Lizard, Cornwall .. long weekend, non-birding highlights

moth-trap set up at Barnside Cottage

Convolvulus Hawk-moth (Agrius convolvuli)

Dark Sword-grass (Agrotis ipsilon)

Nomophila noctuella

Palpita vitrealis

Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa)

Burnished Brass (Diachrysis chrysitis)

Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea)

Mullein Wave (Scopula marginepunctata)

Windmill Reserve arable weed margins

Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa)

Small-flowered Catchfly (Silene gallica) LIFER

Annual Woundwort (Stachys annua) LIFER

Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis) LIFER

Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae) LIFER photo courtesy Tony B

Ping Pong Bat (Favolaschia calocera) photo courtesy Tony B

Moth-trapping and other highlights, Lizard

Highlights from a week spent on Lizard, at the usual address:

Barnside Cottage

A pair of 125W MV Skinner Traps were kindly provided by our good friend and landlord Tony. One or both of them was run each night from the Friday through to the following Wednesday, a trap was always run in the front garden, and as the week progressed the second was set up in the back garden. There was a good haul of migrant moths, along with a handful of the "local specialities" and amongst them a seasonal distribution of common species.

Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus)
ringed on Lizard 3rd Oct 2024

The back garden was a highway for avifauna, with semi-mature Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), dense beds of Hydrangea cultivars, and hedging along three of the boundaries providing plenty of cover and forage.

During the first weekend an unringed Yellow-browed Warbler was present along with a large mixed flock of tits, Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), various finches including Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), the latter being uncommon on the Lizard and therefore probably also an Autumn migrant (pers comm Tony).

The hedge in the back garden is also home to Favolaschia calocera a fungi "Lifer" that was new for both A and I, and for R and L, who joined us for the first weekend of the holiday. R also secured three other Lifers over the weekend: Radford's Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura leucogaster) in the trap; and Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis), and Eastern Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) whilst sea-watching with Tony from the Point.

Favolaschia calocera

Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa)

Autumnal Rustic (Eugnorisma glareosa)

Black-banded (Polymixus xanthomista)

Acrossus rufipes

Delicate (Mythimna vitellina)

Feathered Brindle (Aporophyla australis)

Brindled Ochre (Dasypolia templi)

Radford's Flame Shoulder

Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Vestal (Rhodometra sacaria) & Springtail sp.

Scarce Bordered Straw (Helicoverpa armigera)
and Delicate 

Palpita vitrealis

Rusty Dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis)

Sunday night's moth-trap rewarded me with a Convolvulus Hawk-moth (Agrius convolvuli), I found it on the front lawn adjacent to the trap. It had not been apparent when I first started emptying the trap, and I suspect that I knocked it out of a Hydrangea, whilst faffing about. It is the first time that I have seen the species, and it provided several opportunities for bragging rights!

Convolvulus Hawk-moth

A visit to Kynance Gate Settlement was enhanced by the presence of Golden Hair Lichen (Teloschistes flavicans) on some of the central rocks. I have no eye-in for lichens but the species was described on the new interpretation board, so it would have been rude not to look for it? The species is noted as Nationally Scarce. Teloschistes flavicans

Golden Hair Lichen

On our final night in the cottage, we were awake into the early hours, having been texted by Tony at Ca 1AM to alert us to the Aurora Borealis showing overhead! We had missed the opportunity to see this spectacle in the UK earlier in the year, as we had been abroad at the time. What a cracking end to the week.

Aurora Borealis over Lizard 
Photo courtesy of Tony

Lizard, Cornwall pt. 4 - Thurs 14th and Fri 15th Oct

A morning's birdwatching walk via Pistil and Lizard Point marked a small change in vis-mig - in the fields above Pistil whilst still full of meadow pipit - the white wagtails had been replaced overnight by pied wagtails - and scanning through the flock, not a white wagtail was to be seen.

Pistil itself produced a small flock of 6 Greenfinch. Although the birds were assumed to be resident rather than vis-mig - for me it was a notable sight and my diary entry reads: "I can't remember the last time I saw a flock of Greenfinch? - Just lovely!".

Taking breakfast at Polpeor Cafe, we were joined by another resident species, the local House sparrows whose brazen behaviour suggested that they were well used to tit-bits from the Cafe tables.

Later that evening, a short walk to Housel Point produced grey wagtail, and several Chiffchaff.

The last moth trap of the holiday was by far the most productive - helped no end by the mild temperatures and cloud overnight. The trap was also returned to the front garden as weak southerlies brought migrant promise. We were not to be disappointed.

Angle shades

Delicate

Radford's Flame shoulder

Sorting

Gem

Lunar underwing (36)
Feathered ranunculus (11)
Black rustic (3)
Rusty dot pearl (12)
Common marbled carpet (3)
Large yellow underwing (3)
Silver Y (1)
Feathered brindle (2)
Light brown apple moth (2)
Angle shades (2)
Delicate (1)
Red-line quaker (1)
Setaceous Hebrew character (2)
Radford's Flame shoulder (1)
Double-striped pug (1)
Bloxworth snout (1)
Gem (1)

By coincidence the first migrant bird of the week had been a fem/juv type Black redstart which flew from Barnside Cottage garden to the neighbour's roof. As we said goodbye to T on the drive of Pen Cairn, a male Black redstart flew from his roof to Barnside Cottage.

Black redstart (fem/juv) Oct 9th