Unexpected moth tick

The Safari set off quite hopeful to Chat Alley just after first light and soon had a couple of Pied Wagtails going past. But it was then a good while before we got anythng else. In the end all we managed to get into the notebook was 13 Pied Wagtails and two Wheatears - somewhat disappointing but given the clearish sky with only light high cloud probably to be expected.As a lower cloud front came towards us from the south, almost at the end of our walk, we started to pick up a few Meadow Pipits, nine in total with a couple more later in the morning over Base Camp.
The boating pool was disturbed by two idiots walking along the top of the perimeter wall - if only one could have slpped and fallen to their doom...as their lunacy had scared off the wader roost. Only 24 Turnstones and 16 Redshank had drifted back in once the numpties had gone.

Last thing to make it onto the page was a Grey Wagtail which is probably going to a winter resident down there.

The amount of litter on the prom this morning was a diabolical disgrace, when we've become Prime Minister a certain fast food cahin featuring a clown will be shut down and anyone found throwing bottles over the cliff 'cos it's fun to hear them smash to squizzillion pieces' will be shot on sight!

At first we couldn't quite make out an unusual item of marine litter. At first glance it looked like a Mermaid but then we noticed she had two legs widely spread...she was never going to need rescuing...just reinflating perhaps.

Once again the moth trap was pretty thin. Out came three Large Yellow Underwings and the first two Common Marbled Carpets of the year.

Better still was this Red Line Quaker a new addition to the Base Camp list - and a nicely marked little moth it is too.

After a bit of brekkie and a good bit of tidying up after last night's birthday bash...not so much Come Dine With Me as more Come Scoff With Me. Wifey did us all proud with a superb double tasty Greek selection so good if any Greeks had been present they'd have sworn blind they were back home...totally delish!!!! - we went down to the nature reserve to find the work party in full swing.
They'd already cleared the reeds from in front of the bird club hide! We went down to the far end to give whatever might have been there time to settle down and return.
A Mistle Thrush flew over, a Chiffchaff sang to our left and a Great Spotted Woodpecker called. The day was mild and there wwere plenty of dragonflies about including Brown Hawkers in tandem. The site has so many dragonflies it's a bit weird that there are so few Hobbys recorded - they're far from annual. most numerous were Migrant Hawkers and we also got a late Emperor. Butterflies were represented by a couple of Small Tortoiseshells and Red Admirals and several Speckled Woods.
More Meadow Pipits went over along with a small number of Swallows, later we had a single House Martin too. A pair of Kestrels were the only raptors seen until not long before we left when we saw a Buzzard giving some Crows a bit of grief away in the distance across the fields.
At least two dozen Teal were present and two male Gadwalls.
Back at the hide we had a Cetti's Warbler, one of three (possibly five) poking about on the freshly cut reed but not staying out long enough for us to get a pic. Two Water Rails also shot across the new gap giving good views.
Gulls were thin on the water, pick of them was a 1st winter Common Gull, whereas the fields held well over a 100 Woodpigeons and a similar number of Feral Pigeons, we only managed to pick out a single Stock Dove although had we had a scope we would probably have found a few more.
Later in the afternoon the Reed Buntings started to drop in to roost.

Well done to all the 'combatants' those reeds didn't stand a chance, much appreciated guys and we wish we were fit enough to join in but a week before a big op we weren't giong to risk doing any more damaged to the hands.

We would have been tempted to twitch yesterday's Lessser Yellow Legs just a bit to the north had there been any positive news but the Buff Breasted Sandpiper further north still was 'out of range' for this arvo although a car load did nip up for it once all the reeds were flattened. Two Yankee waders would have been very useful year birds in our challenge with Monika particularly with our enforced lack of birding looming large.

Where to next? Back to the patches and the Southside has had some good birds recently apparently so hopefully Patch 2 will turn something up.

In the meantime let us know who's hacking at what in your outback.

PS the yellow fungus in yesterday's post was ID'd as Sulphur Tuft and yet again is a 'first' for the Fylde - somehow the mycologists have missed us out!