Sunday, September 13, 2009

12th September,2009.

With conditions similar to yesterday I anticipated little and received not much more! The weather was glorious , the midges were tolerable and it was a real pleasure to be out. Some mist patches very early , and a very heavy dew, but, thereafter was tremendous!!

Timed counts within a seawatch over three hours showed 390 Manx Shearwater and 470 Gannet moving south and odd Fulmar and a few Kittiwake. A single Puffin and three individual auks flew south but nothing more! Passerines fared slightly better with at least three flocks of Twite coming down the coast and a single Grey Wagtail.

Variety was provided in the form of a boat from the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust passing north and then prescribing a huge arc in the waters off west Islay, doubtless on one of their holiday survey cruises.

With past weather, particularly in August, being very wet and unsuitable for moth trapping ( 10" in a month is a bit of a wash out!! ) the recent weather has been welcomed to say the least. However, temperatures at night have been quite low and catches appear to have followed course! Pale Eggar and Autumnal Rustc, (and a quite late (?) Antler moth), have been the most noticeable in the catch.

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