We got to the Obs early this morning for some ringing with the light westerlies. We caught 9 birds, so a quiet day, but all apart from one were juveniles, including 2 Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Sedge Warbler (one was a recaptured adult), 1 Dunnock, 1 Wren and a Willow Warbler! The Willow Warbler was a bit of a surprise, and we’re assuming a juvenile that has dispersed from elsewhere and is on the move now.

Later on in the morning, we went to ring the three Barn Owl chicks that we had checked a couple of weeks ago but some were too small to ring back then. Luckily, all three chicks had survived, even the much smaller one, and were all big enough to ring now! It is amazing to see the difference in development between siblings, one was bigger and much further on in feathering in flight feathers and wing coverts etc than the other two chicks, but they all seem to be doing really well and had a few juicy fresh voles sitting for lunch. They’re such lovely birds to monitor and ring, hopefully this adult will return in 2026 for it’s third year and raise another three chicks.

Barn Owl chicks

Barn Owl chick

Otherwise on the reserve, we had 7 Whimbrel fly over this morning. We also had a lovely juvenile Grey Wagtail coming to the Obs pond! There was a Lesser Whitethroat in the car park too which are being a bit more elusive at this time of year. Although not a rare bird by any means, we had a Great Spotted Woodpecker go over the Pines, we don’t often see them that close to the Obs and are much easier to see towards the village.

Another busy couple of moth traps to go through with some lovely moths including 1 Coronet, 1 Wormwood Pug, 3 Rosy Footman, 12 Dingy Footman, 4 Bulrush Veneer, 14 Uncertain/Rustic, 1 Ringed China Mark, 13 Scarce Footman, 1 Buff Ermine, 1 Large Yellow Underwing, 5 Ermine agg., 3 Pine Leaf Mining Moth, 1 Clay, 3 Drinker, 2 Common Masoner, 6 Garden Tiger, 3 Single Dotted Wave, 1 Kent Black Arches, 1 Scalloped Oak, 1 Brown Line Bright Eye, 1 Common Zebra Moth, 1 Shaded Broad Bar, 1 Sharp Angled Peacock, 2 Pebble Prominent, 4 Rolled Grass Moth, 3 Common Wainscot, 1 Fen Wainscot, 1 Garden Rose Tortrix, 4 Marbled Minor agg., 2 Ear Moth, 2 Small Umber, 2 Reed Dagger, 2 Turnip, 2 Willow Ermine, 1 Brown tail, 1 White-faced Straw, 3 Yellow-tail, 2 Ruby Tiger, 1 Pale Prominent, 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart, 1 Pine Hawk-moth, 1 Fern, 1 Reed Veneer and 1 Bedstraw Hawk-moth! This is only the second Bedstraw Hawk-moth I’ve ever seen, they are nationally rare and listed as Vulnerable on the Red List.

Bedstraw Hawk-moth!

There was a Common Blue butterfly on the East Bank path and lots of Migrant Hawker feeding over the reserve.

Shannon Clifford – Assistant Warden