Spoiler alert: since announcing I would be taking part in Patchwork Challenge my year list has remained steadfastly static. That doesn't mean that the birding has been bad though, quite the contrary.
Things got off to a dodgy start when I heard that an Egyptian Goose had settled in to roost on Engine Pool (Earlswood) on Friday evening. I was there the following morning, hoping to add it to the list. But sadly it had disappeared overnight.
My first moth-trapping session of the year also ended in failure on Thursday evening when the light mysteriously went out overnight. The bulb seemed to be working alright, so I tried again on Friday night. More of that later.
The big birding highlight came as I sprawled on the sofa watching England failing to beat Australia in the cricket. I glanced outside and noticed a "Starling" on top of a tree beyond the Close. It didn't look quite right so I grabbed my bins and discovered it was in fact a Hawfinch. My camera was to hand and I took a series of shots in perfect light.
This morning I joined Dave and Andy G at Morton Bagot under grey skies. We hadn't gone far when a Hawfinch flew over us. This time there was no photo opportunity.
In contract to last weekend the visit was quite rewarding. In addition to the Hawfinch we also saw a male Stonechat (the first since one in January), two Red Kites, 35 Lapwings, a Shelduck, a Little Egret, a better than usual flock of 16 Redpolls, and as I was leaving, a flock of 40 Fieldfares.
So some signs of wintering birds starting to move and breeding birds returning to re-establish territories.
Regarding the moth-trapping, Thursday produced one micro on the kitchen window before the light failed Common/Banded Brindled Brown Agonopterix heracliana/A ciliella (a species pair which cannot be easily separated). Friday night gave me five more moths of four species, the best (by dint of being one I don't see every year) being Dotted Border.
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| Dotted Border |
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| Pale Brindled Beauty |
It's probably fair to say that whoever came to give these moths their names, they had a relaxed approach to what constitutes a "beauty".
My plan for this year is to rejoin the Garden Moth Scheme, so I'll only be mentioning moths here if they are scarce or new for the garden....he said!
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