Phil Andrews

Just in time for another big push thus week! Think I'm on 301.

The fields west of Blithe Bay were being mown this evening so may be productive for wagtails and chats tomorrow morning

An evening saunter up Blithe Bay at Blithfield Reservoir - Sanderling, 15 Dunlin, 2 Greenshank, 1 Common Sand, 1 Curlew, 6 Ringed Plover, 2 LRP, 1 Blackwit (9 more dropped in at 1920), 4+ Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear, c75 Common Tern + my first Wigeon of the 'winter'
@staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Thanks Ben

A nice set of sightings - nearly made the effort myself early morning. Whereabouts were the Pipits?

How many have been seen there Barry - just the one?

Blithe?

I usually connect near the Jamboree Stone

Cheers Steve - all a bit crazy this year!

An Optricon HR66 which was stolen along with my boy-racer red Nova!

First trap back from Mallorca and 4 NFY - Dotted Clay, Flounced Rustic, Juniper Carpet + Agriphila geniculea. And then the troublesome ones - can 2/3 of a Swallow Prominent sp be nailed? Likewise can this (large) Coleophora be done to species? #TeamMoth @mothiduk.bsky.social @ruthnewby.bsky.social

One on the walk up Ternalles and another on the west side of Albufera. Believe they are now well established. Phil

Up to your usual high standards Steph 👏

A section of a page of watercolour and pencil illustrations of a Song Sparrow. Top left is a small sketch in pencil of the bird singing. It is facing us and showing the characteristic dark spot in the center of the breast. The main picture is of the bird, a small passerine, with a side and rear aspect. The bird is mainly brown and grey with dark streaks. The breast and underparts are white with black and brown streaking. The bird has a stripy head pattern in grey, brown and black.

Work in progress... The Flamborough Song Sparrow.

Couple of hours at Sa Font + Amarador failed to produce a convincing view of Black Penant (lifer) 😢 Painted Lady, Small Copper + Black Kite were all trip ticks. Also 3 Red Kite, Booted Eagle, Turtle Dove, Clouded Yellow, Plain Tiger, Wall, Cleopatra, Long-tailed + Lang's Short-tailed Blues.

Yesterday saw me take the Fisherman's Walk west of Cala Sant Vicenc - new butterfly for me with 1 Striped Grayling resting on path. Also 2 brief Two-tailed Pasha, Palm Moth, Common Darter, Red Kite, Booted Eagle + stunning views of up to 12 Eleonora's Falcon, some hawking very close above the pines.

On the tourist trail today up to the cliffs at Formentor and the tower at Albercutx - several Eleonora's Falcon, Balearic Warbler, Palm Moths and Wall Brown which was a new butterfly for the trip

Well done Ruth 👏

Seem to be a lot scarcer nowadays - couldn't be ar$ed with the supposedly reliable site of the electricity substation near Palma airport.

Have been keeping it very much in the northeast corner Ian with short trips between family time. Hopefully something for future year's.

Final full day in Mallorca started with Maristany - 4 Night + 3 Purple Heron, 3 Glossy Ibis, swamphen, 2 Marbled Duck, 2 Greenshank, 2 Green Sand and finally added for the trip, 2 Little Bittern.
Then on to Albufereta- 3 Glossy Ibis and Eleonora's Falcon from the Sa Barcassa screen.

Yesterday morning at Deparadura S'Ilot - Glossy Ibis, 2 Squacco Heron, Stone Curlew, 2 Eleonora's Falcon, 3 Red-legged Partridge, 4 Green + 3 Common Sandpipers , 2 Hoopoe, swamphen, Great Reed Warbler, Water Rail, Yellow Wagtail, Woodchat Shrike, lots of Cattle Egret + Stonechats

"The Wibble" certainly sounds like it should be some type of nondescript moth species

Pool day today in Puerto Pollensa but stil plenty of interest - Hummingbird Hawkmoth, a variety of dragonflies incl Red-veined Darter, Scarlet Darter, Emperor + LesserEmperor + 2 new butterflies for trip, Long-tailed Blue + (ironically given the miles of suitable wetland habitat walked), Swallowtail

Another good morning at Marinstay - 3 Purple 4 Squacco + 5 Night Heron, 5 Glossy Ibis, 7 Gallinule, Yellow Wag, 2 Garganey, Audouins Gulls, 12 Marbled Duck, 2 Greenshank, 3 Green Sand, LRPs, Gull-billed Tern, 100+ Little c30 Cattle & 2 Great White Egrets (first of holiday). Shame about the shooting😢

Duelling Scops Owls outside the hotel room in Puerto Pollensa last night

Poor for odonata but a few day-flying moths - mostly Vestal but also Antigastra catalaunalis and Spotted Sulphur.

Return to west side of Albufera from Es Forcadet to Sa Font this afternoon. Birding was quiet with swamphen, GR Warbler, Bee-eater, Marsh Harrier & zillions of zitting things but muchus butterflies incl Clouded Yellow, Cleopatra, Lang's Short-taile Blue + best of all, Plain Tiger, a lifer for me!

A host of trip ticks at Albufera on Wednesday included Red-knobbed Coot, Wood Sand (2), Linnet, Oystercatcher, Yellow Wagtail, Curlew Sand (4), Little Tern (3), Greenshank (up to 7), Cormorant + Spotted Redshank. Also Osprey, Common + Green Sands, Violet Dropwing, Southern Brown Argus + Cleopatra.

A thorough search of Albufereta this morning failed to locate the Western Reef Heron. Trip ticks of Little Stint + RL Partridge at Sa Barcassa; also 6+ Purple Heron, Stone Curlew, Hoopoe + Squacco. 2 Greenshank, Glossy Ibis, LRPs, Yellow Wag, Green + Common Sand at Can Cullerassa