More out than in

The cold north-easterly wind persists so I decided to postpone birding time rations to later on this week and just did a couple of hours at Medmerry this morning. 67 species of just over 900 individuals (Ebird list HERE) so about a 60 percent decrease in the number of individuals since earlier on in the winter (e.g. HERE). Sounds like the geese and ducks are slowly dissappearing from all over the Peninsula despite the cool conditions and lack of day visible migration so presumably dripping out overnight. So it certainly seems like a case of birds leaving but these cold winds seem to be halting most of the birds coming in. Things are set to change from Wednesday onwards which couuld be interesting as a relatively warm southerly wind resumes. 

Highlights today were two Little Ringed Plovers on Stilt Pool (which arrived a few days ago), a Green Sandpiper, 13 Avocets and my first Fieldfares of the year. Now on 129 for the year locally.

Chaffinches were migrating in these winds along the east coast of Kent last week and today Mipits are moving over Portland but doesn't seem to be any sign of that round here apart from low numbers of Mipits. There's also been about 10 Wheatears on Portland island in this quiet spell too. Will be interesting to compare the Spring migration here to other areas on the South Coast this year. 

Little Ringed and Ringed Plover

A nice summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwit with Teal 

Avocets- this grouped arrived last week in the milder conditons

Only 35 Brents left from what I could see

Fieldfare- really is not a common bird round here. My first for the year.

Skylark. Really is a common bird round here (at Medmerry). Despite the weather, the air was thick with Skylark song this morning.

Little Oak Lodge latest

Last week's false Spring has seen a return to frosts and northerly winds with the next wave of Spring due this coming Wednesday onwards. A few summer migrants have been breaking through the weather barriers with LRPs on the Peninsula and a scattering of summer migrants across the region but overall it's been a good opportunity to focus on other work. I've had a few Mipits flying over the garden, a few Med Gulls have been going over high calling and a Chiffchaff has been in the lane. 

It's been a busy week as we are working though jobs for the London Wildlife Trust at Huckerby's and Yeading Brook Nature Reserves in West London and starting on Hutchinson's Bank this week and completing a large felling job in Kingswood. Unfortunately a lot of the work is related to felling Ash trees which have succumb to Ash die back. We need to get everything done before 28th March which is the official start of the bird breeding season and restrictions related to scrub clearance, so we've got four teams out at the moment.

Meanwhile back at HQ Matt, Holly, Jimmy and I have been cracking on with the lodge project. Jimmy has been putting up the animal fencing, Matt and I planted 300 summer bulbs, sowed yellow rattle seeds in the front garden and did some more work on the meadows and Holly is getting on with the caravan hippy chic makeover (the decking is in now too). Last week we mulched all the new hedges, planted some more trees and planted up the potato pots and got the sweetcorn going inside. So all going pretty well.

The bulbs have gone in in the front garden path border beds. Also will be interesting if the yellow rattle takes here. The soil is basically heavy clay so not sure what will happen as it basically prefers the opposite conditions. Hoping to get a wildflower meadow in the front and using the rattle to parasitise the coarse grasses to allow over plants to compete- will see what happens. Not holding my breath. Will mix in some general wildflower seed too. 

The duck eggs are at day 15 in the incubator and last week when we candelled them we had 17 out of 18 growing as planned. Hopefully will have ducks within two weeks but they won't be out here straight away so gives us time to sort out the enclosure for them. 

Meanwhile in the mini-zoo, sadly our Forest Malay Scorpion died unexpectedly - no idea what killed it. It's now joined the house mini-museum. Jacob and I did the inventory on the mini-zoo this week which is down to 37 species of animals and plants after we had to decommision a lot when we moved. Good old days HERE

The house conservatory is doubling up as the Green House. Planning on moving these sweetcorn outside into the main raised bed and use them to support a three sisters guild. 

Good news on the mothing effort- Mike Bailey has very kindly offered to do our dissections so getting the first ones off to him soon. By the sounds of it our mystery depressaria sp are likely to be daucella as he lives near by at Bracklesham and the dissections there have revealed that species. 

Beddington Farmlands Update: Sutton Council on legal notice

The Wandle Valley Forum have put Sutton Council on legal notice for the lack of enforcement of planning conditions to deliver the Beddington Farmlands Nature Reserve by Valencia Waste Management who are currently in breach of planning conditions

More from Inside Croydon; HERE

A real migrant

Finally got a proper summer migrant today, the first Northern Wheatear found by the Vicar this morning at the Windmill Beach. I spent most of the day looking for other migrants but seems like we were lucky with the Wheatear as not many other summer migrants across the UK today and I certainly couldn't find any.

I started the day off at Birdham Pool after dropping Jacob off at school. No Sand Martins. I then went over to North Wall and walked along East Side to Pagham Spit. 81 species of nearly 3000 individuals HERE but no summer migrants. Seemed like Med (about 30 mainly adult summers calling overhead) and Black-headed Gulls were moving and also had a flock of 60 Black-tailed Godwit go over high towards the east. Other highlights there included Spotted Redshank, a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, 4 Marsh Harriers, the Long-eared Owls, Kingfisher, Stonechat, quite a few singing Chiffchaff and a nice littoralis Rock Pipit. Brent numbers continue to fall with about 800 today across the whole of Pagham Harbour, down from about 3500 to 4000 during the winter. These birds are presumably moving out over night as no coastal vis-mig during the last couple of days. 

I then quickly checked Chichester Gravel Pits but no Sand Martins there either. Just Canada Goose and Pochard for the day list. 

Then onto Mill Lane and then Ferry Pool where I added Avocet and Gadwall to the day list and then finally over to Windmill Beach to twitch the Wheatear where I also had 5 Corn Buntings which are unsual there and also a couple of Greenshank at the Breach. 

So 86 species in total, not bad. 

Over 30 individual moths in the trap this morning, the most this year so far. Unfortunately getting cold again tomorrow but enjoyed this first wave of Spring activity. Only 21 species so far this year as a result of all these cold nights. Site moth list on 421 as most of these early Spring moths are new. 

The first butterflies are on the wing too with Brimstone at Arundel yesterday and Red Admiral and Peacock on East side today.  

Northern Wheatear- the scout, the first proper summer migrant this Spring for the Peninsula 

Scandanavian Rock Pipit littoralis (above and below) . Suspected the Rock Pipits along North Wall were littoralis in the winter HERE and now showing a nice peachy throat and upper breast. 

A quite striking male Stonechat with contrasting white rump and warm underparts concentrated on the upper breast , maybe a European migrant hibernans/rubicola

Black-tailed Godwits going over high, presumably a migrating flock 

Reed Buntings in odd places was a theme of the day with a single on Pagham Spit and three on the Breach rocks at Medmerry- presumably migrants 

Second-calender year Marsh Harrier

Male Red-breasted Merganser on Pagham Lagoon

Kingfisher at Pagham Spit

Green Woodpecker- at least five of these around North Wall and East side including four together

Long-tailed Tit nest building- it's all go out there. Unfortunately the cooler conditions return tomorrow which will presumably put the knackers on Spring for a bit. 

Lichen Button Acleris literana- a nice surprise in the trap this morning. An out of season adult that has woken up from hibernation.

Early Grey- another new for year 

Sunday Soiree

It was a family day today so we went to Arundel wetland centre where I was hoping for an early Sand Martin amongst the pond dipping and boat rides. Alas no summer migrants, in fact apart from a White Wagtail today on North Wall there haven't been any Sub-saharan migrants on the Selsey Peninsula yet with many migrants seemingly flying over the top in the high pressure and arriving straight on their breeding grounds with Wheatears up north, Sand Martins in London (including Beddington) and LRPs inland across a wider area. There's a Garganey on Otmoor so basically the inland local patches I used to do are fairing better for early migrants than here on the south coast.

A Cattle Egret, 2 Peregrine, 2-3 Red Kite, a Bullfinch and a few Chiffchaffs were at Arundel and there were also about 100 Common Gulls and a few Med Gulls. 

In the evening I went owling and managed to find the Barn Owl around Halseys/Horton Fields (125 for local year list now) and there were two Long-eared Owls still but I dipped the Little Owls at Little Welbourne despite them being seen more or less every day recently and me being armed with thermal scope, beams and sound playbacks. 

A few new moths last night including Clouded Drab, Small Quaker and Light Brown Apple moth and also I might be a bit closer in identifying the mystery micros I've been getting.

Barn owl over Horton Fields (above and below)

Long-eared Owl 

Male Kestrel at North Wall 

Female Pochard at Arundel 

Cattle Egret at Arundel

Caught another two of these last night and they all look rather similar so I don't think they are a worn Agonopterix anymore but maybe something like Depressaria sordidatella or a couple of suggestions for D.daucella. The CMR says its a dissection job so I've started asking around to see who might be able to help with that

Wildfowl migration continues

Roger Browne visited today, so we met up at the Selsey Seawatch with the usual gang. The movement from yesterday continued but to a somewhat lesser degree as the wind had shifted more to the east and it was clearer and cooler. Migrant list HERE. Highlights included 3 Velvet Scoter, 2 Slavonian Grebe, the first-winter male Eider again and migrating ducks included 56 Shoveler, 34 Pintail, 45 Teal, 63 Common Scoter , 7 Red-breasted Mergansers and also 5 Red-throated and 2 Great Northern Diver.. A few passerines were moving again including 1 Chiffchaff, 4 Meadow Pipit, an alba-type wagtail, 1 Skylark and 23 Stock Dove.

Full log and birding news from the Peninsula as ever and always on the excellent local blog HERE

We had a quick look at the Ferry Pool, 2 Siskins flying over calling were a local year tick. Now on 123. 

A few new moths last night including Oak Beauty and Small Brindled Beauty. Also some mystery Agonopterix from yesterday. 

3 Velvet Scoters with Common Scoters

Common Scoters and a couple of Teal- seemingly unlikely travel companions. Common Scoters winter as far south as the coast of Western Sahara. The local flock round here dissappeared a couple of weeks ago so these are seemingly birds from further afield. 

A nice long line of Shovelers and Teal. Shovelers, Teal and Pintail winter as far south as West Africa (and everywhere in between apart from the Sahara) so the birds we are seeing migrating could be coming from a wide range to the south. There were only a handful of migrating ducks off Portland yesterday so clearly the bulk of the numbers were near the Channel headlands (mainly Dungeness) with Selsey apparantely being on the edge of the movement which does imply these are birds cutting across Biscay and clipping the south east as opposed from south coast birds. The Shovelers and Wigeon are still very much settled on Ferry Pool also supporting the theory that these ducks have probably come from far and wide.  

Pintails- upto 45000 Pintail winter in a single estuary in Senegal so it really is anyone's guess where these birds are coming from 

Adult summer Med Gull - only one today and no real movement of Common Gulls either

Oak Beauty - always great to the see the first one of these. As it's our first Spring here, also a garden tick.

Small Brindled Beauty- really nice little early Spring moth 

Dotted Border 

A better picture of yesterdays mystery Agonopterix. Gorse Buff, A.umbellana does winter as an adult so it could be a good candidate for that species. 090325- rather than worn agonopterix this might be a Depressaria sp 

I may have been hasty yesterday identifying the other smaller Agonopterix as heracliana as on closer inspection this looks like it could be a Coastal Buff, Agonopterix yeatiana  or maybe A.scopariella HEREwhich both also over winters as an adult. Any help with these much appreciated. 090325 update-CMR agrees with yeatiana.

Spring break out

Today was my personal first day of Spring migration locally (I missed the first pulse when in Iceland) with a good passage of wildfowl going east past Selsey Bill and also my first moth migrant in the light trap at home. 

Ebird migrant list from the Bill HERE with highlights (all moving east) including 1 first-winter male Eider (now on 122 local year list),  132 Pintail, 141 Shoveler, 86 Brent Goose, 2 Teal, 23 Common Scoter, 7 Red-breasted Mergs, 16 Med Gulls, 22 Common Gulls, 14 Red-throated Diver, 1 Great Northern Diver and 1 Fulmar.  The Black Redstart was singing from the nearby houses and there were a few passerines on the move including a couple of Skylarks, Stock Doves, Rooks and Woodpigeons. 

Back at home, it was mild last night (didn't drop below 9 degrees) and I had my first moth catch of the year with 5 Hebrew Character,  1 Common Quaker, 1 Chestnut, 5 Common Flat Body and also the first migrant of the year- a Pearly Underwing. 

Brents moving back to Russia

Pintails (above) and Pintails and Shovelers (below) on the move. Over 3000 Pintail moved passed Dungeness today , a record breaking number. Wildfowl numbers have been increasing on passage off Selsey and the south coast and some have suggested that more birds are wintering in the south and west now following wetland degradation further south and climate warming further north. There was some discussion on the vis-mig whatsapp group about the origin of these birds. Large numbers of Pintail and Shoveler winter on the Atlantic estuaries of France and Iberia/North Africa (and also in the tropical belt of Africa) so birds moving north could have been pushed over to Dunge in the F4 southeasterly today or birds crossed Biscay and then moved up Channel with even some of our birds from further south although it's possible they have also come from estuaries west of us on the south coast too or both. 

First-winter male Eider (on left) and Pintails 

Common Scoters

Common Gull and Med Gull (both species were on the move today) Med Gulls (below) on the oval field.

Lesser Black-backed Gull- not a common bird at the Bill. Presumably another migrant

Black Redstart- this bird was in full song so presumably a young male 

Pearly Underwing- first migrant of the year 

Hebrew Character 

Common Quaker

Chestnut

Agonopterix sp- maybe heracliana as four other less worn ones, although this one was noticeable larger and the streaking looks more like something like umbellana? 100325 update- these are probably depressaria sp