Hummingbird... at the beach?!

[GCN lova]

Hi wabbers

just wanted to know what the heck was a hummingbird doing at the beach? i saw a hummingbird like creature flying on the shores of whitstable harbour. i wasnt close enough to see what it could be but it was smaller than a sparrow. if anyone could id please.

GCN lova

[pressld2]

The most hummingbird like creature found in Britain is the hummingbird hawkmoth. It hovers and sips nectar from flowers just like a hummingbird. Could it have been one of those?

Dave P.

[DeanDowney]

Local news (Kent) ran a story on these last week. Aparently the Hummingbird Hawkmoth has made a big appearance oin the South east this year.

[GCN lova]

thanks for the replies . i wasnt close enough to see its colours or features but it was hovering and flying along the shore. could well be a hummingbird hawk moth but there were not many flowering plants at the beach

[thunder]

Originally Posted by GCN lova

thanks for the replies . i wasnt close enough to see its colours or features but it was hovering and flying along the shore. could well be a hummingbird hawk moth but there were not many flowering plants at the beach

Having (presumably) just crossed the sea it was probably desperately searching for flowers!

henrya

[STYRBJORN]

OTOH could it have been a big dragonfly? Imperator can look very bird like at a distance.

Ric

[Ladywell]

Thunder - would it not have been going rather than coming at this time of year??

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Ladywell

Thunder - would it not have been going rather than coming at this time of year??

Many turn up this time of year still, though it's possible some may go to.

[ChrisJB]

From my point of view, I think it's been a good year for them, I've seen a few this summer, including one in the garden.

Chris

[rogpow]

If you go to the Butterfly Conservation website, there's a map showing recorded sightings of humming-bird hawk-moths in the UK this year.

Humming-bird Hawk-moth - Butterfly Conservation

Rog