My latest random wander was around the mysterious Bentley Pauncefoot, a place which as far as I can tell doesn't exist. As you drive passed Tardebigge church you pass a sign proudly announcing you are there, followed by pretty much nothing. It appears to be a parish consisting of scattered farms.
Before I further describe the charms of this area I should backtrack to yesterday afternoon. The phone pinged at an inconvenient moment (as usual), but I held my nerve, prepared lunch, and then headed for Earlswood where Matt G had discovered four Black Terns.
These birds had presumably drifted west of their intended destination, probably the Netherlands, and had discovered that Windmill Pool was worth a look. I arrived in time to find Matt and Yvonne watching the birds intently. They were actually over Engine Pool, but almost immediately flew low over my head, calling a soft tern-like "keeya", as they returned to Windmill. My camera was hurriedly scooped from my bag and I spent the next hour or so trying to photograph them.
If you fire off enough shots there's always the chance some will pass muster. These two were my favourites. I left at around 14:00, and later heard that the birds departed about forty minutes later.
Anyway back to today. The farmland I had chosen contained of field after field of flowering broad beans. The only natural areas were the hedgerows, the crop having been planted right up to the edges. I doubt this was an organic farm.
Despite this, there were a few things to see. Several Chaffinches and Whitethroats sang at regular intervals, but the most noteworthy creature was a butterfly. A Painted Lady newly arrived from North Africa had managed to find a few Oilseed Rape plants left over from last year's crop.
Also fluttering along the path in front of me were several tiny micro-moths which I established were Sulphur Tubic Esperia sulphurella, a fairly common moth which I have found previously at Morton Bagot.
The camera gives the impression they might be wasp-sized, but I can assure you they are a lot smaller than that. Here is another shot on the same nettle, but rather less magnified.
I don't know how these insects survive in a world of pesticides and herbicides. Thank goodness for their resilience, but how much better a walk in the countryside would be if we gave them more room.
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