Monday October 9 - When home is best

 My walk to the paper shop yesterday morning told me all I needed to know about where I should spend the day. Several parties of Redwings and a few Fieldfares were heading west, and my Whatsapp was pinging like mad as other birders were having a similar experience.

So a little later than would have been ideal (09.25) I stood on our front drive, looked towards the north-east and resolved to give it an hour. Almost immediately it started to deliver as long strings of well-spaced Redwings started to appear. I was counting furiously, but will have missed any that had the audacity to fly across the back garden shielded from view by the house.

Every now and then it would go quiet for five minutes, and I'd wonder if the show was over, but each time it would resume. Most parties were at least 20 strong, and many were between 90 and 120 birds. They just kept coming, and it wasn't just Redwings. Every now and then the odd Fieldfare would appear, and on one memorable occasion a flock of about 100.

There were other birds too. A few Skylarks, one of them trying to sing as it headed west. Three finches looked white bellied with longish deeply forked tails, and I suspected they were Bramblings. They didn't call, but a little later another one followed them and it did. A few Siskins called, but I couldn't see them. The strangest sight was two calling Bullfinches heading west high above the house. They're not supposed to migrate, but clearly they do.

My final thrush tally was 1495 Redwings (including those seen on the walk to the shop), and 133 Fieldfares.

One thing I didn't attempt to do was photograph anything. As I don't like to post an unillustrated story I decided to put my moth trap out.

The result was 38 moths of 16 species including one new for the garden (and a lifer) in the form of a Blair's Shoulder-knot resting on the brickwork next morning.

Blair's Shoulder-knot

There was also a couple new for the year; Merveille du Jour (two), and Angle Shades. They are also great lookers.

Merveille du Jour

Angle Shades

A major feature of the night was the presence of 20 Box Tree Moths, bad news for any of my neighbours who might be lovingly tending a Box Tree hedge.

Box Trees beware

As a final coup, on Tuesday morning I spotted yesterday's Hummingbird Hawkmoth feeding on the honeysuckle again. I even got a recognisable image, but it was blurred so I'll wait to see if it gives me another chance.

Morton Bagot was covered by Dennis and Marion who have kindly shared some of their photographs. An adult Peregrine was a nice spot in rather misty conditions, but my favourite shot was one of an animated party of Teal.

Teal - by Dennis Stinton

Peregrine - by Dennis Stinton

I was at the funeral of Paul Hyde, an old friend who I used to see regularly at Draycote and many other sites around the West Midlands. He was a superb birder, and the excellent eulogy by Glen Giles reminded us of his ability to identify birds on the briefest of views or faintest of calls....and always be right. He was also an extremely nice guy.