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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 13h

Jaw-dropping street art in Ponta Delgada.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 16h

Many thanks for the info 👍. I suspected it would be known about at such a touristy location! Cheers.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 17h

Its everywhere John. Loads of pink Amaryllis on the roadsides as well. Quite stunning, but apparently an invasive species here.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 19h

Doing the tourist bit at Sete Citades today and delighted to find an endemic! 3 São Miguel Goldcrest (R.r. azoricus) in the lakeside trees. Call more piercing than our Goldcrest, a bit more Firecrest like. Also found a drake Ring-necked Duck, no idea if it has been seen previously?

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 1d

Just an independent holiday with my wife. Went on the Whale watching trip with Futurismo. Car hire absurdly cheap and roads better than England!

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 1d

Azores is quite stunning. Grackle aside, I've also seen American Wigeon, Spoonbill, 15+ Waxbills, Azorean ssp of Chaffinch, Grey Wag and Large White. Highlights today were 6 Sei Whale and 200 Spotted Dolphin. Lots of Cory's and Azorean Gulls. Several Grass Webworm flushed underfoot yesterday.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 3d

It would have been rude not to twitch the Great-tailed Grackle as it's a 15 minute walk from my hotel. Crappy boc shot. The mimicry it was coming out with was incredible. Possibly more exciting was spending my time there with Vincent Legrand! A bit awestruck tbh!

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 4d

Fantastic views of my adopted home county of Dorset from our plane today. Poole Harbour and Brownsea Island, then Swanage and Durlston, St Aldhelm's Head, the Purbeck cliffs with Lulworth Cove. Then Weymouth, Portland Harbour and Portland with Chesil Beach sweeping away to the NW. Magical.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 7d

Must be a good chance I'm sure. When was that?

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 7d

Cheers Steve!

Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 7d

Silverlake: I'd just gotten out of the car when I noticed a group of Geese whiffling down out of the sky. I idly looked at them and was taken aback to see that one was obviously a Pink-foot. Landed out of view, but I relocated it after a quick march along the N shore. No doubt the Abbotsbury bird.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 8d

Steve, I used to be a fairly manic Twitcher. We even went to Thurso for a bloody female Harlequin! Recently, I didn't even go a mile from my house for a Desert Wheatear! I'll sit down soon and work out my garden moth list. I reckon 900 on the cards. I still have no Clearwings here!

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 8d

I'm honestly not a list person, and am pretty hopeless at record keeping. I do know that my Macro list is 474 (the last being The Druid). I recently tried to do a rough estimate of my entire list, and it was easily 850+. This is 30 years though, although I didn't do micros for years.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 8d

My poor effort with the Osprey at Rodden Hive this morning! Also, from yesterday, my 3rd recent Brindled Green, a dark Caloptilia semifascia and a Migrant Hawker from Osmington Mills.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 9d

Osprey fishing at Rodden Hive. One unsuccessful dive, now sat on Chesil Beach. Appears unringed. Also Red Kite and Marsh Harrier.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 10d

Hi again, this is a different individual, I have quite a few of these on the garden fence. I think the short antennae and the rectangular eyes make this one a Dilta sp? Dilta hibernica most likely I suppose? The earlier one probably the same, but will have to remain unidentified. Thanks for help.

Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 10d

Thanks. I had a feeling you might! I'll see if I can refind....

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 10d

I just found this large Bristletail on the house wall. ID of these very tricky, but antennae too long for a Southern (Dilta)? Too short for a Sea Bristletail (Petrobius)? But size right. Could it be Cave Bristletail? Antennae length about right? Any thoughts please @ajcann.bsky.social ? Ta

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 10d

Best from Moonfleet was a Grasshopper Warbler which flushed 3x from the path edge as I walked by. My first Brents of the autumn (32), 30+ Skylark, 20+ Stonechat, 2 Whimbrel.
2nd gen Hypsopygia glaucinalis from the traps plus 3 Clancy's, Pearly Underwing, Barred Sallow and another Feathered Brindle.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 11d

Evocative photos Rob. Yet to see a Pallid! 👍

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 11d

Feathered Brindle from the trap today. Annual here in very small numbers, but I suspect quite a sought after moth if you trap anywhere away from the southern coastal fringe. Also this Vestal sat in the grass by one of the traps. Plus Blair's Mocha, Clancy's Rustic and 3 Diamond-back.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 12d

I've yet to graduate to looking at Leaf mines....however, having spotted this absolutely diminutive Nepticulid on the garden Hypericum this evening, I did then look for mines, and found a few. The only Leaf miner on this plant is Fomoria septembrella, and the mines look good. They all count!

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 12d

Moth traps are hard work at the moment, another Brindled Green and the first Black Rustic of the autumn the only species worthy of a mention.
Brief views of a Woodlark hiding in the grass at Silverlake this morning.

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 13d

Six of us went to Fair Isle in '94. As well as birding all day, we drank rather a lot of beer. We would try and find birds at Geordie's Cup, just to say it out loud (with accent) at the log every evening. We would of course all be giggling like school children. I think Roger Riddington hated us! 😂

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Paul Harris @paulupwey.bsky.social · 13d

3 Osprey being chased around on Chesil Beach by 3 Red Kite! Not something I ever thought I'd see in Weymouth. Also 2 Marsh Harrier. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

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