Carsington Bird Club

FEBRUARY 2010 BIRD NOTES

February Highlights: Great Northern Divers, Red-necked Grebes and Jack Snipe.

A juvenile and an adult Great Northern Diver were present all month, quite often together at dawn and dusk. Early on 23 rd the adult was calling while the juvenile was close by diving. As the mist cleared at 1320hrs on 15 th a Red-necked Grebe was seen and photographed from Sheepwash and Lane End Hides and then lost to view. Searches were made by several birders and the bird was eventually relocated in Hopton Arm, in the rain and near to dusk. It was there that a second bird was noted. One bird remained in Hopton Arm, as far as the ice allowed, until 23 rd , while the second bird was elusive, wandering as far as Millfields. Counts for February included: 27 Little Grebe on 8 th , 41 Great Crested Grebe on 8 th , 45 Cormorant on 15 th , 6 Mute Swans on 23 rd , 46 Barnacle Geese on 1 st , 5 Shelduck on 25 th , 48 Wigeon on 28 th , 6 Gadwall on 22 nd , 59 Teal on 1 st , 141 Mallard on 23 rd , 2 Pintail on 18 th and 28 th , 5 Shoveler on 20 th , 2 Red-crested Pochard on 18 th , 2 Pochard on 28 th , 442 Tufted Duck on 23 rd , 19 Goldeneye on 23 rd , 5 Goosander on 13 th , 5 Moorhen on 23 rd and 401 Coot on 23 rd . These counts were low for winter but similar to or slightly less than those in February last year demonstrating that many of the wintering wildfowl had gone by the end of the month.

Two Sparrow Hawks were noted on 10 th , 6 Buzzard were in the air at the same time on 10 th and, on 1 st , a Buzzard was perched on the cairn on Flat Island while another searched the island for food. Peregrine were noted on several days with a female on 13 th , 1 over Hopton Arm on 16 th , an immature on 23 rd and 1 from Sheepwash on 28 th .

Oystercatchers have been returning and claiming their breeding island and, by 28 th , numbered 10 including a pair mating on Millfields Island and the male with a bar-code leg ring returning to Flat Island and Sheepwash area. A Jacksnipe flew in to Hopton Arm on 19 th for 2 hours and temporarily stole the red-necked grebe's show, see photograph on our website. Snipe numbers have been low this winter with just 4 recorded on 13 th and 22 nd . A Woodcock was flushed from the path behind Sheepwash Hide on 23 rd . Curlew are now moving through, with the first heard on 24 th , 2 on 27 th and 5 on 28 th including 3 which landed to the right of Sheepwash Hide. Redshank were seen in singles at many locations but the maximum count was only 3 on 22 nd and 24 th .

The gull roost was larger than in mid-February last year, with at least 3000 Black-headed Gulls, 550 Common Gulls and 300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on 13 th . The daytime resident, little grebe eating adult Yellow-legged Gull has not been recorded since 6 th , and a heron was noted struggling to swallow a gull carcass on 16 th !

A roost of 60 Woodpigeon was noted at Sheepwash on 8 th and 16 th , a Kingfisher regularly between 14 th and 24 th , 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers on 16 th , 2 Skylark flew over on 16 th , a singing wren on 28 th highlighted how few were seen this month, in excess of 50 Fieldfare at Sheepwash on 16 th , 4 Song Thrush singing on 28 th , 8 Long-tailed Tits squeezed onto Paul Stanley feeders on 23 rd , 4 Willow Tits on 24 th , 15 Magpie on 11 th , 50 Jackdaw over Sheepwash on 12 th , 6 Rooks on the dam wall fields on 23 rd , 2 Raven on 6 th and other dates, 4 Brambling in the Visitor Centre car park on 14 th , 13 Siskin at Sheepwash on 15 th and 10 Lesser Redpoll near the Wildlife Centre on 17 th .

87 Species this month compared with 86 in Feb 2009, 86 in 2008, 88 in 2007, 89 in 2006 and 90 in 2005.

JANUARY 2010 BIRD NOTES

January Highlights: Great Northern Diver, Little Egret, Scaup, Caspian Gull and Kittiwake.

One of last month's Great Northern Divers, a juvenile, remained all month and December's Little Egret was around the Wildlife Centre area until 24 th , with 2 present on Horseshoe Island from 1415hrs to 1500hrs on 18 th . 150 Pink-footed Geese flew low east over the water at 1130hrs on 8 th . Site counts this month were mainly the WeBS count on 17 th , unless dated otherwise, and included 46 Little Grebe, 45 Great Crested Grebe, 45 Cormorant on 24 th , 4 Heron on 27 th , 28 Mute Swans, 5 Greylag on 20 th , 45 feral Barnacle Geese on 20 th , 6 Shelduck on 24 th , 23 Wigeon (218 in Jan last year), 36 Gadwall, 49 Teal, 122 Mallard, 1 female Pintail on 11 th and other dates, 134 Pochard, 596 Tufted Duck, an elusive first winter female Scaup on 10 th and possibly all month, 12 Goldeneye, 11 Goosander on 31 st , 11 Moorhen and 1424 Coot (1844 in Jan last year). Some of these counts are significantly down compared with recent years, probably due to the abnormally cold weather. Certainly any geese and ducks seeking grazing would have been struggling with the depth of snow. Escapee ducks seen were 2 Speckled Teal on 27 th and a Chiloe Wigeon on 29 th , both South American species.

Raptor records were few, with 4 Common Buzzards in the air on 1 st , a Peregrine on the pylon observed from the Wildlife Centre on 17 th and 24 th , elsewhere on site on 18 th , 19 th and 20 th , and a pair of Peregrine mobbing a Buzzard on 28 th .

An Oystercatcher was seen on 11 th and 16 th , Snipe numbered 12 at the Wildlife Centre on 24 th , a Woodcock was near Lane End Hide on 4 th and 3 Redshank were on site on 1 st and subsequent dates.

The gull roost, visible from Lane End Hide, on 24 th included 4000 Black-headed Gulls, 600 Common Gulls and 500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Other gull records included 20 Herring Gulls on 18 th , an adult Caspian Gull in front of Sheepwash Hide from 1430hrs on 18 th , 17 Great Black-backed Gulls on Sheepwash Spit early on 1 st , an adult Kittiwake near Millfields at 1000hrs on 28 th , and the resident Yellow-legged Gull was seen eating a Little Grebe on 18 th and a dead fish on 25 th .

The freezing weather and thick snow lying on the ground prevented much activity by non-water birds. Two Barn Owls were out hunting near the Wildlife Centre on 14 th and another near Fishtail Creek later in the month. A Kingfisher was in Penn Carr on 16 th and at other locations later in the month and 2 Skylark flew east over Millfields on 18 th . The annual wintering Meadow Pipit flock, which can usually be located around the Dam Wall and Tail Bay area, has not been seen this January. Presumably this flock has gone south or to the coast where ground feeding is possible. Two Nuthatch were on Paul Stanley feeders on 1 st and other subsequent dates and Siskin flocks have been regularly noted, with the largest totalling 40 on 11 th and 27 th . Four Linnets were near the Wildlife Centre on 1 st and 68 Lesser Redpoll were noted at in the same area on 17 th .

86 Species this month comparing well with 86 in January 2009, 85 in 2008, 89 in 2007, 89 in 2006, 95 in 2005, 91 in 2004, 87 in 2003 and 75 in 2002.

DECEMBER 2009 BIRD NOTES

December Highlights: Great Northern Diver, Little Egret, Bewick's Swan, Egyptian Goose, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Gull and Water Pipit.

An adult winter plumage Great Northern Diver arrived on 1 st , stayed all month and was joined by a juvenile from 6 th . A Little Egret appeared at Sheepwash on 27 th , then flew away southwest over the dam on 28 th and returned to be found at the Wildlife Centre on 31 st . Two Bewick's Swans were near the Sailing Club then Sheepwash before flying off west at 1015hrs on 2 nd . Pink-footed Geese movement included 44 northwest at 1205hrs on 10 th , 82 west at 0950hrs, closely followed by 130 west at 0958hrs on 12 th and 1 landed near the dam wall about the same time. An Egyptian Goose showed at Sheepwash and the Wildlife Centre on 1 st . Maximum counts were: 79 Little Grebe on 13 th , 50 Great Crested Grebe on 23 rd , 9 Greylag Geese on 10 th and 12 th , 280 Canada Geese on 20 th , 4 Shelduck on 2 nd , 116 Wigeon on 8 th , 31 Gadwall on 23 rd , 3 Pintail on 1 st and 12 th , 2 Shoveler on 22 nd , 232 Pochard on 8 th , a first winter female Scaup from 6 th to 26 th , 8 Goldeneye on 9 th , 20 Goosander on 10 th and 29 Moorhen on 17 th .

A female Teal with a pale green nasal saddle was well noted on 13 th and was traced as being marked at Grand-Mare in Normandy , France on 4 th February 2009 . A pair of Tufted Duck with bright blue/turquoise bills were recorded on 10 th . This form of duck identification is carried out in France and Spain and consists of colour painted onto the top of the bill with large black numbers and letters painted on the colour. Note: the species, sex, bill colour and alpha-numerics and the individual can be traced on the colour ringing website.

The only notable raptor record was a Peregrine feeding on Woodpigeon, seen on the pylon from the Wildlife Centre on 8 th . Waders included 27 Golden Plover flying southwest over Millfields on 22 nd , a Grey Plover flying over Shiningford Creek on 2 nd , 380 Lapwing on 20 th , 1 Dunlin on 19 th , 4 Snipe at the Wildlife Centre on 19 th , a Woodcock flushed at Sheepwash on 3 rd and 6 th and at Millfields on 20 th and 5 Redshank on 17 th .

The gull roost included an adult Mediterranean Gull on 10 th and 11 th , last months adult Ring-billed Gull on 1 st , 2 nd and 6 th , 200 Common Gulls on 17 th , 1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on 2 nd , 2 Yellow-legged Gulls on 6 th and an adult Caspian Gull on 27 th . A healthy looking adult Yellow-legged Gull, which stays on site all day, never seen venturing off for food with the other gulls, has recently been reported eating a Little Grebe. Further information on this will be appreciated.

A Water Pipit was viewed on Stones Island for 10 minutes on 19 th . This is the first winter record and fifth site record for this species, all previous records have been in early spring. Species counts include; 14 Meadow Pipit on 17 th , 38 Blackbird on 17 th , 12 Song Thrush on 23 rd , 6 Willow Tit on 17 th , 21 Carrion Crow on 3 rd , 22 Tree Sparrow on 2 nd , 20 Goldfinch on 3 rd and 6 th , 30 Siskin on 2 nd , 1 Linnet on 17 th , 4 Crossbill on 31 st and 15 Bullfinch on 17 th .

93 species recorded compared with 95 in December 2008, 91 in 2007, 99 in 2006, 88 in 2005, 95 in 2004, 97 in 2003 and 89 in 2002.

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