Wednesday August 6

 It's probably fair to say that most patch birding involves seeing the expected species, with just a slight chance of winning the lottery. With such low expectations you can't really be unlucky, or at least that's what I thought. This week has tested that theory.

On Monday I decided to go to Earlswood in the hope of seeing a Mandarin Duck which had been seen over the weekend. It was a rather dull morning with a bit of a breeze, so the optimistic side of me reasoned I might also find something. 

What transpired was that I couldn't find the Mandarin (though it was seen later in the day) and I got stung by a Wasp. Not ideal. The juvenile Little Ringed Plover was still off the causeway, and my walk around the tree-lined Terry's Pool where the Mandarin was hiding, at least allowed me to take a not very good photograph of a Kingfisher.

Today I decided to try my luck at Morton Bagot. Once again I was unfortunate. The cause of my angst was a pale moth which fluttered passed before pitching into the grass at my feet. I had been wondering what it was, but was rather startled to find it had hook-tipped wings. A photograph might be required for me to check which species it was. The moth wasn't co-operating particularly well, flopping about, mostly on the other side of grass stems. I finally had it in a reasonable position and pressed the shutter, only to find that the battery in the camera was now exhausted. By the time I'd changed it, the moth had sneaked off. I'm pretty sure it was a Pebble Hook-tip, a site tick, but it would have been nice to get a shot.

I continued to the flash field, which still looks great, but could only count two Common Snipe and five Green Sandpipers. I later discovered that a further eight Green Sands were on the adjacent Kingfisher Pool, although they took off bound for the safety of the first flash as soon as they saw me.

At least it was sunny, so the camera was used.

I've occasionally seen Green Sandpipers using the rubble in the far corner of the Kingfisher Pool before. They do not feed here, but just rest up until some annoying birder turns up to disturb them.

Guilty as charged.

Sunday August 3 - Morton Bagot

 A cloudy morning with barely any breeze. Dave and I were keen to see whether the Wood Sandpiper was still present, but before we got to the flash field, an unexpected find was a Reed Warbler in one of the hedgerows. Clear evidence that passerine migration is underway.

We set up my scope to view the furthest flash but there didn't appear to be any waders there. Moving on to the nearest flash the omens looked good. The water-level had dropped and waders could be seen around its edge.

An hour later we had to admit that the Wood Sandpiper was not among them. Instead we counted 15 Green Sandpipers, and found the first three Common Snipe of the autumn. The Water Rail put in a brief appearance, while five Teal swam around. Morton Bagot was back to normal.

A moulting adult Green Sandpiper

Some of the Green Sandpipers fed in the grass, these are smart juveniles

The three Common Snipe

We also saw two Willow Emerald Damselflies, but unfortunately were unable to photograph them.

On Friday night the moth trap was switched on, and hurriedly switched off when it was found to contain three angry Hornets. An hour later it went on again, and this time no Hornets turned up.

I wondered whether the false start would affect the moth catch, but despite a relatively cool night I still found 61 moths in and around the trap the following morning. None were new for the garden, but seven species were new this year. Highlights were a Sallow Kitten (which completed a clean sweep of Kitten species this year), and the migrant Rush Veneer which was my first since 2022.

Sallow Kitten

Rush Veneer

Thursday July 31 - Earlswood

 Some overnight rain encouraged me to give Earlswood a look this morning. I discovered one or two minor arrivals; a juvenile Little Ringed Plover and a Little Grebe on Engine Pool along with the continued presence of a Common Sandpiper, a Common Tern, and a Willow Warbler among the numerous Chiffchaffs.

I decided to walk around Terry's Pool after Engine Pool for a change, but other than lots of Tits it didn't hold that many birds.

Just before I left I joined John Oates on the dam. He asked me if I was into botany at all, and I had to admit that I wasn't. The main problem being that I can never remember the names of plants from one year to the next (or even a week later sometimes). John on the other hand is much more on the ball, and was pleased to show me at least seven species I have never knowingly seen, growing along the dam.

These were, if I've remembered correctly, the rather scarce Monk's Hood, and Trifid Bur-Marigold, and also Orange Balsam, Corn Mint, Niger, Hemp Agrimony, and Gypsywort.  

Trifid Bur-Marigold

I'll have to come back one morning when I've got more time to try to find them again.

While we were chatting John was pleased to discover the first colour-ringed juvenile Black-headed Gull here since the breeding season.

It turned out to have been ringed near Marlingford, Norwich on June 10 2025. That's a pretty fair distance for a dispersing juvenile gull.

Changing the subject to the dreaded moths, I managed to find only my third Hawthorn Blotch-miner yesterday simply by opening the bathroom window. This species, Coptotriche marginea for those who prefer latin names, is common and no doubt resident in our garden.

It is of course a micro, and therefore not everybody's cup of tea. It is perched on the rim of my smallest glass pot just about to regain its freedom.

Tuesday July 29 - Morton Bagot

 This was a morning of low cloud and threatened drizzle which delivered, both the rain and another opportunity to see the Wood Sandpiper. To be quite honest I was expecting that it had gone, so was delighted to relocate it. 

Less thrilling was the fact it was in the same place at the back of the furthest flash. However, I did what we should have done on Sunday, and got as close to the fence as I could before a lack of elevation left the bird out of view.

After about ten minutes it disappeared behind a dense stand of rushes and failed to re-emerge. One or two Green Sandpipers occasionally appeared, briefly raising hopes. 

I really wanted to photograph it, but distance and intervening vegetation made this challenging. These are the best of a sorry bunch.

Spot the bird competition: hint, above the left hand Greylag Goose

This at least shows it stretching its neck

I know I shouldn't put the camera on maximum zoom, but I just can't help it

Shortly after this marvellous set of photos was taken the weather took a turn for the worse, and with the bird missing entirely anyway, I decided to throw in the towel.

So these are very bad record shots, but at least you can tell its not a Green Sandpiper.

Sunday July 27 - Morton Bagot

 This morning Dave and I were joined by Andy Gooding, and we proceeded on the usual circuit on what would prove to be an eventful visit. For the first thirty minutes the only highlight was a distant adult Red Kite, followed by three more circling over Bannams. These last three were considered to be juveniles from the neatness of their flight feathers.

Andy had seen three Little Egrets flying over before he joined us, and we later saw one of these (presumably) flying back the other way. He also spotted a Froglet and a young Toad in the nick of time before my size nines descended on them. For some reason, Toads are much commoner at Morton Bagot than Frogs are.

Frog above, Toad below

The walk came to an abrupt standstill when we reached the ridge from which it is possible to scope the furthest flash. I started scanning, noting that 60 Greylags had landed there, and that there were a few Lapwings. I then spotted a "proper" wader in the form of a Green Sandpiper. Near that was a slightly smaller, lighter backed wader. At first I thought it might be the Common Sandpiper I'd seen last time, but as it kept disappearing and reappearing amongst the rushes at the back of the scrape, I began to feel sure it was actually a Wood Sandpiper. At one point the two waders flew, and both had square white rumps. 

Unfortunately we were three birders sharing one scope. Although a second Green Sandpiper then appeared, it was always obvious which was the Wood Sandpiper. It was slightly smaller, paler, its neck slightly more extended upright, and its back end shorter than the Green Sands. Eventually I relinquished the scope for Dave to have a look and he concurred with the identification, commenting that he could see a hint of spangling on its back. 

I should say that even with a scope the bird was very distant. Andy eventually got his turn, while Dave and I discussed what we'd got on it. The only inconsistent feature was that neither of us could see a whiteish supercilium which is usually so obvious on Wood Sands. This could be explained if the bird was an adult, which would have a more uniform head.

As you may have guessed from all this screed, the bird was not photographed. After the bird seemed to disappear we decided to check the nearest flash. If nothing else I was keen to see the record 20 Green Sandpipers counted by John Chidwick yesterday. 

Disappointingly, with the flash pool once again full of water, we could only see six or seven of them, and still no sign of the Wood Sand. We went back to the traditional viewing spot at fence level, but closer to the furthest flash than we had been. Rather gallingly we hadn't previously noticed that the grass in the flash field had been mowed, so we would have had a half decent view and maybe I'd even have got a record shot if we proceeded forward to the fence instead of scoping from the top of the hill. Now it was too late and all the Sandpipers had disappeared.

It was time for me to return. Dave and Andy decided to go for a wander in the hope of finding another wet area where the Wood Sand may have gone.

I later heard they'd been unsuccessful. I returned in the afternoon, but saw only three Green Sandpipers, although five young Mistle Thrushes in the flash field was noteworthy.

Saturday July 26 - Mostly about moths

 Before I get onto another bumper moth night, I will just mention birds. As expected, the Black-crowned Night-heron reappeared the day after I dipped on it, and it has been there ever since. I have not been tempted to return. Instead I went to Earlswood Lakes on Thursday and saw all the expected species there, the one highlight being two Red Kites over the west side of Engine Pool. I alerted John Oates as they were practically over his garden, and he dashed out to discover there were actually five of them, presumably a family party.

The next day Joe Owens found two juvenile Greenshank on Engine, but they were flushed by joggers before I even considered leaving the house. Today John Chidwick supplied news from Morton Bagot, seeing an impressive 20 Green Sandpipers there.

Its a good job that Saturday night brought me another shed-load of moths, I could start getting a complex. The final score (subject to me finding more in the utility room tonight) was 177 of 60 species. Of these six were new for the year and a further five, at least, were lifers.

The first of these was the largest and most impressive. A Gypsy Moth was captured on the window frame. Once extinct in Warwickshire, they have made a bit of a comeback thanks to our warming world, but it's still a good find.

It was a male (the females are whiteish) and is about the size of a 50 pence piece. 

The next goody was a lot smaller. Measuring about six centimetres, a small moth on the perspex lid of the trap looked unfamiliar. However as it was from the tortrix family, that didn't necessarily mean anything. My identification app narrowed the field down to a Gypsonoma species, and further research ended up at Small Brindled Tortrix Gypsonoma minutana. Not only new, but described as "very local" in my Field Guide.

No sooner than I had seen that, I spotted an equally tiny one as I started going through the egg boxes in the trap. Oddly, I pretty much knew what it was before I started research. The Triple-spotted Nest Moth is closely related to the clothes moths we all love so much, but it's rather distinctive.

I think they are fairly common. Maybe the Blackbird nesting in the garden this year helped to introduce it.

Elsewhere in the box I spotted a big Pug. These moths are all basically small, and horribly similar looking. But this one looked different and turned out to be the rather scarce Plain Pug. I know it sounds dull, but it's more distinctive than many of them.

With a wingspan of up to 26 mm, this is one of the larger Pugs and is technically a macro-moth.

The last addition to the garden list was found clinging to the bathroom window. We are back in the baffling world of the Tortrix moths and I jumped to the incorrect conclusion that it was a Common Marble. Fortunately I don't trust myself to identify this group without checking on the ID app. That preferred Enarmonia formosana, whatever that was. The app was right. It was indeed that species aka Cherry Bark Moth.

We're back onto moths measuring 8mm long here, but seen through my camera it was very attractive.

They are also apparently common. It is likely that it's caterpillar stage is associated with our apple tree, which appears to be having a bumper crop this year.

Other notables included another tortrix, Cochylichroa atricapitana, and the pyralid Nephropterix angustella (both garden seconds). But I think I've shown almost enough moths so I'll leave it there.

OK one more: this tiny moth is a bit of a mystery. My app hadn't got a clue, and I'm afraid it's now awaiting "determination" because I think it might be very rare indeed. Possibly.

It's probably just a Bryotropha terrella, but I'm not sure. It just might be Athrips rancidella which would be a county first. Time, and the skill of the county recorder, will tell.

Tuesday July 22 - Grimley and Morton Bagot

 I was very tempted to call this post confessions of a lapsed twitcher. About twelve days ago a Black-crowned Night-heron was discovered at Camp Lane Pits, Grimley near Worcester. For some reason there was a delay of five days before the news was widely broadcast. But when it was, the bird became very popular with lots of county listers. That was when I should have gone.

Instead, my initial reaction was to wonder whether I'd seen one in the county before. I concluded I probably hadn't, and indeed it turned out that it had been a bogey bird for most in Worcestershire. My problem was that it was more than 20 kms away, and therefore could prove awkward in my current domestic circumstances. I kind of wrote it off. But as the days passed and the bird stayed, it bothered me more and more.

This morning I could stand it no longer. I got up early and went. It was a long time since I'd been to this part of Grimley, and I was in for a shock. The pit I remembered was quite small with a few gravel islands. Twenty years on, its huge, reed-lined, and impressive. Fortunately another birder had arrived just before me, Dan, a patch birder from just the other side of the river. He knew where to go, but like me he hadn't dragged himself away from his patch until today.

An hour later, though joined by several other hopeful twitchers, the omens looked bad. There was no sign of it. My time ran out and I reluctantly headed back to the car empty-handed. Fate gave me a bit of a break before I left the site as an orange-tailed bird "ticked" loudly before disappearing into a hedge along the north footpath. It had to be a Redstart, and with a little patience, I got a second chance to see it reasonably well.

Later in the morning I got back to what I know, and went to Morton Bagot. It wasn't too bad. The highlight was a Common Sandpiper among the Green Sandpipers, my first there this year.

There was even some back up in the form of a calling Yellowhammer, and a Garden Warbler within a loose mixed flock of warblers.

It may yet be that the Night Heron is still at Grimley, but I think the main problem is I just don't care about my Worcestershire list anymore. I probably won't go again.