8th October
Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB
5 Whooper Swans flew north, 4 Spotted Redshanks, 2 Greenshanks and a Ruff at Bevyl Road flash.
Caldy Wildfowl Collection
4080 Black-tailed godwit
Holmes Chapel
Common Crane-Three probables flew north
Woolston Eyes NR (permit only)
Ruddy Shelduck-One flew north over No. 4 Bed with 64 Pink-footed Geese, then veered east over Warrington; reserve open from 08:00-20:00, permit and key obtainable at www.woolstoneyes.com
Last night I headed out for a short moth-trapping session in East Oxfordshire with my good friend Alan Lewis, with one particular moth in mind that we both needed for our lists: Juniper Carpet. Earlier in the year, I had found a good site in a valley full of Juniper bushes, where I had also trapped Juniper Pug, so we decided to target this area for Juniper Carpet.
It didn’t take long after dusk to find our first one clinging to a Juniper bush. Over the next couple of hours, we managed to see five more, for a total of six Juniper Carpets.
We also trapped a Plumed Fan-foot, which was a new moth for me. The species seems to have been undergoing a good dispersal over the last few days, so it was great to get one here in Oxfordshire.
Plumed Fan-footOriginally from southern Europe, Plumed Fan-foot was first recorded in Britain in Kent in 1995 and was initially considered a rare immigrant. Since then, it has become established in Britain and has continued to spread, with records increasingly coming from further inland.
We also trapped two very worn Juniper Pugs, which added to the interest of the session.
Juniper PugA good few hours mothing with Alan, and two more new species for my list. Another successful night out!
Heswall Shore
4000 Shelduck, 350 Pintail, 470 Teal, 3000 Oystercatcher, 80 Golden Plover, 200 Knot, 750 Dunlin, 3000 Black-tailed Godwit, 1050 Curlew, 2800 Redshank, 3 Mediterranean Gull on rising tide.
Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB
2 Spotted Redshank, 6 Greenshank, 2 Ruff and 60 Black-tailed Godwits, Bevyl Road flash. 139 Shoveler Donkey Stand/Boathouse flashes.
6th October
Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB
Spotted Redshank-Still at Bevyl Road Flash, and 4 Barn Owls over the marsh.
Burton Mere Wetlands
Short-eared Owl-One; use reserve car park off Puddington Lane (CH64 5SF; open 09:00-19:00, £7 entrance fee for non-RSPB members).
Wigg Island
Ruddy Shelduck-Male again.
Hale
Little Stint-One on the River Mersey
After a tip-off from my good friend James Hunter, I headed down to Tankerton in Kent this evening, hoping to see Fisher’s Estuarine Moth. I waited until dusk, and it didn’t take long to see my first one. It was great to finally see this highly localised, special moth.
After a September starved of any real easterly winds, the excitement on the east coast was palpable at the prospect of a run of easterlies stretching back into eastern Europe between Tuesday and Thursday. Read more>
Neumann's Flash-Northwich
Glossy Ibis-One, then flew north.
Cattle egret-One, then flew towards Pump House Flash at 7:45am and did not get relocated.
Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB
Yellow-browed Warbler-One near ramp to Border Hide; use reserve car park off Puddington Lane (CH64 5SF; open 09:00-19:00, £7 entrance fee for non-RSPB-members)
West Kirby Marine Lake7+ Goosander and 5 Red-breasted Merganser
