Another lengthy spell with little or no birding. After dropping Tobias at a party in Lymington on 27th March, Sarah and I went for an afternoon walk around Pennington Marshes taking in Jetty Lagoon and Oxey Marsh. A male Garganey had been present on Oxey since the 19th March and it didn't take long to pick it up as it fed at the back of the lagoon with Teal, it was a little distant and in fairly poor light but nice to see. Other birds on the marsh included around 50 Brent Goose and small numbers of the usual winter wildfowl and waders.
Garganey - Oxey Marsh, Pennington
Garganey - Oxey Marsh, Pennington
From 29th March to 1st April we were up at our cottage in the Cotswolds I was hoping to go birding but we were unable to get childcare for Tobias and so I spent most of the weekend messing around in the garden planting up our small wildflower area. I ran the moth trap on each of the three nights and recorded the following species;
- Brindled Beauty
- Chestnut
- Clouded Drab
- Common Quaker
- Dotted Chestnut
- Dark Sword-grass
- Diurnea fagella
- Early Grey
- Early Thorn
- Hebrew Character
- Herald
- March Moth
- Mottled Grey
- Oak Beauty
- Pale Pinion
- Red Chestnut
- Shoulder Stripe
- Small Quaker
- Twin-spotted Quaker
- White-marked
White-marked was a new species for me which was pleasing, I don't get to see many new moths as I have been trapping for over 30 years so this was the definite highlight. The species is locally distributed in central southern England and into the south-Midlands and south and mid-Wales - I haven't really trapped in these areas before hence the reason the species is new.
Dark Sword-grass - Normally considered a migrant
White-marked - A new moth for me
Oak Beauty
Shoulder Stripe
Twin-spotted Quaker
Dotted Chestnut
The Herald
Brindled Beauty
Pale Pinion
Mottled Grey
Red Chestnut
A Pheasant coming after the moths
