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.

Sunday April 12 - Morton Bagot

The run-up to this morning's birding had been somewhat inauspicious, visits to Mappleborough Green and Earlswood merely confirming the presence of a Little Ringed Plover at the former, and lots of hirundines at the latter. There was however a significant moth in my garden trap on Saturday morning, which I'll come to later.

So this morning, in the teeth of a fresh south-westerly, I met Dave at Morton Bagot with relatively little optimism. Oh ye of little faith. 

We started reasonably well, soon hearing our first Whitethroat of what turned out to be a tally of five. A couple showed quite well but not for long enough for my camera to be deployed. Blackcaps and Willow Warblers were also evident, and I logged eleven of the former and five of the latter. A Peregrine was seen a couple of times.

The first good bird of the day was seen as a result of a bit of fieldcraft when we realised that the more sheltered side of the hedges might be better. Thus, along the footpath down from the church I caught sight of a male Redstart, a bird to warm the cockles of any heart.

Experience told us that attempting to approach the bird would be likely to lead to disappointment, so I settled for a record shot.

On the other side of the hedge lay the flash field, and it was populated by a remarkable number of Brown Hares. At least eight were charging around the field, tempting me to get the camera out once more.

The flash pools hosted at least seven Avocets but only four Teal. I'm intending to re-enter the West Midlands spring alldayer at Morton Bagot at the beginning of May this year, and as usual birds such as Teal are starting to disappear. The Coot was also nowhere to be seen.

Moving down the Morton Brook we could hear nothing of the Cetti's Warbler (perhaps also gone) but a scan of the ploughed strip on the other side of the stream produced a single male Wheatear, too distant for a photo.

Neither Redstart nor Wheatear were found at Morton Bagot last year. 

Dave had to depart early, so I was left to spend a little time in Stapenhill Wood where a Great Spotted Woodpecker showed well.

News of a Spotted Crake at Upton Warren might have of upset the balance, but I envisaged a long wait in a cramped hide (or more likely outside it queuing to get in) so I wasn't tempted.

Instead my final noteworthy sighting as I was preparing to leave was a party of three Little Egrets which flew in and landed at Clowse Farm.

Anyway, back to the moth. With only eight moths in the trap it could have been a forgettable experience, but the eighth moth was something a bit special. The Silver Cloud is described as a Nationally scarce category A species. Normally this would mean there would be no chance of ever catching one, but the reason for its status is its limited distribution. Almost the entire British population is confined to the lower Severn/Avon valleys in Gloucestershire/Worcestershire and to some extent south Warwickshire, so I've always thought I had a slight chance of seeing one.

OK I admit they are not much to look at, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I was delighted to see it. A great start to the 2026 moth season.

Thursday April 9 - Morton Bagot and Earlswood

Before I get on to today's excellent birding, I need to mention that yesterday Janet from Earlswood paid a visit to Morton Bagot and made a recording on her phone of a bird she didn't recognise. It turned out to be the song of a Water Rail. Yes that's right song. I can only recall hearing its actual song once, at Upton Warren years ago. I would describe it as a gentle "poop poop poop purrrr" An extraordinary sound. The call was coming from exactly the same spot I'd heard one calling at the end of March, and could well mean that the species will become a new addition to the site's breeding list. Janet also saw a "Swan" flying over, presumably a Mute Swan, but only the second this year.

Anyway, back to this morning. I had decided on a quick pre-breakfast dash around the northern end of the site. Yesterday's warmth and sunshine had been replaced by cloud and a distinct chill. I started by heading for the Water Rail spot, but sadly there was only silence.

Of course the patch was anything but silent. At least two Willow Warblers, and four Blackcaps were singing amidst a chorus of resident species. The buzzing calls of Redpolls were heard as odd birds flew over. I thought for a second I heard a Whitethroat call, and some time later managed to see it, albeit distantly. This turned out to be my earliest ever, by one day.

The flash field contained the usual Avocets, though just four, plus 16 Teal, two Shelducks, and a Snipe. Then I detected the big one.

No, not the Coot, although I was pretty pleased to see it occupying the Kingfisher Pool, so presumably different from the one on the Dragonfly Pool. The big surprise was my earliest ever, by a long way, Cuckoo which called from somewhere a little beyond the pool occupied by the Coot. Although it sounded quite close, I had a hedge in the way and no further calls followed. My guess is it was just passing through.

Earlswood. 

After breakfast I opted for Earlswood, in no small way because Matt had Whatsapp'd a juicy list of migrants headed by a Swift. It would have been great to see one so early in April, but although there was still about 80 Sand Martins and smaller numbers of Swallows and House Martins present, the Swift had disappeared by the time I arrived.

However I was just in time to see the Shelduck Matt had found just as it was flying off.

Surprisingly my second record for the site this year. 

I then discovered a newly arrived Common Tern, Earlswood's first of the year.

I joined Matt on the causeway as a first-winter Common Gull flew in. We chatted for a while, Matt commiserating with me on my failure to see his Swift. He could however point me in the direction of a Common Sandpiper which I saw but couldn't photograph, and an Oystercatcher which proved more co-operative. But was also asleep.

I just love April. Every day brings new birds, and although nothing seen or heard today was rare, it's really great ticking them off as they return for the summer.

Tuesday April 7 - Tardebigge Reservoir

 With the weather now set fair, for at least two days, I decided to take a bit of a punt on Tardebigge Reservoir. It sits near the top of a hill with views stretching as far as the Malverns to the south and Clee Hill to the north-west, Upton Warren seems but a stones throw away. 

Maybe some hill-top specialists might have paused for a while? Perhaps an Osprey might glide north? Or maybe not.

I did have one passage bird en route to the hills, but it was just a male Wheatear occupying the middle of a ploughed field below the famous canal locks.

I stood around for nearly an hour watching almost nothing passing overhead. A couple of Swallows which looked suspiciously like local birds on a feeding sortie, six Black-headed Gulls presumably from Upton, and a pair of Mute Swans on a day out.

Eventually some raptors got up, and among the circling Buzzards was a single Red Kite. But they're not quite the novelty they once were.

I was struck by how many Chaffinches were singing, double-figures compared to the ones and twos I now hear at Morton Bagot. At least one, probably two, Willow Warblers were present, with a similar count of singing Blackcaps. But the main warbler on show was the Chiffchaff, with at least nine present.

Chiffchaff eyeing me suspiciously

So I suppose the plan was unsuccessful, but I still enjoyed the morning.

Sunday April 5 - Morton Bagot

With a howling gale overnight, and a brisk southerly this morning, the obvious move would have been to go to Earlswood. But Dave and I stuck to our guns and paid another visit to the patch.

The early signs were promising. A single Meadow Pipit and a newly arrived male Stonechat at least hinted at passage. A couple of Swallows headed north, barely stopping to feed. The Chiffchaff and Blackcap count rose steadily to totals of eight and four respectively.

But what we really wanted was something new, and that was supplied when we tracked down a singing Willow Warbler to the hedge bordering the Morton Brook where it showed well in one of the few sheltered spots.

Once a common sight, the Willow Warbler is becoming more like a passage migrant in the Midlands as global warming shifts the breeding areas ever northwards.

We also heard the Cetti's Warbler again, and I predict this species will soon become just another tick in the notebook as they establish themselves here. Mind you, we were still no nearer to actually seeing it, let alone getting a photograph.

We counted six Avocets, 14 Teal, a Lapwing, a few geese, and a very distant Green Sandpiper on the flash field. My first Speckled Wood of the year fluttered by, but defied my attempts for a record shot.

It feels like game on for spring.

Saturday April 4

 The last few days have felt like a waiting game. I've been birding each day, often with a plan in mind, but have seen little to inspire.

On Thursday, with the weather still distinctly chilly, I sky-watched from the causeway at Earlswood for a couple of hours. I was hoping to get lucky with a fly-over Osprey, but as usual I had bought the wrong lottery ticket. Instead I saw nine Sand Martins two Swallows, Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, and three Buzzards. 

The plan wasn't entirely stupid because this is exactly the time of year the Scottish birds are returning from Africa, and indeed one had flown over Blackwell Golf Course at the edge of my Circle the day before, and another over the Birders Store in Worcester on the day of my vigil. I have a lousy record with Ospreys; 29 in forty-five years but only about five were not twitched, and four of those were in autumn.

On Friday morning I paid an early morning visit to Mappleborough Green, but it was pretty dire. Even the Little Ringed Plovers seemed to have gone.

This morning my moth trap contained just five moths, three of which were Brindled Beautys, so at least new for the year.

With the mothing over so quickly, I had time for a dash to Spernal STW to join Tony and his team who were ringing there. Cetti's Warblers seemed to be singing everywhere, and I even saw one of them in the field. Tony reckons there are six or seven on site.

I'd been hoping for a Willow Warbler or something like that, but the only migrants were a couple of Swallows, Chiffchaffs, and Blackcaps. Less regularly seen birds included a Kingfisher, and a pair of Shelducks.

The weather is predicted to warm up over the next few days, so things can only get better.

Tuesday March 31 - Mappleborough Green

The plan for this morning was to go to Mappleborough Green with the intention of seeing some waders, and then try Cobley Hill in the hope of locating a Wheatear. 

Part one went well, but not in the way I'd expected. The left hand flash produced a Green Sandpiper, a Snipe, and a Little Ringed Plover along with 21 Teal. Despite trying my best to keep out of sight, the ever alert Teal soon flew up and although some returned, I knew any on the right hand flash might include some of them. Further adding to the confusion, the Little Ringed Plover also took off, and appeared to head away towards Redditch.

I reached the right hand flash, saw a few Teal and noticed that the Little Ringed Plover there now had a friend. And they were getting on very well.

I scanned the field and didn't see anything else. But on checking the images at the back of my camera I found I wasn't keen on the photos I'd taken, so I thought I'd turn around and take a couple more. Just as well!

My initial scan couldn't have been as thorough as I'd thought, because this time I got straight onto a male Wheatear.

Earlier, I'd also seen six Fieldfares and a couple of Meadow Pipits.

It was tempting not to bother with Cobley Hill, but other hilltop migrants might occur. In the event I was pleased to see two pairs of Lapwings breeding, while migration was limited to a single Meadow Pipit heading north.