MOTH NIGHT BERNWOOD FOREST-OXFORDSHIRE

I spent this evening moth trapping at Bernwood Forest in Oxfordshire, hoping for a productive early-season session. It’s a fantastic site with a reputation for good diversity, but the conditions were far from ideal. The temperatures have been unseasonably cold lately, with recent morning frosts across Oxfordshire, and it definitely made its presence felt.

I ran the trap for around three hours, but the chill quickly set in and eventually forced me to pack up earlier than planned. Cold nights like these are never great for moth activity, and that was reflected in the modest number of species I recorded. Even so, I did manage to trap a few different species, which made the effort worthwhile.

Early spring moth trapping can be a bit of a gamble. When temperatures drop too low, many species don’t fly, and those that do tend to appear in smaller numbers. It’s all part of the challenge at this time of year, and it makes every individual moth feel a bit more rewarded.

With a bit of luck, a shift to milder nights should bring a noticeable increase in activity. Until then, it’s a case of making the most of the windows of opportunity, and wrapping up warm!

Below are the following species I managed to trap:

Semioscopis Steinkellneriana

Great Prominent 

Scarce Prominent

Brindled Pug

Lunar Marbled Brown

Nut-tree Tussock

Frosted Green

Water Carpet

Early Grey

Silver Y

RARITY FINDERS:SARDINIAN WARBLER IN CHESHIRE

Hilbre, the largest of the three tidal islands (only 4.6 ha), is located at the mouth of the River Dee off the west side of the Wirral Peninsula and is celebrated for its rich avian diversity and reputation as a haven for a wide range of bird species, flora, and fauna. Read more>

CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS

 

21st April 

Greater Scaup-West Kirby Marine Lake

Bar Tailed Godwit-Elton Hall Flash-Sandbach Flashes

Ruddy Shelduck-Drake again on the River Mersey off Spike Island on Sunday

Swift *first of spring* over Kerr's Field, 2 Whinchat in coastal paddocks and a Lesser Whitethroat by Lingham Lane - Leasowe Lighthouse.

Whinchat - Hoylake Langfields

6 Willow Warbler, 4 Whitethroat and a Grasshopper Warbler (reeling) - Red Rocks.

45 Pink-footed Geese and a Barnacle Goose on the marsh, also 8 Wheatear on tide wrack off the golf course - Parkgate.

62 Whimbrel - Heswall Shore.

Green-winged Teal, 6 Grasshopper Warbler (reeling), 2 Spoonbill in herenry and 6 Spotted Redshank, Channel Wagtail and 4+ Yellow Wagtail in the field next to the Grain Store - Burton Mere Wetlands.

20th April 

Green-winged Teal - Burton Mere Wetlands.

Brent Goose (dark-bellied) - Caldy Wildfowl Collection.

Spotted Redsahnk-Burton RSPB

Common Scoter-Female on North Pool at Mere Farm Quarry-Chelford

Common Crane-Flew south over and a count of 51 Black-necked Grebe on saturday-Woolston Eyes-Permit Only

3 Black-necked Grebe-Budworth Mere-Northwich

19th April 

Whinchat on fence by Nets Cafe - Burton Marsh.

Wryneck near the bottom of Station Road - Burton.

Osprey flew east at 1230 - Hoylake.

28 Whimbrel - Heswall Shore.

Pied Flycatcher (male) - Leasowe Lighthouse.

Wood warbler-Still in willows along the path to Bunker Hide-Burton RSPB

Slavonian Grebe- Again on East Pool at Mere Farm Quarry-Chelford

Redstart-Male at Arrowe Brook Farm-Greasby

Greater Scaup-Adult drake still-West Kirby Marine Lake

18th April 

29 Whimbrel on shore on rising tide this morning - Heswall.

2 Yellow Wagtail in the field west of Heron Road - Meols.

2 Whinchat, 3+ Wheatear and a Garden Warbler - Leasowe Lighthouse.

25+ Manx Shearwater and 40 Gannet, 87 s/pl Dunlin on the beach - Hoylake Shore.

2 Grasshopper Warbler, 20+ White Wagtail and 3 Wheatear - Riverbank Road, Heswall.

Long-tailed Duck, flew NE at high tide, 75 Manx Shearwater, 9 Kittiwake and 26 Razorbill, c3,500 Black-tailed Godwit on Salisbury Bank before high tide - Hilbre.

3,300 Black-tailed Godwit - Caldy Wildfowl Collection.

8 Spotted Redshank, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 Grasshopper Warbler- Burton Mere Wetlands.

Lesser Whitethroat by Thurstaston Visitor Centre.

2 Grasshopper Warbler - Heswall Fields/Wirral Way.

Ring Ouzel-Female still along Gritstone Trail between the telephone mast and the Old Man O'Mow-Mow Cop

Slavonian Grebe-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Chelford

32 Black-necked Grebes-Woolston Eyes-Permit ONLY

April 17th

Yellow Wagtail flew towards coastal paddocks - Leasowe Lighthouse.

c40 White Wagtail and 18+ Wheatear on tide wrack between the golf course - Heswall.

Raft of 100+ Manx Shearwater, also 30+ Gannet, 40+ Sandwich Tern and 10+ Razorbill - a feeding frenzy! - Hoylake Shore.

April 16th

3 Redstarts and Red Kite-Bickerton Hill

Slavonian Grebe-Mere Farm Quarry-Chelford

Ring Ouzel-Two along the Gritstone Trail between the telephone mast and Old Man O'Mow-Mow Cop

Eurasian Spoonbill-One flew east past Within Way-Hale

Whinchat-Male at Arrowe Brook Farm-Greasby Farm

Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit-c 3,500 at Caldy Wildfowl Collection-Caldy

Long-tailed duck, Redstart and Common scoter-Hilbre Island

Bar-tailed Godwit-Elton Hall Flash-Sandbach Flashes

Cuckoo heard early morning - Stapeldon Wood/Caldy Woods

Common Redstart briefly in a horse paddock - Lower Heswall.

Grasshopper Warbler in dunes and 6+ Wheatear - Leasowe Lighthouse.

MY BIRDING WEEK-12TH-19TH APRIL 2026

Last weekend, I stopped briefly at Alvecote Pools in Warwickshire on my way down to Oxfordshire to see a female Hooded Merganser. My previous encounter with this species was back in 2005 at Chilham in Kent, where an adult female stayed from 4th to 10th December. This bird was first reported in Warwickshire on 5th April and is thought to be the same individual previously seen at Pilning Wetlands in Avon, last recorded there on 10th March before moving north-east. The Hooded Merganser is a small North American diving duck and, in the United Kingdom, is a very rare vagrant or escapee with only occasional records. If accepted, this would be the first record for the West Midlands area.

                                             Hooded Merganser

Midweek, after finishing work, I went for an evening walk and called in at Standlake in Oxfordshire to see a Ruddy Duck. I hadn’t seen one for years, so it was good to catch up with the species again. Native to North America, it was introduced to Europe but was heavily culled in the UK to protect the endangered White-headed Duck from hybridisation, and is now almost extinct in Britain.

Ruddy Duck

Migrant birds are now in full swing, with Whitethroats, Willow warblers, Grasshopper warblers and Chiffchaffs seen around the area.

On Friday, news broke of a Western Subalpine Warbler in Cornwall on the Lizard. I needed this bird for Britain, and although I’ve seen many over the years, my previous records have not yet been fully reviewed by the BBRC. News came through again on Saturday morning, so I rang my mate Owen Parsons, who also needed it, and plans were made for a dawn raid.

Later that afternoon, I drove down to Dorset to see a Bluethroat at Swineham Gravel Pits. The bird showed really well, and an Osprey flying over was a nice addition to the year list. The Bluethroat breeds across northern Europe and Asia and is a passage migrant in the UK, mainly on the east coast in spring and autumn.

Leaving Oxfordshire at 2:00am Sunday morning, Owen and I arrived at Housel Bay in Cornwall. 

Housel Bay 

After a couple of hours searching the hedgeline with no sign of the bird, things weren’t looking promising, until Owen called it out. The Western Subalpine Warbler appeared briefly, feeding low before dropping back into cover. We were very lucky, as it had been extremely elusive, only showing for short periods.

Western Subalpine Warbler

(c)Dougy Wright

                        Owen on site, happy after seeing the Western                                                                         subalpine warbler

We stayed another hour before moving on to St Ives, where a male Pallas’s Warbler was reported in Trewyn Gardens.

                                           Trewyn Gardens

We didn’t have to wait long before it appeared, feeding in overhanging foliage. This tiny leaf warbler was a new bird for Owen, and I hadn’t seen one in Britain for a few years. It breeds in Siberian conifer forests and winters in Southeast Asia, with rare but regular autumn appearances in the UK.

Pallas’s Warbler 

After good views and some lunch, we made the long journey home after a very successful day in the Southwest.

BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF THE WEEK:-13TH-19TH APRIL 2026

Favourable south-westerly and southerly winds for most of the week saw returning summer breeders continue to arrive; Friday in particular brought a strong bout of southerlies from the Continent. Read more>

A WEEK MOTHING IN SUTTON COURTENAY-OXFORDSHIRE

With work taking me back to Oxfordshire this week, I took the opportunity to do a bit of mothing on the side. I was staying in Sutton Courtenay, in a really nice Airbnb with a lake just behind it, pretty much an ideal setup.

The weather was all over the place, some nights mild, others cooler, with a bit of variation throughout, but that didn’t stop things from turning up. Below are a few of the moths I managed to trap.

Muslin Moth

Powdered Quaker

Frosted Green

Twin-Spotted Quaker

Nut-Tree Tussock

Swallow Prominent

Common Plume

Chestnut

Streamer