Open Day Weekend

 The second in two recent public events led by Viridor. Today the emphasis was looking at the waste management operation and also the restoration

 Corporate Sid 

 Noticed this cat playing with something in the obs garden 

 A zoom up revealed a Shrew sp.

 Comma- quite a few butterflies in the warm and sunny conditions. Seemed to be a light passage of Red Admiral moving east to west. 

50+ moths in the trap on Friday night. Mainly Vine's Rustic, Square-spot Rustic, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Pale Mottled Willow. 

 Eudonia angustea

 Lunar Underwing- the first for the year

 A worn Flounced Rustic (cheers Billy) 

 Beetle sp- not one I've noticed before. The swollen hind legs makes it very distinctive. Roger Booth (aka Beetlejuice) ids it as Psylliodes chrysocephala). 

 Aberrant first-winter Herring Gull, overall pale with a broken, chequered tail band

The giant lego kit incinerator coming along 

Cricket

This cricket has been singing outside the obs in recent nights. Not sure of the species? House Cricket? Discussion here (click on Facebook symbol 'f'') :
 

The Worst of Thee Bryans

A compilation from Thee Bryans.

THEE BRYANS

Migrants, moths and hawkers

Disappointing few migrants today despite the low cloud and southerly winds.  First-winter Wheatear, also Whinchat, 2 Meadow Pipit, 1 Sand Martin, 4 Swallow, 7 Snipe, 2 Green Sandpiper, 60+ Teal, 15 Shoveler and 8 Gadwall. 

 Juvenile Peregrine. Also Buzzard today. Recently been 3-4 Kestrel about too. 

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull? 

 Dewick's Plusia, another one in the trap last night . Been pretty good recently for moths- dominated by Pale Mottled Willow, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Sqaure-spot Rustic.

 Crocidomesa plebjana- new for the farmlands 

 Red Underwing 

 Red-barred Tortrix

 Silver-Y

 Dark Spinach 

 Treble Bar

 Migrant Hawker- about 15 of these around at the moment. Also good numbers of Common Darter. 

 Male Brown Hawker (sexed by the blue marks on the top of abdomen). Been around for the last week or so- this is the best pic I've been able to manage

New phone scope set up 

Weekend in Kent

 The mobile Obs- gave it a full test this weekend in Kent with Holly. First night stayed at the Hop Farm (also known as Black Friday Field, Asbo Green or Orc View Farm- due to the large numbers of destitute Capitalists that utilise the site) and after escaping there pitched up near Whitstable. Spent the weekend between doing touristy stuff with Holly and birding round Oare marshes. Bumped into ex-Beddington birder Andy Taylor at Swalecliffe- great to catch up. 

 Juvenile Little Stints 

 Juvenile Little Stint

Adult Little Stint- worn and faded bird looking rather confusing 

 Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin

 Black-tailed Godwit

 Ringed Plover  

Oare Marshes 

 Put the camper van to the full test!

Got the moth trap out one night- had this female Orange Swift and a few other bits and bobs. If I'm going to start up this mobile obs stuff need to get onto I-record and E-bird to get my records somewhere. 

Autumn Moths

 Red Underwing- a first for the year 

 Dusky Thorn?

 Centre-barred Sallow

Burnished Brass

Been some pretty good moth nights at the farmlands over the last week. Here's a few highlights. 

A few migrants

 Chiffchaff- 20+ on the edges today. Also 3-4 Reed Warblers (in the bushes), a few Blackcaps and 2-3 Whitethroats

 One of two Whinchats, also a Wheatear and 4 Yellow Wagtail over 

 Juvenile Goldfinch on thistle. The flock of about 70+ seem to have dispersed now.

 Long-tailed Tit- about 15 around. Noticeably few Great and Blue Tits around. 

 Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull 

 Gull sp? A very contrasting bird with dark upperparts and very white head and underparts. 

 One of these in the trap last night- never seen one before

 Hawthorn moth

Migrant Hawker- 10-15 of these around recently. Also good numbers of Common Darter. About 20 Red Admirals too- presumably migrants. 

Habitat on 100 acre. The next big challenge at the farmlands is protecting this wetland which supports the local Lapwing breeding population and passage waders