I hope you have been enjoying the warm and dry weather, which we’ve been experiencing continuously until the last few days when a little bit of rain finally arrived (got to be good for the garden) and the temperatures moderated.

It has, as is traditional, been a quiet time for the club, as we concluded our season of indoor meetings and gave the trips and walks a bit of a break to allow members to go off on summer holidays – and the birdlife to hunker down to raise their new families.  As you will see when you read on, however, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see for the determined birder at the reservoir, where two monthly species count records have been broken this year.

We are now picking up the pace again, though, and it’s only a few weeks before the next indoor season carries us across the winter into next spring.  We kick off our 2025-26 season next month by retaining the heat, as Gary Hobson delivers a talk on the birdlife of southern Turkey.  See below for the upcoming programme, which will also includes the work of the BTO and ‘travels’ to the lush forests of India and the often endemic species that have evolved and inhabit islands around the globe.

I hope you can make one or two of these talks.  And we’ll be on the move again with our most recent club outing – one of our slightly longer trips, to Burton Mere in Cheshire.  We’ve had a couple of previous trips to this well-maintained site on the edge of the Dee Estuary, which has traditionally produced a good and varied list of birds.

Read on, too, for the latest reservoir report, which is surprisingly busy, including two species record counts – not something usually expected over the summer, and at a time when water levels have rapidly dropped.  And we’ve included a summary of the excellent fund-raising activity that has been boosting the club’s bank balance in recent times.

Gary Atkins

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Below are the dates of upcoming events.  Remember – all indoor meetings are held in the Visitor Centre’s Henmore Room, beginning at 7.30pm:

** TUESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER ** – Talk: The birds and wildlife of south-west Turkey; Gary Hobson describes this multi-habitat area sitting at the edge of Europe and Asia.

** SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER ** – We jump in our cars for a club trip to the RSPB’s excellent reserve at Burton Mere on the Wirral.  We aim to arrive at the visitor centre by 10.30am.  Contact Chris Lamb (see details at the end of the newsletter) if you wish to come along.  A lift could be available for those not wishing to drive.

** TUESDAY, 14 OCTOBER ** – Talk: The British Trust for Ornithology; Jon Potts describes the important work undertaken by the BTO (note that, unusually, this is the second Tuesday of the month).

** TUESDAY, 18 NOVEMBER ** – Talk: India – Land of the Tiger; the ever-entertaining Tony Davison tells us about his trip last year where he encountered a plethora of birdlife … and the iconic Bengal Tiger.

** TUESDAY, 16 DECEMBER ** – Talk: Birds and Islands; David Parkin reprises the presentation on the evolution of birdlife on island that he was due to give us last season before an injury forced him to postpone.

NEW RECORDS ARE A SURPRISE AS WATER LEVELS PLUMMET

There’s a tendency to regard the summer as a relatively quiet period for birding, but that has not proven to be the case at Carsington this year, which saw a record equalling number of species in June (102), then a brand new record for July when 112 species were logged.

One probable reason for this mid-year boost has been the steadily reducing water levels which have resulted in increasingly large expanses of mud for visiting waders and other waterfowl.  An outstanding 30 Little Egrets on 1 August reflected high numbers of this attractive species across the whole county.  Interestingly, two colour-ringed Little Egrets that arrived recently were ringed at the same location in Merseyside, albeit a week apart.

Up to two Great White Egrets have also been seen on a number of occasions, while up to 12 Grey Herons have also appreciated the enhanced fishing conditions. 

A larger-than-usual total of 15 waders were noted in July, including Sanderling, Knot, Greenshank, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Whimbrel and Green and Common Sandpipers.  So far in August, the total is already one higher still as Turnstone, Ruff and Grey and Golden Plovers have added themselves to the list.

While two Black-necked Grebes were seen on two dates in June and again in August, the numbers of both Great Crested and Little Grebes have also been healthy.  One of the ever presents during the whole life of the reservoir is, of course, Mallard – and yet a new site record for this familiar duck was attained, with 468 counted on two separate dates including the August WeBS count that also saw Coot numbers up to 977.

Canada Geese are proliferating again, with 1,150 counted in mid-July, outnumbering the 344 Greylags in late June.  Egyptian Geese pop up now and again, and it’s been interesting to see a family of five Barnacles including three young. 

There was a surprise Garganey on 4 June, a female Red-crested Pochard has been mobile throughout much of the summer, up to four Common Scoter have appeared a couple of times and a juvenile Shelduck has been seen often during the first half of August.

Gull numbers have been fairly steady: Black-headeds have been a regular sight, including a fair number of young; up to 1,500 Lesser Black-backs were counted on 19 August; Mediterranean and Yellow-legged Gulls have made sporadic appearances, while an adult Caspian Gull has been seen with increasing regularity over the past month. 

During June and July, the tern passage was limited to Common Terns, but in August, Sandwich, Arctic and an impressive group of six Black Terns boosted the tern roster.

Raptors had had a fairly quiet time, though things livened up in mid-August when first of all a Marsh Harrier was briefly seen on the 13^th, then, two days later, a returning Osprey passed through the site.  The following day two Ospreys graced the reservoir, one nimbly catching its supper, on the 20th another single bird swung through early morning, alarming the gulls Brown Ale Bay, but they got their revenge two days later, harrying two further Ospreys that showed up (one again catching a fish).  Other than that, up to six Red Kites have been seen, and the summer-migrant Hobbies have occasionally been seen eating on the wing, feasting on dragonflies and other small prey.

Five Yellow Wagtails on 27 July and a Wheatear two days later signal that we are on the cusp of the return migration.  Most of our regular migrant species have been present and correct but in the coming weeks we can expect some of them to begin to move south.  It’s been good to hear and see Lesser Whitethroats and a few of their ‘Common’ cousins, which had been scarce in recent years.

Among other relatively scarce passerines, a Stonechat was spotted on 2 July, Crossbills were around in both June and July, the maximum count being 23, a satisfying eight Willow Tits were noted on 7 June and eight Spotted Flycatchers counted in August probably represented three family groups.

Also present and correct have been the various hirundines, though not seen in huge numbers – generally 25-50 Swallows, House and Sand Martins being the most seen, while up to 10 Swifts have regularly been counted.  One of the most prolific small birds has been Linnet, 200 of which have often been recorded between Sheepwash and Lane End.

The haunting call of the Green Woodpecker is rarely heard at Carsington, but was noticed on two dates in June and then on two further dates in August, and an impressive group of 155 Rooks returned to roost on 19 August.

AFTER THE SUMMER’S LULL – RESUMING OUR CLUB ACTIVITIES

We kick off the 2025/2026 INDOOR SEASON with our first meeting in the Henmore Room on Tuesday 16 September.  It will be a talk by Gary Hobson on the birds and wildlife of south-western Turkey; he will take us on a tour of the Dalaman, Fethiye and Oludeniz regions featuring a mixture of coastal, mountain and inland farming habitats, highlighting the rich range of birds and wildlife he saw and photographed there.

At our next meeting, on Tuesday 14 October, Jon Potts will describe to us the work of the British Trust for Ornithology. The BTO carries out invaluable scientific research to help secure the future of the UK’s birdlife, with many volunteer-led activities such as population and breeding bird surveys and ringing. Jon is the BTO’s Derbyshire North regional representative and will talk about projects at both a local and national level.

India is our next destination at the meeting on Tuesday 18 November.  A country renowned for its rich diversity of birds and other wildlife, Tony Davison will describe his travels to India in 2024 and the birds and wildlife he encountered.  Tony’s superb photographs are a given, and we will be treated to views of some amazing birds and animals – including the iconic Bengal Tiger.

Birds and islands is the theme for our final talk this year on Tuesday 16 December with David Parkin as our speaker. Many islands around the world have some very distinct and unusual birds. A few species have evolved as flightless, while the prolonged isolation of the more remote islands, such as Madagascar and the Galapagos, has resulted in a number of unique birds and other animals.

Moving OUTDOORS, our first trip in the Autumn is to an old favourite – the Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB Reserve on the Dee estuary in Cheshire on Sunday, 12 October.  This location always gives us a good day’s birding and by this time of year many of our winter visitors will have returned.  We aim to meet at 10.30am in the reserve car park.  Toilet facilities and a café serving light refreshments are available in the Visitor Centre.

More information can be found on the RSPB website at:

https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/dee-estuary-burton-mere-wetlands

If you are intending to make this trip, please let Chris Lamb know by email at cflamb@yahoo.co.uk

FUND-RAISING GATHERS PACE

As well as being our club secretary, Louise Sykes together with husband John, does a remarkable job each year raising funds for us.   So far in 2025, the total raised is £1,292 – with two events still to go!  Here, Louise herself explains how they organise their presence at these local events:

“Most of our fund-raising takes place at Broomfield Hall’s Animal Unit at Morley, which is part of Derby College, and we are one of three charitable organisations invited to promote our work.  The visitors are mainly young families, grandparents and prospective students.

“We usually run a tombola, a lucky dip and sell good quality second-hand books and challenging jigsaws.  I am especially grateful to our fellow club and committee members, family and friends, as everything we sell is donated by them.  We also have a very kind neighbour who makes us small knitted dogs for the lucky dip and these are very popular.

“There have been four events so far this year at the Animal Unit: a Valentine event in February, a Lambing themed show in March and Spring and Summer events in May and June.  There are two more to go at Morley – Halloween and Christmas events, in October and December.

“We’ve attended two other large events this year: the Etwall Well Dressing, also in May, where we collected our highest total of the year by some margin, and the Mayfield Summer Show, which was a brand new event for us.

“Here we sold over 20 jigsaws and a variety of books.  As well as show awards for best cake, photo, flowers and onions there was also the challenge of making a bird box, so we offered an extra prize in this category.  The two brothers who won this prize (aged 9 and 13) came to our stall and each chose a book.  It was also a chance for Chris Lamb to tell the family about the club and the monthly “beginners” bird walk at Carsington.  One retired gentleman wanted to buy a jigsaw, but thanks to Dave Horsley’s sales technique he walked away with three!

“The funds we collect are, of course, useful, but John and I really do enjoy participating at these community events and getting to meet and talk to so many people.”

From the club’s point of view, the funds are welcome; we just need to work out how to spend them quickly enough!  Apart from helping to run club events for members and covering expenditure, the beneficiaries preferably need to be focused on the wildlife and habitats around Carsington.  We are always investigating ways we can help in this regard – so if any club members know of or have ideas for projects we can engage with, we’d be very pleased to hear them.

My last introduction spoke of the damp and cool weather we had been experiencing; well, the last couple of months couldn’t be more different.  Virtually no rain, usually sunny and often warm with it – great conditions for getting out and enjoying nature in general and, for we bird fans in particular, the steady flow of arriving migrants.

And that’s what we have done a few times over the spring period.  Read about our trips to Brandon Marsh and, closer to home earlier this month, to Drakelow.  We also staged our annual ‘songsters walk’, which last year was undertaken in a deluge, this year conditions were pretty much ideal.

Since the last newsletter we concluded our 2024-25 series of indoor meetings, with two further fascinating talks peppered with wonderful photographs, and we’re now amid our usual hiatus of late spring and summer which urges us to get outdoors, explore pastures new and enjoy family holidays.  Don’t forget, though, that the new season will get under way in September – on the 16^th to be precise – with a talk by Gary Hobson on the Birds and Wildlife of Turkey.  There will be six more meetings after that, always in the Henmore Room at the Visitor Centre and usually on the third Tuesday of the month, though in October for a couple of specific reasons, it will be on the second Tuesday, the 14^th.  More details and dates will follow in the next newsletter.

By now you should have received your 2024 annual report; while we’d not expect most of you to read it cover to cover, it does contain a wealth of useful information detailing an excellent birding year at Carsington – and represents a fantastic effort by our posse of regular recorders.  Its front section also carries reports by the officers of our committee, reflecting a club that is in generally good health.  We have thankfully retained most members and gained a few new ones, though one of the following articles here tells of the sad passing of former Chairman Tony Jackson and his wife Sheila. 

Meanwhile, we on the committee hope we’re offering enough information and activities to retain your interest for another year.  So, for now, get out there and enjoy the good weather while it lasts.

Gary Atkins

SPRING SEES A CHANGING OF THE AVIAN GUARD AS USUAL

In February birders were arriving in good numbers to boost their year (or even life) lists by spotting our two over-wintering divers and some scarce ducks.  Three months later those ‘trophies’ have all moved on, and the usual arrival of a steady stream of migrants has all but concluded, with breeding activity and success across many species now in evidence.

The regular Great Northern Diver was last seen on 24 April after its usual long stay, but this year it was joined for much of that period by a Red-throated ‘cousin’ that headed back north 17 days earlier.  Meanwhile, the pair of Scaup, a Ring-necked Duck and its American counterpart, a Lesser Scaup (an early ‘first’ for Carsington), all disappeared but not before offering good views on many days. 

March turned out to be a particularly rich period with 115 species recorded – a site record for that month – boosted by ducks such as two Garganey, a Red-crested Pochard that stuck around for much of March and April, good numbers of Goldeneye that remained until late March, plus less frequent but welcome visits by Shelduck, Mandarins and Common Scoter.  Meanwhile, the county record number of Pochard, which reached 1,032 around Christmas, plummeted to single figures by April but the fact up to nine remained might signal a repetition of their breeding success in 2024.

Great Crested Grebes have blossomed in recent times, and over 90 have been counted a number of times during March and April, and the slow but sure lowering of water levels, exposing more of the shoreline, has seen a bit more activity from herons and egrets, and from waders.  Only six wader species were logged in February but that number was up to 13 in April, including two Avocets (also seen in March), two Common Sandpipers on five dates, 16 Curlew on the 1^st, a Greenshank on the 25^th and, on the 13^th, a Whimbrel, which appeared more regularly in early May, when a Bar-tailed Godwit and two Sanderling also turned up.

Delicate Little Gulls are always a delight to see, and 27 provided an overkill of pleasure on 4 April.  A Caspian Gull was noted on a few occasions in February and March, two Kittiwakes popped in during the last week of March and three Mediterranean Gulls were observed in mid March, with two more on consecutive days in April.  Common  and Arctic Terns were passing through as usual, but the star terns were Sandwich Terns in both March and May and a Black Tern that was spied on 14 April.

Raptors have not produced any major surprises during the spring, though it’s always encouraging to be part of the Ospreys’ return to Britain, as they were with singles logged at the reservoir on 24 April and the 9^th, 11^th and 20^th of May.  An impressive total of 20 Buzzards were aloft in late February, and the evermore regular sight of Red Kites continued as up to four were counted on three dates in April.  Otherwise it was the usual mix of Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Peregrine.

But the last three months has been most noteworthy for spring migrants as they settle back into their breeding territories.  In March, Wheatear on the 20^th sparked the rush of incomers, followed by Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Sand Martin on the 22^nd, then Swallow on the 23^rd.  April continued the changing of the guard as the final Redwings departed on the 8^th, while House Martins arrived on the 4^th, Redstart on the 9^th, Pied Flycatcher three days later, then Sedge, Reed and Garden Warblers announced their arrival over four days from the 14^th.  Later in the month, a Lesser Whitethroat was identified and by early May Spotted Flycatcher and Whitethroat were present, with 22 Swifts speeding in on the 4^th.

Not forgetting the resident species which included Red-legged Partridges seen or heard fairly often, as were Tawny Owls, while three Barn Owls sightings were noted in April, and four Great Spotted Woodpeckers were recorded on the last day of March,

The healthy status of both migrants and residents was reflected in a perimeter walk on 26 April, which noted 164 Wrens, 150 Chiffchaffs, 124 Blue Tits, 115 Robins, 103 Blackbirds, 56 Blackcaps, 47 Great Tits, 37 Dunnocks, 34 Song Thrushes, 32 Goldfinches and double-figure hauls of Chaffinch, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler and Bullfinch.

THE SAD STORY OF THE DECLINING WILLOW TIT

Willow Tit has long been one of Carsington Water’s main attractions, being one of the species that visiting birdwatchers were particularly keen to see.  Nationally, Willow Tit is faring badly: according to the BTO, it ‘has suffered the worst population decline of a resident UK bird in recent times’. Until recently we could say that Carsington was apparently bucking this trend, but it now seems that we too are witnessing that decline.

Derbyshire Ornithological Society has this year run a survey of sites previously known to hold Willow Tits, including Carsington.  The picture is very disheartening, with many surveyors failing to find any Willow Tits at all, and at Carsington it would seem that the population has roughly halved in the last five years.  We do at least still have some, perhaps around eight territories this year, mainly in the southern half of the site.

The RSPB are also involved, and have installed three sound-recorders on site, in areas where I found birds this spring. The aim of this is to determine how families of Willow Tits behave and interact, particularly once young birds have fledged. Apparently artificial intelligence will be used to analyse the recordings – cutting edge stuff indeed!

In due course we will know more about Willow Tits at Carsington and in the wider area. However, it seems safe to say that the picture is far from rosy.

Simon Roddis

MOVING FROM INDOORS TO OUT

The final two indoor meetings of our 2024/25 programme took us to sharply contrasting locations. Costa Rica was the destination for February’s talk, delivered by Derby RSPB Group leader Max Maughan, who showed us a country renowned for its rich biodiversity, beautiful scenery and differing habitats, together with photos – taken by his talented wife Christine – of some of the amazing variety of birds and other wildlife to be found there.

We returned much closer to home for our meeting in March, with Chris Galvin describing a North West Year. Chris’s talk concentrated on the part of the country from North Wales up to north Lancashire and southern Cumbria, an area with three internationally important estuaries and a surprising diversity of bird species.

For our first members trip of the year we headed down to the Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve near Coventry on Sunday 23 March.  We had not visited this Warwickshire Wildlife Trust reserve before as a group, but the eight CBC members who made the journey were rewarded with a good variety of birds seen or heard.

Meeting up in the visitor centre café we spent some time enjoying a hot drink and watching the bird feeders. A Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and a pair of Reed Buntings provided some variety to the steady stream of the more common birds, but the highlight was a Marsh Tit, which made a number of fleeting visits.  This is becoming an increasingly rare bird to find across the country, so it was a very good start to the day.

The East Marsh Pool held most of the wetland birds we saw, with a number of Shoveler, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall and Tufted Duck visible on the water, along with Cormorants, Coots and Moorhens. Lapwings were the most numerous wader, along with a pair of Oystercatchers and a group of seven Snipe, which were picked out against the edge of the reeds.

A Water Rail’s characteristic squealing call was briefly heard in the reedbeds, but true to form it stayed well hidden. Also in the category of heard, but not seen, were several Cetti’s Warblers and a Green Woodpecker, whose ‘yaffling’ call was picked out a couple of times in the distance.  Singing Chiffchaffs provided a welcome reminder that spring was on its way, and by the end of the day a very fine total of 50 species had been recorded – namely:  Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Tufted Duck, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Red Kite, Kestrel, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chiffchaff, Cetti’s Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Wren, Starling, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Reed Bunting.

In stark contrast to the wet weather which curtailed last year’s Springtime Songbird walk the 13-strong group who pitched up on Sunday 11 May for this year’s slow stroll at Carsington Water were treated to a very sunny morning. We are once again extremely grateful to Simon Roddis, one of our expert bird recorders, who led the walk.

Ironically the warm weather and clear skies kept most hirundines at higher altitudes, but a few Swallows were spotted soon after our arrival, along with a couple of Swifts flying away into the distance.  Setting off along the causeway to Stones Island, the first songster we came across was a Garden Warbler, which is often hard to see, but we did eventually get a good view of it.  Sedge Warblers on the other hand are usually more visible and quite a few were noted singing on the top of bushes. The descending cadence of a Willow Warbler was soon heard, and Chiffchaffs and a pair of Blackcaps were also spotted.

Probably the star bird of the morning was not a songbird at all – as an Osprey was spotted flying over the northern end of the reservoir, initially chased by a pair of Oystercatchers before a number of Black-headed Gulls took up the pursuit.  We enjoyed a good look at this very handsome bird of prey as it circled back over the water before disappearing from view.

Moving round to the Wildlife Centre, we spent a short time looking at the various ducks and geese, while taking in the cacophony of noise and activity of the Black-headed Gulls nesting on Horseshoe Island. Finishing off at Wildlife Centre Creek, Simon’s sharp ears picked out the song of a distant Redstart, but it remained elusive and could not be seen. By the end of the morning 33 species had been collectively recorded by the group.

The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust reserve at Drakelow was the destination for our latest walk on Sunday 18^th May.  Most of the 10 CBC members who came along had not been there before, so it was a good experience to visit a fairly local reserve for the first time.  As we met in the car park a distant Cuckoo was calling, a sound we heard again, but never near enough to try and see it.

Drakelow is well known for its breeding Cormorant colonies and from the hide nearest the car park we counted at least 65-70 on nests in the trees around the lake. Ducks and geese were far less plentiful though, and the only waders on show were a pair of Oystercatchers.  Two juvenile Grey Herons were patrolling the water’s edge, later joined by an adult, and both a Great White and a Little Egret and were spotted during the morning.

Walking around the reserve we picked out the songs of many of our summer visiting warblers, with Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff the most numerous.  We enjoyed especially good views of a Garden Warbler, singing from an exposed tree branch, and a Whitethroat sat obligingly for some time on top of a nearby bush. Reed Warblers were singing from within the reedbeds, and the scolding sound of a Cetti’s Warbler was heard two or three times but, as is often the case for this species, it was not seen.

In total 29 species were recorded. It was perhaps mildly disappointing that there weren’t a few more on the list, particularly raptors and hirundines, and also no waders apart from Oystercatchers.  You can only see what’s on offer though, and all birds are a delight at the end of the day.

Chris Lamb

OBITUARIES: TONY AND SHEILA JACKSON

One of the saddest things I discovered recently – when ringing around a few folks to double-check membership renewals for 2025 – was the passing of two of our long-standing members: former club chairman Tony Jackson, and his wife Sheila.  Though we’d not seen much of them for the past couple of years, they had previously been regular attendees at our indoor meetings (often accompanied by Catie, who had inherited their grandparents’ love for birds and nature) and before that Tony had served on the CBC committee in a number of roles.

The couple, who lived in Mickleover and had been married for 56 years, passed away within months of each other last year, both having been ill for a while, which is why I found out the way I did.  Winchester-born Tony’s interest in birdwatching began at a very early age – and helped him with his academic studies.  He was not expected to get his English O-level, but on the day of the exam the essay challenge was to “write about something that interests you”; Tony launched into a passionate piece about bird watching and scored an ‘A’.

Various jobs brought him further north via Bristol, Coventry and Nuneaton.  He worked many years for Courtaulds, latterly in Derby where his interest in natural history again rose to the surface when his employer allowed him to set up a wildlife reserve in their capacious grounds, thereby creating SWANS – the Spondon Wildlife and Nature Society.

He left Courtaulds in 1989 but stayed in the area until his retirement in 2004, when nature again came to the fore and he redesigned his own garden – until then a vegetable patch – into a wildlife haven, complete with pond and waterfall!  By this time he had long been a member of Carsington Bird Club, serving as both Chairman and Treasurer during his time on the committee, when Sheila was a rock supporting Tony on various administrative tasks.

During Tony’s terms of office, he was responsible for commissioning the Paul Stanley hide, and I know he also launched the club’s newsletter, as I inherited that particular role in around 2001 after a short stint on the committee, relieving him of one of a number of tasks at that time.  He and Sheila fondly remembered the occasional wildlife strolls around the reservoir, and most particularly the Dawn Chorus walks that took place for many years.  On leaving the committee, he and Sheila continued to be active members, coaxing Catie along to talks and walks for many years.

Gary Atkins