Sunday July 19 - Morton Bagot (and some garden moths)

 The long period without any rain continues, although this morning there were periods of complete cloud cover. The wind was a light northerly and there was enough sunshine to make it worth looking for insects.

The ringers were in action for the second day running, and Dave and I arrived in good time to see a first-year Garden Warbler they had just caught.

At this time of year ringing is far more effective at surveying bird populations than fieldwork. They had just had a surge in Whitethroats and were wondering whether they were indicative of the commencement of autumn migration. 

These are their results from two days ringing here (re-traps in brackets):

Blue Tit 21 (10)

Great Tit 13 (6)

Whitethroat 26 (2)

Grasshopper Warbler 2

Blackcap 3

Chiffchaff 4

Garden Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Robin 4 (3)

Blackbird 1

Dunnock 3 (1)

Wren 4

Greenfinch 6 (1)

Goldfinch 1

As far as passerines are concerned Dave and I saw lots of Whitethroats too. We also recorded a Reed Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, a Marsh Tit, and the regular pair of Stonechats.

The nearest flash is virtually dry, but on the plus side the rushes which hide most of it have been strimmed, so once there is a bit of water in it we'll have a decent chance of seeing any waders present. As it was, we counted eight or nine Green Sandpipers and three or four Lapwings on the damper areas of mud.

The main interest was provided by insects. The Big Butterfly Count organised by Butterfly Conservation requires just a fifteen minute count (as often as you like), so I did that. Gatekeepers (37) outshone all the other species counted. Our best find was outside the count slot, and was a patch tick. Yes we finally added a Clouded Yellow to our patch list. I'd like to say we were the first, but I understand one of the ringers saw one here earlier in the week.

Unfortunately our insect cowered in the vegetation when I tried to photograph it, so apologies for the disappointing shot.

Normally this species turns up in small numbers, and mainly only to south coast counties. But this year is a good one, and they're turning up all over the place.

I brought my GMS forward a day this week. So on Thursday night I counted 285 moths of 58 species. Disappointingly there was very little particularly noteworthy in a garden context, and I would say my best moth was the micro Clavigesta purdeyi a species which is a Pine specialist. I had previously caught two in 2022, but none since.

I appreciate it is difficult to give a true impression of size when showing pictures of moths. The one above is just 5mm long in life. 

Morton Bagot and Earlswood

 Morton Bagot

Oh dear, it's not coming home. In an attempt to shrug off the post-match blues I went to Morton Bagot this morning.

Very warm and sunny, the heatwave has once again evaporated most of the water from the nearest flash leaving a substantial area of mud. This was being exploited by at least 14 Green Sandpipers and a Snipe, and these had attracted an opportunistic juvenile Kestrel which attempted to swoop onto several waders. It also disturbed a Mistle Thrush causing it to reveal its presence through its call. A couple of Teal could just about be identified in the heat haze as they swam around the furthest flash.

A number of Clouded Yellow butterflies have been seen in the West Midlands recently, so I was hopeful I might find one these scarce migrants here for the first time. Sadly, although there were plenty of other butterfly species on the wing, my search was unsuccessful.

Earlswood

On Tuesday I'd spent a couple of hours at Earlswood where there is now a broad margin of compacted stony mud around both Engine and Windmill Pool. It had been a cloudy early morning, but the only wader I saw was a single Oystercatcher.

There had been up to three Oystercatchers in the days running up to my visit, and my photograph demonstrates the reason for the attraction. I believe it was attempting to break into a freshwater Mussel, although I can't tell which species was involved. 

Sunday July 12 - Morton Bagot (and garden moths)

 I recently read an on-line article by a guy (I couldn't work out whether he was Finnish or Irish) explaining in great detail how to be proficient in finding rare birds. It reminded me that any hopes I might have that I could be that person are entirely delusional. Getting away from all the - go birding at the right place, know your birds, keep looking up, scan every bush, check the weather stuff, the absolute killer was keep going all day, every day. Those days are gone.

Today's two hour effort comprised a mooch around Morton Bagot, and my birding highlight was a toss up between discovering that the juvenile Lapwing was still alive on the scrape field, and counting four Green Sandpipers and two Little Ringed Plovers on the nearest flash. They were shimmering in the heat of yet another hot sunny day, so the only chance I got to photograph a bird came courtesy of the pair of Stonechats still present at the dragonfly ponds.

Female Stonechat

However, I did find something good. Just not a bird. Back on 10 July 2022 I had added Red-eyed Damselfly to my site list, and now almost exactly four years later I spotted another. It was resting on vegetation on the surface of the Kingfisher Pool, most of the floating leaves and other detritus being occupied by Small Red-eyed Damselflies. The latter were also my first of the year, but are much the commoner Red-eyed species here since they first appeared about ten years ago.

Red-eyed Damselfly

Small Red-eyed Damselfly

For the main difference between the two species look at the back end of the abdomen.

While researching my blog for the last time I photographed Red-eyed D at Morton Bagot I was reminded that 10 July 2022 was also the day Dave and I found an adult Honey-buzzard here. So even old duffers like us occasionally get lucky and become rarity finders.

As for moths, well as you'd expect the hot nights have delivered. I brought forward my most recent GMS night by one day so that I wouldn't be semi-comatose when the football was on.

Thus on Thursday night I was witness to a deluge of at least 409 moths of 68 species, many of which were new for the year. Three species (maybe four) were new to the garden, although the first of these was not in fact a moth. While Lyn washed in the bathroom I couldn't help noticing a monstrous cricket clinging to the ceiling above her head. I potted what proved to be a Long-winged Conehead, a species I have seen at Morton Bagot, but not in our garden before.

Long-winged Conehead

Among the actual moths the following morning from dawn, I gained for the garden a Common Purple & Gold Pyrausta purpuralis and a Twin-spotted Wainscot.

Common Purple and Gold (Similar to the much more common Mint Moth, this individual seems to have had its wings clipped by a bird. It still flew off before I got a second chance of a photo)

Twin-spotted Wainscot

Other moths included two Least Carpets, six Tree-lichen Beauties, a remarkable 30 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, a Maple Pug, another four Small Mottled Willows (bringing this year's total of what was thought to be a scarce migrant to eight), another Cydia interscindana (the previous one a fortnight ago was the first for Warwickshire), a possible Cryptic Ash Bud Moth Prays ruficeps (this would be a garden first if the moth recorder considers my rather poor photos sufficient evidence), a Scarce Silver-lines (only my second, and for me the best looking moth of the night), and five migrant Rush Veneers.

Scarce Silver-lines

As usual the full list of moths new for the year has been updated on the appropriate page.

PS: The Cryptic Ash Bud Moth Prays ruficeps was accepted by the recorder on the basis of the images sent.

Prays ruficeps

Tuesday July 7 - Morton Bagot

I went to Morton Bagot yesterday to buy some eggs from the farm. In the lane I bumped into Martin who was planning to walk down to the flashes to see what was there. 

We both achieved complete success. I bought my eggs, while Martin found a Great White Egret. Unfortunately for me it was on the Kingfisher Pool which meant it flushed immediately, along with two Little Egrets. Twitching it would likely be a waste of time because previous birds had generally disappeared never to be seen again.

This morning I was nevertheless back at the patch. Well, you never know. What I found was that the nearest flash had been reflooded leaving just a small amount of exposed mud. Two Green Sandpipers were occupying it, but the only herons were a Grey Heron and a Little Egret.

Little Egret

I'd taken my scope in case the GWE had been on the furthest flash, and this paid off to a degree because enabled me to relocate the Gadwall we'd seen briefly in flight in mid June. Too distant for a photo though.

Sunday July 5 - Mostly Morton Bagot

 There was quite a gathering at Morton Bagot this morning, mostly a ringing team, plus me and Dave. We timed our visit quite well because just as we started to saunter off Leigh called us back to see a juvenile Grasshopper Warbler they had just caught.

Earlier in the morning they had caught an adult female with a brood patch, while another bird had unfortunately escaped before it could be ringed.

Our tour of the site produced a vocal couple of Kestrels suggesting recently fledged juveniles, and at the nearest flash 14 Lapwings, two Green Sandpipers, a Little Egret, and the first returning Snipe of the "autumn".

I had paid a visit on Thursday when I'd counted 11 Green Sandpipers and four Little Ringed Plovers including a fledged juvenile, but today they were nowhere to be seen.

Back to today. The remainder of the circuit confirmed the presence of five Red Kites, all of which seemed to be adults. A couple of the pairs seemed to be testing their territorial boundaries, while another was visible over Bannams. Another indication of how times have changed was that we were quite pleased to count a mere six Swifts. 

The pair of Stonechats was still present at the dragonfly pools as we completed the circle.

Naturally we were also on the lookout for insects. It's the cricket season, and Dark Bush Crickets are now reaching their final growth stage.

Another common cricket here is Roesel's Bush Cricket, but of more interest to me was one in our garden yesterday. I'm fairly sure I haven't seen one there before, so I was keen to pot it to show Lyn, before releasing it into the no-mow section of the lawn.

Moth trapping in the garden on Friday night had produced 172 moths of 40 species, only six of which were new for the year. None was particularly unexpected, but the best looker was probably a Swallow-tailed Moth, a species I missed last year.

Bringing the subject back to birds, another part of Thursday morning had included a brief visit to Shortwood Roughs hoping to see the Tundra Bean Goose which I've heard has now bred at this site with a Greylag Goose and produced hybrid young. I say "this site" but I must have got something wrong because there was no sign of any Geese and nothing but various cereal crops "by the canal" which is where Birdguides suggested the bird had been. However, I did see an adult Hobby as I made my way back to the car.

And finally, today's team ringed the following:

Grasshopper Warbler 2

Sedge Warbler 1

Reed Warbler 1

Blackcap 1

Chiffchaff 8

Whitethroat 7

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Blue Tit 28 (3)

Great Tit 10 (2)

Robin 6 (1)

Wren 1

Tuesday June 28 - Morton Bagot

 I joined Tony and Greg who were ringing at the usual spot this morning. After a bit of banter I left them to it and wandered to the flash.

The signs were encouraging. I counted 10 Green Sandpipers, four Little Ringed Plovers, a Teal, and seven Lapwings which included three newly fledged birds.

On the way back I found a Black-tailed Skimmer in the grass at my feet.

A nice quiet end to the month.

Monday June 29 - Oldberrow

 I spent an hour this morning wandering up and down the lane where the Wryneck had been reported yesterday.

A juvenile Green Woodpecker was calling in the exact spot which was the focus of the report. I also saw Nuthatches, and Kestrels. 

It's actually a really nice area. I heard a distant Lesser Whitethroat and a singing Yellowhammer which was at the Morton Bagot end of the lane.