Yarmouth © Nick Powell

Cuckoo - SCP

Ventnor RV Darter

Along the footpath today

Rocken End: Keeled skimmer © Andy Butler

SCP

The cracking spell of weather continues. Early morning, both a single common redstart (male) and black redstart in the area. An assortment of very active juvs.

Pied wheatear

Mark had an interesting looking wheatear this morning; general consensus favours a female pied, although black-eared is very similar.
The kestrel juvs are getting more adventurous: four or five there recently.

Photo © Mark Buckley

July

Not much to report. This GR was near Compton Chine.