A cloudy morning with barely any breeze. Dave and I were keen to see whether the Wood Sandpiper was still present, but before we got to the flash field, an unexpected find was a Reed Warbler in one of the hedgerows. Clear evidence that passerine migration is underway.
We set up my scope to view the furthest flash but there didn't appear to be any waders there. Moving on to the nearest flash the omens looked good. The water-level had dropped and waders could be seen around its edge.
An hour later we had to admit that the Wood Sandpiper was not among them. Instead we counted 15 Green Sandpipers, and found the first three Common Snipe of the autumn. The Water Rail put in a brief appearance, while five Teal swam around. Morton Bagot was back to normal.
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| A moulting adult Green Sandpiper |
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| Some of the Green Sandpipers fed in the grass, these are smart juveniles |
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| The three Common Snipe |
We also saw two Willow Emerald Damselflies, but unfortunately were unable to photograph them.
I wondered whether the false start would affect the moth catch, but despite a relatively cool night I still found 61 moths in and around the trap the following morning. None were new for the garden, but seven species were new this year. Highlights were a Sallow Kitten (which completed a clean sweep of Kitten species this year), and the migrant Rush Veneer which was my first since 2022.
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| Sallow Kitten |
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| Rush Veneer |
