Saturday March 22 - The new approach still going...just

 I'm still managing to get out early, but am starting to realise I'm not twenty-five anymore. I can get up alright, but six hours later all I want to do is sleep. Poor old soul.

Anyway, I made it to a site near Alvechurch early yesterday morning, and successfully ticked off a pair of Oystercatchers which have returned again for another breeding season. This is the only place I can guarantee seeing them, although they often wander and I may well bump into them at one of my other sites.

After that I set off for some more exploring. This time it was an area of farmland just north of Tardebigge. The highlight was a superb field of rough grassland which hosted at least ten singing Skylarks, plus a few Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits. I only hope the developers don't decide to build houses on it. 

Most "green" fields around Redditch are either sheep pasture, horse paddocks, or intensively farmed arable, all of which have limited wildlife value but seem to be protected for their agricultural worth. The places which need to be kept are the less economically valuable fields like the one described above.

Moth-trapping also requires an early start. In our garden my careful neglect of the ivy and honeysuckle flowing over the shed has at last reaped the reward of a pair of Blackbirds building a nest in it. Unfortunately it is right next to where I site my moth trap. Consequently I was up early this morning trying to process the trap quickly enough that I didn't disturb the Blackbird too much, whilst at the same time trying to avoid my trap becoming the Blackbird version of bed and breakfast.

It had been another mild night with just a little rain, and that resulted in a catch of 33 moths of seven species. The best of the bunch was the garden's first Shoulder Stripe. This is apparently a fairly common moth associated with wild roses. We only have the domesticated variety which maybe why I'd never seen one before.

Shoulder Stripe

The majority of the moths were the usual Common Quakers, but also included Small Quakers, an Oak Nycteoline, Brindled Pug, and my first Early Thorn for four years.

Early Thorn

But now it's time for my next nap.