@notquitescilly.bsky.social - Gavin Haig

15 Sep 2026 07:30 +0000

NFG Old Lady by kitchen window was best of 81/30 last night. I'd forgotten how big they are...but now Bluesky is giving me Clifden envy, and I want *bigger*! 😎 Axminster VC3 #TeamMoth

13 Sep 2026 07:09 +0000

The mild night produced a respectable 102/36, including 2 NFG: a pristine Dewick's Plusia and a Scarce Bordered Straw. The former still pretty uncommon in Devon, with <70 records. Other quality migs included Olive-tree Pearl, Bordered Straw and Vestal. 😎 Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

11 Sep 2026 12:20 +0000

Each of this year's 20 Spectacles has been carefully assessed for darkness, and at last we have one that measures up! 😄 NFG Dark Spectacle last night was pretty much the only highlight in a lacklustre 55/22. Axminster VC3 #TeamMoth

10 Sep 2026 07:25 +0000

45/17 was better than expected from a chilly night. Portland Ribbon Wave, Silver Y, 2 Rusty-dot Pearls, 2 Rush Veneers and an unprecedented 3 Vestals was very decent migrant action for this garden too. Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

09 Sep 2026 22:12 +0000

Proper chilly tonight. Despite that, 2 very different Vestals so far (never had more than one at a time before) and a Portland Ribbon Wave. Numbers 5+6 and 5 respectively for the garden this year. Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

08 Sep 2026 21:30 +0000

Chilly, clear, and consequently rather slow out there tonight. Still, when a glance down the trap funnel reveals a pretty pair of pink stripes, well...there is hope. 😄 #TeamMoth

07 Sep 2026 17:12 +0000

A few years since I last saw one of these in the Axe Valley. The beautifully-marked juv Pectoral Sandpiper that is at Black Hole Marsh right now... 😎 #DevonBirds

06 Sep 2026 09:14 +0000

49/28 was a lot better than Thursday night's dismal 14/10! Mullein Wave was NFG. 4th Vestal of the year was other highlight. Not quite 🎇💥🎊 right now... Axminster VC3 #TeamMoth

05 Sep 2026 16:48 +0000

Well worth reading @lukephillips.bsky.social reply to Phil's post here. Fascinating stuff. 😎 [contains quote post or other embedded content]

03 Sep 2026 19:20 +0000

Hugely entertaining couple of hours on the @seatontramway.bsky.social Birdwatching Special. The very excellent @axebirder.bsky.social did a grand job in front of the cameras for an upcoming Channel 4 piece. Birds included Osprey, Kingfisher, Spot Reds, Med Gull etc... Quality evening out. 😎

01 Sep 2026 20:47 +0000

Ooh, I think I've just caught a new favourite Gracillariid: White-marked Stilt. 😍 Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

01 Sep 2026 20:16 +0000

Slim pickings of late, but finally another NFG last night, in the shape of one of my favourite living tripods: Garden Stilt. Only ever had one or two in Bridport. Latest want: Feathered Gothic. Seen a few on #TeamMoth posts recently, but not in the Axminster trap. Soon, I hope. 😎

29 Aug 2026 15:47 +0000

Casp flusher, Axe Estuary this afternoon. #DevonBirds

29 Aug 2026 15:45 +0000

Axe Estuary check post Tesco this afternoon coincided with @axebirder.bsky.social finding 2 Caspian Gulls. Handy! Quick snap of distant juv, but massive flush by Osprey before I could photograph 2cy bird. Or so I thought... #DevonBirds

29 Aug 2026 11:18 +0000

Brilliant stuff! Not done any #nocmig for a while now, but Tom's post here highlights the value of it, and what a total revelation it can be. Like a window into a hidden world... [contains quote post or other embedded content]

28 Aug 2026 21:50 +0000

With a full moon and zero cloud it's not exactly fast and furious tonight. But when one of these drops in, who cares?! 😄 Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

26 Aug 2026 07:26 +0000

90/44 with few thrills this morning, but can't complain when there's another NFG in the shape of this looker: Vetch Moth. 😎 Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

25 Aug 2026 20:30 +0000

Chance for a late pm wander around Cogden today, so I took it. Bird-wise: 5 Whinchats, 3 Redstarts and 2 each of Tree Pipit and Spot Fly. Number of Clouded Yellows was a surprise. At least 48 before they began to lay low later on. Tip of the iceberg I suspect. Jammed a helice ♀️ in flight...

24 Aug 2026 18:47 +0000

Very considerate of this cracking local bird to hang on until the day's grandparenting was done. A dainty delight in its super-contrasty juv plumage, and an Axe first. Red-necked Phalarope is a proper Devon rarity. A Haig rarity too; my last was at Stockers Lake in Herts, 31 years ago. 😐 #DevonBirds

23 Aug 2026 20:48 +0000

Well, this just flew in, bumbled around on the moth sheet, let me pick it up and then settled down on my hand. Cool. 😎 Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

23 Aug 2026 17:11 +0000

Too little time... #TeamMoth https://notquitescilly2.blogspot.com/2026/08/too-little-time.html

23 Aug 2026 06:54 +0000

Nothing says September in August like a Lunar Underwing in the moth trap. NFG though, so I'm not complaining. Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

20 Aug 2026 07:20 +0000

At @photography-aj.bsky.social's suggestion I checked a couple of darker-looking LBBYU's last night. Surprisingly (or maybe not?) the result was Devon's 2nd Langmaid's YU. 👍 from CMR. Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

18 Aug 2026 07:16 +0000

103/51 in Axminster VC3 this morning. NFM Beautiful Carpet was not on my radar at all. Striped HM, Pearly Underwing and Vestal were top migs. Literally every trap is a massive buzz right now. The addiction is strong. Not sure the birds are going to get much of a look-in this year! 😄 #TeamMoth

18 Aug 2026 06:37 +0000

Striped Hawk-moth was a highlight of this morning's trap. 😎 Upon release it spent a fair while feeding up. Very glad to see that it's not only the tall varieties of Nicotiana that they like, because most of ours have gone over... Axminster VC3 #TeamMoth

16 Aug 2026 23:21 +0000

Thought this might be instructive. Hindwing comparison of Langmaid's Yellow Underwing trapped Friday night with Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing earlier tonight (L and R respectively). Surprisingly, Langmaid's new for Devon. Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

15 Aug 2026 06:51 +0000

Never had a decent candidate for Langmaid's YU while living in Dorset, where the species seems scarce but regular. Somewhat ironically then, this was in the Axminster VC3 trap this morning, and there seem to be no Devon records at all. 😯 Awaiting CMR verdict. #TeamMoth

13 Aug 2026 15:39 +0000

I love these microscopic moths, and it makes a nice change for ID to be straightforward. The vanes of my trap are exactly 1.5mm thick, so I'm guessing this NFM Sycamore Seed Dot is maybe 2.5-3mm long? Very cool. 😎😊 Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

13 Aug 2026 06:54 +0000

Had to break out one of the B-I-I-I-G pots last night! A few nice prizes, but this NFG Convolvulus Hawk-moth was right up there. 😎 Axminster VC3. #TeamMoth

12 Aug 2026 22:21 +0000

Amazingly the Axminster garden's 3rd Mugwort Pearl has just turned up. Context: just 8 previous Devon records up to the end of 2025. 😯 #TeamMoth