Aquatic Warbler 30 August 2019

As this was the first time that Carlton had been able to visit the jetty (or RB2), this year for some acro ringing, he was hoping for a productive session. Carlton describes the morning - "I was maybe hoping for something special (given the time of year), but little did I know it would happen so quickly. I arrived on site at 06.15, and set the MP3 player (Aquatic only) to play while I put the two nets up. Within a few minutes of the nets being open, there was a single bird in the net just above the MP3. I could see it was an Aquatic Warbler while I was extracting it (having handled and ringed a few in France in the past), but I hadn't even handled a Sedge Warbler this year - so it wasn't until I had checked through all the salient points that I convinced myself I wasn't imagining things. I gave Andy a call and he was able to join me before the bird was released. There were no other birds in the nets until gone 7am, and no sign of any Sedge Warbler all morning. The final totals at 10.15 were - Aquatic Warbler 1, Reed Warbler 6 + (1), Chiffchaff 3, Willow Warbler 3, Total 13 + (1).

In addition, a Hobby was seen and heard several times nearby, probably after the many Hawker dragonflies that were about and a Water Rail was occasionally heard. Another interesting sighting was of a fine Red Underwing moth flying around the car and hide that finally settled on the front wall of the hide. This large and impressive moth clearly shows off its red underwings when seen flying in daylight and was initially thought to be one of the tiger moths (I had been watching Jersey Tigers flying in daylight in France just the week before.). It also would have made an easy and tasty morsel for the hobby if it had flown high. Its food plants are Willow, Poplars and Aspens so it probably hadn’t come far. I was please as this was my first sighting of this moth in Brecknock.”

This is only the sixth Aquatic Warbler to be ringed by LRGp (all caught responding to a tape lure), and ten years since our last one -

28/08/2009 - Jerry in rb2
20/08/2008 - Alan L at the jetty
17/08/2006 - Alan L at the jetty
11/08/2003 - Jerry at the jetty
13/08/1997 - Jerry at the jetty

In addition, one was heard responding to the tape on 13/08/2004 - Martin Preece and Jerry at the jetty, and four were ringed before the Group was formed (without tape lures) -

26/9/1976 LL - Peter Rose in rb1
24/8/1976 LL - Martin Preece in rb1
12/8/1976 LL - Jeremy, Martin Preece, Mark Pugh and Philip Sims in rb1
17/8/1975 LL - Martin Preece, Peter Rose, Graham Cundale and Maurice Massey in rb1

Soon after the Group was formed, the net lane in rb1 was abandoned, in favour of the jetty, and it isn't surprising that most subsequent birds have been caught there. The extensive sedge bed adjacent to the bird hide, being a more suitable habitat for this species, than rb2, where most of the (less extensive) sedge bed has extensive alder cover.

Red Underwing