Sunday April 16 - Morton Bagot

 This morning I joined Dave and Andy G at Morton Bagot. It was cloudy, but there was no wind and the last shower fell as we arrived. 

By the time Dave and I met up with Andy near the scrape field things were already looking up. 

There was a Peregrine on the pylons for one thing, my first at Morton Bagot this year.

Peregrine

A Lesser Whitethroat was singing from the hedgerow, and we later concluded there were two. Hearing them's one thing, seeing them quite another. We did eventually succeed, it sounded as though Andy had had the best view. My record shot was very much just that.

Lesser Whitethroat demonstrating its skulking nature

Andy had seen two House Martins and two Wheatears. We duly saw the latter, but not before hearing our first Sedge Warbler of the year, and an equally unco-operative Willow Warbler.

The flash field was pretty disappointing. Just one Avocet was in residence (there had been five yesterday) and we counted 13 Teal, and a pair of Shelducks. After a bit of wandering along the footpath west of the Morton Brook, we returned in time to see a pair of Red Kites circling in the distance, and for me to see a Green Sandpiper flying in and disappearing somewhere around the flash field.

Then we started to see Wheatears, lots of them. They were in their favoured part of the field apparently unconcerned by all the plastic tree guards, which they occasionally perched on. We counted seven, and decided they were different from the two we had seen earlier, giving a grand total of nine. Not quite the site record. They were too distant to photograph, so here's one I took earlier.

Wheatear on Thursday

Yes I was here on Thursday, but my visit was blighted by the presence of the lurcher from Netherstead Hall which latched on to me for walkies for the whole morning. I just couldn't shake it off. At least a female Wheatear was showing well. I also saw a pair of Tufted Ducks on the Dragonfly Pools, which I think might be the first here this year.

Anyway, back to today. A single Sand Martin flew north, allowing me to pull another one back on Dave who had seen one last Sunday. My visit was cut short well Lyn rang to say she needed help, but on the route march out I did see a Redwing in the ridge field, maybe my last of the spring.

Moth-trapping overnight gave me a new micro for the garden, and five new for the year. My total of 18 moths of 12 species was a bit disappointing.

The new micro was Mompha jurassicella aka Scarce Mompha. On seeing it on the windowsill it vaguely reminded me of a Diamond-back Moth, but not quite. Being lazy I pointed the Obsidentify ap at it and it was 100% certain it was M jurassicella. I then most of the morning trying to cobble some photos together while not letting it escape. From these I decided it had to be that species.

Mompha jurassicella

The other ones new for the year were Brindled Pug, Oak-tree Pug (probably my earliest ever), Pale Mottled Willow, Ruddy Streak, and Twenty-plume Moth.

The Mompha has now been liberated.