Wednesday October 27 - normal service

 It's been a strangely slow autumn. South-westerly winds continue to blow and I found myself reading the signs and struggling into the field for a quick visit to the patch.

Sure enough there was virtually no overhead passage and barely a handful of Redwings on site. I hope this means autumn migrants are just delayed and not that they've gone somewhere else.

The flash field produced the nearest thing to a highlight, with 30 Teal and a Green Sandpiper making a welcome return.

Green Sandpiper

The walk back brought me a Redpoll, a Siskin and a Linnet, hardly the stuff of dreams.

Tuesday October 26 - The perfect antedote

 After a somewhat dull week at Morton Bagot I learnt that there was a rather good bird in Warwick, about 10 miles to the west.

A Hoopoe had taken up residence on a small lawn in front of the IBM building in the county town. Better still, I got the distinct impression that it was very easy to see and could be wheelchair accessible. Time for Lyn to get a British tick. I also contacted Richard B who was due a walk around the patch and suggested the change of plan. He also needed Hoopoe, so was delighted to join us.

Guess what !

Lyn was a bit "tick and run", but I joined dozens of photographers with massive lenses moaning about the poor light to get my own little bit of rarity experience. 

Normal birding will be resumed in due course.

Friday/Sunday October 22/24

 It may be unprecedented for me to combine two visits into one post, and it's not good news. 

After cowering at home for most of last week I finally set foot outside on Friday, and found that the heavy rain earlier in the week had swamped the muddy edge of the nearest flash, and had created the semblance of a pool in the old pool field. That at least encouraged a young Mute Swan to visit, my first here for months (although Tony K had seen one a couple of weeks ago).

Mute Swan

There were a few finches flying about and about 45 Redwings in the hedgerows, but in truth it was pretty hopeless.

Overnight the temperature was in single figures so I wasn't surprised that moth activity was limited. In fact I caught just one moth, but at least the Red-lined Quaker was new for the year, and only my second ever.

Red-line Quaker

This morning I was hoping for a change of fortune. I joined Dave and we enjoyed 30 minutes of sunshine before a front rolled in and it rained for the rest of the morning.

Highlights were four Redpolls, a Grey Wagtail, and a small movement of Starlings. We eventually counted 91 Starlings moving west, and 61 Redwings, a few of which may have been migrating south-west.

I've had better weeks.

Sunday October 17 - A Black-tailed Godwit steals the show

 The overnight rain had reduced to a light drizzle by the time Dave and I arrived for another morning of trying to find the big one. Gradually the weather improved, and so did the birds.

It was quickly apparent that there wasn't much overhead passage, but fortunately there seemed to be plenty in the hedgerows. A large flock of tits contained four Blackcaps, and a couple of Stonechats. One of these  caught a bumblebee and was kind enough to pose.

Stonechat - female

We had a kick through the marsh where the old pool used to be, but it was too dry and failed to produce a single Snipe, and certainly no Jack Snipe.

However our fortunes changed at the flash field. The furthest flash contained about 10 Teal and two Shovelers, and the nearest flash a new Black-tailed Godwit, two Green Sandpipers, 61 Teal, and at least 19 Snipe.

Black-tailed Godwit

We managed to get to our second viewing spot, beneath the trees, without disturbing anything. Indeed while a party of a dozen Black-headed Gulls flew in, distracting Dave, a single Brambling called above the trees. This was my first this year. Unfortunately we were unable to see it, or hear it again, so I'm guessing it must have gone over.

A mixture of waders and ducks

About 30 Redwings exploded from the hedgerow along the brook, and I reckon there were at least six Song Thrushes and a similar number of Blackbirds also enjoying the hawthorn berries on offer. 

A party of seven Siskins and several Skylarks and Chaffinches flew west before a larger party of about 25 finches tantalised us with distant views. They were probably also Siskins. Just one Redpoll flew around as we made our way back.

The birds on the flash pool had become quite flighty at one point and we had been debating whether we were the cause, but after a flock of at least 250 Woodpigeons also launched into the air we spotted the real culprit, a marauding Peregrine.

I am always puzzled that the flash pools can be excellent one day, and almost empty the next. I guess there was a bit of a muddy edge today, or perhaps we just struck lucky.

A quick word on moths. Friday night was the coolest for several days, and I caught just eight moths including two November Moth (ags). This is a group of three species which cannot be identified safely without a specimen.

November Moth ag

The full list was:

Light Brown Apple Moth 1,    Red-Green Carpet 1,    Common Marbled Carpet 1,    November Moth ag 2 (nfy),    Angle Shades 1,    Grey Shoulder-knot 2.

Wednesday October 13 - Redwings on the move

 It happens every autumn, but it's still the event I prize above all others. A murky morning in mid-October, a very light westerly and a bit of drizzle, then the first Redwing flock appears. Fifty or so hurrying west, a few minutes later another lot go over. By the end of the morning I have logged 315 Redwings, 37 Starlings, 21 Siskins, and 12 Chaffinches heading west, plus 26 Skylarks and 11 Meadow Pipits going south.

These are typical numbers for Morton Bagot, but the thrill is knowing that every other birder from the Midlands to the east coast will be having the same experience. Birds are on the move again.

My camera never does these movements justice. Here is just one of the flocks, but you'll just have to take it from me that they are Redwings.

A flock of dots

A group of nine decided to investigate the hedgerows, and one was unwary enough for me to sneak up on it.

Redwing

In fact there was every indication that other thrushes were included in the movement because while I only saw nine Redwings in the hedgerows, I also counted six Song Thrushes, five Mistle Thrushes, and several Blackbirds.

The last vestiges of summer were a couple of calling Chiffchaffs, one of which was quite dull with pale underparts (but was calling like a normal Chiffchaff).

Chiffchaff

A couple of Redpolls flew around, two Stonechats were still present, and at the flashes two Shovelers had joined the 35 Teal, seven Snipe, and one Green Sandpiper.

The weedy field contained a flock of Goldfinches which I had estimated as being about 60 strong. That was until I took a photo of the flock and counted them. There were actually 107 in the flock and an additional group of 10 at Netherstead gave a final figure of 117.

It feels like proper autumn has turned up today.

Sunday October 10

 Another pleasant day of sunshine, the wind having shifted to a light north-westerly overnight, presaged another rather quiet visit. For all our efforts in the first hour, Dave and I managed to turn up just a fly over Redpoll, first of the autumn, and a circling Peregrine. 

The ringers were in the field for the second day running, and reported having caught a lot of Blue Tits.  

Their report is as follows: Blue Tit 65 (6 retraps), Great Tit 12 (2), Long-tailed Tit 5 (2), Blackcap 1, Meadow Pipit 16, Goldfinch 7 (1), Reed Bunting 2.

We moved on down the hedge, counting Stonechats and glimpsing a Blackcap before arriving at the flash field which at least contained plenty of Teal.

We eventually counted 45 Teal and four Snipe, although I'm sure there were plenty more hidden from view.

Numbers of Skylark seemed higher. There were 16 in the weedy field where the ringers were operating, and a steady trickle of birds heading south overhead. Back at Netherstead we found four Stonechats, which may have been different from the three at the old pool (or may have been the same).

On Friday night my moth trap went out on a night when temperatures dropped no lower than 13 degrees. As a result I caught a respectable 23 moths of 13 species. These included two beautiful Merveille Du Jour moths, and a Beaded Chestnut, plus an unexpectedly early December Moth.

Merveille Du Jour

Beaded Chestnut

December Moth

The full list was:

Caloptilia semifascia 1,    Ruddy Streak 2,    Light Brown Apple Moth 2,    Garden Rose Tortrix 2,    Pine Carpet 1,    Spruce Carpet 1,    December Moth 1 (nfy),    Merveille Du Jour 2 (nfy),    Barred Sallow 5,    Beaded Chestnut 1 (nfy),    Lunar Underwing 2,    Large Yellow Underwing 2,    Lesser Yellow Underwing 1.

Wednesday October 6 - Limbo

 This morning dawned bright and sunny. The wind had dropped to a light westerly, and although a scan of the Internet gave little cause for optimism, I set out for my birding fix. 

It's clear that the winter visitors have not yet set out across the North Sea, so there certainly wouldn't be any in Warwickshire. I had it in mind to check up on the Whitethroat, hoping it had extended its stay to become my latest Midlands record. Predictably, there was no sign of it, and in fact I also recorded only three Chiffchaffs and no Blackcaps or any other warblers. Three Swallows did remain. The first were two juveniles high above me in the blue, one apparently playing with a floating feather. It repeatedly caught and then released it, before deciding to move on.

I occasionally heard Meadow Pipits, Siskins, and Skylarks calling, indicating that some level of passage was going on, but against a deep blue sky it's too hard to find them. I settled for trying to find things to photograph.

Pied Wagtail

A scruffy juvenile female Blackbird still moulting

Mistle Thrush

By the time I reached the flash field, sometimes the saviour of the day, I had amassed a motley group of common British birds with nothing rarer than the Mistle Thrush shown above. 

The flash field failed to deliver....spectacularly. Five Teal were literally the only water birds seen. 

OK, how about insects? I counted three Red Admirals and a Speckled Wood before turning my attention to dragonflies. There were quite a few darters flying around, and one Southern Hawker. Darters can be quite hard to identify, but I reckon I saw both Common Darter, and Ruddy Darter.

Common Darter

Ruddy Darter (note the narrow centre of the abdomen)

Three Stonechats were still present, a Raven was flying around calling, a Marsh Tit and three Goldcrests came to my attention. 

But I'm clutching at straws. It was just very quiet, we're in limbo. Caught between the last birds of summer and the first of autumn. But it won't be long now.

Sunday October 3 - late migrants brighten the day

 It's that slightly annoying time of year when I find myself waiting impatiently for the first winter visitors to turn up, while at the same time the summer migrants have gone. So I arrived this morning expecting a pretty ordinary visit.

For the first hour the breeze was very light and from the south-west, so I started logging Meadow Pipits for something to do. It was pretty unspectacular, and there had been 23 by the time the cloud rolled away and blue skies made it harder to spot them. A few Chaffinches and a calling Siskin were also considered signs of visible migration.

Dave had joined me and we ambled north through the chat field, logging Chiffchaffs (eight eventually), and Jays. The latter became a source of amusement as we never saw more than four in one go, but I eventually claimed a total of 12 (or the same four making three circuits according to Dave).

Our day perked up still further as we spotted a Whitethroat in exactly the same bushes as I had seen it two visits ago. An October Whitethroat in the Midlands is a bit special. I may have seen such a late one before, but I can't remember doing so. A bit of research may be required...(Birdtrack tells me I saw one on October 4 1998 at Childswickham in Worcs). Also needed was a convincing record shot, and to that end we tried to keep on it as it disappeared up the hedgerow.

In the course of our search we flushed a Wheatear. That too disappeared in the instant we found it, the only Wheatear to have been seen here this autumn. Eventually we split up, and my search took me beck to the original spot, where the Whitethroat reappeared and I got my shot.

Whitethroat

At around this time, Dave spotted a brown dot on the horizon of the weedy field. The camera confirmed it was the Wheatear and not one of the Skylarks which seemed more plentiful today. I set off in stalking mode and eventually got a picture sufficient to rule out any possibility it could be one of the rarer Wheatears (we can still dream).

Northern Wheatear

A couple of Swallows appeared, and raced across the field. The day was really starting to have a good feel about it. 

In terms of Morton Bagot, the rarest bird of the day was first noticed as a shadow passed across us. We looked up to see an adult Common Gull heading south. Yes I know, just a Common Gull, but the first of the autumn and a bird barely registering on Dave's Morton Bagot list.

The flash field yielded 23 Lapwings, just six Teal, four Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, and a Grey Heron. But we weren't quite finished. Another Swallow headed south, and then first one, and later another four House Martins.

I was determined to find a Blackcap to add to the warbler list, but as the wind got up the best we could manage was to consider whether some sub-song coming from a hedge bordering the ridge field was this species. We also saw a couple of male Stonechats, and a Cormorant.

Several Common Darters, and a few Speckled Woods are still on the wing, all contributing to the illusion that winter is still far away.

Friday October 1

 Before I get to this morning's effort I'll begin with the last day of September. My only involvement was to notice a flock of 30 Golden Plovers flying south over my morning stroll from house to paper shop in Winyates East. A good record only slightly tarnished by the fact I did not see them from the garden.

Meanwhile, Sam was at Morton Bagot and reported the continued presence of a few Swallows, and three Green Sandpipers.

It rained heavily overnight, so this morning I was not surprised to find that the flashes were both full to the brim with water and contained nothing better than seven Teal, two Lapwings, and three Snipe. Fortunately this didn't concern me because by then I had taken advantage of the morning sunshine to put my camera to work.

Kestrel

This Kestrel was peering over its shoulder at me as I parked up. Within half an hour I had established that the brisk south-westerly was suppressing Meadow Pipit passage to the merest trickle, and had seen a House Martin, which was to be my only hirundine of the morning. Two Siskins flew over (the first definite ones of the autumn here).

A bit of strategy was called for. Thus walking in the lee of a couple of hedges, with the sun over my right shoulder produced further opportunities to photograph sheltering passerines.

Chiffchaff

Long-tailed Tit

At least six Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, a couple of Jays, six Reed Buntings, and four Stonechats were the birding highlights of a very pleasant couple of hours.

Stonechat - male

Stonechat - female

Robin

The hedgerows are bursting with blackberries, rose-hips, and hawthorn berries giving a pleasing backdrop. 

The weedy field beyond the hedge was by contrast almost birdless, but there were still six Skylarks to chase around. My P900 isn't really up to the job of flying birds, especially small ones, but I did get some kind of image of one of the Skylarks in flight.

Skylark

So no uncommon birds to report today. 

Tonight the emphasis switches to moths....and I caught 21 moths of ten species, including a Grey Shoulder-knot, another fairly common species which I've never seen before.

Grey Shoulder-knot

Brindled Green

The full list was:

Common Plume 1 (nfy),    Light Brown Apple Moth 2,    Red-green Carpet 2,    Light Emerald 1,    Barred Sallow 1,    Lunar Underwing 10,    Grey Shoulder-knot 1 (nfg),    Brindled Green 1 (nfy),    Large Yellow Underwing 1,        Square-spot Rustic 1.