This autumn has seen an unprecedented arrival of rare vagrant birds to our shores. Wind swept migrants from both North America and Siberia. Gems such as Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (1st record for Britain), Tennesee Warbler; Lanceolated Warbler, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Taiga Flycatcher, Red-flanked Bluetail, Brown Shrike, Masked Shrike and so it goes on. One such vagrant […]
I ran a garden moth trap overnight on 28th September – results as follows in no particular order:- Setaceous Hebrew Character 1; Brimstone Moth 3; Black Rustic 3; Lesser Yellow Underwing 3; Large Yellow Underwing 5; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1 (female); Lunar Underwing 9; The Snout 1; Shuttle-shaped Dart 2; Red-green Carpet 1; Common Marbled
I ran a garden moth trap overnight 10th September. The results are as follows in no particular order:- Palpita vitrealis (Olive-tree Pearl) 1 (5th county record); Vine’s Rustic 1; Centre-barred Sallow 1; Large Yellow Underwing 13; Lesser Yellow Underwing 16; Square-spot Rustic 1; Lunar Underwing 7; Willow Beauty 1; Garden Carpet 3; Mouse Moth 1;
As the Lammergeier has been fairly site faithful to a 5 square mile area of Crowden during the past couple of months or so, I decide to have another trip for it today. A stunning morning but alas she came off her roost early, being spoofed by a Peregrine apparently. I just managed to arrive
A stunning male Red-backed Shrike has been faithful to a site at Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands for just over a week now. Red-backed Shrikes are very rare inland, so to have one within an hours drive of home was too good a chance to miss. I took the following photographs on 4th September
I ran a garden Moth Trap over night on 1st September. The results are as follows, in no particular order. Copper Underwing 3; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing – female 1; Brimstone Moth 2; Willow Beauty 1; Large Yellow Underwing 16; Green Carpet 1; Common Marbled Carpet 4; Lesser Yellow Underwing 5; Flounced Rustic 3; Setaceous Hebrew
A leisurely walk today around the Egleton Reserve at Rutland Water was a welcoming change from my local patch. Just a few more birds to look at here! Great White Egrets were everywhere and I must have had a minimum of 11 birds, along with a minimum of 20 Little Egret and a Spoonbill. A
A recent 3 day trip to North Norfolk produced 90 species and 9 year ticks. Sea birds were certainly on the move in some very windy conditions. A number of Bonxie and Arctic Skua were on the move along with a few Manx Shearwater and many, many terns. Several Little Tern were still around. A
