Grain Coastal Park 25/08/26

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A sunny day though with a brisk easterly wind.

I began with a seawatch from just below the car park. It was very quiet with barely any gulls let alone skuas.

The bushes were also disappointingly quiet and hard work just to find a Blackcap.

I was on the point of leaving when a large Buddleia caught my eye as it was still in flower so I checked it out. It had a lovely array of butterflies which included four Painted Ladies, three Peacock and a Red Admiral.

Also present on the Buddleia were two Hummingbird Hawkmoths and a Hornet Hoverfly. The moths were incredibly active during the time I was there, and it was challenging to photograph them. In the end I managed to freeze the action of the wings in photos by using the same settings as for birds in flight except increasing the shutter speed to 1/4000.

Painted Lady 

Underwing of Painted Lady 

Peacock 

Red Admiral 

Hummingbird Hawkmoth 



Hornet Hoverfly 





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