I was ten minutes later than normal at the patch, and was pleased to see Dave checking the pool at the end of the Netherstead access road as I prepared to pull in. It turned out he had been watching a Kingfisher which reappeared for me, and had heard a possible "odd" Cetti's Warbler. The latter, whatever it was, failed to sub-sing again, and Dave consigned to the file marked "not certain". They occur very close to the site, and I'm sure it won't be long.
The weather was ideal for visible migration, but as we were walking the usual circuit our counts suffered accordingly. Our minimum figures were 52 Meadow Pipits, eight Skylarks, and four Chaffinches. So no suggestion that continental migrants are reaching us yet.
Bush watching produced a maximum of nine Stonechats, three Blackcaps, and two Chiffchaffs. A Marsh Tit showed at close range, but was also annoyingly skulking for much of the time.
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| Marsh Tit |
There remains very little standing water on the site, and we managed only five Snipe and a Green Sandpiper in the flash field. Some distant flocks of Canada and Greylag Geese flying west were just too distant to allow us to identify a smaller goose flying with them (it may just have been a Greylag with Canadas).
I hate to say this, but we need a month of torrential rain.
Overnight I put the trap out and caught 18 moths of nine species. No garden ticks this time, but there were two nice ones which were new for the year; the splendid Merveille du Jour, and more workmanlike Brindled Green.
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| Merveille du Jour |
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| Brindled Green |
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