Wishing all our members a very Happy New Year!
Work Party Dates:
18th February 2017 – 2 p.m.
18th March 2017 – 2 p.m.
15th April 2017 – 2 p.m.
31st January 2017
Drizzly, mild.
Within the crop field there was a flock of 25 Linnets, 25 Yellowhammers but only six Reed Buntings whilst the Pheasant numbers had increased to at least 15.
Two pairs of Bullfinches were feeding in the bushes at the west end of the causeway and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was quietly drumming in the crop field Oaks. The Great Crested Grebe remains, six Stock Doves flew over and eight Snipe were feeding on the pool margins.
30th January 2017
Mostly overcast with rain in the afternoon.
Along the concrete road this morning there was a mixed flock of 25 Finches, mostly Siskins and Goldfinches, but with half a dozen Chaffinches and, nearby, there were six Long-tailed Tits although the latter are beginning to pair up and split from the flocks.
There were both male and female Great Spotted Woodpeckers on the car park feeder along with three Greenfinches and, on the Pools, there were three Little Egrets and the Great Crested Grebe from the weekend.
29th January 2017
Fine until about mid-day when the rain returned into the evening. Light south-easterly wind.
Two Jack Snipe, feeding on the back of Tern Island was somewhat of a surprise this morning but they were not visible later in the afternoon. However, the wet weather had certainly encouraged the Snipe to move out of cover and there were 23 on the grass around Car Park Hide with a further 23 (at least) spread across the Railway Pool islands. Shoveler numbers had increased to 54 this morning and there were 23 Mute Swans, at least one of which was being harassed by the newly paired up Black Swan Cob. A Great Crested Grebe was also a new arrival but there was only just one Little Egret today. A small increase in Pochard saw numbers rise to 11 and this included the bird with the blue nasal saddle. A ringed Black-headed Gull was also present on site but the full number could not be ascertained. On the flood plane there was a single Mistle Thrush with two Fieldfares and 50 Redwings and, at dusk, 250 plus Jackdaws came in to roost in Siden Hill Wood and there were 250 to 300 Starlings at least roosting in the Reedbed.
Goldcrest – 29th January 2017 – Photograph by Gary Cook
28th January 2017
Wet start, clearing quickly, fine and sunny until late afternoon when it clouded over and the rain set in.
Less usual birds today included the first Oystercatcher of the year, along with a sub-adult Greater Black-backed Gull, both on the Car Park Pool islands, the former for most of the morning but the latter for only about 15 minutes. There were also three Little Egrets, good counts of Wigeon and Teal but only a few Pochard, probably as a result of some ice earlier in the week. 575 Lapwing was also of note and, in the crop field, there were at least 20 Yellowhammers and 25 Linnets. Two Ravens went over.
The full counts were 11 Mute Swans, 182 Greylags, one Greylag / Canada hybrid, 87 Canadas, 475 Wigeon, 23 Gadwall, 380 Teal, 23 Shoveler, 14 Mallard, four Pochard, one Tufted, 48 Cormorant, one Heron, eight Moorhen, 37 Coot, five Snipe, 170 Black-headed Gulls, three Common Gulls, seven Lesser Black-backed Gulls and three Herring Gulls.
27th January 2017
Grey, wet p.m.
No records.
26th January 2017
Overcast, cold, south-easterly wind.
There were over 300 Teal today, concentrated on Railway Pool, along with ten Shoveler, ten Snipe, six Gadwall and 50 Lapwings. There was a flock of 30 Linnets in the crop field and three Little Egrets spread across the pools. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming on the east side of the Reserve but, unfortunately, no location was given.
25th January 2017
Sunny, light southerly wind.
Records today were limited to the following; 17 Redwing around Patrick Farm and two drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers in Siden Hill Wood.
24th January 2017
Initially foggy, then sunny. Frost.
A pair of Goosanders were showing well from Oak Hide today and in the back gate copse, there were seven Siskins, Treecreeper, a pair of Bullfinches and a flock of 21 Goldfinches flew over.
23rd January 2017
Misty with occasional breaks in the cloud.
There was a male Goosander on Car Park Pool this morning and the female Stonechat showed really well from River Hide. Along the concrete road the Treecreeper worked its way along the hedgerow and there was a flock of 15 Goldfinches in the Alders. 24 Mute Swans were spread across the pool and there were now two Black Swans together on Railway Pool! A Green Woodpecker was calling by Railway Hide and there were three pairs of Bullfinches seen across the Reserve.
22nd January 2017
Frost, sunny intervals, light south-easterly wind.
The Cetti’s was seen and heard briefly along the causeway gain, mid-morning, where two Water Rails were calling to each other. A Little Egret put in a brief appearance on Railway Pool and a small flock of five Siskins were feeding in the Alders at the back gate. A Kestrel hunted along the Old Road, two Mistle Thrushes and four Meadow Pipits flew over the car park and three Skylarks flew over the Old Road game crop.
A male Goosander came in to Car Park Pool in the late afternoon when there were 20 Yellowhammers along the causeway and in the edge of the crop field whilst the Starling roost seemed lower than last night with no more than 1000 birds, though some may have gone into the Reedbed early.
21st January 2017
Misty, light easterly wind.
There was a noticeable increase in Common Snipe today with 38, the best count of the month so far. There was a single drake Goosander and a Shelduck and, in the afternoon, a Golden Plover flew over, calling, though it was not seen in the mist.
Wigeon numbers were down but birds could have been along the floodplain, Teal were still a commendable 420 but Pochard numbers dropped to only five. 40 Shoveler was the best count of the month.
There were still good numbers of Finches and Buntings in the crop field and a spectacular murmuration of Starlings in the evening (an estimated 2000 birds) stopped the work party in appreciation.
The Cetti’s Warbler again sang briefly along the causeway.
Other counts today were four Mute Swans, the Black Swan, 270 Greylags, two Greylag / Canada Hybrids, 38 Canadas, 320 Wigeon, 420 Teal, 11 Gadwall, ten Mallard, 40 Shoveler, five Pochard, five Tufted, 20 Moorhen, 29 Coot, 43 Cormorant, a Heron, 250 Lapwings, 20 Black-headed Gulls, two Common Gulls, five Lesser Black-backed Gulls, eight Herring Gulls; crop field, at least 12 Yellowhammers, 40 Linnets, and 20 Reed Buntings with six Redwings and six Siskins also recorded.
Nine attend the Work Party, many thanks to those. Work undertaken included the cutting back of the willows on the north-east shore of Car Park Pool, some strimming along the Old Road around the gates and in the back gate copse, emptying the nest boxes on the east side and clearing out the container where a mouse attack on the polystyrene had made a real mess.
20th January 2017
Sunny (at last) after frost.
No records.
19 January 2017
Grey, misty and still.
The Cetti’s Warbler was noticeably more vocal than it has been, with at least half a dozen burst of song at 9.30 when it was moving around the north causeway bay. There were also a number of Song Thrushes in song, with two along the causeway and one at the back gate, plus two un-singing birds along the Old Road.
22 Redwings flew over the back gate copse in two flocks and there were Siskins, Collard Dove, Goldcrest and two pairs of Bullfinches there. At least 15 Yellowhammers were at the north end of the crop field with a handful of Reed Buntings and Chaffinches.
18th January 2017
Grey and misty, mild.
A male and four female Goosanders roosted on Car Park Pool overnight and 19 Lapwings were huddled down in the grass to the right of Car Park Hide where they also presumably roosted.
The majority of Starlings in the roost were located on the east side but those on the west moved to join the main body prior to dawn before approximately 1000 came out in a superb murmuration just after 8 am this morning.
New feeding station by the car park – thanks to the Brewood Ringing Group.
17 January 2017
Grey, overcast and misty.
A brief ringing session on the causeway landed a male Cetti’s Warbler.
Cetti’s Warber having been caught at the Causeway.
Most passerines have 12 tail feathers but Cetti’s Warblers have only 10.
Photograph By Nick Barlow – 17th January 2017
Five Shelduck (two pairs and a male) was a noticeable increase in numbers for this species. A Little Egret flew in at 10.30 am and six Common Gulls moved over to the south-west.
There appeared to be fewer Buntings in the crop field this morning although there were four Redwings in the adjacent hedgerow.
The Lapwing were extremely flighty as a result of the presence of a Peregrine.
The Brewood Ringers are on site today undertaking some maintenance in the back gate copse and trying to form a new feeding station around the car park. Max Silverman sent me a text this morning which read:
16 January 2017
Fine rain all day.
A relatively quiet day, perhaps not surprisingly with the inclement weather. On Car Park Pool there was just a single male Goosander and seven Snipe on the islands. A Great Spotted Woodpecker showed well on the Oak Hide feeder with a pair of Bullfinches in the hedgerow behind. A female Shelduck was the only slightly unusual visitor amongst the other wildfowl on Railway Pool. A Goldcrest was amongst the small Tit flock on the railway embankment.
15th January 2017
Wet and misty all day, much milder.
Two pairs of Goosanders arrived on Car Park Pool just after 9 a.m. and, on the move overhead with 16 Lesser Black-backs and ten Herring Gulls, were two adult Greater Black-backs a rarity over or on the Reserve.
Within the crop field there were at least 16 each of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer together with three Greenfinches, six Chaffinches and the 30 strong Linnet flock.
Winter Thrushes have gone scarce for the time being following the consumption of the berry crop. There was just a single Fieldfare with five Blackbirds on the west shore of Car Park Pool and two Redwings in the hedgerows adjacent to the back gate copse where a small flock of eight Siskins were feeding on the Alders. There was also a singing male Siskin on the central streamline.
Six Stock Doves and seven Rooks flew over, there was a single Meadow Pipit on the tip field and a pair of Pied Wagtails on Car Park Pool.
In the late morning and early afternoon, a single Common Gull (also scarce this winter) dropped on to Railway Pool and Treecreepers were seen or heard along the causeway on the Old Road.
The Goosander count increased to six and three Ravens flew over.
14th January 2017
Cold, north-westerly wind, mostly wet.
Less usual species today included Shelduck, the Stonechat on the wood piles by Railway Pool, a pair of Ravens which showed well flying over in the early afternoon and a Coal Tit singing by the entrance gates. A Cetti’s Warbler gave one of its sporadic appearances by River Hide and there was a female Goosander on Car Park Pool. In the crop field a flock of 30 Linnets joined about 12 Yellowhammers and a similar number of Reed Buntings. A Peregrine kept birds on the move.
The wildfowl and other counts were as follows: ten Mute Swans, the Black Swan, 253 Greylags, one Farmyard Goose, 88 Canadas, 485 Wigeon, 12 Gadwall, 425 Teal, 27 Mallard, 28 Shoveler, 43 Pochard including Blue F6T, seven Tufteds, 48 Cormorants, 18 Moorhens, 25 Coots, 171 Lapwing, 16 Snipe, 76 Black-headed Gulls, six Lesser Black-backed Gulls, two Herring Gulls and one Common Gull.
13th January 2017
Sunny, occasional cold, wintery showers. Strong north-westerly wind.
No records.
12th January 2017
Overcast, north-westerly wind.
Pochard numbers have increased to 55 of which 18 were females. There was also a steady movement of large Gulls at dawn, mostly going north-west and of the 35 only one was a Herring Gull the rest being Lesser Black-backs. At least 250 Jackdaws left the Siden Hill Roost and flew to the south-west and all the Starlings had already left the roost by 8 a.m. There were a pair of Bullfinches on the railway embankment.
11th January 2017
Mild start, with increasingly strong north-westerly winds, sunny.
There were a pair of Goosanders on Car Park Pool this morning and a Peregrine went over, flushing the Lapwings, There were at least 30 Yellowhammers around the car park and the causeway with 20 Reed Buntings. The Little Egret was on Car Park Pool.
In the afternoon, the following counts were made: 17 Snipe, 29 Gadwall, 51 Pochard, 366 Lapwing, 50 Cormorants and seven Bullfinch.
10th January 2016
Overcast, early and late on, sunny periods during the middle of the day, west, south-westerly wind, the wind increasing overnight.
The only birds recorded in the log today were the Egyptian Goose, a Shelduck and a pair of Goosanders.
9th January 2016
Overcast, with a southerly wind. Generally mild.
The Egyptian Goose remains on site today, feeding in the field in front of Tower Hide. There were good counts of Pochard and Snipe, 43 and 23 respectively, and there were 37 Cormorants and a Little Egret.
In the back gate copse, there was a mixed flock of 15 Siskin and 25 Goldfinches whilst, in the crop field, there were 15 Yellowhammers and 30 Linnets. A Great Spotted Woodpecker visited the Oak Hide feeder and a Buzzard was again sat in the Hawthorne bushes on the railway embankment.
8th January 2017
Overcast and drizzly.
Pochard numbers were back up to more reasonable levels, 34, with a single Little Egret again and the Stonechat today was in the Marsh. There were still well over 400 each of Wigeon and Teal and at least 20 Yellowhammers in the crop field.
The Starling roost this evening appeared to have increased to between 1100 and 1500 birds. There were initially two similar size flocks of between 300 to 400 birds which came together in flight and dropped into the reeds but then a larger flock of between 500 and 700 birds came in from over the railway line to join them. These were followed by a few smaller flocks of ten to 20 birds giving the total estimate of above.
7th January 2017
Overcast and mild.
Another record breaking count today, this time of Wigeon, with 550 spread between the pools, exceeding the 492 just before the New Year. The Teal count was still impressive with 515 but other wildfowl were relatively low in numbers with the counts as follows: three Mute Swans, 98 Greylags, 84 Canadas, the Egyptian Goose, 13 Gadwall, 21 Mallard, 17 Shoveler, one Tufted, two Pochard, 12 Moorhen, 21 Coot, one Heron, one Little Egret, 222 Lapwing, nine Snipe, 35 Black-headed Gulls, five Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 12 Herring Gulls and a pair of Collared Doves around Corrie Farm.
Either side of the morning count, there were three Goosanders (two Drakes and a Duck) and a rare appearance of the Cetti’s Warbler, this time along the central streamline towards River Hide. After a thin time for Redpolls, this winter, it was pleasing to see a flock of 20 in the Alders along the central stream with two more by Railway Hide. There were also a few mixed thrushes scattered around, the elusive Stonechat showed well in Lower Siden and a Peregrine put in an appearance at lunchtime.
Elusive Stonechat – Photograph by Jeff Rankin
6th January 2017
Overcast, frost.
Despite a frost it was slightly milder this morning and the patch of open water on Railway Pool was slightly bigger and the wildfowl there included 67 Canadas and the Egyptian Goose.
As a Water Rail in the Marsh approached a Snipe, the Snipe turned to face it, puffed itself up and fanned its tail and held its ground in that way until the Water Rail had passed.
Approximately 1000 Starlings left the roost this morning and at 7.45 there was plenty of chatter from the birds and then, at 8.10 a.m., all went silent and the first birds left the roost immediately followed by the rest.
In the back gate copse there were 26 Siskins feeding in the Alders and five Rooks went west just after dawn.
5th January 2017
Sunny, sharp frost, minus 5 degrees.
All the pools were frozen over and the only patch of open water was on Railway Pool which was packed with wildfowl, including 355 Teal and a Dabchick. There was a flock of 15 to 20 Siskins in the back gate copse and the crop field was lively with 40 to 50 Buntings and Finches, (mostly Reed Buntings) and, a little later, a flock of 30 Linnets arrived to feed. Singles of Fieldfare and Redwing were feeding along the flood plain opposite Oak Hide and, in the Marsh, there were two Snipe and a Water Rail. The Egyptian Goose was also seen again.
4th January 2017
Mostly overcast.
No records.
3rd January 2017
Mostly overcast.
The Egyptian Goose was visible from Oak Hide this morning on the partly frozen pools, with seven Common Snipe and 20 Pochard. A Kestrel flew over the car park and four Herring Gulls also went over. A Little Egret was on Railway Pool, there was a flock of 15 Long-tailed Tits along the concrete road and amongst the Buntings in the crop field were three Greenfinches.
2nd January 2017
Cold and frosty, but sunny.
A Jack Snipe flew past Oak Hide this morning at 10 a.m. and landed just to the left of the Hide. There were also ten Common Snipe in the Marsh.
On the pools, or flying over, were 52 Pochard included Blue F6T, a pair of Goosanders, Little Egret, 55 Lesser Black-backs and the first Greater Black-back for many months. Whilst, at the back gate, there were nine Siskins.
Later in the day a count of 300 Greylags with 20 Canadas and two hybrids was made on the flood plain and the Goosander count increased to five with three males and two females. There was a Water Rail noted but with no location, whilst ten Reed Buntings counted feeding on the reed seed heads, either side of the causeway. There was plenty of activity and song from Wrens as they pair up.
1st January 2017
Rain all day, north, north-easterly wind.
The Bunting count in the crop field this morning saw 31 Yellowhammers and 25 Reed Buntings. There were also seven Linnets and two Greenfinches. A Raven went over, there were eight Common Snipe on site and a Jack Snipe was seen around the Dragonfly Pond.
Pochard were up to an impressive 51, there were at least 200 Lapwings around Car Park Hide and ten Stock Doves flew from Siden Hill Wood.