31st August 2024
Overcast, light north-easterly, odd showers.
The Greenshank was still present on Railway Pool and a new arrival was a juvenile Ringed Plover, also on the same pool.
An immature Pintail on Car Park Pool brought to the end a rather poor return for this species. It was thought to be an immature or possibly an eclipse male.
Pintail – Photograph by Steve Taylor
There was also a Wigeon on Railway Pool. Raptors included Hobbies and two Kestrel, and five Sand Martins went through.
A notable count of Lesser Black-backed Gulls included over 50 on Car Park Pool, a mixture of adults and juveniles.
In the afternoon wader numbers had increased with four Common Snipe, three Common Sandpipers and two Green Sandpipers.
30th August 2024
Fair, light north-easterly.
A juvenile Greenshank was today’s new arrival, present for all of the day on Railway Pool. There were also a Green Sandpiper, two Snipe, four Little Egrets, a Kestrel again, three Sand Martins through and two Stock Doves.
29th August 2024
Cloudy, light westerly.
No records.
28th August 2024
Overcast early on, then sunny, light south-westerly breeze.
More extensive coverage and better weather saw a reasonable array of birds today with highlights being two Great White Egrets on and off for much of the day and also two Little Egrets. Waders included Green Sandpiper and three Snipe, five Swallows went through, and two Ravens were thermaling overhead with two Buzzards. A Nuthatch was heard and seen in the Back Gate Copse.
A reasonable array of insects included at least four Migrant Hawkers, 10+ Common Darters, two Red Admirals, a Purple Hairstreak, three Meadow Browns, three Small Whites and two Brown Argus.
Red Admiral – Photograph by Graham Dyer
27th August 2024
Mostly overcast, light south-westerly.
Just singles each of Common Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper today and a Kestrel came over the Car Park. This latter species has been much more obvious of late.
26th August 2024
Breezy from the south-west, sunny intervals.
Waders making the log today were three Green Sandpipers and two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, whilst overhead, a Hobby again hawked insects over the pools. There were three Little Egrets on site.
25th August 2024
Windy, sunny intervals and occasional showers.
Two late Swifts flew over this morning, along with 12 Sand Martins and, on the pools, there were four Green Sandpipers on Railway Pool. Two Ravens flew over and a Kingfisher was hunting from stems in the Reedbed.
24th August 2024
Started off with heavy rain, slowly clearing to sunny intervals from the west.
A Dunlin was a new arrival today and there were also two Green Sandpipers and 18 Little Grebes.
23rd August 2024
Bright, windy, south-westerly.
Two Green Sandpipers were present on Railway Pool and 20 Little Grebes across both pools was the best count of the year. A Kestrel hunted by River Hide and a Hobby showed well, hunting in front of Siden Hill Wood, presumably picking up dragonflies from the scrapes there.
Insects noted in the log comprised two Southern Hawkers, individuals of Speckled Wood and Small White butterflies, two Common Blues, a Gatekeeper and three Meadow Browns. There was a Collared Dove at the feeders and a Treecreeper in the Back Gate Copse.
22nd August 2024
Bright and windy with occasional showers.
Today’s highlight was an Osprey which came over Car Park Pool from the north at midday, but sadly didn’t linger. There were no other records in the log.
21st August 2024
Sunny intervals.
The only birds making the log today were a Green Sandpiper on Car Park Pool and three Little Egrets on Railway Pool.
20th August 2024
Sunny intervals.
Waders today included two Snipe, a juvenile Little Ringed Plover and two Green Sandpipers; and a Hobby was again hunting over the pools.
19th August 2024
Overcast, fresh and cool southerly.
A Marsh Harrier hunted briefly over the Flood Plain, coming in from the east before drifting off north and, at a similar time, there was also a Red Kite.
A Kingfisher moved up and down the Flood Plain, feeding along the River, and on the pool margins there was a juvenile Little Ringed Plover and two Green Sandpipers.
The Little Grebe total reached an impressive 19, with 11 adults and eight juveniles. There were still two Great Crested Grebes and six Little Egrets, plus a Mallard brood of five fledged young on Railway Pool. A Cetti’s Warbler called from the Car Park clump where the feeders are.
18th August 2024
Red Kite and Kestrel were seen over the HS2 workings, and there were four Little Egrets on Car Park Pool. Later in the day, a Hobby over River Hide was hawking insects again and there were at least nine Greenfinches on the feeders. At 15.00 a Black-tailed Godwit appeared on Car Park Pool.
17th August 2024
Sunny start, clouding over, light westerly.
Counts today, care of Graham Rowling, were seven Mute Swans, 67 Canadas, 86 Greylags, eight Shoveler, 73 Gadwall with a brood of three on Railway Pool, 32 Mallard, 25 Teal, 16 Tufted, 11 Cormorants, four Little Egrets, three Herons, 10 Little Grebes (eight adults, two fledged juveniles and, of the broods, there were two on Car Park and a separate single one there), 15 Moorhen, 75 Coot, 65 Lapwings, two Green Sandpipers, 18 Black-headed Gulls and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
As the day wore on, two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers appeared on Railway Pool and a Hobby was hawking dragonflies over both pools. There were also six Shoveler.
Heron – Photograph taken from Railway Hide by Arthur Owens
16th August 2024
Sunny, light north-westerly.
The drake Wigeon remains and joining it on the pools were two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers and two Green Sandpipers, together with five Little Egrets and three Herons. A juvenile Willow Warbler was in the bushes behind Oak Hide, and a Kingfisher flew from the North Causeway Bay into the Reedbed.
15th August 2024
Breezy from the south-west, sunny periods with forecasted rain later in the day.
Early morning birds included two Little Egrets, a Green Sandpiper from Oak Hide, a Jay flying across the front of Siden Hill Wood, where there were also two Buzzards, including at least one calling juvenile. There was a pair of Bullfinches on the Causeway together with a Blackcap and two Chiffchaffs, and another Bullfinch in the Back Gate area. Also on the Causeway was a young Dunnock.
14th August 2024
Drizzly, light north-easterly.
A reasonable selection of birds today included, on the wader front, a single Oystercatcher, at least two Common Sandpipers and five Green Sandpipers, whilst other birds included a notable count of 111 Coots, a Kingfisher, at least three Little Egrets, at least two Blackcaps and five Chiffchaffs and one to two Bullfinches around the Car Park.
Photograph by Nick Barlow during evening work party
13th August 2024
Cooler, sunny, easterly.
Early morning waders included the juvenile Little Ringed Plover, presumably the same bird as yesterday, two Green Sandpipers, and a brief visit from an Avocet which was quickly chased off. Two Common Snipe were present on Railway Pool in the afternoon, and the Wigeon remained. At least 21 Swallows flew south over the Flood Plain in the period from 10.10 to 10.25.
12th August 2024
Hot, humid, light southerly wind.
Three Green Sandpipers were feeding on Railway Pool, with the species quite often favouring the shoreline and the small bay to the left of Oak Hide. There was also a single Common Sandpiper, a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, a Kingfisher, a Wigeon, two Chiffchaffs, some Common Blues and Brown and Migrant Hawkers.
11th August 2024
Remaining warm.
Using lures in the Car Park, John Coakley had visits from four Yellow-legged Clearwings, one Red-tipped Clearwing, and two Six-belted Clearwings. Butterflies comprised at least 20 Meadow Browns, nine Green-veined Whites, a Painted Lady, a Comma, Red Admiral, two Holly Blues, a Speckled Wood, two Gatekeepers, a Small White, and at least two Common Blues.
Birds were limited to two Common Sandpipers.
Yellow-legged Clearwing – Photograph by John Coakley
10th August 2024
Overcast, fresh southerly.
Graham and Dave’s Saturday counts yielded the list of birds before, but highlights included a Hobby east along the railway line, plus a Lesser Whitethroat (scarce this year with no breeding birds), juvenile Common Whitethroat, two Blackcaps and a welcome flock of 30 Goldfinches on the Old Road. The first returning Wigeon, a drake, was also on site.
Other counts comprised five Mute Swans, 85 Canadas, 116 Greylags, seven Shoveler, 43 Gadwall, 67 Mallard and a brood of five on Railway Pool, 29 Teal, 14 Tufted and a brood of four on Railway, ten Cormorants, four Herons, eight Little Egrets (seven adults and a juvenile), a Great Crested Grebe, 14 Little Grebes (nine adults, five fledged juveniles and two broods of single birds on Car Park and Railway), 11 Moorhen, 82 Coot, 42 Lapwing, a single Common Sandpiper, 22 Black-headed Gulls and 15 Lesser Black-backs.
9th August 2024
Overcast start with a band of cloud over the Reserve, light showers, breezy from the west, clearing later to warm and sunny conditions.
The Back Gate area was lively around 07.00 with at least three Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, three Bullfinches, Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Goldcrest and Song Thrush.
Below Railway Hide, there were two adult Little Grebes feeding a part-grown youngster and two adults with no young in front of Oak Hide. A Whitethroat showed well in the vegetation immediately below Railway Hide, with a further Blackcap in the Guelder Rose behind. The Mallard brood of five was again present. A Green Sandpiper was heard from Railway Pool but not seen. A Moorhen and two new young were feeding on the island just to the south of Oak Hide, along with a single Little Egret.
In the North Causeway Bay there were at least six juvenile Blue Tits feeding in the Reedmace, a Blackcap was present just to the right of the Hide, and a Reed Warbler in front of it. Family parties of Reed Warblers were at either end of the Causeway in the vegetation, whilst on Car Park Pool there was a Common Sandpiper, two family parties of Jackdaws, two fledged young Crows and five Shoveler. A Green Woodpecker was calling around the Car Park Gates and a mewing Buzzard could be heard from the Flood Plain.
Just over 30 Starlings came over the Back Gate Copse at 07.00 and are assumed to have come out of the Reedbed roost.
8th August 2024
Drizzly all day.
Unfortunately, nobody had bothered to fill in the log, but there was a Greenshank on Railway Pool for much of the morning.
7th August 2024
Overcast, breezy from the south.
Three broods of Little Grebes included two on Car Park Pool of one and two, whilst the brood on Railway Pool had dropped quickly to just a single individual. In addition, there were 10 adults and four fledged juveniles.
A brood of five well-grown Mallard ducklings were present on Railway Pool, there were six Little Egrets, four Herons, two Great Crested Grebes and a Migrant Hawker.
6th August 2024
Overcast, fresh south-westerly.
The standout record this morning was a flock of 16 Goosanders, east over Railway Pool during the morning. These were all redheads and, presumably, a combination of females and youngsters.
An adult and a juvenile Egyptian Goose joined 284 Greylags and a Canada/ Greylag on the pools. Waders were limited to a few Lapwing, two Common and one Green Sandpiper. There were four Little Egrets, a Great Crested Grebe, and a squealing Water Rail in the vegetation below Car Park Hide.
In the evening, the Egret count had increased to six, a Sparrowhawk circled high over the Orchid Field, and a Peacock Butterfly was seen. An Otter was picked up on the camera trap by the Causeway bridge.
Video courtesy of John Hunt
5th August 2024
Overcast, fresh southerly, sunny spells later.
The only birds making the log today were eight Shoveler, four Little Egrets, three Common Sandpipers, 40 Black-headed Gulls and a Collared Dove at the Car Park feeder.
Collared Dove at the Car Park Feeder – Photograph by Stef Fraczek
4th August 2024
High cloud, sunny intervals, light south westerly.
It did not take long for two Red Kites to appear over the Flood Plain in the early afternoon as the farmers were cutting silage on the fields towards the Pumping Station.
A Water Rail showed from River Hide on the Railway Pool side, a Hobby hunted over Railway Pool towards the middle of the day, and two Common Sandpipers and a Snipe, eight Shoveler and two Little Egrets made up other records.
In the evening, 49 Purple Hairstreaks were counted between the Dragonfly Pond, along the Old Road, through the Causeway to Oak Hide, care of John Coakley.
3rd August 2024
Rain early on clearing to sunny intervals, west/south westerly.
The full count of birds today, care of Graham and Dave were as follows:
Six Mute Swans, 106 Canadas, 200 Greylags, five Shoveler, 27 Gadwall and one brood of four on Car Park Pool, 87 Mallard, 41 Teal, six Tufted and a brood of four on Railway Pool, nine Cormorants, a Great Crested Grebe, 12 Little Grebes (nine adults and three fledged juveniles) and two broods, one of two on Car Park Pool and one of three of Railway Pool below the Hide, one Heron, three Little Egrets, 13 Moorhen, 87 Coot, 44 Lapwing, a Common Sandpiper, four Black-headed Gulls, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Kingfisher north over Railway Pool, a Raven and last, but not least, a Common Tern south at midday.
In the afternoon and early evening, there were three Reed Warblers and a Whitethroat, plus some Long-tailed Tits in front of River Hide, two Common Snipe in front of Oak Hide, a young Fox in front of Car Park Hide and two Comma butterflies.
Nettle-leaved Bellflower on path to River Hide – Photograph by Nick Barlow
2nd August 2024
Warm, sunny, westerly, clouding over late afternoon.
Insects seen today included a Six-belted Clearwing, singles of Brown Argus and a Common Blue and Small Skipper, together with four Gatekeepers and seven Meadow Browns. At least one Hobby was catching insects over the pools during the lunch break.
In the evening period between 19.00 and 20.00, at least 240 Corvids were perching up in the Flood Plain trees and flying backwards and forwards from Siden Hill Wood. There were probably 20 Crows amongst them but, as usual, the majority were Jackdaws.
An adult Crow and two fledged young, probably from the Back Gate area, were feeding in front of Oak Hide. Twenty Starlings appeared to roost in the Reedbed, there was a Jay in the Back Gate Copse and possibly a second bird around the Orchid Field.
Many of the Coots were out on the islands or the gravel bars. On Railway Pool all 23 Coots from the pool were perched on the bar, and on Car Park Pool, out of 36, the majority were also on the islands as though the birds had been disturbed by a predator. A Stock Dove was singing on the stream crossing.
1st August 2024
Hot and sunny after light overnight rain.
A Bittern was seen from the North Causeway Hide about 10.20 this morning, flying around Car Park Pool, but it was not seen to land. A pair were present earlier in the season, but unfortunately there was no proof of breeding and it seems likely that only one bird now remains on site.
Two Green Sandpipers were seen on Railway Pool, with a Dunlin, three Snipe and a Common Sandpiper all on Car Park Pool, along with 31 Lapwing. There was a Treecreeper and a Chiffchaff in a mixed Tit flock by the Car Park gates, and adult and juvenile Little Grebe on Car Park Pool, together with a separate adult and a fledged one as well.