Sunday October 12 - Morton Bagot (and some moths) and STOP PRESS Brent Goose at Earlswood

It was a rather misty grey morning, so I arranged to meet Dave at Morton Bagot a little later than usual.

We knew there should be a lot of Redpolls present because yesterday's ringing totals were pretty impressive. We eventually found a flock of about 150 finches which we estimated to contain c 50 Goldfinches and the rest Redpolls. They were all buzzing around the birches in the ridge field, so I suspect the numbers have been underestimated. With them was a substantial Tit flock, a female Blackcap, and five Stonechats.

Lesser Redpoll

Stonechat

Going back to yesterday, the Redpoll ringing figures make impressive reading; Blue Tit 25 (10), Great Tit 2 (1), Long-tailed Tit 2 (1), Blackcap 1, Goldcrest 1, Wren 1, Meadow Pipit 4, Greenfinch 10, Redpoll 86 (1), Goldfinch 4 (1).

The flash field was even less impressive than on Friday. Just 28 Teal and a few Mallard. Mind you, the family who own the land around the Kingfisher Pool were enjoying themselves fishing there, so there may have been some disturbance to the flash pools on our side of their hedge. We were careful not to be seen.

I'm pleased to say I have some decent moths to report from yesterday morning when I opened the trap. The quantity was low, just 15 moths, as you'd expect at this time of the year, but eight species included some good ones.

Top of the pile was my first ever Cypress Carpet. This is a colonising species spreading up from the south, still just rare enough to be noteworthy in the county.

Cypress Carpet

It had actually avoided the trap altogether and was found resting on the brickwork at the side of the garage.

Also new for the year were two Merveille Du Jours, and a Treble Brown Spot. The former is annual, although reduced autumn trapping last year meant that I missed one in 2024. The latter is overwhelmingly a spring moth (although I hadn't caught one since 2022) so it was particularly surprising to get one in autumn when there is usually a very small second generation.

Merveille Du Jour

Treble Brown Spot

PS: I'd almost finished writing this post when a message popped up on Whatsapp from Matt G. Brent Goose on Engine Pool at Earlswood.

This is MEGA locally. The two previous records for Earlswood concerned one which was shot in 1897, and one seen by Alan Dean in 2002. So basically it was new for everyone, and a drop everything bird. I was out of the house like a shot.

Thankfully it was still there. Presumably having got lost in the fog while migrating down the east coast, once inland it found Earlswood to be the nearest it could find to a muddy estuary.

Adult Brent Goose (dark-bellied race)

I was very relieved it hadn't flown off. Sunday afternoon at Earlswood is absolute chaos, with literally hundreds of people streaming out of Birmingham for a wander around the lakes. Many regard the shore as a substitute beach.

People wandering obliviously between birders and the Brent Goose

There was also a Rock Pipit knocking around, and I may have heard it, but with all the disturbance I would have needed lots more time and a big slice of luck to get a decent view.