Little Stint & Painted Lady

Lade - 0700hrs - cool, dry, sunny, ne 5 - With overnight temperatures more akin to winter it was no surprise that there was only a meagre collection of moths in the trap this morning, although Lychnis was new for the year. Over the pits the nagging north-easterly kept the passerines quiet and the only noteworthy bird was a Little Egret in the willow swamp.
ARC - 1030hrs - From the causeway road at the southern end a Little Stint was a welcome addition to the Marsh year list (194), along with LRP, RP, a 1st summer Little Gull and the now familiar collection of drake dabbling ducks.
Pigwell - Nothing much here apart from a pair of Shelduck and singles of Yellow Wagtail and Corn Bunting.
RSPB - 1400hrs - A mooch around the bird reserve was largely fruitless due to the strong wind. The stint remained at the south end of ARC.

                                                                          Painted Lady

                                                                           Sea Kale

Lade  - An evening stroll around the local patch revealed several Small Heaths on the wing plus a cracking Painted Lady basking on a sheltered garden wall. Over the beach the blasting east wind had sent most of the windsurfers to the pub, while the Sea Kale looked spectacular in the low evening sunlight. It truly is one of the botanical highlights of the season and currently the blooms are at their best, albeit about three weeks late.

Sabre Wasp

Lade - 0800hrs - cool, dry, cloudy, sunny later, ne 3 - A poor catch in the moth trap last night with only Vines Rustic and Tawny Marbled Minor new for the year. Down the road at the café much more of the same with loads of Light Feathered Rustics and Tawny Shears, plus a couple of hawkmoths from Boulderwall and a Sabre Wasp that gave me a dig; ouch!

                                Eyed Hawkmoth

                                Poplar Hawkmoth

                                Sabre Wasp - to be avoided at all costs...

RSPB - Dipped in and out throughout the day with just the usual breeders evident. At the south end of ARC a motley collection of dabbling ducks and plenty of Swifts over the lake. Six Little Egrets and a ringtail Hen Harrier were noted on Dengemarsh this afternoon (BH) and I had distant views of the harrier from Boulderwall. The Little Owl showed well sheltering from the brisk north-easter (will it ever ease up and go round to the south?).

                                Little Owl

Seckley Wood

Wyre Forest - cool, cloudy, drizzle am, warm, sunny pm - It was back to the forest today for a third visit, this time to Seckley Wood on the Shropshire side of the border, where there many more conifers and as a result much less bird diversity. There was however a stunning view over the river Severn and a reservoir. New for the trip was a Fallow Deer moving through dense undergrowth, a Buzzard at the nest and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers also at nest sites. Singles of Wood Warbler and Redstart were heard singing and once again the full range of tits, Bullfinch, Nuthatch and the like.
Once the sun broke through a few butterflies emerged from hiding, mostly whites and Speckled Woods, plus one unidentified fritillary, and that was about it. In summary an interesting week in an area that was new to me with the butterflies being the highlight on the first two days, plus Upton Warren for the Avocets.
Having driven up and down the motorways this week it was interesting to note that Common Buzzard was by far the most numerous raptor (several even seen from the M25), discounting the plastic Kites either side the Stokenchurch Cutting on the M40. Worryingly though, only two Kestrels were noted.

Upton Warren

Upton Warren, Worcs - cool, cloudy, ne 2 - Following two days in the woods and a cloudy forecast we were set for a change of scene so headed for the WWT wetland reserve at Upton Warren, a new site for me.
The site is split into two, so first port of call was the Flashes, a series of saline pools with low islands bordered by reedbeds, sedge and willows. The place was wader heaven with loads of breeding Avocets (24 adults and 26 juvs) and Black-headed Gulls (over 100 nests, plenty with juvs). Also on the lagoons 4 LRPs, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Lapwings, 6 Shelducks, Tufted Ducks, Grey Heron, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Moorhen and Coot. The bushes and reeds held Reed and Sedge Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting and Water Rail.

                               Moors Pools, Upton Warren

                                Avocet chicks, The Flashes

                                Avocet, The Flashes

                                Black-headed Gulls, The Flashes

                               Bullfinch, Moors Pool feeders

                               Moorhen, Moors Pool

                               The Flashes, Upton Warren

A short drive north brought us to the second part of the reserve, Moors Pools, comprising two shallow lakes, the larger one with raft-nesting Black-headed Gulls and a few Common Terns, plus LRP, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Grey Heron, feral geese and swans, Shelduck, Tufted Ducks and Kingfisher. The feeders by the hide attracted Greater pecker and a cracking male Bullfinch among the common tits and finches, while the air above the lake was thick with Swifts and hirundines. The smaller pool bordered by marshes, reedbed, sallow scrub and a wood attracted the expected warblers, including a Cetti`s, plus flight views of a Bittern. Also, bumped into a couple of birders who`d stayed at Plovers this spring.
A very impressive site, just a pity there aren't a few more like it around the country.

Dipper & Butterflies

Wyre Forest - warm, dry and sunny - Day 2 in amongst the trees and the place is growing on me. Spent a fair bit of time along Dowles Brook looking for Dipper, which I eventually nailed from a brief flight view as it flew up-stream. Also noted Kingfisher, Grey Heron, 2 Grey Wagtails and a family party of Spotted Flycatchers. Elsewhere all the expected woodland birds plus three singing Common Redstarts, Cuckoo and Tree Pipit, but yet again no sign of any Pied Flits.
Bumped into a couple of really helpful local birders who pointed me in the right direction for butterflies, of which there were many on the wing due to the warm, and at times hot, sunshine. We noted at least 20 Pearl-bordered and 3 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries along the old railway line and the clearing opposite the newly carved seat. Elsewhere, a number of Brimstones were on the wing, plus more of the same from yesterday, so Orange Tip, Speckled Wood and the like.
Another cracking day in this stunning woodland, which has been made all the more pleasurable by a welcome outbreak of summer weather at long last.

                                Pearl-bordered Fritillary

                                Speckled Wood

                                Speckled Yellow

Fritillaries & Goshawk

Wyre Forest - warm, dry and sunny - With Mrs PT on a course in Worcester, Barney and me spent the day in the forest exploring the Dowles Brook area, a steep sided river valley with flower-rich meadows, old orchards and a babbling stream. We found at least 10 pairs of Wood Warblers amongst the hanging oaks including one pair feeding juvs just out of the nest, along with Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and 2 Garden Warblers. There was no sign of any Redstarts or Pied Flycatchers and chatting to the locals they seem to think that Pied Flits are finished here. However, we did see several pairs of Spotted Flycatchers, Grey Wagtails and Marsh Tits, plus all the usual woodland birds: Jay, 2 peckers, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Long-tailed and Coal Tits, Goldcrest and Bullfinch. A raptor watch from a bridge delivered good soaring views of Raven, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and a Goshawk.

                                Dry Mill Lane

                                Knowles Mill

As the weather was sunny much of the afternoon was taken up with butterflies. We saw plenty of Orange Tips, Speckled Woods and at least 10 Pearl-bordered Fritillaries along the grassy banks of the old railway line where they were feeding on Bugle; photographing them with my camera gear was a different matter however... We met several helpful local butterfly hunters who suggested that Small Pearl-bordereds may well be on the wing too and to pay carful attention to the markings on the underside of the hind wing. There were several day-flying Speckled Yellow moths on the wing.
I shall be returning to site tomorrow to have another go at the fritillaries and also attempt to find Dipper along the brook.

Moths, at last

Lade - 0630hrs - cool, cloudy, nw 2 - Following an overcast, still night the moth trap delivered its first 100 plus catch of the year (mostly Tawny Shears and Light Feathered Rustics) with ten species, of which two were new for the season: Spectacle and Yellow Belle.
Nothing much happening over the pits apart from a singing migrant Blackcap, plus a Spotted Flycatcher (can`t have Portland hogging them all..) this afternoon.

                                Spectacle

                                Yellow Belle

Dengemarsh - 1115hrs - Had a run out with the Joker this morning. We set up camp on the ramp overlooking Hooker`s where at least 6 Med Gulls were hawking flying insects amongst large numbers of Black-headed Gulls, Swifts and several Hobbies. Plenty of activity in the reedbed with Reed Warblers feeding young, plus Reed Bunting, Beardies and Sedge Warblers; also calling Lesser Whitethroat, Long-tailed Tit and Cetti`s Warbler. A pair of Great Crested Grebes showed off three small chicks and 2 Ravens flew high overhead. Marsh Harriers came and went and when SB joined us 4 Blackwits flew over from the hayfields and headed inland.
We paused at the south end of ARC where 2 drake Teal and a single drake Garganey were of note along with a Little Egret, a few Bhgulls, Lapwings and Oystercatchers.