Patch highlights of 2016

To say that 2016 on the patch was tough going is an understatement. It was a particularly poor year for birds - migrants and breeders alike - with one Red List species failing to return to breed for the first time. Despite this, two warbler species occurred that are potential additions to the Staines Moor list. It was also a poor year for fungi, probably as a result of a very dry last quarter. However, butterflies put on a great show, with the best autumn Red Admiral migration ever recorded at the patch.

All reports below refer to Staines Moor unless otherwise stated, and include unauthenticated records pending acceptance by the London Bird Club recorders (records that are not my own are credited in brackets).

The mild conditions the first half of winter 2015/16 continued into the January and February. End of winter highlights include 2 Eurasian Treecreeper along Bonehead Ditch on 1st January⁹, a high site count of 18 Stonechat on 5th January³, 7 Water Pipits on 16th January, a singing Eurasian Treecreeper by Slips Pond on 11th February, single Jack Snipes on 11th February and 25th February, 1 male House Sparrow on the Moor Lane unit of the Staines Moor SSSI on 19th February (a very rare bird for Staines Moor), and 2 Water Rail along the Colne, with one bird showing extremely well under the willow clump from 12th to 17th March. 6-8 Water Pipit on 17th March is another good site count.

Water Rail, River Colne, Staines Moor, 17 March 2016. Water Rail occasionally winter in the willow clump along the Colne just south
of the northern footbridge.

Spring migration was very slow. Another singing Eurasian Treecreeper along the old railway on 2nd April was presumably the bird seen here throughout the winter, and a Grasshopper Warbler and 3 Common Redstart were all present on 12th April.

Migrant Grasshopper Warbler, Staines Moor, 12 April

The highlight of the spring was a pair of Bar-tailed Godwits feeding beside the Colne all day on 12th May. The female was ringed as an adult on 11 May 2006 in the Netherlands at Polder bij Lies on the island of Terschelling in the western Wadden Sea. A single Grasshopper Warbler returned to breed (seen on 5th and 7th May and heard on 12th May), but depressingly, there was no sign of any Common Cuckoos at either Staines Moor or Stanwell Moor this year - the first year of absence for the patch that I can remember.

Bar-tailed Godwits, Staines Moor, 12 May

Redshank returned to Staines Moor in mid March, with 2 on 17th increasing to 5 on 20th⁵. 2, presumably a pair, were still present on 22nd May but breeding was not proved. Sadly, although 4 displaying Northern Lapwing were seen on 22nd March, not a single pair bred successfully.

First arrival dates of common summer migrants at Staines Moor or Stanwell Moor for 2016:

Species	Arrival date	Location	Observer
Barn Swallow	20 Mar	Staines Moor	Iain, John & Kath Darbyshire
Northern Wheatear	26 Mar	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Sand Martin	26 Mar	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
House Martin	3 Apr	Staines Moor	Tim Rymer
Common Redstart	12 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Grasshopper Warbler	12 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Willow Warbler	12 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Lesser Whitethroat	12 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Sedge Warbler	17 Apr	Staines Moor	Jim Sweetland
Eurasian Hobby	20 Apr	Staines Moor	Sue Middens
Common Tern	20 Apr	Staines Moor	Sue Middens, Thomas Gibson
Common Swift	20 Apr	Staines Moor	Thomas Gibson
Ring Ouzel	21 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Whinchat	21 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Reed Warbler	21 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Common Whitethroat	21 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Yellow Wagtail	21 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Garden Warbler	5 May	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Spotted Flycatcher	7 May	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain

Coverage over the summer months was almost non-existent. After a very poor spring I really needed a long break away from the patch and so didn't make a single visit, but neither, seemingly, did many others. A Barn Owl at the south end of Staines Moor on 13th June is an unusual summer record⁵, and an intriguing report of a Marsh Warbler on the 27th August² will be a site first if accepted.

Autumn passage began with a huge influx of migrant Red Admirals butterflies provided a fantastic spectacle as their feed on blackberries in their hundreds, peaking with at least 554 counted on Staines Moor and Stanwell Moor on 8th September.

Red Admirals Vanessa atalanta feeding on blackberries, Staines Moor, 8 September 2016

Early October provided the autumn passage highlights. A tame Red Knot feeding beside the Colne on Staines Moor for an hour on 7th October must have been a fantastic sight and is only the third site record⁴. The next day the national Yellow-browed Warbler influx reached the patch with Staines Moor's first seen in a tit flock in the north-west corner⁶.

The first Short-eared Owl of the autumn appeared on 8th October⁸, with 2 together on 16th October⁵ and 20th October⁵, and the first returning Water Pipit and Jack Snipe were both noted on 22nd October. A Mediterranean Gull on 27th October is, surprisingly, only the third record for Staines Moor and a Dartford Warbler that showed up in the south-east corner of Staines Moor on 11th November is the seventh site record. 2 Jack Snipe were along the Colne on 15th November⁷ and a juvenile Marsh Harrier south-west over Staines Moor on 4th December¹ was the last notable record of the year¹.

Personally, 2016 on the patch will be remembered as a highly frustrating and infuriating year, with a huge number of hours spent in the field during spring and autumn migration in particular producing absolutely naff all. This is the nature of inland patch birding of course, but I really hope 2017 is a little better.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the following observers for reporting their records: ¹Nick B, ²Ed Bates, ³John Edwards, ⁴Hugh Evans, ⁵Thomas Gibson, ⁶Rob Innes, ⁷Steve Portugal, ⁸Jim Sweetland and ⁹Jim and Tony Sweetland.

Patch highlights of 2015

2015 will be remembered as a vintage year for ornithology at Staines Moor. A lacklustre spring migration and quiet summer was followed by the best autumn passage Staines Moor has seen for many years, that produced a BBRC-CAT A rarity, a first for west London, several excellent patch records and good numbers of common migrants. Over the year six species occurred that are potential additions to the Staines Moor bird list.

All reports below refer to Staines Moor unless otherwise stated, and include unauthenticated records pending acceptance by the London Bird Club rarities recorder.

Barred Warbler, Staines Moor, 2 September 2015. With this personal find I thought inland patch birding couldn't get any better...
then 16 days later, it did!

The year kicked off with some excellent night-birding on Staines Moor. A count of 5-6 Eurasian Woodcock on 23rd January proved a short-lived site record with 7 seen on the evening of 25th January. 3 Jack Snipe and 23 Common Snipe were also logged on 25th January, and further spot-lighting sessions produced 1-2 Tawny Owl (unfortunately heard only) on 14th February (the forth record for Staines Moor), up to 2 Little Owls hunting around the anthills at the north end on several nights, and 3 Roe Deer on 20th March.

January and February also produced some excellent close encounters with Jack Snipe during daylight hours. Several were seen at a range of just metre or so, and 7 on 14th February is just one shy of the equally the highest ever count on Staines Moor.

Jack Snipe, Staines Moor, 14 February 2015 - 1 of 7 seen that day

The Dartford Warbler present since last November showed on and off throughout January and was last seen on the 27th. Sightings from other observers in January include 55 Eurasian Wigeon on the Colne on 4th²¹ (unusual on the Colne nowadays), 4 Goosander on 11th²¹, a peak count of 8 Water Pipits on 19th⁵ and a Short-eared Owl present on several dates in January was last seen on the 31st²².

The start of spring passage was heralded by Staines Moor's second Knot (and first since 1951) over on 14th March⁷, followed on 20th March by a third for Staines Moor - a summer plumage Scandinavian Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus littoralis. Other spring passage highlights include a Ring Ouzel on 15th April^{3, 18} and a Grasshopper Warbler on 25th April².

Spring weather arrived late this year, seemingly delaying the arrival of Sand Martin and Northern Wheatear, though the adverse conditions didn't seem to affect the arrival dates of most common summer migrants, many of which arrived several days earlier than last year. However, numbers of common migrants appeared much lower than usual, especially in early spring.

First arrival dates of common summer migrants at Staines Moor or Stanwell Moor for 2015:

Species	Arrival date	Location	Observer
Northern Wheatear	19 Mar	Staines Moor	Tony Cummings
Common Whitethroat	4 Apr	Staines Moor	Mark Elsoffer
Willow Warbler	4 Apr	Staines Moor	Mark Elsoffer
House Martin	6 Apr	Staines Moor	Samuel Perfect
Barn Swallow	11 Apr	Staines Moor	Richard Woolley
Yellow Wagtail	17 Apr	Staines Moor	Stephen Minhinnick
Eurasian Hobby	21 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Common Tern	21 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Sand Martin	21 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Sedge Warbler	21 Apr	Stanwell Moor	Jim Sweetland
Garden Warbler	21 Apr	Staines Moor	Euan Tapper
Common Cuckoo	24 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Common Swift	24 Apr	Stanwell Moor	Lee Dingain
Whinchat	24 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Reed Warbler	24 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Lesser Whitethroat	24 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain

A Coal Tit heard along the old railway on 4th April^{6, 18}, finally allowed Staines Moor's bogey bird to be added to the site bird list. 5 Bullfinch at Stanwell Moor on 16th March²¹ and 9 Little Egret at Staines Moor on 10th April^# are both notable high patch counts, and 2 Water Pipits on 20th April⁹ were the last of the winter.

The first Redshank returned to Staines Moor on 10th March¹⁶, but they just about held on as a breeding species with a single territorial pair present on Staines Moor June. Similarly, only a single Northern Lapwing was present during the summer this year, reflecting the current unfavourable conditions here for nesting waders. On a positive note, a singing Grasshopper Warbler took up territory in the same area as last year's birds.

A very showy Great White Egret on 16th August was the forth record for Staines Moor but the second in the last three years, reflecting increasing records nationally. In contrast, an adult Yellow-legged Gull over west on 29th August^# is, perhaps surprisingly, only the second site record.

Staines Moor's forth Great White Egret was present on 16th August pretending to be a Cattle Egret

Things then went completely bonkers, with a string of fantastic inland records and one of the best purple patches that Staines Moor has seen in years.

On 2nd September a 1st-winter Barred Warbler began a 16 day residence in the hawthorns in the north-west corner. Just the 11th record within the London Recording Area and the first for west London*, this bird proved extremely popular with many people coming to see it. Fortunately it responded by showing uncharacteristically well on occasions - gorging itself on blackberries, sunbathing and even flying about out in the open.

Staines Moor's second Wryneck (and first since 1976) was found in the same hawthorns on 12th September¹¹. Last seen on 19th September, the Wryneck proved equally popular despite remaining hidden for long periods.

As if a Barred Warbler and Wryneck together wasn't enough, incredibly, London's seventh* Black Stork flew south-west across Staines Moor on 18th September. At this point it felt as if the patch had been picked up and moved to eastern Europe!

London's seventh Black Stork - a juvenile over Staines Moor on 18th September

Further additions to the Staines Moor list came in the form of a Eurasian Nightjar seen over the southern edge of the moor from a moving car on the A30 on 11th September¹, a long overdue male Yellowhammer perched behind The Butts on 25th September¹⁷, and a Raven mobbed by Carrion Crows before flying west on 29th September^#.

September also produced good numbers of common migrants. Spotted Flycatchers were seen on three dates and Common Redstarts on eight, with a minimum of 4 of the later recorded (an excellent site tally) including a peak of 3 on 13th September^{6, 18}. Whinchat passage peaked with 7 on 18th September, and the livestock on Staines Moor attracted some large Yellow Wagtail flocks including 45 on 7th September^{4, 13} and 31 on 18th September¹⁰. An early passage Short-eared Owl went through on 9th September^{15, 18}.

On Stanwell Moor 3 Little Owl showed very well to many observers throughout the month.

3 Little Owls showed very well from the Colne Valley Way on Stanwell Moor during September (Photo by Kevin Campbell)

October continued where September left off, with Staines Moor's forth Hen Harrier (and first male) stopping for a few hours on the 6th to hunt Goldfinches before heading off north-west¹⁵.

A Coal Tit at The Butts on 8th October¹⁹ was not only the first sight record for Staines Moor but the beginning of a run of sightings. 1 visited the feeders along the old railway set up by Stephen Minhinnick on 11th October¹⁸, a probable Continental race (Periparus ater ater) individual was along Bonehead woodland on 25th October¹⁴, and at least 3 of the British subspecies (P. a. britannicus) were seen along the old railway on a few dates in November and December.

Easterly winds from the second week of October brought spectacular falls of Goldcrests to the east coast, along with an influx of Great Great Shrikes and Short-eared Owls, and it didn't take long for birds to filter inland. A site count of 19 Goldcrest on 13th October set a new patch record, which was then smashed by 34 on 1st November.

Goldcrest, 20 November - part of an unprecedented influx at Staines Moor in the autumn

On 18th October Staines Moor's third Great Grey Shrike was discovered and was still present on 19th catching insects from the hawthorns¹⁴.

Staines Moor's third Great Great Shrike was present from 18-19 October (Photos by Andrew Moon)

The first returning Water Pipit and Jack Snipe and last departing Northern Wheatear¹⁵ were also noted on 19th October, 2 Golden Plover and a Brambling flew over on 24th and a Firecrest put in an appearance in a tit flock on 25th¹².

More Short-eared Owls reached Staines Moor on 25th with 2 in from the north¹⁴. Up to 3 were seen almost daily by many observers from then until 5th November hunting over the east side, and fellow patch birder Keith Kerr even managed to find a pellet and work out what they were eating - see Keith's blog. Single Short-eared Owls were also seen on 11th and 20th November.

Up to 3 Short-eared Owls showed well along the east side from late October to early November (Photo by Kevin Campbell)

November and December were exceptionally mild, with December being the warmest on record in Britain. Winter thrushes were notable for their relative absence, and spotlighting sessions revealed a maximum count of just 2 Eurasian Woodcock, suggesting conditions on the continent were too mild to push them across the North Sea in large numbers. Another Firecrest on seen on 1st November, and on Stanwell Moor a female Marsh Harrier was seen feeding on a Common Moorhen on 6th.

Another Marsh Harrier was seen over Staines Moor on 2nd December and other notables in December were 1 Jack Snipe on 6th²⁰, a Golden Plover on the ground on the 23rd, and 6 Goosander over on the 29th¹⁴. Reasonable numbers of Water Pipits were present along the Colne with 7 on the 6th December²⁰ being the highest count. 3 Bullfinches seen along the old railway on 24th is a notable count and wintering Stonechats peaked at 12+ on 28th December⁸.

Really looking forward to seeing what 2016 brings.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the following observers for reporting their records: ¹Kit Britten, ²Peter Carlill, ³Graeme Charles, ⁴Andy Culshaw, Tony Cummings, ⁵John Edwards, ⁶Mark Elsoffer, ⁷Deacon Frost, ⁸Thomas Gibson, ⁹Sue Giddens, ¹⁰Dick Haydon, ¹¹Harringay Birder, ¹²Ben Hollands, ¹³David Howdon, ¹⁴Rob Innes, ¹⁵Keith Kerr, ¹⁶Chris Lamsdell, ¹⁷Robert Martin, ¹⁸Stephen Minhinnick, ¹⁹Andrew Moon, ^#Dave Morris,

²⁰Samuel and Ephraim Perfect, ²¹Dominic Pia, ²²Ian Strickland, Jim Sweetland, Euan Tapper and Richard Woolley.

Also, a special thanks to Kevin Campbell and Andrew Moon for their excellent photos.

References

* Self, A. (2014) The Birds of London. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Patch highlights of 2014

Staines Moor's third Eurasian Spoonbill passed low overhead on 30 March

Early 2014 will be remembered for the extensive flooding across many parts of Britain, including at Staines and Stanwell Moors. A deep polar vortex over North America throughout the winter of 2013/14 pushed the Gulf Stream much further south than usual, sending one low pressure system after another across the Atlantic to produce the wettest January in southern England since records began in 1910.

Weeks of heavy rainfall saturated the ground and the extremely high water table kept the pools on Staines Moor topped up. The River Wraysbury, which flows along the west boundary of Staines Moor, burst its banks in January causing the most widespread flooding on Staines Moor since January 2003, and remained in flood right through to March.

Access to Staines Moor in particular became very difficult, with the Moor Lane entrances either impassable or requiring waders, and the Colne Valley Way through Stanwell Moor also flooded and was often impassable. But this did not stop a few determined observers from continuing to watch the site.

Several fish were seen swimming around on the flooded footpaths at night in February, including this Northern Pike Esox lucius

The Pantanal-like conditions on Staines Moor attracted unusually high counts of Little Egret, including a new personal highest count of 5 in January and a new site record of 10 on 3 February⁹, up to 7 Water Pipits around the floods and along the Colne (a personal highest count of 5), and the highest number of wintering Lapwings for several years. Large counts of Black-headed Gulls included 150+ on the floods on 19 February⁵, and 40 Pied Wagtails on the same date⁵ (my personal highest count was 20) was impressive. 40 Common Snipe on 24 February³ is a good count for modern times.

Also on Staines Moor, a Short-eared Owl made irregular appearances from late January through to March, a Merlin was seen on 3, 7 and 23 February by various observers, up to seven Goosander were frequently noted - on the Colne and overhead and a Water Rail took up residence under the willows mid way along the Colne. In January at least 2 Eurasian Woodcock regularly showed well at night around the anthills.

Eurasian Woodcock frequently showed well at night on Staines Moor at both ends of the year

On Stanwell Moor, a Bittern was seen sporadically throughout January and February (with another or the same reported at Shortwood Pond on nearby Shortwood Common (part of the wider Staines Moor SSSI) on 31 January), another Merlin was reported and a couple of Cetti's Warblers took up residence.

The receding flood waters brought in a Dark-bellied Brent Goose to Staines Moor that was seen almost daily feeding from 17 March to 1 April, and also visited both King George VI Reservoir and Staines Reservoirs.

Brent Goose, Staines Moor, 17 March - 1 April (Photos by Neil Randon (left) and David Carlsson (right))

Mid March saw the first spring migrants passing through (list of first arrival dates below). Locally scarce migrants include an Oystercatcher at Stanwell Moor on 25 March⁶, a Curlew over Staines Moor on the same date¹¹, Staines Moor's third Eurasian Spoonbill over on 30 March, a Ring Ouzel from 18-19 April¹ and a Marsh Harrier over on 20 April⁴.

First arrival dates of common summer migrants at Staines Moor or Stanwell Moor for 2014:

Species	Arrival date	Location	Observer
Northern Wheatear	18 Mar	Staines Moor	Roger Dewey
Little Ringed Plover	30 Mar	Stanwell Moor	Chris Lamsdell
Sand Martin	30 Mar	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Sedge Warbler	5 Apr	Stanwell Moor	Lee Dingain
House Martin	8 Apr	Stanwell Moor	Thomas Gibson
Barn Swallow	9 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Common Tern	17 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Willow Warbler	17 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Common Whitethroat	17 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Lesser Whitethroat	17 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Cuckoo	24 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Whinchat	24 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Common Redstart	24 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Reed Warbler	24 Apr	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Common Swift	1 May	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain
Garden Warbler	1 May	Staines Moor	Lee Dingain

At least one pair of Cuckoo were noted in late May, and a survey of breeding birds on Staines Moor revealed 4 singing male Lesser Whitethroat, 12 Meadow Pipit territories, and 8-9 Reed Bunting territories (with some seen carrying nest material and food). 4 Northern Lapwings took up territory with at least 2 pairs breeding successfully, with a chick seen from two different broods (and two broods caught and ringed). Two pairs of Redshank also managed to breed, with two broods also caught and ringed. Taller vegetation resulting from much reduced grazing attracted 2 singing male Grasshopper Warblers, however, breeding was not confirmed.

One of two territorial male Grasshopper Warblers present on Staines Moor during April and May

Bucking the trend - Cuckoo continue to breed annually on Staines and Stanwell Moors, no doubt thanks to the healthy numbers of
Meadow Pipit and Reed Warbler present. At least one, possibly two, singing males were present in the spring, including this male
seen chasing a female in early May.

Autumn passage saw some good visible migration overhead at Staines Moor, including the first Black Tern for Staines Moor, a moulting adult, on 3 October, Staines Moor's third 1 Little Gull over on 15 October, the second Marsh Harrier of the year on 27 September followed by a third on 15 November⁸, and 6 Brent Geese on 30 October. High counts of common species on the move include 2,449 Woodpigeon on 22 October (a new site record), and 1,578 Starling and 135 Chaffinch on 26 October.

An influx of Ring Ouzel into south-east England in mid October saw several hundred at coastal sites, and at least 2 making it to Staines Moor on 15 October, and another briefly on 24 October. This autumn also saw an excellent chat passage with good numbers of Whinchat peaking at 11 on 6 September⁴, as well as many Stonechats, with at least 18 on 27 September - yet another new site record.

Autumn sightings on or over Stanwell Moor including a Firecrest on 30 September², and 218 Eurasian Wigeon over on 12 October.

Migrant Short-eared Owls on Staines Moor include an early bird on 15 September⁷, 2-3 on 15 October, and a single on 30 October. A Barn Owl was at the north end of Staines Moor early morning on 19 October¹⁰, and Staines Moor's third Tawny Owl, a male, was heard calling from Bonehead Ditch on 29 November⁴.

One of at least four migrant Short-eared Owls on Staines Moor this autumn

Two Short-eared Owls wintered on Staines Moor - seen intermittently from 30 November until the end of the year, and at least 14 Stonechat decided to stay on for the winter, attracting Staines Moor's sixth (and longest-staying) Dartford Warbler that took to following them around from 15 November to 13 December.

The first returning wintering Water Pipits were 2-3 along the Colne on 15 October. Numbers of this scarce continental winter visitor peaked at 6 (though possibly as many as 11) on 28 November. November saw large numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing stripping berries off the hawthorns in the north-west corner - I'm so glad I managed to persuade Spelthorne Borough Council to leave some of these hawthorns and not fell them all.

Staines Moor's sixth, and longest-staying, Dartford Warbler was present from 15 November to 13 December

Non-avian highlights include 4 Chub in flood water under the bridge along the old railway on 16 February, a Northern Pike in flood water on 22 February, 2 Roe Deer reported on a few occasions by other observers in February (a site first to my knowledge), a Reeve's Muntjac on 17 April, and a Clouded Yellow on 27 September.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the following observers for reporting their records: ¹Kevin Duncan, ²Graeme Charles, ³Thomas Gibson, ⁴Rob Innes, ⁵Keith Kerr, ⁶Chris Lamsdell, ⁷Franko J Maroevic, ⁸Stephen Minhinnick, ⁹Roger Morton, ¹⁰Dominic Pia, and ¹¹Richard Woolley. Also thanks to David Carlsson and Neil Randon for their photos.

Patch highlights of 2013

Another good year for bird sightings on 'the moors' (Staines Moor and Stanwell Moor) this year, although it did feel very quiet bird-wise compared to other London sites during the spring and autumn. Also, some good inverts and plants found as well. Here's a roundup of the best of 2013.

The later half of winter 2012/13 saw some quality winter birding. Up to six Short-eared Owls continued their stay into February (although I recorded a maximum of three birds), hunting mostly on the east side of Staines Moor but also visiting Stanwell Moor on occasion. They frequently showed very well, attracting a number of birders and photographers, but they could also prove frustratingly elusive at times. Also a Barn Owl was often seen during this period on both moors.

Freezing and snowy conditions during January produced a huge southerly movement of Fieldfare totalling 1,192 - a new record for Staines Moor, and January also produced my first patch tick in the form of two Treecreepers, my first sight record of a Cetti's Warbler on Staines Moor, and a Hen Harrier that I missed by just a few minutes (the less said about this the better) that stayed for two days. In February up to 80 Siskins frequented both moors, including a male ringed a few months earlier in Scotland, and up to four Water Pipits were present on Staines Moor.

One of six Short-eared Owls present into February

Up to four Water Pipits frequented the Colne and temporary pools at Staines Moor in early 2013

Spring arrived very late this year delaying the return of many summer migrants. King George VI's wintering Red-throated Diver departed in early April, circling over Stanwell Moor as it did so and giving me another patch tick in the process. Mid April onwards finally saw migrants arriving in numbers, with good counts of Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat and Northern Wheatear (including several 'Greenland' types) passing through Staines Moor, with a fall of 43 of the later thrashing the previous Staines Moor record. Other notable spring migrants were at least two Grasshopper Warblers (one on Staines Moor and another on Stanwell Moor), several Common Redstarts, two Whimbrel (another long overdue patch tick), Little Ringed Plover, several Greenshank, and a flock of 40 Black-tailed Godwits.

Nesting waders had another terrible year; reflecting the current sad state of Staines Moor after decades of poor 'management'. Redshank appeared to make no attempt to nest, and only a single displaying Northern Lapwing was seen on Staines Moor and sadly didn't stay to breed - a shocking decline of both species here over the last 30 years, largely brought about by a borough council that doesn't seem to care one bit for biodiversity. On a positive note, Cuckoo seem to doing well here - presumably parasitising the broods of both Meadow Pipits and Reed Warblers, and Linnet still breed in small numbers. Also, up to four Hobby showed well throughout the spring and summer.

Summer plumage Black-tailed Godwits overhead in April - a highlight of this year's spring passage

A pair of Hobby gave incredible views to many in the spring (more pics here)

After the very wet summer of 2012, lepidoptera had a much better year. Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns emerged in their hundreds, and Pearl Veneer moths Agriphila straminella must have numbered in the thousands. Small Coppers and Six-spot Burnet moths appeared in good numbers, with smaller numbers of Brown Argus and Cinnabar moths. Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral were both still extremely scarce however. Migrants included a few Clouded Yellows and many Silver Y moths, and Staines Moor's first Marbled White made an appearance.

Other interesting non-avian wildlife seen include: Large Bee-fly Bombylius major, a major emergence of Ephemera danica mayflies, and scarce plants such as Thread-leaved Water-crowfoot Ranunculus trichophyllus and Tasteless water-pepper Persicaria mitis.

Notable bird sightings from other observers in June were a drake Garganey on Stanwell Moor, and 8 Little Egret on Staines Moor - a new site record.

Brown Argus Aricia agestis in August

Large Bee-fly Bombylius major along the old railway in May

Thread-leaved Water-crowfoot Ranunculus trichophyllus on one of the shallow pools on Staines Moor

Autumn was much less eventful for passage migrants but there were still some notable records, including a Marsh Harrier over Staines Moor in September, another Hen Harrier and Staines Moor's second Northern Gannet (another juvenile), both in October (none of these three seen by me), and an excellent day in November that produced Staines Moor's third Great White Egret followed by seven Whooper Swans over east - the first site record of the later since 1956 - that fortunately dropped down onto Staines Reservoirs enabling several birders to connect with them. Also, on Stanwell Moor a female Merlin was caught and ringed (see here).

Great White Egret at Staines Moor in November

Whooper Swans at Staines Reservoirs South Basin in November after flying east over Staines Moor (Photo by Rob Innes)

A wet and stormy December produced great views of Woodcock feeding at night on Staines Moor, several Jack Snipe sightings, and up to four Water Pipits. On Stanwell Moor, the second Merlin of the year made a brief appearance for one lucky observer, and a Bittern reportedly reappeared.

Woodcock at Staines Moor in December

I wonder what 2014 will bring? A wintering Long-eared Owl roosting along Bonehead Ditch perhaps? Or maybe a spring passage Honey Buzzard or a Hoopoe around the anthills? Looking forward to finding out.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Rob Innes for permission to use his photo of the Whooper Swans.

Staines Moor highlights 2012

2012 was a good year for me at Staines Moor, with some reasonable vis mig witnessed during both spring and autumn passage, some decent decked migrants for such a small urban inland site, and some excellent insects. Cold weather movements at the start of the year produced 2 Dunlin, 2 Pintail, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Water Rail and 3 Water Pipit all along the ice-free Colne, along with Woodcock and Goosander.

The spring saw another superb passage of Northern Wheatear, with the first, a pair, seen on 16 March, and numbers peaking at an amazing 18 on 2 May. From late April most birds showed characteristics of the Greenland/North American race leucorhoa. Amazing to think that just a few years back Wheatear was much less frequent at the Moor.

Male Northern Wheatear, probably leucorhoa

Other spring highlights included Ring Ouzel, Common Redstart, lots of Whinchats, Spotted Flycatcher, Yellow Wagtail, several Red Kites and a Little Owl.

Adult male Ring Ouzel

Whinchat mini-fall - at least 5 birds present 2 May

Male Common Redstart. I swear there's something about these anthills that draw
scarce migrants at the Moor, in much the same way those pathetically tiny grassy
clumps on Fair Isle attract crippling rare sibes (oh the analogies us rare-deprived
inland birders come up with to keep our motivation up)!

Also, during the spring and summer months at least 5 Redshank were present and I stumbled upon a single nest, which I think is the first confirmed breeding for several years.

Common Redshank nest. Given the number of dogs running around at the Moor
it's amazing that any ground nesters can successfully raise young here.

The summer months produced some excellent insect sightings, although the wet weather had noticeably and dramatically reduced butterfly numbers.

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

Male Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens

Female Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens

Autumn passage, produced Staines Moor's first Northern Gannet, a couple of flocks of Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Ring Ouzel (with another 2 also seen by other observers), 2 Red Kites, 2 Golden Plover and Brambling.

Staines Moor's first Northern Gannet flew over on 7 November

27 Dark-bellied Brent Geese over on 25 October

1st winter male Ring Ouzel. At least 3 were seen at the Moor during the autumn.

Three (four reported by other observers) wintering Short-eared Owls have provided a great finish to the year.

Good birds I missed at the patch this year include Osprey, Firecrest, Treecreeper, Yellowhammer and Little Ringed Plover. National rarities and scarcities seen tantalisingly close to the Moor include London's first 2 Buff-bellied Pipits (less than two miles away), Black Kite, White-winged Black Tern, White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Great White Egret, Roseate Tern, Spoonbill, Tundra Bean Goose, Avocet, Wood Sandpiper, Oystercatcher and Iceland Gull. I can't wait to see what 2013 brings.