Saturday May 2 - Morton Bagot (West Midlands Alldayer)

 Today saw the return of Morton Bagot to the friendly competition known as the West Midlands Alldayer. We last took part in 2023, and as a result of our below par performance that day I rather lost the enthusiasm to do it again. We had managed only 61 species, and I saw it as part of a general decline from the zenith of 2015 (72 species).

But I missed it; the getting up stupidly early, the staggering around in late afternoon trying to add one more species. So this morning the same team reassembled: Myself, a team of ringers headed by Tony and Leigh Kelly, Martin Wheeler, Gary Jilks, and finally Sam MacVie who was combining an afternoon shift with counting butterflies.

When I said stupidly early I wasn't kidding. I was birding by 03:45 and Tony wasn't far behind me. The first bird of the day was Pheasant, while the second was a Cuckoo. That was the first since my fluke early bird on April 9. The reason I'd arrived so early was that I was hoping for a Barn Owl, but the first and only owl of the day was a Tawny Owl which was actually the thirteenth bird on the list. Several locals confirmed that a Barn Owl had been around, but unfortunately it eluded the team today.

The first three hours was spent prioritising the "better" birds ticked off over the last few days. Lesser Whitethroat was fifth on the list, it's rattling call heard well before dawn. It was light enough to see birds by 05:15, and Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler (which was later ringed), and the singing Water Rail all got added. Down at the flash field the news was mixed. Cetti's Warbler and Sedge Warbler were still singing, but there was little else bar Lapwings, Greylag and Canada Geese, and Mallard.

On Thursday a dress rehearsal had picked up Little Ringed Plover, Herring Gull and Grey Heron, but today the latter two failed to show up at all. 

By the time I had to take time out to help Lyn (07:30 to 08:30) the full compliment of the morning team were on site. By lunchtime everyone had contributed species to the cause. Particularly useful additions of tricky to find species included Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Mistle Thrush courtesy of Gary, Jay and Sparrowhawk (Tony), Coal Tit (Leigh), and Bullfinch, Little Egret, and Red Kite.

Completely absent was any sense of birds passing through. It looked like it would just be a case of trying to see all the local breeders.

The afternoon can sometimes be rather dispiriting, but mine got off to an absolute flier when I picked up three Mute Swans heading south. I later learnt that Gary saw them heading back north.

I was on a mission to check out the rarely visited fields at the south end of the patch, hoping that the Barn Owl might be occupying one of the owl boxes in the old Curlew Field. I didn't find any, but my time wasn't wasted as I heard a Yellow Wagtail call three times on the opposite side of a high hedge. By the time I reached a gate it had evidently moved on. It was still my first this year.

By now it was quite warm and I was being distracted by several butterflies which were new for the year. These were the no longer common Small Tortoiseshell, at least three Small Coppers, Small Heath, and arguably best of all two migrant Painted Ladies.

On previous occasions when I've seen lots in May, they've gone on to have an excellent immigration so I'm hoping these are the forerunners of a great season.

Anyway, back to birds. I headed the length of the patch to get back to the flash field. Surely the emerging mud would host a wader. Well it did. The Little Ringed Plover was now visible and became the 64th bird for the day. (I should admit there was a bit of a recording cock-up involving me missing Carrion Crow off the list, so the LRP was ticked as bird 63.)

Gary Jilks reappeared, while Sam headed to Bannams Wood. I had to go home, but the day was not over. Sam found a Marsh Tit in the wood, while Gary located a pair of Mandarin on the Kingfisher Pool bringing the final total to a very respectable 66 species.

In terms of the other teams competing, our total will not challenge the big beasts. Reservoirs and nature reserves in Staffordshire and North Warwickshire will have recorded well over ninety, maybe even a hundred species. Our near neighbours Earlswood ended up on 73 species, close to their best performance.

The important thing is that everyone enjoyed the day, and maybe we'll be back next year to try again.

Tuesday April 28 - Mappleborough Green and Morton Bagot...and Earlswood

 Who doesn't like a grey morning with a belting easterly at the end of April? Well I do anyway. I fancied my chances, so got up early for a pre-breakfast visit to Mappleborough Green. The main scrape looks decent, with plenty of mud. It even hosted a migrant wader on passage, but it was just a Common Sandpiper. A single Little Ringed Plover was also occupying the scrape.

The other scrape has dried up completely so all I saw was a startled Roe Deer.

After breakfast I set out for Earlswood, convinced that there would be Terns. I got about 100 yards when my phone rang. Thinking it would be Lyn telling me I'd forgotten something, I pulled over.

In fact it was Mike Lane letting me know he'd just found a Marsh Harrier at Morton Bagot and he thought it had landed in the scrape field. Time for a change of plan.

I arrived in record time and hurried to where he had seen it. Mike joined me and as we started to skirt the outside of the field it got up and started quartering the bulrush pool.

I dashed off a quick record shot before it disappeared.

On reaching the footpath gate we were delighted to discover it was sitting among the bulrushes. So although I was basically looking through a hedge, it was possible to get much better views.

I'd alerted a few people, so rather than risk flushing it, I left to go and see if the flash field held anything. Maybe the Black-winged Stilts which had been at Upton Warren yesterday might have relocated? 

Obviously they hadn't come here, and actually the field was pretty hopeless. Just Lapwings, and a few Mallard and geese. The Cetti's Warbler was singing in the distance.

I decided to retrace my steps and surprised the Marsh Harrier again. I suspect it was on the look out for Moorhen and Lapwing chicks. I managed one last photo before it took off and apparently disappeared.

Thirty minutes later I was left to conclude it had gone, although I didn't check the flash field again.

Other birds heard included the Garden Warbler, and new Sedge Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler. I emphasise heard because with the wind remaining strong almost everything was hunkering down, and staying out of sight.

This was the first Marsh Harrier here since 2021, hence my excitement.

And now for a postscript. During the afternoon, while comfortably settled in at home, there came a ping on my phone. What a surprise, Arctic Terns at Earlswood.

Although these may not be the last, they could be. I had to go. John Oates had found them, and as I drove to the lakes his estimate of numbers steadily increased. On arrival it was nine Arctics and four Common Terns. 

Counting Terns as they jink around a lake is hard enough when there aren't two very similar species involved. I had concluded John was right at nine and four, but by the time I reached the gaggle of birders watching them the figure had crept up to a possible 10 Arctics.

The other thing I find very difficult is photographing flying birds, and this afternoon I was particularly hopeless at it. This is my best shot.

Arctic Terns

Several terns landed on buoys and poles, but every one of these helpful birds was a Common Tern. Two were ringed and at least two were unringed (possibly plus a fifth), so that helped with the count. Basically, the Arctic Terns remained in flight throughout.

Thus concludes a very entertaining day.

Sunday April 26 - Morton Bagot

 I made a comparatively early start, getting to the patch by 08:15. Not as early as Tony who had arrived at 04:00 with his thermal imager and had caught two Grasshopper Warblers and seen the Water Rail in flight. Interestingly he had originally ringed one of the Groppers on April 27 2024, retrapped it on April 11 2025, and again today. Clearly this bird really likes Morton Bagot and is not unduly put off by the indignity of being handled each year.

Also arriving before me was Andy G, although he only arrived 15 minutes before I did. We soon met up and birded together for most of the morning. It wasn't long before we added a new singing Sedge Warbler at the pond where the ringers normally set up, and then a singing Garden Warbler about 100 metres further on. As this was my first of the year I wanted to photograph it, but this proved quite challenging. My best effort can probably be described as barely a record shot.

We also heard the two Grasshopper Warblers and the first of five Lesser Whitethroats. Andy had seen one well sometime before we met up, but I didn't set eyes on any all day.

We made our way to the scrape field and approached the pond favoured by the Water Rail. To our delight it was singing well. The song accords well to the description of the female's, which is different to that of a male. 

At approximately the same time I commented to Andy that there was no chance of hearing a Reed Warbler today as the habitat wasn't quite right. Almost immediately one started singing in what I consider to be a deliberate attempt to make me look foolish. Not that I care, a patch year tick trumps everything. It seemed rather distant and may have been either in the bulrushes surrounding the largest pond, or even in the hedge beyond. With Lapwings in the area I was loathe to go any further, so it went unseen.

It was all going so well, there was bound to be a disappointment. This came when we couldn't find any Avocets or Teal on the flash pools. However, John C had seen a pair of the former yesterday, so there's still a chance they'll be available for next Saturday's alldayer. We also got a nice surprise when a Little Ringed Plover walked out from behind a bank of rushes in the corner of the nearest flash.

If it stays dry next week there may be a little more of a shoreline on offer for passing waders.

Shortly afterwards I flushed a Tawny Owl from a hedge, but our attempts to relocate it were unsuccessful. You could tell from the angry Blackbird calls that the local birds definitely knew where it was.

Looking back across the field with the tree guards Andy spotted what would be the bird of the day. A silhouetted chat was extremely likely to be a Whinchat and when we circled around to get the sun more behind us it did indeed prove to be a fine male.

A fitting conclusion to an excellent morning.

I totted up 54 species, which is not bad in three hours. I am hopeful we will break the 60 barrier next Saturday.

Friday April 24 - Spernal STW and Morton Bagot

 I was able to get up early this morning to Join Tony and Greg at the local sewage works where they were ringing. This April seems to be chugging along unremarkably, and today was no different.

While the lads set the nets up, I roamed around trying to see or hear anything unusual. The best I could come up with was a Sand Martin perched on wires with four Swallows, two singing Cetti's Warblers, plenty of Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers, and a fly over drake Mandarin. All a little pedestrian, but nice to record anyway.

Sand Martin is likely to be tricky at Morton Bagot again

The ringers were also having an off day and I gather they only caught six birds, most of which were re-traps. However, one of those was a Reed Warbler originally ringed as a female here on June 4 2024. So to Africa and back twice since it was first ringed.

Reed Warbler, now rather scarce up the road at Morton Bagot

Other birds seen included three Grey Wagtails, while a male Cuckoo could just be heard from the direction of Morgrove Coppice.

After breakfast I headed for Morton Bagot for part two of the morning.

If I was hoping for an upturn in migrant rarity I was to be disappointed. Nevertheless two Swifts were my earliest for the patch. They were not, however, the earliest there. That accolade went to Mike Holley who saw one here on 14 April 2024. I only know this because my West Midlands Bird Club Report arrived a few days ago. It's worth joining the WMBC for their excellent annual report alone.

Other birds present today included two Grasshopper Warblers (I even glimpsed one as it dived into a grassy field), three Lesser Whitethroats, and 18 Common Whitethroats.

Common Whitethroat

With one eye on the WestMidsAlldayer a week on Saturday I checked out Bannams Wood, noting a Nuthatch and a Coal Tit. You wouldn't believe the trouble I've had spotting those two on previous Alldayers.

Down at the scrape field I had to watch a dog-walker allowing her dog to run all over habitat which Heart of England Forest is maintaining for Lapwings. Just eight distressed birds were visible, and the Water Rail was silent (or departed). 

Fortunately the Flash field is spared such disturbance, but it still appears that the Avocets have gone, while just three Teal remain.

I reckon anything over sixty species will be a result. Just 51 today.

Tuesday April 21 - Morton Bagot and Earlswood

 If someone was to ask me for my favourite date on which to go birding, today's would be right up there. Throw in a hint of easterly and its fair to say that expectations were high. Maybe too high.

I started at Morton Bagot at 06:20, but by the time I had to return for breakfast no new species had been seen, and one, Avocet, was conspicuous by its absence. On the plus side a Water Rail squealed, at least four singing Lesser Whitethroats including one I got a decent look at, the Cetti's Warbler and at least one Grasshopper Warbler was still singing, and I finally got a shot, albeit a ropey one, of a Whitethroat.

With the West Midlands Alldayer just over the horizon (Sat May 2) I was also dismayed, but not surprised, to find that only one Teal was briefly visible.

After breakfast I returned to my original plan, which had been to stake Earlswood out. I was hoping the easterlies, which by then were pepping up, might have blown in a Little Gull. Sadly, it was not to be. However, I quickly spotted my first Swift of the year over Malthouse Lane carpark, and also heard a Redpoll flying over.

I only had time to cover Engine Pool, but soon added the Yellow-legged Gull, at least one Common Sandpiper, a fly over Siskin, and a Little Egret. Looking forward to May 2, Earlswood always fairs better than Morton Bagot, and it looks as though this year will be no exception. I'd like to think it could be close though.

A family of 10 goslings

Yellow-legged Gull (the usual one)

A true record shot of one of three Swifts seen today

The week ending Sunday April 19 - Mostly Morton Bagot

The last four days have been reasonably productive without ever warranting a post of their own. I suppose I should tell the story in chronological order, so let's start with Thursday.

Earlswood  was the destination, and things started really well as I spotted a Wheatear, my third this year, in a horse paddock off Springbrook Lane. Unfortunately the bird saw me first, so I only really had flight views as it flew over my head to pause briefly in the top of an oak before disappearing never to be seen again. After that the morning settled down, and the  highlights were photographing a Common Sandpiper on the stoney island which is now visible at the edge of Engine Pool, and estimating/counting at least 96 Sand Martins accompanied by only a handful of Swallows and House Martins.

On Saturday, after emptying my moth trap (just six moths of five species in the end), I found I had time to make a quick trip to the patch. I'll come back to the mothing later.

Morton Bagot looked splendid in the sunshine all weekend, and I was able to hear my first Sedge Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat of the year on that first visit. The highlight for me though was hearing the singing Water Rail again (this time in the flesh) although there was no realistic chance of actually seeing it. What I didn't realise until today was that the song was being uttered by the female bird. I would like to think that a male is also present, and if left undisturbed they may successfully breed.

The main surprise was the reappearance of Janet's Mute Swan, a second calendar year bird which looks remarkably similar to the one which flew over in January.

This morning I was joined by Andy Gooding and Dave. Andy had already established that there were three Grasshopper Warblers singing, and we set out to relocate them. We also heard three Lesser Whitethroats and probably double-figures of Whitethroats. The Cetti's Warbler which I'd heard quite well on Saturday was now only singing distantly from the back of the flash field. Avocets had dropped from four to two, and Teal to five. A single Green Sandpiper was visible on the back flash both days. The big frustration was when Dave thought he heard a Yellow Wagtail call, which Andy and I missed. It was filed under 'maybe". Hearing birds was generally a lot easier than seeing them, but at the end of the morning I spotted the first House Martin here this year, and a male Pied Wagtail took pity and posed for the camera.

We were more successful with insects. At least six butterfly species were seen including Holly Blues and Orange-tips. We also spotted a nice male Large Red Damselfly to kick off the odonata season. It was probably my earliest ever, but I don't have very good records to fall back on.

Going back to the garden moth trapping on Friday night, although a Streamer seen on the side of the trap late in the evening was absent by morning, a small moth on the fence turned out to be my first ever Currant Pug. 

I had lazily dismissed it as the more likely Brindled Pug, but when I actually looked at it properly the identification was hastily corrected. Currant Pugs are not usually on the wing until May or June, so this garden first was especially unexpected.

I also had a near calamity when carrying a cardboard box containing egg boxes with moths down the side of the house. I keep them in the shade of the front porch before releasing them the following evening. Somehow, by pure good fortune, I stepped over an unseen Hedgehog which had understandably rolled into a ball when it saw me coming.

 Ten minutes later it was legging it through the front gate. 

The following evening I heard grunting noises coming from the end of the back garden so I grabbed my thermal imager and discovered the presence of two Hedgehogs sounding each other out.

I'm hoping they will stay and control our slugs and snails.

Tuesday April 14 - Morton Bagot

 On a morning with a light southerly breeze with a hint of sunshine I was back at Morton Bagot hoping to build on Sunday's effort. 

The main gain was a singing Grasshopper Warbler, although I didn't have time to track it down beyond establishing that it was somewhere at the back of the Chat Field. This equals my earliest date for the site (2024). I was also pleased to hear the Cetti's Warbler again in the general area of the Morton Brook, although once again I got nowhere near seeing it.

Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, and Whitethroats were again present in good numbers, and four Willow Warblers was another strong showing for that species.

Willow Warbler

One thing the day lacked was any sense that passage migrants were around. The flash field contained the usual Avocets (seven), Lapwings (three) and Teal (eight).

I only saw one butterfly, a Speckled Wood, but to be fair the weather has not warmed back up after the false dawn of a few weeks ago.

One surprise was the daytime hoot of a Tawny Owl coming from somewhere in the direction of the road.

I'm still puzzled by the absence of Coot on the patch. Most of the pools are still the same as they were when I used to see over a dozen without difficulty. Interestingly the latest British Birds magazine contains an article in the My Patch series where a guy in Yorkshire, who had been birding at Malham Tarn for many years, has experienced a similar decline in Coot and other breeding waterbirds. He linked it to an increase in Otters, which will take Coot chicks.

Now it should be said that I've only seen Otter twice at the patch, but on the other hand I'm not typically here at night. It seems conceivable that they might be making their way up the Morton Brook from the Arrow after dark to harvest the waterfowl. 

This is pure speculation on my part, and other land based predators are available.