31st August 2011
– High cloud, light northerly
The Garganey was refound this morning, in amongst the Teal and best viewed from River Hide. 100 Black-headed Gulls were bathing and roosting across the two Pools and a Lesser Whitethroat called and showed occasionally in the small clump between the paths by the car park.
At 2pm, both Green Sandpiper and Kingfisher showed well on Car Park Pool, at least 6Chiffchaffs were calling between the back gate and the causeway and two Blackcaps fed in the compounds by the back gate.
30th August 2011
– Mostly overcast, light north westerly
Initially quiet on the Pools for waders although there were plenty of ducks. A Peregrine was seen flying off to the north and House Martins were clearly on the move, with 130 were over the Pools or the fields to the north.
As the morning progressed, the Black Tern reappeared for its fourth day along with one juvenile and two adult Common Terns.
Glenn Giles found yet another new butterfly for the Reserve in the shape of a Brown Arguswhich was along the path just 50 yards from the railway.
In the evening, an eclipse drake Garganey showed well from the causeway screen and at least 100 Swallows roosted again in the reeds in the Car Park pond where a Kingfisher also showed.
29th August 2011
– Cool north westerly, mostly overcast, occasional sunny intervals and showers
The juvenile Black Tern remained for its third day. A Wheatear was a nice find on the Car Park Pool island. An adult Common Tern was feeding two juveniles during the day but other than a single Common Sandpiper and Snipe and plenty of Lapwings, there were few other birds on the Pools of note.
Overhead, hirundines were on the move with 30 House Martins, five Swallows and threeSand Martins moving through at 10am. A further ten House Martins had appeared along the central streamline two hours later with ten Swallows at the same time along the Old Road.
28th August 2011
– Sunshine and showers. Cool, north westerly
The Black Tern remained as did four Common Sandpipers, possibly held up by the cool north westerly wind. There were a minimum of 40 Swallows feeding over the Reserve in the cool conditions and there were two Treecreepers in a mixed Tit flock on the central stream.
A juvenile Peregrine was the first record of this species for some time. A Water Rail showed again from the causeway screen.
Two Kingfishers showed in front of Oak Hide in the evening.
27th August 2011
– Sunshine and showers. Westerly
After heavy overnight rain, the bird of the weekend was a juvenile Black Tern which frequented Railway Pool regularly on both the Saturday and Sunday but disappeared to Bradnocks Marsh, presumably to feed.
There were still plenty of warblers on site with three Whitethroats, a Blackcap and at least one Reed Warbler on the Railway embankment, a Garden Warbler by the Dragonfly Pond, together with two Blackcaps and at least six Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler around the top gate and the horse paddock.
Patrick Farm was also lively with at least 20 House Sparrows there. Small groups ofGoldfinches were spread across the Reserve, probably totalling at least 20 birds.
The weekend’s counts included 12 Herons, ten Cormorants, four Dabchicks, 15 Mute Swans, the Black Swan and two hybrid cygnets, 183 Greylags, one Farmyard Goose and 117 Canadas; There was a noticeable increase in duck numbers with 80 Gadwall, 61 Teal, 129 Mallard, 16 Shoveler, two Wigeon, 13 Pochard and 23 Tufted Ducks.
Other birds included 102 Coot, 11 Moorhen, 144 Lapwings, four Common Sandpipers, aGreen Sandpiper, 58 Black-headed Gulls, five Lesser Black-backed Gulls and aKingfisher.
Later in the day there was an adult and three fledged juvenile Common Terns and a Snipe. An adult Water Rail showed well from the north causeway screen and 15-20 hirundines were feeding along the central streamline, including three Sand Martins. A migrant Hawkerworked the more sheltered area along the causeway.
26th August 2011
– Wet, northerly
The best bird of a visit to Siden Hill Wood was a calling Marsh Tit but there were plenty of other birds despite the wet conditions. At least half a dozen Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were spread through the wood or in the hedgerows on the periphery with Whitethroats near the Ammunition Dump and on the railway embankment. A singing Goldcrest was one of a number on the Railway embankment, with Treecreepers, Nuthatch and Coal Tit other birds of note in the wood.
25th August 2011
– Cloudy, south easterly
The first two returning Wigeon of the year were on Car Park pool this morning along with a family party of four juvenile Shelducks. Two Ravens also flew over, but Common Ternswere reduced to just a single juvenile.
There were three Whitethroats on the railway embankment and one on the causeway, with two Kingfishers on the Reedbed pool, two Common Sandpipers fed around the margins of Railway Pool and a Kestrel hovered over the causeway. Since there were two pairs frequenting the site regularly in the spring, this last species has become disappointingly scarce.
24th August 2011
– Sunny in the morning, showers in the afternoon. South westerly
There are still plenty of warblers on site with at least seven Chiffchaffs along the Old Road by the horse paddock and there was also a Blackcap there; a family party of two adults and twoReed Warblers were by the car park gates in the blackthorn, along with a Whitethroat and there was still at least one Whitethroat on the railway embankment.
A now regular Kingfisher was on the Reedbed pool and Shovelers had increased to 14.
23rd August 2011
– Cloudy, north easterly
The Little Egret was again present, there were still seven Common Terns in the evening along with a Green Sandpiper and 107 Canadas. Of more interest perhaps, were 30 Pied Wagtails which flew south at 8pm. 100 Swallows roosted in the reeds in the small pond by the car park and 75 Starlings also appeared to go to roost on site.
22nd August 2011
– Cloudy, north easterly
No records.
21st August 2011
– Sunny, westerly wind.
A small Tern, presumed to be a Little Tern, was about briefly in the morning but, unfortunately, there was no name ascribed to the finder and I have been unable to get any more details. There has been a movement of Terns over the last few days and this, whilst a good bird for the Reserve, would perhaps not be so unexpected in the context of the movement described.
The other good bird of the day was a male Redstart found by Stuart Hares on the flood plain opposite the horse paddock which remained all afternoon.
The Little Egret was also present again.
20th August 2011
– Sunny intervals, south-westerly wind.
A bit more of note over the weekend. Two Whimbrels flew over to the north-west at 9.20 a.m., calling frequently, and there was a Hobby around the Car Park Pool at 10.45 a.m. ALittle Egret also put in an appearance on a number of occasions over the weekend. Two Tree Sparrows were at the Oak Hide feeder and a few waders were also present, although nothing out of the ordinary.
The main counts were: four Dabchicks, 12 Cormorants, 12 Herons, four adult Mute Swansand seven cygnets, a female Black Swan and two cygnets, 444 Greylags, 21 Farmyard Geese, a Greylag / Canada hybrid, 77 Canadas, six Shoveler, 55 Gadwall, 195 Mallard, 36 Teal, 19 Pochard, 11 Tufted Ducks, 97 Coots, 13 Moorhen, 225 Lapwings, oneCommon Sandpiper, one Green Sandpiper, 111 Black-headed Gulls, four Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 14 Common Terns and two Kingfishers.
There were plenty of Chiffchaffs around the Reserve with an estimated 20 in total. A singleWillow Warbler was on the Old Road with a Whitethroat on the railway embankment. At least six Reed Warblers and a Sedge Warbler were along the causeway, and a fewSwallows trickled through during the day. A flock of 40 Goldfinches was also of note.
19th August 2011
– Mostly overcast, south-westerly wind.
No records.
18th August 2011
– Showery.
Aside from four Tree Sparrows at the Oak Hide feeder and the underwhelming increase inShoveler numbers from one to two, there was nothing else of note this morning. This was somewhat disappointing as there was movement of Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipitsaround the Meriden area which did not seem to translate to the Reserve.
Later in the day there was a bit more of interest, with singles of Common and Green Sandpiper and Snipe. A flock of at least 25 Goldfinches was feeding on the thistles to the rear of Oak Hide and warblers included at least two Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, twoWhitethroats, a Blackcap and Sedge Warbler. Juvenile Water Rail showed from the north causeway screen, both Woodpeckers were on site, but Common Tern numbers had dropped to ten. Two Swallows and five Sand Martins moved through to the south.
17th August 2011
– Overcast
Aside from single Green and Common Sandpipers there was much more interest in Odonata at the Dragonfly Pond, where there were six small Red-eyed Damselflies, 15 Emerald Damselflies and two Ruddy Darters.
16th August 2011
– Overcast, westerly wind.
Teal numbers had jumped to 25, but Pochard numbers remained steady at nine, and there was a single Shoveler. Aside from Lapwing, the only wader was a Green Sandpiper. TwoTree Sparrows were with ten Greenfinches at the Oak Hide feeder, and there were still three young Pheasants with a female in the orchid field.
In the windy conditions, warblers were hard to come by but there were two Chiffchaffs by the south-west pond and a Lesser Whitethroat calling opposite the car park. A Treecreeper was with a Tit flock on the Old Road and a male Sparrowhawk flew over and put everything up at the pools.
A Shrew showed well eating the dead reed mace stems in front of the north causeway screen.
In the evening, at least 50 Swallows were feeding around Car Park Pool at about 8 p.m. and a late Swift also went through.
15th August 2011
– Sunny for most of the day, slowly clouding over from the south-west
There were no bird records but eight attended the work party and carried out the usual array of important jobs including Alder and Willow spraying or clearance and the strimming of most of the islands on Car Park Pool. Thank you to all those who attended.
14th August 2011
– Sunny periods, south-westerly wind
Aside from there being only a single Common Sandpiper, waders were almost identical to the day before until an elusive Greenshank appeared in the afternoon. Lapwing numbers had increased slightly to 192 and a Kingfisher showed on and off all day. There were 12 Teal and 10 Pochard, with warblers still on site including two Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, twoWhitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat.
Butterflies included Peacock and Speckled Wood and there were at least 20 Common Darters spread around the Reserve.
13th August 2011
– Showers, south-westerly wind.
A few migrant waders today included three Common Sandpipers, a Green Sandpiper, a single juvenile Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers and 170 Lapwing.
The first and so far only record of Small Red-eyed Damselfly was a single today on Dragonfly Pond.
A new brood of Reed Warblers (three) were around the causeway screen along with theSedge Warbler, and 15 Rooks on the flood plain was of note.
The other counts today were five Dabchicks, seven Cormorants, 12 Herons, four adult Mute Swans and seven cygnets, the Black Swan and two cygnets, 398 Greylags, 19 Farmyard Geese, a Greylag / Canada cross, 13 Canadas, 15 Teal, a Shoveler, 261 Mallard, 50Gadwall, ten Pochard (see below), 11 Tufted and five broods totalling only seven young, 94Coots, ten Moorhens, a Water Rail at the causeway, 133 Black-headed Gulls, six Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 25 Common Terns. Four Swallows went south and there was a juvenile Robin on the railway embankment.
Early on there appeared to be a fairly well grown but unfledged juvenile Pochard with a female but this could not be relocated later on and remained a site mystery.
12th August 2011
No records.
11th August 2011
The only birds recorded in the log today were 28 Common Terns and four Teal. Sadly a juvenile Common Tern was found hanging from fishing line caught on the wires across Bradnocks Marsh fishing pond.
10th August 2011
A Wood Sandpiper was flushed from Car Park Pool and Water Rail and Kingfisher were seen from the causeway.
9th August 2011
A Pheasant with six juveniles was seen, a Ringed Plover was probably a passage bird, theDunlin, Snipe, and Green Sandpiper were still present. There was also a Little Ringed Plover, 10 Little Grebe, seven Teal, five Pochard and a returning Shoveler.
8th August 2011
No records.
7th August 2011
A more interesting day today, with a Black-tailed Godwit present in the morning, Dunlin,Snipe, Green Sandpiper and Hobby in the afternoon and the now regular Little Egret and aWater Rail was seen from the causeway screen.
6th August 2011
The weekly wildfowl count was as follows: six Little Grebe, three Cormorant, 12 Grey Heron, one Little Egret, four Mute Swans and seven cygnets, one Black Swan and two cygnets, 319 Greylags, 17 Farmyard Geese, 34 Canada Geese, seven Teal, 57 Gadwall, 188 Mallard, three Pochard, 10 Tufted Duck (six broods), 82 Coot, 11 Moorhen, oneWater Rail, one Oystercatcher, 112 Lapwing, one juvenile Redshank, one Greenshank(briefly late morning), 117 Black-headed Gulls, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 47Common Tern.
5th August 2011
A Little Egret was the only entry in the log.
4th August 2011
– Periodic rain, westerly, cooler
Despite the mixed drizzle and heavy downpours, there seemed to be little on the move aside from three Sand Martins that flew south at about 10.15am.
On the Pools, juvenile Little Ringed Plover, Redshank and Oystercatcher were the only waders aside from Lapwings.
The Railway embankment was the most lively area this morning with at least fourWhitethroats, four Blackcaps, a Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff andReed Warbler. A pair of Bullfinches with one fledged juvenile and a family party ofBlackbirds added to the mix.
3rd August 2011
– Warm, humid, sunny intervals, southerly
An initial walk down the Old Road suggested it was quiet and many of the resident warblers had departed but in fact quite a lot of the birds had formed into roving flocks and there appeared to be quite good numbers still on site. Of note, there was at least one and possibly a second Willow Warbler between the cottages and the car park and in a roving tit flock there, two Goldcrests, a Chiffchaff and a Treecreeper.
North of the gate there were still young Whitethroats just beyond the blackthorn clump and then by the top gate, at least four Whitethroats, two Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, another Treecreeper and a Bullfinch.
In the dried up pond by the car park, there were two young Whitethroats and an adult which flew towards the Old Road carrying food. There were plenty of young Reed Buntings both there, and in the Car Park pond.
On the west side of the river by the telephone mast, both Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat were present together with the usual summer congregation of Goldfinches,Greenfinches, Linnets and Bullfinches.
Waders today on the main pools were limited to a Green Sandpiper on Car Park Pool andLittle Ringed Plover and Redshank on Railway Pool.
2nd August 2011
– Warm, humid, sunny intervals, southerly
A Little Egret was probably the best bird of the day with a reasonable supporting cast of the usual waders and terns. Terns totalled 68, of which 39 were adult, 28 were fledged juveniles and there is still one late unfledged chick. A juvenile Redshank remains on site as does the adult and now fledged home grown juvenile Little Ringed Plover. A juvenile Water Railalong the Causeway was the first indication of breeding of this species at the Reserve this year. Numbers appear to be down following the cold winter.
Of the wildfowl, there were two Teal, a drake Pochard and 195 Greylags. A Kingfisher was present around the Reedbed. A Green Sandpiper, a Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher were also present in the evening, with a frog in Car Park Hide, a toad in Railway Hide and a fox in front of the latter!
1st August 2011
– Occasional sunny intervals, warm, humid
The best of a rather thin bunch was a Hobby around Car Park Pool. Other birds in the log included three Oystercatchers, a Common Sandpiper, 100 each of Lapwing and Greylag, 11 Herons, eight Cormorants and 80 Black-headed Gulls.