The week that was

Another quiet winter week but surprisingly quite busy at work so I spent most of the week unfortunately working for the man.  However this week we are doing a nice little job for the London Wildlife Trust at Spencer Road Wetlands and also doing some bird and bat box installations which is the most rewarding kind of work. We should be back at the London Wetland Centre this month too which is always one of our favourite jobs of the year.  

Back at the new rental there has been some mild evenings so the moth trap has been a good respite with a few new species added to the new garden list. Still no Waxwing in the garden or on my travels (still holding out to find my own).

Been getting through Portuguese Rarity Committee work and a couple of papers for Dutch Birding, trying to get the winter work done before the Spring comes. A couple of things caught my eye in my weekly reading particularly a review article in Ibis about the Causes of Vagrancy- certainly seems to be an uptick in research on this subject. I'm still holding out that I got down the main gist of what was going on in this Birdguides/Birdwatch article in 2008 HERE where I've postulated that vagrancy is a no small part of the process of natural selection that leads to the evolution of migration routes and population range change. When I submitted to Birdwatch I mentioned that we should now wait to see how long it takes for that idea to work its way up into professional academic circles. The answer was about 14 years as this paper appeared recently in the Ivory Towers HERE although to be fair lots of researchers have hinted at that in less overstated ways. That's got to be a couple of points for Pleb/Citizen Science right there.  Coincidentally Fred Jiguet also made contact with the exciting news that we might start tagging some of the vagrants on the Azores soon which could be the basis of some work that brings together all our Azores data to push the envelope a bit further on that too. 

Satellite- no migrant Silver-spotted Veneer, Euchromius ocellea unfortunately in the trap which are currently occurring on the south coast- fingers crossed the odd one gets blown inland 

Spring Usher

Chestnut 

Common Quaker- after an early one in December this is presumably the harbinger of the main push 

Drama at the mini-zoo this week after one of the frogs died. We've handed it over to the meal worms to generate a skeleton for us that we can mount and preserve- a work in progress above

Tree of the week. I had 16 jobs to look at this week which is quite unusual for the winter. This beautiful London Plane in Hackbridge needs a little bit of attention. This tree has never been reduced which is what all trees should ideally look like (not always possible if too close to buildings and pavements). All something like this wonderful specimen needs is to remove major dead wood as its over a public space and some big dead branches fell off in the recent winds (which is why we got the call), a light cut back from the surrounding buildings and some thinning of the canopy to reduce the impact of high winds in the future. This tree was next to the river Wandle in Hackbridge (below) on an estate that we covered in our Neighbourhood Plan - preserving this tree was in that plan.  

Non-stop Birding Autumn Quick Guide

I always flick back through this blog to check out my previous autumn strategies to inspire/warn me when making the current year plans. Thought I would do myself a favour and do a quick guide to save me time next year! So a very brief summary of what I got up to on all the autumns covered in this blog (for before this blog see HERE) 

2008 Weekend birding with Simon in Essex, highlights included Sabine's Gull and some good wader passage including a Dotterel in Gunner's Park. Stringed a Broad-billed Sand but corrected it in time before Lee Evans arrived. Regular birding at Beddington Farmlands, highlights included Knot and the farm's first Great Egret (a big deal at the time). Also dipped a Wryneck that the ringers caught. 

Visited the Azores from 17th October to 1st November re-found the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on Corvo, had our first Black-throated Green Warbler and Darryl found a White-eyed Vireo 

2009 Moved into the Beddington Obs in September this year, had a few bits including Little Stint and Wood Sand and started the campaign with the help of David Lindo. Still doing weekends with Simon in Essex, highlights included Gannets in the Thames.

Spent a lot of time in the Azores this autumn, firstly doing pelagic exploration with Simon from 22nd September where we found some of the largest concentrations of Wilson's Petrel in the WP also recorded several Fea's-type Petrels. Then back on the Azores from 7th to 20th  October, highlights that autumn included American Redstart, Black-throated Green Warbler, Common Nighthawk, Darryl found a Canada Warbler and I found a few bits including American Herring Gull, Baltimore Oriole and Red-breasted Grosbeak. 

2010 This was a great Azores autumn; Lincoln's Sparrow, Northern Flicker, American Black Tern, Rough-legged Hawk, Cedar Waxwing and lots of other good bits.

Back at Beddington we had 3 Gannet go over, there was a Pec (and a couple of Lap Bunts that I didn't see) and we did a load of campaigning including the first Hackbridge carnival, was working for Viridor doing reed planting etc and wrote an article for Birdwatch. Was still doing weekends with Simon and had stuff like Pec and Red-necked Phal etc in the Thames. 

2011 Another epic Azores autumn with White-tailed Tropicbird, Summer Tanager, Northern Harrier, Tennessee Warbler, Purple Martin, Yellow-crowned Night Heron and I found a Sedge Warbler (lol) which was a first for the Azores. Also first started taking an interest in the moths on Corvo this year.

Back at Beddington I started getting into moths based from the obs and discovered Dewick's Plusia which was a big deal at the time.  Had a few bits including Pec, Curlew Sand, Arctic Tern and some good shorebird flight days. Also started getting into self sufficiency and growing food and campaigning ramped up with our first Environmental Fair. I guess this is where I really started being more bio-diverse. 

2012  Local birding doesn't get much better than a Long-tailed Skua from the kitchen window- a first for Beddington! Also some great October flight days at Beddington with a flock of over 190 Brents going over, Little Gulls, Knot and Ring Ouzel etc. Doing loads of mothing (Jersey Tigers started being a thing around now)  and local biodiversity improvements in Hackbridge and at the farmlands and doing walks etc. The application for incinerator went in this autumn. 

Another mental time on Corvo with Golden-winged Warbler, American Robin, Tennessee Warbler, Magnolia Warbler,  Dicksissel, flocks of American waders literally in the streets, Darryl found a Wood Thrush, we found a flock of 10 American Golden Plovers on Sao Miguel and there was loads more stuff.  The Azores Pelagic in late August was also epic this year - we discovered a regular spot for Swinhoe's Storm-petrel and also found a Zino's Petrel. 

2013 Only did a short Corvo trip this year and didn't see much (missed the Yellow-throated Warbler!). Spent more time doing Pelagics on the Azores in September with highlights including Brown Booby, Fea's-type Petrels and Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel. Had an ill-fated trip to Santa Maria to dip Whale Shark. 

Back at Beddington had a Redstart in the garden and the Farmlands campaign had ramped right up. Found the farm's first Chalkhill Blue. 

2014 Highlights at the farmlands included Grey Phalarope, a couple of Ospreys, Spot Red, Sandwich Terns but some peak birding time was dominated by the Judicial Review at the High Court. 

Another short visit to Corvo was my 10th anniversary there but it was pretty quiet but did pick up the Willet on Sao Miguel. Again we were focusing on pelagics in September and also setting up the Natural history trip. Bonser found South Polar Skua on the Azores Pelagic this year. 

2015 After a couple of relatively quiet Azores trips in 2014 and 2013,  2015 came back with a bang- found an Eastern Wood Pewee (a 2nd for WP) and saw Blue-winged Warbler and Veery and loads of supporting cast in an epic fall of american birds mainly around Corvo village. 

This was the first autumn I did a trip to Bulgaria- I got the train there and travelled across Europe and did some epic vis-mig birding on the Black Sea coast with Dylan, Dimiter and Marina. 

Found a Serin at Beddington- a first for site. Twitched a Barred Warbler that Lee found on Staines Moor.

One of the best autumn's ever- this Black Sea in September and Azores in October is a good formula. 

2016 The Battle of Beddington was clearly being lost (also missed an adult Sabine's Gull while in a campaign meeting) by this point and it was also dead on Corvo (this was the year of the Siberian Accentor invasion so everything was coming from the East, not the West). The Azores Pelagic went out but this was the first year I didn't join- it was pretty successful with Swinhoe's again. Did get Upland Sand on the Azores and Long-eared Owl for my Azores list so even the worst year on the Azores was still rewarding. Found a Wilson's Phalarope on a seawatch with Darryl. 

I bought the Campervan this year and also started dating Holly. 

Probably my worst autumn ever but a good year overall as Jacob was on the way. 

2017 Jacob was born this year and was splitting my time between the Beddington Obs and the Old Vic. We did a trip in the Campervan to France with Jacob. 

Had a good bit of London birding and found Arctic Skua, Red-necked and Grey Phalarope and Pec at Staines (which was drained). Towards the end of the autumn the Hawfinch invasion had started and picked them up at Beddington and the Old Vic. Dave Campbell found a Twite in November at the farmlands. 

Yet another quiet trip to the Azores for me (I picked the worst week of the autumn) but luckily I picked up the Redhead on Terceira on the way out to Corvo. Had a few good migrant moths at Beddington on the back of hurricane Ophelia which brought some good yanks onto Corvo. 

2018 Another classic autumn; Found a Richard's Pipit at Beddington and Corvo was mega with Blue Grosbeak, Yellow-throated Vireo, Wood Thrush, White-throated Sparrow, Bay-breasted Warbler, Wilson's Warbler and loads more too including the first Yellow-browed Warblers on Corvo. 

Saw a Beluga in the Thames in September and also had a few bits at Farmoor Res and resurrected more birding days in Kent. A flock of 19 Spoonbill at Beddington was great as was a couple of nice Black Terns and Spot Red. Did the People's March for Wildlife this year  as things at Beddington had radicalised. 

2019 Hermit Thrush on Corvo was the bird of the year for me but overall it was another relatively quiet trip although a Connecticut Warbler had been caught and ringed on Flores this autumn too and Prothonatary, Cape May and Chestnut-sided Warbler had been recorded earlier in the season. The natural history and pelagic trips went out on the Azores but I was away on a road trip in Eastern Europe. 

So another year of the winning formula of the Black Sea in September and Azores in October. Found Terek Sand in Bulgaria and had a load of good migrants. Also started focusing on the moths more and mothed our way across Europe with plenty of nice finds. 

Back at Beddington, things had gone completely radical and we had joined the Extinction Rebellion movement and was blocking bridges in London and threatening to take action in Sutton. 

2020 This was the Great Re-Set year so no foreign travel during autumn so the perfect opportunity to revisit my roots and do an autumn in the UK. Found Pallas's and Dusky Warbler and also Eastern Stonechat, an Arctic Skua at Beddington and a Dotterel in Bucks. Also travelled round with the moth trap and caught a few nice migrants but nothing rare- so the first year I started to rarity hunt birds and moths. Was also keeping an eye out for rare dragonflies too. Also did a few trips into Kent with Kojak and saw some nice bits like Purple Heron and Pied Fly. 

Meanwhile had started self sufficiency big time at the Old Vic and had taken mothing to a new level of effort. 

A few people made it out to Corvo but it was overall pretty quiet. 

2021   Isaac was born at the end of this year so once again I didn't leave the country. Did another autumn of bird and moth rarity hunting and visited Portland for the first time mothing. Didn't find much but twitched the Long-toed Stint and White-tailed Plover and saw some great moths. Found Vagrant Piercers in Bucks and Oxon which were local megas. A Purple Sandpiper at Farmoor was an total inland mega. Also saw Pec in Oxon this year. I'd moved out of the Beddington Obs by this year so was spending more time in Oxon and getting more deep into moths too. 

The Azores was pretty quiet but a Prothonotary Warbler late in the season and a Warbling Vireo early on was all it took to make it another great year there. 

2022 Yet another year autumn birding mainly in the UK, this time because I was out in West Papua to early October.  Didn't find much (a few skuas and a Sooty Shearwater in the Thames was the best I could muster and also twitched a juv Red-foot in Kent)  but in November I went out to Bulgaria and found Desert Wheatear (3rd for Bulgaria) and back in the UK I had a Vagrant China-mark at the Old Vic (a first for Bucks) and earlier on in the autumn I had Bordered Straw, Loxostege Sticticalis and Convolvulus Hawkmoth which were local rarities too. Also saw loads of rare moths at Portland including Egyptian Bollworm and jammed in on the Crimson Speckled invasion. 

2023 So inspired by some winning formulas in the past this autumn I'm heading out to Bulgaria tomorrow with Arjun to target vis-mig, rare birds and moths and if all falls into place in October I'll keep an eye on the weather and head out to the Azores in mid-October and in between do a bit of rarity hunting in the UK and maybe a bit of twitching too. Would be nice one year to take two months off work and plan the ultimate autumn! 

The Year in Pictures, 2022

A very pleasant and memorable year with highlights including trips to West Papua and Azerbaijan and also visiting projects in Bulgaria and the Azores. Most of the time was working at the Old Vicarage, including expanding the mini-zoo and the moth trapping effort and also working in London. 

As always thanks to everyone in our network, all the people working at Little Oak Tree and Garden Care, friends and partners in projects and family and friends for making it another great year (out here on the outer rim of society lol ) 

   

January 

Siskins and Blackcap were regular garden birds in January at the Old Vic

David published this article in British Birds which we contributed too

February

Highlight of a winter trip to the Azores was finally seeing a Belted Kingfisher in the WP

We also published the 2018 local report in February HERE

Caspian Tit. One of the year's highlights was a trip to Azerbaijan in search of 'Omid', the last Siberian Crane in the Western Palearctic. Unfortunately we missed Omid who decided to migrate after we left but the trip nonetheless was a great success. 

Little Bustards in Az- symbolic of Azerbaijan

Darryl found these Trumpeter Finches while I was standing next to him (he has a habit of that). A bit of an Az rarity. 

Finally caught up with Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit  in Az (Photo by Vince)

Goitered Gazelles in Az

Marbled Polecat in Az- was top of wish list for WP mammals so well pleased with this (Photo by Vince)

March

Bullfinch in the garden in an otherwise fairly quite March

Lead-coloured Drab at the Old Vic was the first moth lifer of the year

April

Reddish Whipsnake in Bulgaria (Late April/early May)

Blotched Snake, Bulgaria

Eastern Tree Frog, Bulgaria

Pied Wheatear, Bulgaria

White-tailed Lapwing- a Bulgarian mega 

Icterine Warbler, Bulgaria

Little Gulls (above) and White Pelicans (below) migrating, Bulgaria

This Schmidt's Quaker was an extremely good find in the project site moth trap (apparently, see here)

April at the mini-farm-planted up and ready to spring into life

A big success in 2022 was purchasing a buy to let property in Hackbridge, part of investment plan towards saving up for our private nature reserve hopefully by 2027 (when Jacob finishes primary school) 

May

Crops appearing at the mini-farm

Great Prominent was the highlight of the month's moth trapping

Twitched this Early Spider Orchid at Howell Hill in Surrey- an orchid lifer

Our biggest addition to the mini-zoo was this Paludarium which we planted up in May

Gone but not forgotten, via Thee Bryans project we produced a video to help get the right people in the local community at Beddington Farmlands elected into councillor positions which was a successful campaign See here, We are currently making large scale preparations to help out in the 2023 Beddington Farmlands campaign- the final showdown there.  

June

The Old Vic in June

Breeding Coal Tits (above) and Spotted Flycatchers was one of the breeding highlights

We moved up a gear in the mini-farm with out first home grown chickens (above and below) 

Small Black Arches was moth of the month at the Old Vic 

A few away days mothing (mainly at Steve's at Little Woodcote) produced a few lifers including Grey Arches 

First year trying the pheromone technique brought in most of the targeted species to the garden- the first one we recorded was Red-belted (above) 

July

Highlight of a trip to the project in Bulgaria was stumbling across a huge Rose-coloured Starling breeding colony (above and below) 

Juvenile Lesser Grey Shrike, Bulgaria

Did a bit of herping while in Bulgaria, Meadow Lizard (above) and Balkan Spadefoot (below)

Also did a bit of mothing. This moth The Adulatrix was a highlight. 

Dylan and Anton helped out with doing some conservation work at the project site

Back at the Old Vic, the mini-farm was peaking

The chicks grew so quick we had to extend the coop, and later extend it again 

We expanded some of the wildlife borders in the garden

Meanwhile back indoors in the mini-zoo the Paludarium planting was establishing well

Plenty of moths in July, this Raspberry Clearwing was only the 6th for the county 

A couple of visits to the troubled Beddington Farmlands produce a new butterfly site tick for me thanks to Zach Pannifer- a Brown Hairstreak

More away days in July in the campervan 

August 

The first big harvests at the mini-farm

It was time to introduce the fish into the Paludarium 

Some really good garden mothing in August produced Pearly Underwing (above), Cream-bordered Green Pea(below) and Bordered Straw (below that) 

A nights moth trapping at Lee and Rachel's new private woodland in August was a highlight of the moth trapping year- hope to do more visits there in future

September 

Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise (above) and Red Bird-of-Paradise (below)- seeing BOPs was not only a highlight for the year but a life time highlight too 

Mountain Owlet-Nightjar- got to be one of the 'best' birds in the world 

Black-billed Sicklebill, one of the less easy to score BOPs on the West Papua tour. 

Channel-billed Cuckoo- a contender for bird of the trip, watching this flying reptile like creature felt like being a time traveller

Blue Tiger, West Papua. Unfortunately didn't get a cracking shot of a Bird-wing Butterfly but arguably seeing Bird-wings (the ultimate butterflies) is just as impressive as BOPs

Over 90% of West Papua's forest are pristine (and largely inaccessible)

Back at the Old Vic, autumn moth migrant highlight included our first Convolvolus Hawkmoth (above) and Loxosteges Sticticalis (below)

The Beet moth invasion of 2022 reached the Old Vic too 

Pedro and the Portuguese Rarity Committee  knocked out this report by September HERE

October

Another October birding in the UK- a trip to Portland in late October produced a few specialities including Pallas's Warbler

A good October day in North Kent produced a nice hand of Poms (above) and Arctic Skuas and also a Sooty Shearwater (a Thames Estuary lifer)

This juvenile Red-footed Falcon at Elmley was a cool bird

Once again it was the moths that stole the show this autumn for me with Egyptian Bolloworm (above) and Crimson Speckled (below) at Portland 

Back at the Old Vic- this Cliftden Nonpariel appeared in October (only one or two this year)

One of the most exciting news items of October was our first egg- they were only chicks in June and paying their own way at 5 months old 

The Paludarium was ready by October for this female Panther Chameleon 

November 

A trip to Bulgaria produced this Bulgarian mega- a Desert Wheatear, the 3rd for Bulgaria 

It was a big small mammal year in Bulgaria with hundreds of raptors, Marsh Harrier above with prey

Vagrant China-mark- a first for Bucks! Despite plenty of good moths and migrants through the autumn it was nice to finally score a county mega. 

This Oak Rustic was another highlight at the Old Vic. 

Laszlo our Light Sussex cockerel by November- shocking how fast these birds mature

December 

Spent most of December in a parade of markets and fairs and entering the year's data into various recording schemes and digitising past notebooks. Isaac had his first birthday.