Sunday May 24 - Morton Bagot

 Unfortunately the Spotted Sandpiper didn't quite stay until today, so my last view of it would be on a fleeting visit to Earlswood on Friday. It had posed nicely for me.

It's likely to be a long time before the next National Rarity turns up within 10 km of the house.

Morton Bagot had been somewhat neglected in the interim, but Gary and John C independently visited yesterday and reported a pair of Avocets, Cetti's Warbler, and Reed Warbler. 

I had spent most of Saturday dealing with moths. On Friday night my trap had been deployed in the garden as usual and in complete contrast to the previous week, I was deluged with moths. Well perhaps that's an overstatement, but 64 moths of 39 species including 23 which were new for the year kept me very busy. I'll come back to the moths later. 

This morning the ringers had been active and had caught a number of birds including a Sedge Warbler. So it was probably fitting that this species was the first Dave and I heard as we pulled up to the dragonfly ponds. It had been looking as though none would return to the partly cut down reedbed this year. In fact we later also heard a Reed Warbler singing there, so HOEF seem to have got the management right.

Another change we approved of was a new sign at the scrape field asking dog owners to leave their dogs on a lead to avoid disturbing any breeding waders. We saw a single Lapwing there, but the species has a lot of other concerns, chiefly Crows and Foxes, and I fear any attempt this year may already have come to a premature end.

We failed to find any Avocets at the flash field, but did see a pair of Little Ringed Plovers. However the highlight was when two drake Tufted Ducks flew over, and landed on the Kingfisher Pool. I had just about given up hope of seeing the species here this year.

Given that it was a very warm day, we quickly turned our attention to insects. I'd seen only Large Red Damselflies here up until today, but odonata was well represented, though hard to photograph.

Azure Damselfly

Broad-bodied Chaser

In addition to the species shown, we saw my first Emperor and Four-spotted Chasers of the year.

Butterflies too were on the up, with Common Blue, Holly Blue, and Brown Argus present along with an increase in Small Heaths.

Brown Argus

We also saw a nice day-flying moth, the Mother Shipton.

Mother Shipton

Which brings me back to Friday night's garden records. The highlight were a few migrants; namely two Silver Y, and my first ever Small Mottled Willow. This species breeds in Western Europe as far north as the Channel Isles, but regularly visits the south coast when the wind is in the right direction. Less frequently a few turn up inland, and Friday night was my turn to get one.

Small Mottled Willow

The other species in the trap were largely familiar spring moths, but included my second Homoeosoma sinuella, a pyrallid also called Twin-barred Knot-horn. A couple of the more attractive moths are shown below.

Oak Hook-tip

Pale Tussock

Rather than add a full list of the new ones seen, I would refer you to the 2026 Moth List page, if you are interested.

Thursday May 21 - Earlswood Lakes

John Oates has had an amazing week. Hot on the heels of Tuesday's Turnstone, he wandered down to the shingle bank off the causeway at Earlswood on Wednesday morning and found a Ringed Plover. I was technically unable to visit, but still managed to literally tick and run.

Ringed Plover

Later in the day he watched an Osprey from his kitchen window, and saw it again when it returned from visiting Bittell. This time I really couldn't go.

Never mind, this morning I was up early and intended to check on Morton Bagot. Instead, Whatsapp told me John had struck again and had found a Sanderling on the same gravel island. Well it was a no-brainer, I was back at Earlswood by 07:10 and happily the bird was still present. This was the second there this year, but the other one didn't land.

Sanderling

Well that was nice. John, Joe, Janet, and myself spent the next hour chatting (as you do), occasionally noticing other birds as they flew past; Little Egret, Kestrel, Yellow-legged Gull.

All the while, I suspect, the really BIG ONE was walking around on the dam just fifty metres away.

Finally John and Joe started making "well I must be off" noises. They headed back to their respective houses leaving Janet and I to keep tabs on the Sanderling. Suddenly I heard John shout. He came racing back towards us. He'd found a Spotted Sandpiper. This is MEGA. For anyone who doesn't know, Spotted Sandpiper is an American species and needless to say was a first for Earlswood.

Spotted Sandpiper

 Joe was summoned back, and the four of us watched it in a state of total disbelief. The Sanderling was kind of predictable, although it was still the first I had ever seen within my 10 k Circle. But the Spotted Sandpiper was the first anyone had ever seen in this vicinity.

Last night I was watching Villa fans glorying in their team's achievements. This morning was the birding equivalent.

Tuesday May 19 - Earlswood Lakes

If birding is a game, then today was definitely a game of two halves. In the morning I basically had a nightmare, but the afternoon brought salvation.

I had got up early to find rain pelting down. Obviously my enthusiasm kicked in. Why wouldn't it? I was birding at Earlswood by 06:05. The rain had pepped up if anything, and it caused my first wrong decision as I opted not to cross the causeway into the driving rain but rather to scan from the relative shelter of the Malthouse Lane side of Engine.

Thus after about an hour I had seen the Egyptian Goose and the usual Yellow-legged Gull plus a few hirundines, two Common Terns, and a Little Egret. My plan had always been to return home to get Lyn up, and to return later (incorporating a visit to my sister's house).

Just as I set out for the post-breakfast visit Whatsapp ping'd. Turnstone on Engine Pool (John Oates). I'd barely pressed the accelerator before he added the news it had flown. He was looking for it. 

I joined him, and we were joined by Mike Inskip. John had checked most of the likely spots, but Mike and I gave the Malthouse Lane side another look. Nothing better than a Kestrel hunting the causeway bank.

I went to my sister's, but called in again on the way back home. Almost immediately I got onto a Falcon heading away over the houses. Definitely not the Kestrel, this was a Hobby or a Peregrine. Initially it was mobbed by a large gull before briefly disappearing behind roofs. It then reappeared but just kept getting further and further away. My gut feeling was Hobby, but I was concerned that on the initial view it had looked a tiny bit too large. In the end I gave up on it. Hobby would have been my first this year, while Peregrine would have been a site tick (surprisingly). The Turnstone appeared to be absent, so I concluded it had gone.

But then....back home after lunch another message from John. Birdguides was reporting that the Turnstone was still present. I was back in the car, and pretty soon John confirmed he was watching it. 

By the time I arrived my adrenaline levels were no doubt high because I found myself sprinting the first section. 100 metres in about 30 seconds (not exactly Olympic standard). I joined John who pointed to the Turnstone. What a relief. Yes I know they are common on the coast, but this was only the third or fourth site record. It had presumably been forced to bail out when it met the wet weather this morning, delaying its migration back to the high arctic.

In contrast to my arrival, Janet and later John Sirrett, ambled up. Janet was in time to get good views, but John had only flight views before it flew off and disappeared around the trees masking part of the Malthouse Lane shoreline. We were sure it would reappear, but apparently it hasn't yet.

On the way back Janet and I watched a brood of Mallard ducklings leaping from the path alongside Engine Pool near Wood Lane car park as a curious Jackdaw ambled up, no doubt wondering whether it could tackle a duckling. The drop was the equivalent of a human jumping off the roof of a house, but of course they all landed unharmed.

Later in the afternoon the Turnstone was indeed relocated, allowing those who have to work for a living the chance to see it.

Sunday May 17 - Bannam's Wood

My patch is bordered by a rather splendid old deciduous (mostly) wood called Bannam's. From a patch point of view my only interest in it is the bit I can see from the road. However I should probably pay it more attention, so today I did.

The Millennium Way footpath winds its way up the south side of the wood from High Field Farm. At the top of the steep bit you reach the first of two benches, and it is around there it may be possible to find a Spotted Flycatcher. But not today unfortunately. Maybe too early.

 Throughout the walk birdsong rings out. By the time I reached the end of the wood I'd counted 17 Wrens, 15 Blackbirds, 11 Blackcaps, 11 Chiffchaffs, nine Robins, and eight Song Thrushes as well as numerous common Tit species. These probably make up the bulk of the sound.

Naturally I was more interested in finding the less common species. These included two Marsh Tits sufficiently distant from one another to represent half of two pairs, singing Willow Warbler and Whitethroat in the slightly less mature top of the wood, and two singing Garden Warblers.

Butterflies seemed in short supply today, perhaps because the weather is only starting to warm up now that the wind has swung round to a westerly direction. I did however finally confirm a single Small White. I'd seen several "whites" during the spring but most wouldn't stop flying and those that did had proved to be Green-veined White.

Small White pretending to be a leaf

My knowledge of plants is lamentably poor. This morning I happened upon a pretty little flower by the path which rang no bells whatsoever. Thankfully my Obsidentify App was able to name it as Crosswort. Ooh, never heard of it.

Crosswort

When I got home I looked it up. Had I found something unusual? Nah, the book said common, just one of a thousand plants I've walked passed without noticing.

I will try to pay another visit before the spring is out.

PS: Following Matt's comment it seems that Crosswort is near-threatened in Warwickshire with only 19 known sites.

Saturday May 16 - Morton Bagot

 Saturday is GMS moth morning, but as I surveyed my empty trap following a chilly night I reflected that it was a good job Tony had tipped me off that they would be ringing at Morton Bagot this morning. 

I arrived at 05:45 to find no ringers on site. Shortly afterwards Leigh and John arrived, Tony having apparently opted for Spernal STW with an eye on trying to catch "the other" male Cuckoo. Meanwhile at Morton Bagot a Cuckoo cuckoo'd in the distance.

John and Leigh set up their nets while I headed for the flash field which turned out to be empty of waders apart Lapwing, although the Cetti's and Sedge Warblers were singing by way of compensation.

Back at the nets two more ringers had arrived and warblers began to fall into their hands. First up was a female Blackcap which was aged as a "four". Leigh did explain how they'd reached this conclusion but I'm afraid I rather lost the thread when it came to understanding what that meant.

Female Blackcap

When I had arrived, a Grasshopper Warbler had been reeling near where the nets are usually placed. It wasn't long before it was caught, and turned out to be a frequent visitor, having been caught four or five times since 2024 when they first ringed it.

Grasshopper Warbler

Another good one to turn up was a female Garden Warbler, its brood patch proving it was in the process of incubating eggs. It was quickly processed and released.

Garden Warbler

An awful lot of sitting, or in my case standing, around is part and parcel of ringing studies. But while we were doing so, three Lesser Whitethroats were observed chasing each other around in the bushes and I managed a record shot.

Lesser Whitethroat

The ringers did catch a female Common Whitethroat, but on my way back to my car a nice male posed for me at the dragonfly ponds.

Common Whitethroat

To finish up this warbler related post, I can mention that yesterday I took part in the BTO's Birds in Green Spaces project by walking around Arrow Valley Lake. Highlights there were a singing Willow Warbler and no fewer than five singing Reed Warblers.

Reed Warbler

I was watching the excellent programme Iolo's River Valleys earlier this week, where the presenter stated he didn't really do warblers. He complained that they were all dowdy and not worth looking at. Needless to say, although I will admit they are generally somewhat similar, I disagree with his sentiment. I love looking at warblers and look forward to their arrival every year.

I also love waders. Could fate send some my way please.

Thursday May 14 - Morton Bagot

 It has been a somewhat frustrating week of birding at the patch. The weather has remained chilly with the wind stuck in the north. As a consequence insect numbers remain depressed, so I haven't had those to fall back on.

Meanwhile the flash pools continue to tantalise, producing just enough of a muddy corner to give hope of a wader arriving while the area in question is mainly hidden behind tall rushes.

On Tuesday a wader did arrive, but it was just a third Avocet, while the Little Ringed Plover continued to play hide and seek all week. Passerine migration is largely over, so it's just a case of trying to work out which summer visitors may be breeding. Today I thought there were three singing Willow Warblers which is the best for several years.

Willow Warbler wearing one of Tony's rings (probably)

Both Sedge Warbler and Cetti's Warbler were singing at the flash field on Tuesday, but I could hear neither today.

A couple of Starlings flew over on Tuesday. This species is very scarce here in spring and had not been recorded on the alldayer. Likewise a Grey Heron, another big day absentee, proved ridiculously obvious today.

Grey Heron in the Dragonfly Pond surveying the Water Crowfoot

The biggest frustration of all came today, when I glanced across the fields at what I initially thought would be one of the resident Kestrels only to find it was actually a Parakeet. Surprisingly it was silent and I had to watch it flying away to the north before I had a clear idea of what species it was. Obviously it should have been a Ring-necked Parakeet, but annoyingly there are known to be two Alexandrine Parakeets in the Alcester area (as well as a Ring-necked Parakeet) and it did give a very long-tailed impression when I first saw it.

The one that got away. Parakeet sp

I reluctantly decided to leave it unidentified. Ring-necked Parakeets are becoming common in the Earlswood and Wythall area, and it only seems a matter of time before they arrive in Redditch. 

Red-legged Partridges, on the other hand are fairly easy to see here, but are gold dust at Earlswood.

Red-legged Partridge posing

I did manage to see one or two non-birds here today. 

Roe Deer buck

Green-veined White

It's been very tempting to try Earlswood, but from what I can tell they have also had a rather steady week.

Sunday May 10 - Morton Bagot

This morning was cloudy with a cold fresh north-easterly. It was tempting to turn over and go back to sleep, but that wouldn't do.

Instead I joined Dave for another crack at Morton Bagot. Yesterday, Gary had discovered that the Avocets which had let the team down on bird race day had reappeared, probably chortling to themselves for messing us about.

We made our way to the flash field and sure enough they were back in residence. A Cetti's Warbler sang briefly in the distance, but there was no sign of either Reed or Sedge. The lack of Sedge Warblers in the scrape field this year is somewhat mystifying as the habitat seems unchanged.

Although the chilly wind may have been reducing the volume of birdsong this morning, we did at least hear a Lesser Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, and a Willow Warbler back in the general area of Netherstead.

Best of all was a singing Grasshopper Warbler, probably an unmated male, paying no heed to the weather. It has helpfully adopted a small bramble patch to sing from. Although it disappears into the bush when approached too closely, reasonable views can be had from the gate between the ridge field and the dragonfly pool field looking back to the right of the footpath.

It certainly brightened up an otherwise dull day.

Going back to the WestMidlandsAlldayer, Phil Andrews has kindly supplied the league table of entrants. Morton Bagot came fifteenth out of twenty teams. Although this might seem disappointing, I actually think our total was pretty good considering our lack of significant wetland, or arable farmland. For a small, largely woodland patch our 66 species included almost all the birds known to be breeding on site.

102 Middleton Lakes (Staffs)

101 Branston GPs (Staffs)    

101 Ladywalk (Warks)                 

99 Blithfield Reservoir (Staffs)    

96 Grimley (Worcs)                      

90 Clifton Pits (Worcs)   

88 Belvide Reservoir (Staffs)     

83 Sandwell Valley (West Midlands)      

81 Upton Warren (Worcs)          

80 Smestow Valley (Staffs)      

77 Chasewater and Cuckoo Bank (Staffs)

75 Doxey Marshes (Staffs)

73 Earlswood Lakes (Warks)

68 Bartley Reservoir (West Midlands)

66 Morton Bagot (Warks)

65 Whitemoor Haye (Staffs)

65 Tuckesholme Quarry (Staffs)

62 Saltwells and Fens Pools (West Midlands)

59 Puxton Marsh (Worcs)

59 Edgbaston Reservoir (West Midlands)

I notice that one team (Clifton Pits) was allowed to compete on Bank Holiday Monday. Perhaps this means that for future events any day of the bank holiday can be utilised?

Friday May 8 - Morton Bagot

Trying to second guess where migrants are likely to turn up is nigh on impossible. Early this morning, while I slept, John and Joe were watching a Sanderling circling Engine Pool at Earlswood. No doubt it was dismayed to find no shoreline to land on, so it soon departed.

My reaction to this news, when I finally got up, was to divert to Mappleborough Green where there is a shallow pool with a wide muddy surround. Unfortunately it's also very small and it would take a sharp-eyed migrant to find it. This morning no waders were present.

I returned to my original plan, Morton Bagot. Here there is just a little mud in the corner of the nearest flash, but apart from a few Lapwings no waders were taking advantage. The reason I'm obsessing about waders is that they can make the difference between an average year and a good one. There are numerous species, and they're virtually all migratory. But you need a shoreline, or in the case of the lads at Earlswood some very good luck.

Another habitat Morton Bagot is deficient in is a reedbed. However it was still a reedbed specialist which provided today's highlight. At the flash field viewpoint as I scanned in vain for anything resembling a wader I was being serenaded by a Reed Warbler. It was struggling to make itself heard over the sound of a singing Chiffchaff and was obviously on passage in completely inappropriate habitat.

I didn't think there was much chance of actually seeing it, but I was mistaken about that. It briefly appeared and snatched an insect from the outer leaves of the bush it was occupying, and then after a patient wait I managed a lucky shot of it peeping out out to see if I'd gone.

Other birds seen or heard this morning included a Grasshopper Warbler, a Willow Warbler, a Grey Heron, and a Little Egret. I suppose the latter two count as wading birds if you compile crosswords, but not if you're a birder.

Its getting quite warm now, and a few butterflies were on the wing as I left, including a couple of Painted Ladies and some Small Heaths.

Tues/Wed May 5/6 - Earlswood and Morton Bagot

 My normal weekly routine was disrupted by a personal matter on Tuesday, but I still had time to get to Earlswood before breakfast. After an hour walking around Engine Pool the most interesting thing seen was the first sign that the shingle island is re-emerging. A pair of Common Terns was also present.

Fortunately, as I headed away I decided to stop on the bridge along Springbrook Lane in case a chat was perching on the fence. And what do you know? Whinchat.

This morning I visited Morton Bagot. It was cloudy with a cool northerly, and didn't look too promising. Things picked up when, looking back from where the Water Rail had been singing (silent or gone today), I spotted another Whinchat. This one, also a female, was perched on the top of the ancient willow at the corner of the field. It was distant, and I was only sure what it was when it took off, showing flashes of white at the basal sides of its tail, before flying miles away and then bearing to the right and ending up on a birch at the top of the ridge field.

I left it to head for the flash field, which was hopeless, and then return via the Morton Brook. I had one last piece of luck when after hearing two Garden Warblers, I detected a singing Grasshopper Warbler in the grass by the footpath near the top of the ridge. I could just about see it and tried for a photo, which I won't be sharing, before carrying on down the Netherstead side of the ridge where it turned out a second Grasshopper Warbler was singing in opposition.

This time it was singing from a bramble patch and I knew I had a chance of seeing it properly.

Well done if you can see it in this picture, but to help out here is a zoomed in view.

To add to the feel good factor three Swifts zoomed past while I was trying to nail the Gropper.

It wasn't a day for butterflies, but I did see a single Painted Lady before I returned to the car.

Monday May 4 - After the Lord Mayor's show

  The day after the Alldayer is pretty tough. For me, my feet hurt and I was knackered, so I opted to stay at home. Dave had no such inhibitions, having birded as normal at Marsh Lane GP on Saturday.

He spent Sunday morning at Morton Bagot, and naturally found a species we had not seen. A female Whinchat had arrived overnight, and was haunting the dragonfly ponds.

On Sunday night I felt duty bound to put the moth trap out for the GMS (Garden Moth Survey), so I knew I needed to be up early again on Monday morning. I therefore turned down an invitation to join Tony and the team at Spernal STW.

They struck gold, when an adult Cuckoo (thought to be a male) found its way into their mist nets. This was only the second Cuckoo Tony had caught, the other being a juvenile a couple of years ago.

Cuckoo at Spernal STW - Tony Kelly

After counting my moths I had a slightly restricted amount of time available, so chose Mappleborough Green. I was hoping for a wader, but only found the usual Little Ringed Plover.

Fortunately there was more on offer. Two female Wheatears were hopping around a horse paddock near the dried up footpath flash, and on my way back to the car I saw a late Siskin as it flew over calling.

Wheatear at Mappleborough Green

As for the moths, I caught 38 of 18 species. This was a big improvement on last week and included many newly emerged regulars. There were also a few less frequently seen species, including a beautiful Alder Kitten and a tiny (but striking) Triple-spotted Nest Moth. The latter was a species I saw for the first time last year.

Alder Kitten

Triple-spotted Nest Moth

Saturday May 2 - Morton Bagot (West Midlands Alldayer)

 Today saw the return of Morton Bagot to the friendly competition known as the West Midlands Alldayer. We last took part in 2023, and as a result of our below par performance that day I rather lost the enthusiasm to do it again. We had managed only 61 species, and I saw it as part of a general decline from the zenith of 2015 (72 species).

But I missed it; the getting up stupidly early, the staggering around in late afternoon trying to add one more species. So this morning the same team reassembled: Myself, a team of ringers headed by Tony and Leigh Kelly, Martin Wheeler, Gary Jilks, and finally Sam MacVie who was combining an afternoon shift with counting butterflies.

When I said stupidly early I wasn't kidding. I was birding by 03:45 and Tony wasn't far behind me. The first bird of the day was Pheasant, while the second was a Cuckoo. That was the first since my fluke early bird on April 9. The reason I'd arrived so early was that I was hoping for a Barn Owl, but the first and only owl of the day was a Tawny Owl which was actually the thirteenth bird on the list. Several locals confirmed that a Barn Owl had been around, but unfortunately it eluded the team today.

The first three hours was spent prioritising the "better" birds ticked off over the last few days. Lesser Whitethroat was fifth on the list, it's rattling call heard well before dawn. It was light enough to see birds by 05:15, and Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler (which was later ringed), and the singing Water Rail all got added. Down at the flash field the news was mixed. Cetti's Warbler and Sedge Warbler were still singing, but there was little else bar Lapwings, Greylag and Canada Geese, and Mallard.

On Thursday a dress rehearsal had picked up Little Ringed Plover, Herring Gull and Grey Heron, but today the latter two failed to show up at all. 

By the time I had to take time out to help Lyn (07:30 to 08:30) the full compliment of the morning team were on site. By lunchtime everyone had contributed species to the cause. Particularly useful additions of tricky to find species included Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Mistle Thrush courtesy of Gary, Jay and Sparrowhawk (Tony), Coal Tit (Leigh), and Bullfinch, Little Egret, and Red Kite.

Completely absent was any sense of birds passing through. It looked like it would just be a case of trying to see all the local breeders.

The afternoon can sometimes be rather dispiriting, but mine got off to an absolute flier when I picked up three Mute Swans heading south. I later learnt that Gary saw them heading back north.

I was on a mission to check out the rarely visited fields at the south end of the patch, hoping that the Barn Owl might be occupying one of the owl boxes in the old Curlew Field. I didn't find any, but my time wasn't wasted as I heard a Yellow Wagtail call three times on the opposite side of a high hedge. By the time I reached a gate it had evidently moved on. It was still my first this year.

By now it was quite warm and I was being distracted by several butterflies which were new for the year. These were the no longer common Small Tortoiseshell, at least three Small Coppers, Small Heath, and arguably best of all two migrant Painted Ladies.

On previous occasions when I've seen lots in May, they've gone on to have an excellent immigration so I'm hoping these are the forerunners of a great season.

Anyway, back to birds. I headed the length of the patch to get back to the flash field. Surely the emerging mud would host a wader. Well it did. The Little Ringed Plover was now visible and became the 64th bird for the day. (I should admit there was a bit of a recording cock-up involving me missing Carrion Crow off the list, so the LRP was ticked as bird 63.)

Gary Jilks reappeared, while Sam headed to Bannams Wood. I had to go home, but the day was not over. Sam found a Marsh Tit in the wood, while Gary located a pair of Mandarin on the Kingfisher Pool bringing the final total to a very respectable 66 species.

In terms of the other teams competing, our total will not challenge the big beasts. Reservoirs and nature reserves in Staffordshire and North Warwickshire will have recorded well over ninety, maybe even a hundred species. Our near neighbours Earlswood ended up on 73 species, close to their best performance.

The important thing is that everyone enjoyed the day, and maybe we'll be back next year to try again.