Well a bit of a negative to start with…
A number of vis-mig (Bird visible migration) sites including my site at Low Moor are to date reporting a lack of numbers of migrating birds.
I am recording low number of common species like, Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Goldfinches as are Meadow Pipits for this time of the year .
The weather as we known pays a vital role in the migration of birds and at the moment the temperature is still relatively mild so finger crossed this may be a factor or is Global Warming a factor?
So yesterday over the watch point 3 Goosander and 2 Swallow flew south. A single party of 45 Siskin flew overhead also to the south.
I also flushed a Common Snipe which flew off high to the north.
This morning a single Swallow battled against the wind to the south and 2 Chiffchaffs and 2 Goldcrests here keeping me company at the watch point.
On my back home I called in at Raw Nook Nr to have a quick look for moth leaf mines.
It wasn’t long before I found a new species of micro moth larva for the reserve in an Oak leaf.
The larva is of the moth Tischeria ekebladella.
The good news about finding tenanted moth leaf mines is that I can prove the species is breeding at the site which is good news for the reserve.