It has been a week of contrasts on the birding front. The levels have been slow on the migrant front but it was good to finally get a "proper" spring migrant in the form of a male Wheatear on Down Level this morning. Also on Down & Horse-eye this morning were 13 Wigeon, 11 Gadwall, a drake Shoveler, and 4 Dunlin, along with the resident Shelduck, Raven, Buzzard, and Redshank.
On the moth front things are slowly picking up with some new species for the year over the course of the week. Best of these was the Oak Beauty (pictured above) which was in the trap this morning along with another Clouded Drab, Small Quaker, Hebrew Character (3), & Common Quaker (3). Earlier in the week the Brindled Pug and Small Quaker (also pictured) were trapped overnight on the 1st.
However my highlight of the week has to be the Fen Drayton Baikal Teal. I don't twitch much nowadays but every now and then I get the urge to have an away day. So earlier this week I took some time in lieu and headed for Fen Drayton to look at some quackage. Now I am very very sceptical about ducks in general (in terms of their provenance), however this boy was so stunning that it was worth seeing even if it had leapt out of a pen! Not that I am implying it did I hasten to add...
The Teal aside there was plenty of activity on the duck front with approximately 40 Goldeneye scattered around the reserves lakes, many of them displaying, along with numerous Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Shoveler, and a single drake Scaup. Also seen were a pair of Egyptian Geese, Avocet, Redshank, Dabchick, 2 singing Blackcap, Stock Dove, several Little Egret, and the fella pictured below - probably my favourite mammal.
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