There are some encouraging signs regarding Lyn's recovery, and I was even able to go birding this weekend.
Earlier this week my efforts were confined to hour-long vizmigging from the driveway and a little bit of mothing. Most mornings produced very little, but I did count over 100 Fieldfares on October 31, and there were several 100+ counts of southward bound Woodpigeons. If I needed any encouragement that this wasn't all a monumental waste of time, that came from Dave Jackson vizmigging from his garden near Crabbe's Cross recording Hawfinches on successive days from November 1.
Meanwhile, Tony had been doing some nocturnal ringing at Morton Bagot, and this paid off with his successful capture of a Green Sandpiper on Thursday evening.
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| Green Sandpiper - Tony Kelly |
On Saturday came news of a drake Red-crested Pochard at Earlswood. It was agreed that I could be spared the time to twitch it, and I duly did so.
The bird had been found on Windmill Pool by Joe Owens, and was still present if a little distant when I arrived and was only the third for the site. It took off shortly after the first boat set forth, but I gather it was seen subsequently on Engine Pool. I also had the bonus of a pair of Ring-necked Parakeets flying over as I headed back to the car.
Lyn managed so well that this morning we agreed I could spend two or three hours at Morton Bagot. In fact I hadn't even left the house before Mike Holley messaged me that he had heard a Hawfinch calling there. I arrived ten minutes later, and connected with the bird before I even found Mike. It had taken off from the hedgerow near the beehives. It quickly joined some Redwings and disappeared before Mike joined me. Dave arrived, unaware of the drama, and the three of us resumed the search.
Mike relocated it half an hour later back near where it had been seen previously but it again flew off before anyone could get a record shot of it. Further searches proved unsuccessful, but I think it's likely that it's still there.
There were a lot more Fieldfares and Redwings in the area, along with at least one Stonechat. The flash field was a bit disappointing, but on my way back to the car I did see a Peregrine.
Finally, I mentioned moths at the start of this post. On October 28 I trapped ten moths. Most were Red-Green Carpets but I also had an early Winter Moth and a Black Rustic.
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| Black Rustic |
PS: I understand the Red-crested Pochard could not be found at Earlswood this morning but there was ample compensation in the form of a first-winter Mediterranean Gull.
