Migration watch

Over the last 2 mornings I have been out early to see if I can find any evidence of migration through the parish. Having had heavy rain on Sunday, Monday morning looked promising so off to Hadham Hall where the willows around the lagoon can be good for keeping migrants. In 2013 I had both redstart and pied flycatcher here, both excellent records for Herts. Yesterday though, just 6 chiffchaff, 1 first year willow warbler, 1 whitethroat and 7 pristine robins. On the lagoon, a record 18 mallard, 2 moorhen whilst the family of barn owls (2 adults and a solitary fledgling) were noted along with usual residents: common buzzard, jays, green woodpeckers, linnets, goldfinches and plenty of wood pigeons.

chiffchaff at Hadham Hall

This morning, I checked the higher areas of the Ash Valley on the local golf course. Previously, I have noted whinchat, ring ouzel and wheatear here and today was good in that a single wheatear was around the 6th green. A regular haunt for autumn passage. A check on the willows near the 5th green gave up a single chiffchaff.

wheatear on the bin at the 10th tee

same bird, perhaps a moulting adult female?

Moth wise, all rather quiet, with new for year macros being Old Lady, 6 striped rustic and orange swift, whilst no new micros since 21.08.15.
Totals now: 181 macros and 174 micros for the year out of a total of 4640 moths recorded within the parish this year.

Old lady

orange swift