Monday April 22 - Earlswood and Mappleborough Green

 There is a saying "April is the cruellest month" TS Elliot I believe (miserable bugger). I would like to refute that by asserting that April is the month that keeps on giving. I love it.

What it gave me today was an early morning "bleep" of the phone. Thirty-five forty-two Redshanks had circled Earlswood at 05:48, and five Common Scoters were on Windmill Pool. Naturally the Redshank were gone in a flash about 45 minutes, having flown back and forth low over Engine Pool allowing Matt to film them (its easily the largest number ever seen there, and also the biggest flock in my circular recording area), but the Scoters sounded twitchable. 

I arrived as the drizzle which was no doubt responsible for all this activity continued to fall. Undeterred I made it up the steps from the road and was quickly able to find the birds, three males and two females, huddling together not far from the causeway.

Common Scoters

These birds are sea ducks, but also night migrants, and evidently a proportion of those migrating back to their northern breeding grounds in spring are quite happy to take a shortcut from the Severn to the Wash. Only damp weather will slow them down and give the Midland birder a chance to see one, or in this case five.

I didn't have very long, but there was still time to see two Common Terns which had also arrived overnight.

April can be like this. Migration happens in fits and starts, days of not much and then suddenly there are birds everywhere.

By late morning I was itching to give Mappleborough Green a look. Those Redshank had got me dreaming of waders, and the flash seemed like a good bet. 

The plan paid off, but not for waders. A Little Ringed Plover was still present on the overspill flash, but I had heard a Yellow Wagtail call, and to my delight found it was showing brilliantly.

Yellow Wagtail

It's not my first this year, but it is the best view I've had of one for years. Decades ago they were pretty common and perhaps I took them for granted, but sadly they are on the decline and every opportunity to see one is a little victory.

PS: I put the trap out overnight. It remains too cool overnight though and I attracted just two moths, both worn Brindled Pugs.