Tuesday 26 March 2024

Tuesday March 26 - Something to mull over

 I had a clear plan for today. I was going to go to Mappleborough Green Flash to see if there were any waders there (Morton Bagot currently looking unsuitable due to a shortage of mud). Then a spanner was inserted in the works. Mark Clarke posted a photograph on Whatsapp of a swimming White-fronted Goose at Arrow Valley Lake.

I assumed this was the immature I had found at Morton Bagot at the turn of the year, which was subsequently reported at Upper Bittell. I hadn't been to see it at Bittell, but a chat with Mark Islip at the Cattle Egret twitch (just me and him), led me to understand that it was turning up occasionally at Arrow Valley Lake and was starting to show a more advanced plumage.

So I diverted to have a look at it. I found it easily on the shore at the yacht club, and had no hesitation in identifying it as a White-fronted Goose which was moulting towards adult plumage.

White-fronted Goose

To me, the white fore-crown combined with largely unmarked belly (there are just a couple of black feathers starting to come through) and the relatively faintly barred mantle were consistent with this being a first year bird even though the white "front" is now adult-like.

However I later received a text from an experienced Worcestershire birder which I initially thought was querying the bird's provenance, but in fact implied that it may not be a pure-bred White-fronted Goose. The argument being that a first-winter bird should not have so advanced a white forehead, while an adult should show more black on the belly. I agreed to send him a photograph so that he could forward it to a very experience Goose expert who would look at the bird "properly" (unlike me I suppose).

I thought I'd compare this bird with my more distant shots of the Morton Bagot bird from December.

The Morton Bagot White-front in December 2023

The obvious first question is whether it is even the same bird. The earlier bird appears to have a plainer mantle and looks darker (but it is distant, so the shot is cropped). There is only a hint of white on the forehead. I wish I knew what the Bittell bird looked like (I would imagine the views were also very distant), but the fact it was reported within two days of the Morton Bagot bird's only appearance suggests it should be the same bird.

So what about provenance? Assuming this is indeed a first-winter White-fronted Goose and not an oddly plumage (possibly impure) adult, then I think its credentials as a wild bird are OK despite it turning up at a park lake. My reasoning is that a lost juvenile could easily latch onto a resident Greylag Goose flock, and then just follow them around all winter. Given that young geese learn to migrate by following their parents it might not even be too surprising if it now fails to migrate back to the arctic for the summer.

Nothing's ever simple where birds and birders are concerned.

Anyway I then resumed my original plan and paid my first visit of the year to Mappleborough Green Flash. Walking down the field from the Boot Inn, I heard, and briefly saw, a singing Willow Warbler. Others turned up at Earlswood and Coughton Park today, so spring is definitely here. This was nearly my earliest ever Willow Warbler in the UK (I saw one in the garden and heard two at Draycote on March 25 2005). Also singing was at least five Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap.

I reached the flash and found it much as it had looked last March. I counted 21 Teal, and a pair of Shovelers, before they all became aware of my presence and took flight.

The Shovelers flying off

One unfortunate aspect of this site is that it is virtually impossible to see the birds without disturbing them. By the time I reached the largest gap in the trees everything had gone, but I did hear the call of a Little Ringed Plover, and then located it in the gravelly field on the other side of the fence.

Very poor record shot in the heat haze. It was actually quite warm.

I then headed for the overspill flash (which dries up readily as spring advances) and found all the Teal and both Shovelers were now there, and so were a pair of Shelducks and a Green Sandpiper. Once again as soon as I got into a position where I might have been able to photograph anything, they all departed.

I also had a site tick. A very distant Red Kite, no longer unexpected around here.

My drive home was accompanied by regular sightings of fluttering Brimstone butterflies. The feel-good factor is back.

PS: The expert, Martin MacGill, has agreed it is indeed an advanced first-winter White-fronted Goose.

Sunday 24 March 2024

Sunday March 24 - Morton Bagot

 This morning Dave and I set out for our usual Sunday stroll around Morton Bagot. It turned out that we might have done better if it had been a Saturday stroll.

John Chidwick had attended yesterday, and I would say he did better than we did. Birds seen by John, but not by us included Little Egret, Shoveler, Shelduck, and Stonechat.

The weather has turned a little chillier, but this morning we still managed to log 15 singing Chiffchaffs. We wondered what the record was for the site, but I've since discovered it's 20, so we were well short.

Chiffchaff

Never mind, it was still pleasant to be out and about. The Blackthorn blossom is well out and provides a nice backdrop to any birds willing to pose in front of it.

Robin

There are still four Mute Swans present, although one of the immature birds has been replaced by an adult. The Avocets have gone missing from the flash field (John didn't see them either), but we were able to count 23 Teal, a Lapwing, and a Green Sandpiper which skulked behind rushes at the far end of the nearest flash.

The breeze was good for displaying raptors. We counted four pairs of Buzzards, a pair of Red Kites, and three Kestrels. One of the Kites appeared to be carrying something twig-like (or maybe an insect) in its bill, which was rather curious. Maybe an element of courtship?

Red Kite

There can be little doubt that the pair plan to breed nearby. Arguably our highlight was a pair of Grey Wagtails which flew down the brook, we don't often see them here in spring.

Something of a slow news day I'm afraid.


Saturday 23 March 2024

Saturday March 23 - Arrow Valley Lake saves the week

 I've not been able to get out much this week. A visit to Shortwood Roughs on Tuesday was quite pleasant until the local Clay Pigeon shoot opened up. 

Last night I got a text from Mark Islip telling me there was a Cattle Egret roosting with the Little Egrets at Arrow Valley Lake. I dashed there in fading light and counted 17 Egrets but couldn't pick out the Cattle Egret as most birds were asleep. I also noticed a lot of small bats flying over the water, which I would guess were Daubenton's Bats.

So this morning I was up with the lark, 05.15, (forgetting my mobile phone in my haste) and was relieved to see the same number of Egrets still present. It took a while to find the bird, but I eventually focussed on one bird which seemed to lack the long plumes shown by the obvious Little Egrets.

It remained back-on, and headless for about thirty minutes before I got a brief view of its head.  It had the saggy jowl look of a Cattle Egret, although the bill was disappointingly dull.

I went back home to get my phone and returned in better light, finding Mark watching it, and was able to get some better shots.

Cattle Egret

By now the light was good enough to enable me to see the faintly orange crown which is shown by birds in breeding plumage.

It started clambering about by about 07.30, and I suspect it may soon move off to feed elsewhere. 


Other birds were present around the lake, but with my time restricted I only noticed a Kingfisher, a Goosander, a few Redpolls, and singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap.

The Cattle Egret was the first I have seen within my Circle parameter. Many thanks to Mark for letting me know it was there.

Sunday 17 March 2024

Sunday March 17 - Could this be spring?

 As is usual at this time of year I am constantly searching for signs of spring.

A visit to Earlswood Lakes on Friday failed to bring me any Sand Martins, and I had to settle for a handful of Chiffchaffs around the lakes, while 20 Fieldfares flying east was a reminder that winter birds are still around.

On Saturday I heard that a couple of birders, Gary J and John C, had given Morton Bagot a look and between them had seen four Avocets, an egret sp, numerous Chiffchaffs, and a couple of Stonechats.

It rained heavily overnight, but was forecast to clear so I joined Dave for a bash around the patch this morning. Everywhere was seriously flooded and we joked that there was no chance of an LRP. We did however see a Little Egret with a Grey Heron on the scrapes before confirming that the four Avocets were still resident in the flash field. We logged 12 singing Chiffchaffs as we walked around, but were still missing that little bit of jam on top of the cream scone.

We didn't have to wait long. Scanning the tops of the plastic tree guards Dave noticed a male Stonechat, and panning to the right we picked up something else. Is that a Wheatear? It certainly was, possibly my earliest at Morton Bagot (confirmed as earliest by five days). As clear a sign as you could have that spring has arrived.

Wheatear

By now the sun was starting to shine, and the first three Brimstone butterflies of the season hurried past. They didn't stop long enough to allow a shot, but a Peacock shortly afterwards did.

Peacock

I have recently added to my collection of reference books with a book about hoverflies (Hoverflies of Britain and North-West Europe Bot & Van de Meutter), so I was very pleased when one appeared. 

Tapered Drone Fly Eristalis pertinax

The book suggests that the orange forelegs would indicate it's this common species (which I think I've seen here before). I should say that there are hundreds of species of hoverfly and many cannot be identified from a photograph, so I'm expecting a steep learning curve.

I'll be putting the moth-trap out tonight........and the results are now in:

I caught 34 moths of 11 species including one that was new for me, and three others which were new for the year.

The new one was Pale Pinion. I've seen images of them on line so when I caught it I didn't immediately realise it was new for the garden. I vaguely thought I'd caught one in 2018, but eventually realised I was getting confused with a moth with a similar name (Pale Prominent). They may be fairly common but it's still taken me seven years of garden trapping to finally see one.

Pale Pinion Lithophane socia

The other three which were new for the year were my only micro, Common Plume, plus a March Moth and a very small macro, Oak Nycteoline.

March Moth

Oak Nycteoline on Foxglove leaf

I thought I'd show a picture of the Oak Nycteoline on a Foxglove leaf just to demonstrate how small they are, for a macro.

By doing more trapping early in the season than normal, my garden totals this year are well up for most species. For example I have caught 94 Common Quakers (second best total, with about three weeks before they stop flying), 11 Hebrew Characters (best total), and 13 Clouded Drabs (best total). 


Wednesday 13 March 2024

Wednesday March 13 - Mostly about moths

I haven't done much birding since the weekend. A stroll around Studley today produced fly-over Redpoll and Skylark and not a lot else.

However, last night was mild and dry so I put the trap out and duly caught 22 moths of seven species. This fairly modest haul included three that were new for the year; Double-striped Pug, two Oak Beauties, and a Diurnea fagella.

The latter was my first since 2020 and appears to have undergone a name-change since I last trapped one. The English name is no longer March Tubic, but is Early Reveller. I know this because I recently invested in the latest edition of Field Guide to the Micro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, and it now gives both English and Latin names for all the species featured.

Early Reveller Diurnea fagella

Oak Beauty

I'm also keeping up my New Year's Resolution of trying to only show moths in a natural setting. It's probably a bit irritating for the moths, and some of them (like the Double-striped Pug) just fly off before I can get a shot.

Whether this continues to be possible in the warmer weather to come, we shall see. 

Sunday 10 March 2024

Sunday March 10 - Good day at Morton Bagot (and a good bird at Earlswood)

 Before I get to today's visit to Morton Bagot I should wind the clock back to yesterday. John Oates found an adult Mediterranean Gull at Earlswood, and I was able to twitch it efficiently before doing the Saturday shop.

Mediterranean Gull with B H Gulls at Earlswood

They really are stunning birds. I believe this is the second there this year. 

So, back to this morning. The weather had taken a turn for the worse, but the mixture of light drizzle and heavy cloud was not bad enough to put me off. John C had visited on Saturday and it had been pretty quiet.

Dave was away (Mother's Day) so I had the place to myself. A ringed Marsh Tit in a hedge beyond the small pond was a decent start. The scrape field still contained a pair of Stonechats (the male colour-ringed and the female just metal ringed), while four or five Reed Buntings continued to make light work of decimating the bulrush heads.

I was trying to photograph a singing Goldcrest when the sound of a rush of wings proved to have come from a flock of Starlings heading north. Several more parties followed, and I convinced myself I was witnessing visible migration. However, I later discovered a whole load more in the flash field and so they were probably an accumulation of the birds seen "migrating". The flock was actually the largest I have ever seen here, and I would conservatively estimate 1000+.

Starlings (861 in this shot). There was a smaller flock just out of frame.

Moving hastily on towards the flash field I flushed a party of 26 Meadow Pipits before reaching the viewing point. It was immediately clear that two pairs of Avocets had arrived, and I spent a considerable time trying to get all four in one shot. They were clearly two pairs, and they didn't like each other much.

Avocets scrapping

All four spatially distancing

In addition to the Avocets I counted 19 Teal, 23 Lapwings, and two Green Sandpipers.

Lapwings (and a Starling)

Both Green Sandpipers

Slightly unusual for Morton Bagot were three immature Mute Swans which circled before two of them landed on the nearest flash.

Mute Swans

As I left the flash field the weather started to deteriorate, but I still heard my first singing Chiffchaff of the year and added a third Stonechat and a second Marsh Tit to the day's tally before reaching my car.

I'm quite tempted to put the moth trap out tonight.

Friday 8 March 2024

Friday March 8

Typical early March. The temperature gauges have been heading in the wrong direction, and it's been hard to get motivated.

Nevertheless I convinced myself my cold had gone (it hasn't) and spent Wednesday morning exploring Rough Hill Wood on the south side of Redditch. It was foggy for the entire visit, but as I was in a wood it didn't really matter. Part of the reason for the visit was that Jonathan B (still writing his book on the birds of Warwickshire) had reminded me that he was hoping for additional breeding records for the east side of Redditch which was once within Warwickshire but is now part of Worcestershire. Just to complicate matters further, Rough Hill Wood is a Warwickshire Trust Reserve and is wholly in Warwickshire anyway.

I actually rather enjoyed the visit. It's a smashing wood and looked to have plenty of potential. No Lesser Spots called or drummed to announce their presence, but I did see a Marsh Tit and heard a Tawny Owl hoot. The latter was a year-tick, but it occurs to me that I am now well off the pace and if I do stick to the plan of surveying east Redditch for birds, this could prove a pretty ordinary year.

Rough Hill Wood

Lyn has caught my cold, but despite this we managed to keep our Thursday appointment at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford to see Midsummer Nights Dream. I'm glad we did because it was excellent.

On the downside I got a text half way through the performance; Little Gull at Lower Bittell. This is probably the first twitchworthy (well Shakespeare made lots of words up) bird of the year, and I was well and truly stuck.

This morning optimism got the better of me and I went to see if it was still there. It wasn't, although a flock of 44 Black-headed Gulls briefly raised my hopes. The visit wasn't a complete waste of time as an Oystercatcher appeared at Alvechurch Fisheries during my visit. 

Oystercatcher

Not exactly unexpected as they bred here last year, but still a year-tick.

While the birding has got off to a slow start, my mothing has been a lot more promising. The frosty mornings of the last week relented slightly last night so I gave it a go. This morning the resultant six Common Quakers and a single Small Quaker plus a chilly easterly breeze told me I probably shouldn't have bothered.