31st May 2023
Overcast, drizzle, fresh northerly wind.
There was no sign of the Black Tern this morning but a Red Kite was seen again and the Ringed Plover remained. Three Little Ringed Plovers, seven adult Oystercatchers and four chicks, four Redshanks, nine Common Terns (with four definitely sitting), a drake Shoveler and at least ten Swifts were the other records of note.
30th May 2023
Overcast, fresh northerly wind.
A full adult Black Tern found before 8 am this morning was the day’s stand-out highlight. It was present all day, mostly hunting the far end of Car Park Pool but occasionally wandering further south along the pool and visiting Railway Pool. An Arctic Tern went through at just after 8 am and there was a steady movement of hirundines, with up to 20 Swifts at any one time and ten Sand Martins, a Swallow and two House Martins, although birds appeared to be moving through during most of the day.
Black Tern – Photograph by Steve Pattinson
A drake Teal and a drake Shoveler were also present, along with four Little Ringed Plovers, one Ringed Plover and a Redshank. A Red Kite also went over.
29th May 2023
Overcast, fresh northerly wind.
A pair of Red-legged Partridges were an unexpected record, seen from the Old Road by the HS2 Settlement Pond, near Patrick Farm.
A drake Shoveler, one Little Ringed Plover, ten adult Oystercatchers and four chicks, four Redshank, 27 Lapwing, the family party of four Little Grebes on the Reedbed, 64 Canadas, 68 Greylags with 29 goslings and three Mallard broods were the other birds making the log.
28th May 2023
Overcast start, sun appearing mid-morning.
There were 24 Beautiful Demoiselles along the Reedbed side this morning and also one Large Red Damselfly and a single Broad-bodied Chaser. There was a further Four-spotted Chaser along with two Black-tailed Skimmers along the path to Oak Hide from the stream gate. A pair of Emperor Dragonflies showed well from Reedbed Hide with the female ovipositing.
A pair of Redshanks were present in the Marsh and, on Car Park Pool, there were singles of Little Ringed Plover, Great Crested Grebe and Little Egret.
27th May 2023
Sunny, light north-easterly wind.
A full count of today’s birds will follow below, with highlights being a Red Kite over Car Park Pool in the morning, a Hobby hunting over Siden Hill Wood, a Water Rail in the Reedbed area and at least four Redshanks on Railway Pool.
Other counts were as follows: four Mute Swans, 20 Canadas and two broods, 30 Greylags and five broods, 12 Mallard and two broods (although there have been three over the previous few days), a drake Shoveler, 23 Gadwall, 96 Tufted, three Little Grebes, two Moorhens, 20 Coots, nine Lapwing, six Oystercatchers and four young, two Little Egrets, 875 adult Black-headed Gulls and at least 100 chicks, eight Common Terns (with four appearing to be sitting), and a Raven over.
Dragonflies were as follows: one Emperor on the Reedbed, two Black-tailed Skimmers, 30 Four-spotted Chasers, 34 Beautiful Demoiselles, a male Banded Demoiselle, 80 Azure Damselflies, 20 Blue-tailed, six Large Red, one Red-eyed, two Broad-bodied Chasers.
Butterflies extended to the following: a male Brimstone, one Red Admiral, singles of Large and Green-veined Whites, five Speckled Woods and three Orange-tips.
26th May 2023
Sunny, light north-easterly wind.
Water Rails appear to have bred in the North Causeway Bay again, with two chicks seen this morning. The birds have been invisible over the last few weeks and have gone completely silent during the breeding season.
Other birds of note were a single Great Crested Grebe, still four Oystercatcher chicks, the family party of two adults and two Little Grebe chicks on the Reedbed, two Little Egrets and two Herons.
Four Lapwing chicks have fledged, which is particularly good news, two from Car Park Pool and at least two from Railway Pool.
In the warm weather and despite the cool northern aspect, a male Hairy Dragonfly showed well on the pond by the Car Park this morning and numbers of Beautiful Demoiselles were up to 25, mostly in the area around the Central Stream and alongside the Reedbed.
Butterflies included singles of Common Blue and Holly Blue, both in the area around the Car Park.
Muntjac from Railway Hide – Photograph by Stef Fraczek
25th May 2023
Sunny intervals, north-easterly wind.
A pair of Egyptian Geese and a male Pochard were new arrivals this morning and there was a single Redshank present on Car Park Pool. The Willow Warbler continues to sign along the Causeway or in the Crop Oaks.
Beautiful Demoiselle numbers are on the increase, with at least 14 seen today.
24th May 2023
Sunny, light north-westerly wind.
The pair of Little Grebes, with two well grown chicks were vocal and showing well on the Reedbed Pool this morning and the two well grown Lapwing chicks were present on the island in front of Railway Hide. Fortunately both of the Oystercatcher young on Car Park Pool were also in good shape and being regularly fed by the adults despite the increasingly dry weather. There were 12 adults seen in total. Other birds making the log were a single Little Egret, two Redshanks, two female Goosanders and a Water Rail in the Reedbed.
The warm weather was good for both butterflies and damselflies with highlights being ten Beautiful Demoiselles, 15 Four-spotted Chasers and two Broad-bodied Chasers.
May Blossom – Photograph by Michael Pugh
23rd May 2023
Dry, warm, light northerly.
Drake Garganey – Photograph by Martin Durkin
A male Garganey was a smart new arrival on Railway Pool where it showed pretty well all day, particularly in front of Oak Hide from about midday onwards. Two Common Sandpipers included one on each pool and there were three Little Ringed Plovers and four Redshanks. There are two well grown Lapwing chicks on the island in front of Railway Hide with a Redshank and one Little Ringed Plover. Twelve Common Terns, two single Garden Warblers and a Willow Warbler also made the log.
Amongst the butterflies on the wing, a male Brimstone was a smart addition in the Back Gate Copse.
Crimson Clover – found by the Reay Brothers and photographed by John Hunt
22nd May 2023
Sunny spells, fresh north-easterly.
A Hairy Dragonfly was seen around the Reedbed this morning, and late Snipe in the Marsh. The Dragonfly was first recorded last year and thought to have been overlooked. A pair of Shovelers were new arrivals, as was a Common Sandpiper, and the Great Crested Grebe lingered on Car Park Pool. There were four Little Ringed Plovers, five Redshanks and 12 Common Tern also seen.
21st May 2023
Sunny, warm.
Two almost fledged juvenile Lapwings were present in front of Railway Hide this morning and there was a Little Grebe with two young on the Reedbed Pool. A Treecreeper with young was seen along the Concrete Road, and Linnets were displaying by the HS2 works north along the Old Road.
There was still a Great Crested Grebe on Car Park Pool, two Little Egrets went over and there were still two Oystercatcher chicks in front of Car Park Hide. A Garden Warbler and a Willow Warbler continued to sing from the causeway area, with another Garden Warbler by the Dragonfly Pond.
Oystercatcher and chick from Car Park Hide – Photograph by Arthur Owens
Wren with lunch, from North Causeway Hide – Photograph by Alan Rich
Photograph by Paul Casey – Four-spotted Chaser
20th May 2023
Sunny, light north-northerly.
A full count today of both birds and insects included the following. Nine Mute Swans with seven cygnets on Railway Pool, 18 Canadas and a brood of seven on Railway Pool, 25 Greylags and a brood of seven, also on Railway Pool, 31 Gadwall, eight Mallard and a brood of seven on Railway Pool, a jump to 112 Tufted Ducks, five Little Grebes, Great Crested Grebe, 13 Cormorants, six Moorhens and brood of five on Car Park Pool, 11 Coot, two female Goosanders, one Little Ringed Plover, nine Lapwings, five Oystercatchers, 1200 Black-headed Gulls with at least 70 chicks, nine Common Terns, a Kestrel, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, two Redshanks and two Ravens.
Nine Beautiful Demoiselles was a good count and there was a single Banded Demoiselle as well. Four-Spotted Chasers have increased over the last few days to 12, as have Damselflies with many about, including 20 Azures. Four Speckled Wood, eight Orange-Tips, two Large Whites, five Green-veined Whites, a Peacock, two Red Admirals, and two Small Coppers in the Horse Paddock were the main butterfly counts.
Photographs by Stef Fraczek
Little Egret with Damselfly snack – From Oak Hide
Whitethroat from Railway Hide
19th May 2023
Sunny spells, light northerly.
Plenty of insects were seen today with two Beautiful Demoiselles, ten Four-Spotted Chasers and the following Damselflies – one Common Blue, 17 Azure, six Blue-Tailed and ten Large Reds.
Butterflies comprised 14 Orange-Tips, two Speckled Wood, four Green-veined Whites and a Large White.
Bird wise, two female Goosanders, a single Little Ringed Plover, three Redshanks, eight Common Terns, the Mallard brood of eight (Railway Pool) and still two Oystercatcher broods were the only birds making the log.
18th May 2023
Sunny spells, warm, 17°, light winds.
Four female Goosanders was a little bit of a late surprise this morning but, otherwise, birds were similar to the previous day.
Odonata included two Beautiful and one Banded Demoiselle, plus two Large Red Damselflies. Moths included two Latticed Heath and the Common Carpet.
17th May 2023
Sunny spells, fresh north-westerly
On the wader front there were three Little Ringed Plovers, three Redshanks, eight Oystercatchers plus two broods on Car Park Pool with three Lapwing broods still on Railway Pool. A total of 14 Common Terns were counted. A Kingfisher flew north over Car Park Pool and there were singles of Little Egret and Kestrel.
16th May 2023
Sunny spells, fresh north-westerly wind.
I am sad to report that there was a dead Common Tern on the Car Park Pool islands this morning, with the concern that the Bird Flu has spread into this species.
Although dead Black-headed Gulls are still being seen, it appears that the peak has passed.
Records making the log today were four Little Ringed Plovers, three Redshanks, eight Oystercatchers and two broods of two on Car Park Pool, a brood of Little Grebes of three in the Reedbed, still four Lapwing broods on Railway Pool, a single Great Crested Grebe, ten Common Terns and at least 45 Black-headed Gull chicks.
Four Blue-tailed Damselflies, nine Azure Damselflies, a Peacock, a Speckled Wood and two Orange-tips were the insects making the log.
Photograph by Paul Casey
Large-red Damselfy
Later in the day a Raven and a Red Kite both flew over and a Small Copper was found in the Horse Paddock along the Old Road.
15th May 2023
Sunny spells, fresh north-westerly wind.
One of the best bird today was a Red Kite over the Flood Plain, with other counts comprising a pair of Teal, one Shelduck, three Little Ringed Plovers, three Redshank, nine Oystercatchers and two broods, at least four broods of Lapwing and 108 Tufted Ducks.
More butterflies were visible today, with two Small Coppers in the Horse Paddock, three Speckled Woods, two Orange-tips, a Red Admiral and four Green-veined Whites. A Beautiful Demoiselle and Latticed Heath also made the log.
Photographs by Paul Casey
Blackbird – Old Road Horse Paddock
Azure Blue Damselfly
Red and Black Froghoppers
14th May 2023
Misty start, thereafter sunny periods. Cool northerly wind.
Today’s new arrival was a drake Red Crested Pochard, visible from Railway Hide. This is almost certainly the male that has been at Packington for much of the year. There were also two Redshanks, a Shelduck, a Green Woodpecker, a pair of Treecreepers with fledged young in the Back Gate Copse, 15 Common Terns, an Egyptian Goose and, on the butterfly front, a Small Copper in the Horse Paddock along with Peacock and Red Admiral.
13th May 2023
Overcast, fresh north-easterly wind.
Yesterday’s Dunlin was still present and two female Goosanders were also on site. A Hobby showed briefly and, in the blustery conditions, 100 Sand Martins and ten Swifts were present.
Other counts were as follows: ten Mute Swans, 16 Canadas and a brood of seven on Railway Pool, 22 Greylags and four broods (three on Car Park Pool and one on Railway Pool), 25 Gadwall, 11 Mallard and two broods both on Railway Pool (eight and ten), 90 Tufted, 14 Cormorants, a Little Egret, six Moorhens, 18 Coot, three Little Ringed Plover, eight Oystercatchers and two broods, nine Lapwings and three broods although the two young on Car Park Pool are down to one, and the broods on Railway Pool seem to now be just three young. A number of Black-headed Gull chicks are also hatching out.
Later in the day the first Water Rail for some weeks was seen in the North Causeway Bay. A Willow Warbler continues to sing from the east end of the Causeway.
12th May 2023
Sunny spells, fresh northerly wind.
A Dunlin was a new arrival in today, being joined by a Common Sandpiper, four Little Ringed Plovers and five Redshanks.
A Hobby flew north over Car Park Pool and 12 Swifts were also seen. A pair of Teal and two Ravens were also new in, with an increase in Swifts and hirundines in the afternoon, with 40 Swifts, five Swallows and ten Sand Martins.
Broods of birds today were as follows: two Oystercatcher broods on Car Park Pool of two and one, there are still three Lapwing broods, two on Car Park Pool and two plus two on Railway Pool. Seven Greylag broods, a single Canada brood, eight Mallard ducklings on Railway Pool and one new Moorhen in the North Causeway Bay.
A Roebuck was visible in Lower Siden, from Car Park Hide and there was a Red Admiral on the wing.
Photographs by Paul Casey
Dunlin from Oak Hide
Red-headed Cardinal Beetle by River Hide
Redshank from Oak Hide
11th May 2023
No records.
10th May 2023
Sunny spells, sharp showers, fresh south-westerly wind.
The four Lapwing broods were still intact this morning and may be benefiting from the Black-headed Gull deaths, in that there are fewer birds for predation and more carrion available for other Gulls and Corvids.
A new Oystercatcher brood of two was present on Car Park Pool and other bird records extended to four Little Egrets, a single Great Crested Grebe, one Shelduck, eight Common Terns, two Redshanks and two Little Ringed Plovers.
At the Dragonfly Pond there was a newly emerging Four-spotted Chaser, with exuvia, together with one Red-eyed Damselfly, one Azure Damselfly and two Large-Red Damselflies.
Butterflies extended to seven Orange-tips, two Speckled Woods and four Green-veined Whites.
A Muntjac fawn was seen along the Old Road and there was a Fox around the periphery of Car Park Pool.
In the evening, either the earlier Willow Warbler from some days ago, or a new one, was singing in the Back Gate Copse, together with the more recent arrival at the east end of the Causeway.
Seven attended the evening Work Party (for which many thanks) and a further collection of dead Black-headed Gulls were made, together with some Island maintenance whilst we were out there. The total of Gulls now collected amounts to 940, with 276 collected tonight, plus a Lapwing. A further eight ringed birds were collected today, six were part of the colour-ringing project for Marsh Lane, a BTO ring with a currently unrecognised sequence and a colour-ringed bird from the Southern Ringing Group. The details for this are as follows: It was ringed as a chick at Fishers Green, Essex, on July 13th, 2017 and has subsequently been seen at Upton Warren multiple times over the following periods, March 22nd to July 27th 2019, February 15th to June 19th 2020, March 14th to July 3rd 2021, February 27th to March 29th 2022 and March 17th to March 19th this year.
Separately the edges of the footpaths were strimmed and there was a further programme of Alder removal from the Reedbed.
9th May 2023
Overcast start
The Willow Warbler continues to sing from the east end of the Causeway and new in were a pair of Great Crested Grebes on Car Park Pool.
8th May 2023
Overcast, light rain and fresh southerly wind.
There is a new brood of Oystercatchers on Car Park Pool this morning with two young seen, fortunately all four Lapwing broods are still surviving. A new Canada brood of seven was seen on Railway Pool and there were two Greylag broods on Car Park Pool, a new one of three and the older one of eight. Lastly, a brood of Mallard of eight was on Railway Pool.
Other birds included four Little Ringed Plover, 20 Swift, 70 Sand Martins and a male Teal in the morning whilst, in the afternoon, the Willow Warbler continued to sing from between the Causeway and the Old Road. There was a Grey Wagtail by Patrick Bridge as well.
Whitethroat from Railway Hide – Photograph by Alan Rich
7th May 2023
Dry, sunny periods, light westerly wind.
The first of the Damselflies were on the wing today in the warmer weather, with a Large Red seen but no location given. There were 12 Common Terns, a pair of Shoveler, at least three Redshank and four Garden Warblers.
Orange-tip Butterfly – Orchid Field – Photograph by Stef Fraczek
6th May 2023
Today was the all day bird watch across the Midlands and it was a permanently damp affair with, particularly at Marsh Lane, precious little passage. The weather impacted on the total, a paltry 70 and the lowest May total ever. Aside from a movement of hirundines for much of the day, one party of a least 15 Swifts at 11.30 for a short while and a male Yellow Wagtail in the Marsh early on, that was it for migration.
A Common Sandpiper on the deepened scrapes on Lower Siden was most likely a lingering bird from previous days. There was reasonable morning coverage by birders, but little in the afternoon. I was on my own for two hours until 6.15 pm and a bit like watching Birmingham City at St. Andrews, you knew however much effort was applied the total was never going to be added to! The full list for the day is set out below.
Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Pheasant, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Heron, Little Egret, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Tern, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Swift, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet and Reed Bunting.
5th May 2023
Damp overnight and into the early morning, but sunny intervals thereafter, with a light south-westerly wind.
The Wood Sandpiper remains in front of Oak Hide, showing well this morning with a single Common Sandpiper and there was a second Common Sandpiper on Car Park Pool. The Willow Warbler remains in song along the Causeway, where there was a Lesser Whitethroat and, assuming it was the same bird, it was later in song on the Old Road. The Cetti’s Warbler from the top stream had moved to the car park gates and the Car Park Pool this morning. There was a new brood of at least two Lapwing chicks on Railway Pool, with the other four chicks still in tact, fortunately.
4th May 2023
Sunny, light easterly wind, clouding over towards the end of the day with some light rain in the evening.
Today’s star bird was a Wood Sandpiper found in front of Oak Hide this morning and showing well all day. There was a single Common Sandpiper, the first Hobby of the year, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Little Egret, two Swifts, at least three Reed Warblers, a Willow Warbler on the Causeway, a Mistle Thrush on the Flood Plain and two Lesser Redpolls along the Old Road.
In the evening, an Egyptian Goose appeared briefly on Car Park Pool.
Wood Sandpiper Railway Pool – Photograph by Steve Taylor
Common Sandpiper Railway Pool – Photograph by Steve Taylor
Reed Warbler Car Park Pool Screen – Photograph by Steve Taylor
3rd May 2023
Sunny, light south-easterly wind.
There were two Common Sandpipers seen this morning, three Little Ringed Plovers, seven Oystercatchers, two Redshanks, eight Common Terns, a drake Teal, still three Lapwing broods (with the pair in front of Car Park Hide sometimes being difficult to see below the bank).
Plenty of butterflies were on the wing in the sunny weather, 22 Orange-tips, six Speckled Woods, a single Small White and a Peacock, one Small Tortoiseshell and two Holly Blues.
2nd May 2023
Overcast, light south-easterly wind.
A single Dunlin remained today and there was a Common Sandpiper present. Eight Oystercatchers were present but no sign of the chicks and there were still two Lapwing broods on Railway Pool, although no sign of the one on Car Park Pool.
A Greylag brood of seven was seen on Car Park Pool and a Willow Warbler was in song in the crop field oaks. The Treecreeper showed again in the Back Gate Copse and three Swifts went over to the north. There will still seven Common Terns and a Raven flew over.
As the weather improved, butterflies on the wing included at least 15 Orange-tips, six Green-veined Whites, two Speckled Woods, a Peacock and a Small White.
1st May 2023
Overcast, light north-westerly wind.
Migrants on the move today included two Dunlin and three Ringed Plover and also three Swifts over. Willow Warblers, having arrived in force, seem to have become scarce but there was one singing in the Copse opposite the Pumping Station car park this morning. Other birds making the log were a drake Shoveler, a female Goosander, one Little Egret, four Little Ringed Plovers, a Redshank, 11 Common Terns, seven Oystercatchers and a brood of two on Railway Pool and still three Lapwing broods.