A push of migrants today at the Farmlands as a cold front moved across the region. There have been falls of migrants on the South Coast over the previous two days but it was only today that we really noticed it locally Sightings here. Highlights included out first Wheatears (a male and female), 18 Sand Martin (N in two groups), an influx of 6 Chiffchaff (only 1-2 over the winter) and possibly a new male Blackcap. Other migrants (non Sub-saharan) included an adult Iceland Gull migrating over with other large gulls, a Redshank on 100 acre, 60 Meadow Pipit heading NW, 9+ Common Buzzard , an influx to 7-8 Green Sandpiper (that may have come up from Sub-Sahara/West Africa), an influx of Goldfinch, 5 Skylarks moving N, 1 Redwing, 5 Fieldfare and 1 Rook. Also 10 Shelduck 'lekking' on 100 acre and a Jack Snipe. 6 Water Pipit also still around. A few groups of Lesser Black Backs and Black-headed Gulls were moving with the odd Common Gull amongst them. Most of the Black-headed Gulls have performed a mass exodus over the last few days with only a handful on site now. The Wigeon that have been around for several weeks have also now departed.
On the other wildlife front there was a Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell by Parkside and the usual early spring moths in the light trap- Small Quaker, Common Quaker, Satellite, Agonopterix alstromeriania, Clouded Drab, March Moth, Double-striped Pug, an early Pale Mottled Willow and the first Brindled Pugs. Also had an Agonopterix sp which will be a new species for the farmlands- still working on it.
Female Wheatear
Adult Iceland Gull (above and below)
Redshank
Green Sandpiper
Jack Snipe
Shelduck- 10 on 100 acre were displaying and fighting
Meadow Pipit- the most numerous migrant today with 60+ moving north/northwest
Agonopterix sp. Had a few proposed identifications on this but it looks like a difficult specimen to assign to a particular taxon. The possibilities are yeatiana, assimilella or scopariella. Cheers Billy and Surrey moths for discussion.
4 comments:
Hi Peter, I catch a load of Agonopterix arenella. Yours would have been on a five bar gate as one in my trap...
Hi Stewart, yes someone else on Surrey moths suggested arenella after I posted this. I've had arenella before but it was larger than alstromeriana (getting 3-4 a night at moment) and this one was the same size of the alstromeriana and also less strongly patterned?
They can vary greatly Peter, I find many species later in their season can throw out an odd runt, with some species more susceptible than others.
Yes I read somewhere that there were more small runts around following last summer's long drought too. Arenella is the most likely possibility locally too.
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