Sunday April 16 - Morton Bagot

 This morning I joined Dave and Andy G at Morton Bagot. It was cloudy, but there was no wind and the last shower fell as we arrived. 

By the time Dave and I met up with Andy near the scrape field things were already looking up. 

There was a Peregrine on the pylons for one thing, my first at Morton Bagot this year.

Peregrine

A Lesser Whitethroat was singing from the hedgerow, and we later concluded there were two. Hearing them's one thing, seeing them quite another. We did eventually succeed, it sounded as though Andy had had the best view. My record shot was very much just that.

Lesser Whitethroat demonstrating its skulking nature

Andy had seen two House Martins and two Wheatears. We duly saw the latter, but not before hearing our first Sedge Warbler of the year, and an equally unco-operative Willow Warbler.

The flash field was pretty disappointing. Just one Avocet was in residence (there had been five yesterday) and we counted 13 Teal, and a pair of Shelducks. After a bit of wandering along the footpath west of the Morton Brook, we returned in time to see a pair of Red Kites circling in the distance, and for me to see a Green Sandpiper flying in and disappearing somewhere around the flash field.

Then we started to see Wheatears, lots of them. They were in their favoured part of the field apparently unconcerned by all the plastic tree guards, which they occasionally perched on. We counted seven, and decided they were different from the two we had seen earlier, giving a grand total of nine. Not quite the site record. They were too distant to photograph, so here's one I took earlier.

Wheatear on Thursday

Yes I was here on Thursday, but my visit was blighted by the presence of the lurcher from Netherstead Hall which latched on to me for walkies for the whole morning. I just couldn't shake it off. At least a female Wheatear was showing well. I also saw a pair of Tufted Ducks on the Dragonfly Pools, which I think might be the first here this year.

Anyway, back to today. A single Sand Martin flew north, allowing me to pull another one back on Dave who had seen one last Sunday. My visit was cut short well Lyn rang to say she needed help, but on the route march out I did see a Redwing in the ridge field, maybe my last of the spring.

Moth-trapping overnight gave me a new micro for the garden, and five new for the year. My total of 18 moths of 12 species was a bit disappointing.

The new micro was Mompha jurassicella aka Scarce Mompha. On seeing it on the windowsill it vaguely reminded me of a Diamond-back Moth, but not quite. Being lazy I pointed the Obsidentify ap at it and it was 100% certain it was M jurassicella. I then most of the morning trying to cobble some photos together while not letting it escape. From these I decided it had to be that species.

Mompha jurassicella

The other ones new for the year were Brindled Pug, Oak-tree Pug (probably my earliest ever), Pale Mottled Willow, Ruddy Streak, and Twenty-plume Moth.

The Mompha has now been liberated.

Tuesday April 11 - Earlswood again

 Following another trip to my sister's to see my mum I took the opportunity to walk around Engine and Terry's Pools in drizzle and a cold westerly wind. Lovely. I seem to be becoming a regular there.

On this occasion I saw just one Common Tern, about 60 Sand Martins and about 50 Swallows plus three or four House Martins. The Marsh Tit put in an appearance at the stump, and I took an opportunity to get a shot of a singing Willow Warbler.

 Willow Warbler

Two other birders were on site, John and Joe, and they alerted me to the presence of a third -winter Yellow-legged Gull which I saw in flight but didn't attempt to photograph.

It seems that grotty weather doesn't always produce the goods at Earlswood.

Monday April 10 - By the skin of my teeth

 Before I get onto today's efforts, yesterday deserves a mention. I didn't go to Morton Bagot, but its seems everyone else did. There was a record attendance in my absence, with at least four birders present. I'll try not to take it personally. 

Dave and Andy G spent the morning there, and John C and Gary J the afternoon. Their most notable records were at least seven (and probably nine) Avocets, two Wheatears, a Willow Warbler, a Little Ringed Plover, a Red Kite, a Green Sandpiper, two Shelduck, and three Sand Martins.

This morning it was pretty wet, so I had decided to go to Earlswood even before I learned that a pair of Common Scoters had dropped in. I didn't exactly hurry to get there, so I was pretty lucky when at approximately 09.00 John O and Joe O pointed to where the pair were swimming and as I looked at them they promptly took off. They headed to the far end of Windmill Pool before banking and returning to fly low over our heads, the male calling just audibly, before more circling saw them gaining height and heading off north. There was no time to get my camera out, but I am grateful I saw them at all.

Also present were two Common Terns, and approximately 110 hirundines which I logged as 80 Sand Martins and 30 Swallows. 

Some of the hirundines perched on foliage on the rafts

Common Tern

I decided to walk to Terry's Pool, the highlight being a first winter/summer Common Gull which I'm embarrassed to say was another year-tick.

Common Gull

The rain slowly eased and the hirundines departed. Plenty of breeding activity was evident including sitting Carrion Crow , two sitting Grey Herons, with Greylag Goose, Coot, and Great Crested Grebe also incubating. A pair of Mallard had a brood of chicks.

I returned to the causeway where there was now quite a gaggle of birders. They had seen a Red Kite but not much else that was new. I decided to go and see how my mum was doing before heading home via Mappleborough Green Flash.

This last venue brought me my last year tick of the day, a singing Cetti's Warbler, and a personal site record count of four Little Egrets. Sadly no waders had dropped in, so it was just the usual three Little Ringed Plovers and twenty Teal.

Saturday April 8 - Bannams Wood and Morton Bagot

 This morning I was out early (for me) to join Tony and the ringers in Bannams Wood. They had been ringing for an hour and a half when I turned up. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we were surrounding by singing Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. They had caught a couple of Marsh Tits before my arrival, but I was able to watch them ring a few birds including Coal Tit, and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Great Spotted Woodpecker - male

Coal Tit

After about an hour I bid them farewell and walked towards Morton Bagot. A Green Sandpiper flushed from the scrapes before I spotted it, and several Reed Buntings were in good voice. Then just as I reached the edge of the scrape field two passerines flew over me and disappeared behind the hedge. Then one of them reappeared briefly sporting an orangey tail. I hurried to the other side of the hedge where I was able to confirm it was a male Redstart. It then flew to the long hedge and a slow pursuit ensued while I tried to get a record shot. It was impossible to get near, and I had to settle for a pretty long-distance effort.

Redstart

On returning to the scrape field I found Martin W who had just seen a Wheatear. He thought it had hopped into the scrape field, so we proceeded on that side of the hedge flushing three Common Snipe in the process. Eventually we found it in the Red-backed Shrike field, and after checking the flashes I doubled back to get some shots.

Wheatear - male

The flashes had contained two Avocets, a Shoveler, two Shelducks, and six Teal. Unfortunately I felt I had to leave without covering the remainder of the patch. On my walk back I saw a Brimstone and three Peacocks.

Peacock

Despite it being a moonlit night I put the moth trap out and duly caught 27 moths of eight species. New for the year were Early Grey, Hebrew Character, and Beautiful Plume. 

Beautiful Plume

I suppose the only micro caught, the Beautiful Plume, was the pick of the bunch. Although they are not rare, I missed the species last year and its my fourth record in six years of trapping.

Thursday April 6 - Earlswood Lakes

 I missed a trick yesterday. My Mum is now at my sister's on the outskirts of the Earlswood recording area, and I am on standby for any cover/assistance she needs. So I spent much of a wet afternoon there, and on leaving, decided to have a quick scan of Engine Pool. This proved reasonably successful as I ticked  House Martin for the year, there was at least one and probably two flying around with over a dozen Swallows and some Sand Martins.

I also noticed that one of the Black-headed Gulls had a BTO ring which I tried to read. I managed all the digits but neither of the letters, although it is probable that it was ?A50446. 

The ringed Black-headed Gull

What I didn't do (and wished I had) was walk down the side of Engine Pool. Had I done so I may have seen a Common Sandpiper and a bright male Yellow Wagtail which Andy Gooding later reported on the rafts.

So this morning after another visit to see my Mum I resolved to actually walk around the lakes (well two of them). It was a classic case of "you should have been here yesterday". Hirundines were down to a handful of Swallows and Sand Martins, and all the good stuff had moved on. At least I heard and saw a Willow Warbler for the first time this year, and counted nine singing Chiffchaffs and five singing Blackcaps as I walked around Engine Pool and Windmill Pool. A Little Egret was down the bottom end of the latter, and a Lapwing flew over.

I identified a couple of common flowers; Green Alkanet and Marsh Marigold. But it was too chilly for insects to be on the wing.

Green Alkanet

PS: At 17.49 an Osprey left Abbots Salford Pool just south of my recording area heading West North-west. I tried to go to Arrow Valley Lake hoping to intercept it if it veered from that course but was thwarted by the police blocking access to the road by the entrance. An hour later one was seen at Earlswood over Engine Pool (same bird?). 

PPS: Some diligent research from Mike Wakeman came up with a likely ring number of EA50446 for the Black-headed Gull suggesting it had been ringed at Marsh Lane GP on 07 June 2022 as a chick. Sadly I have also heard from Matt Griffiths that it now appears to be ill. It is probably suffering from the bird flu which has now killed an adult bird which I had thought was showing signs of the virus as it swam in circles by the dam at Engine Pool on Wednesday afternoon.

Tuesday April 4 - Shelfield area

 I managed to snatch a couple of hours birding this morning in perfect sunny conditions.

About twenty years ago I got involved with a tetrad atlas organised by Jon Bowley as part of a Warwickshire Avifauna which he was intending to produce. On recently meeting him again I discovered that the project was reaching its conclusion, but that there were still a number of tetrads that had received little or no coverage, and would I like to help? I readily agreed and thus found myself exploring Tetrad K in SP16, which had virtually no records.

The area in question is from Shelfield northwards to beyond Stoopers Wood. It was a relief to be out in the field again, and nice to see that Chiffchaffs were everywhere, and also record both singing Blackcap, and Yellowhammer. This last species was a lot commoner around here when Jon first asked for Tetrad coverage.

Yellowhammer

I also helped myself to a couple of year-ticks today. A Brambling was calling from within Stoopers Wood (in an area that is out of bounds), and later in the morning I spotted a Peregrine on a Communications Mast just north of Redditch as Lyn and I drove once again to Heartlands Hospital where my poor Mum was still being cared for.

This evening she has been discharged and is en route to my sister's, but I'm afraid this is for palliative care. It's been a tough few weeks.

Sunday April 2

 I regret to say that I haven't been out birding over the weekend.

However, Dave went Morton Bagot and reports that he saw a Peregrine, six Avocets, four Shelducks, two Shovelers and a Green Sandpiper.

I also have news from Earlswood where a pair of Oystercatchers would have been new for my year, as would several Willow Warblers. A brief Kittiwake was part of a considerable movement over the north Midlands in particular.

Tony K has been ringing near Studley and has heard his first Willow Warbler and saw a Swallow.

I expect to be playing catch-up before too long.