Sunday June 6

 I joined Dave for our usual Sunday morning stroll. Early June can produce the odd rarity, but overwhelmingly its like today, quiet. The weather was warm but largely cloudy, and as midday approached the rain started. Not ideal.

So let's get the birds out of the way first. Apart from poor views of one of the very few Lesser Whitethroats which have turned up this year, the highlight was a party of five angry Shelducks at the nearest flash.

This is probably the largest count of adult Shelducks to be seen here, and bodes well for the chances of at least one breeding attempt. I'm not really sure why Shelducks like Morton Bagot, but they certainly do. Another thing worth mentioning was that the Netherstead House Martin population has been boosted by some late arrivals, and now comprises at least eight birds.

Finally, the absence of Cuckoo from my patch list this year looked likely to be fixed when Dave called over to say that he'd heard a call. I hadn't heard it so we stopped to listen. No further sound was heard, and Dave started to doubt himself. The sound had been very distant and in the absence of anything further he erred on the side of caution. I understand that there has been a calling bird at Morgrove Coppice, so it seems highly likely that we've just been unlucky.

We did at least see a few insects before the rain started. 

Azure Damselfly

Large Red Damselfly

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Nettle-tap Moth

All of the above are Morton Bagot regulars, and I imagine that one final moth in the grass was too. But I'd never seen a Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus before, so it qualifies as the morning's highlight.

Crambus lathoniellus

Morton Bagot suits grass moths, and as the summer enfolds we'll see plenty. But this species is the first to appear, and has evaded my notice until now.

Speaking of moths, I put the garden trap out on Friday and attracted 13 moths of 13 species. There was no repeat of the drama of the possible first for Warwickshire caught and released on Tuesday night before the Warwickshire recorder could assess it, but there were a few that were new for the year.

The full list was:

Mompha subbistrigella 1 (nfy), Ruddy Streak 1, Light Brown Apple Moth 1, Ochreous Pug 1, Tawny-barred Angle 1 (nfy), Common Marbled Carpet 1, Peppered Moth 1, Figure of Eighty 1, Light Emerald 1 (nfy), Spectacle 1 (nfy), Knot Grass 1, Treble Lines 1 (nfy), Pale Mottled Willow 1.