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.

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.