Egretta garzetta

Remember when Little Egrets were actually rare birds in the UK? And then seeing them more regularly and further inland started being normal, and then they started breeding in small colonies, and then they're everywhere like small pointy white sticks wherever you look .......

Whilst I was being ferried about by Nichola we headed through what used to be Whetstone village (but is now just the middle of a sprawling sub-urban metropolis called Whetstone). Being a passenger means you notice things, like small pointy white sticks looking out of place high up in a tree above Whetstone Brook. As it was still there when we drove back past, I insisted that Nichola ought to bring me back in a few mins with my camera. It was still there, though trying to get anything like a half-decent shot was not easy with crappy lighting and obtrusive twigs in the wrong places. I got it looking both ways. I expect Great White and Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron and Little Bittern in the brook during the next decade.

'Pointy White Stick' in 'Whetstone Village'

Not much excitement in last night's moth trap, but there was a total of 7 Small Quakers. It feels like I usually only see one or two of these in the garden each year, so I checked back. Five or less in all years except 2010 (7 individuals) and 2012 (13 individuals with the highest garden count of 5 on 23/3/2012). I've had 12 so far this year.

Small Quaker - 22/03/2019

Agonopterix alstromeriana - 22/03/2019

Agonopterix heracliana/cilliela agg. - 22/03/2019