September 20th

On time this morning, there was a little more variety in the moths today, there were 2 Bordered Beautys, Barred Sallow was new for the year, Dusky Thorn, Black Rustic and more Deep Brown Darts were found. I think the Lunar Underwings totalled 120 or so, not quite the 640 we had one morning last autumn!! Last autumn also produced our first Southern Oak Bush Crickets, just after the first for Kent was found at Dungeness, this morning we found another one of these crickets that is rapidly expanding it's range in the UK, since the first sighting in Surrey in 2001. It's doing surprisingly well considering it can't fly!!

Southern Oak Bush Cricket

One of many tricky species when learning these are both called Sallow!

Dusky Thorn

Lesser Treble Bar

There were many more SWALLOWS and HOUSE MARTINS today probably several hundred went through in the hour or so I was there, mixed in were a handful of SISKIN and MEADOW PIPITS today with a bit more purpose in the direction they were flying. CHIFFCHAFFS were found in the usual haunts and again 7 or 8 birds were present. One nice flock today, contained 20 YELLOWHAMMERS, 17 LONG TAILED TITS, 10 BLUE TITS, 4 CHIFFCHAFF, 1 BLACKCAP and a handful of CHAFFINCHES.

Long Tailed Tit

Time was against me so I opted for a walk around the only uncut field we have at the moment, which is clover, a small bird caught my eye low to the ground on the edge, GRASSHOPPER WARBLER, possibly the third bird of the autumn. It showed all to briefly before flying out in to the middle of the field. The 65th species this month. The only other bird of note was a GOLDCREST flying about 50 or 60ft up over the car park, not how I usually expect to see them!! Stephen sent me a text later, he had found 4 Stonechats and 2 Whinchats in the clover field I had been walking round only half an hour before!! How I missed them I don't know as I spent a reasonable amount of time scanning after I found the Gropper! Maybe they'll hang around until tomorrow.