godwit – Carsington Bird Club

Jun 2011 Bird Notes

JUNE 2011 BIRD NOTES

June Highlights: Black-throated Diver, Little Egret, Common Scoter and Osprey.

Last month’s first summer Black-throated Diver was last seen on 12^th, it obviously moved on despite being into its moult. A Little Egret was seen in flight on 22^nd, then landed at Paul Stanley Hide, and was still on site near the Wildlife Centre (WLC) on 30^th. Great Crested Grebe had 3 broods by the end of the month, each with 1 young and a Mute Swan pair have 6 cygnets, usually seen being displayed to the WLC. Barnacle Geese have again failed breeding and the birds have left site. Mallard added 8 broods this month, taking the total to 17 broods this year, well above an average year. The first Tufted Duck brood appeared at Sheepwash on 25^th and another on 29^th, although the latter brood seemed parentless at the time of observation. Moorhen showed 2 broods by 11^th and Coot 3 broods by 15^th, which is low compared with the past few years. Notable counts included 47 Great Crested Grebe on 15^th, 7 Heron on 29^th, 343 Canada Geese on 20^th, a hybrid drake Shelduck/Mallard cross from 20^th, a drake Wigeon on 7^th, 3 Teal on 29^th, 98 Mallard on 15^th, a drake Pintail from 3^rd to 7^th, a pair of Red-crested Pochard from last month to 7^th, 2 drake Pochard from 1^st to 8^th and 171 Tufted Duck and 142 Coot on 15^th. Five drake Common Scoter flew in early on 29^th and were joined briefly by 2 others in the afternoon.

Raptor records included a Sparrowhawk carrying prey on 11^th and on several subsequent days, all into the same woodland area. A Common Buzzard was causing chaos with the breeding Black-headed Gulls and Common Tern on Flat Island on 21^st and 5 Buzzard were in the air on 8^th and 16^th. An Osprey flew southwest over the dam wall at 0828hrs on 1^st and a Peregrine was seen on 15^th, 22^nd and 27^th.

Wader breeding so far this year is; only 2 Oystercatcher broods and another pair still sitting, at least 6 broods of Lapwing, which is better than recent years, and 3 broods of Redshank. Other waders recorded include a Ringed Plover on Stones Island on 30^th, a Sanderling on Sheepwash Spit on 9^th, 9 Dunlin at Sheepwash on 16^th, 18 Black-tailed Godwit at the WLC on 28^th and another 13 on 30^th and 2 Curlew and 2 Common Sandpiper on 29^th.

Black-headed Gull nests at the WLC were 7 on the tern raft and at least 3 on HorseshoeIsland. On 29^th, 19 chicks were noted in broods of 3+2+2 on the raft and 4+3+2+2 on the island, many of these were from the raft. Three nests at Sheepwash had failed on 1^st, most likely by fox predation. The number of nests on Flat Island is not known, but young at one nest could be seen on 15^th and 61 Black-headed Gulls roosted there on 3^rd. Lesser Black-backed Gull numbers are beginning to build up towards the end of the day, with 10 on 20^th and 120 on 29^th. A second summer Yellow-legged Gull was on Horseshoe Island on 29^th. The pair of Common Terns breeding on Flat Island had probably failed by 20^th.

A Collared Dove nest in the Visitor Centre car park had 2 big young in it on 5^th and cars parked within feet of it on two sides. A Barn Owl was around Sheepwash on 25^th, 200 Swift went through on 5^th, a Kingfisher was at Millfields on 16^th and 23^rd and a Green Woodpecker at Millfields on 13^th. Three pairs of Swallow are breeding in the Millfields area and there are 18 House Martin nests around the Visitor Centre. A Grey Wagtail family were on Stones Island on 20^th, a Redstart family in WLC Creek also on 20^th, a Sedge Warbler singing in the WLC reeds from 7-29^th, a pair of Reed Warbler feeding a nest in Hopton Arm reedbed on 26^th, a Lesser Whitethroat family in WLC Creek on 30^th, 4 Whitethroat pairs reported breeding, 3 Willow tit families noted, the local Raven pair with 2 juveniles successfully in the air on 11^th, 6 Raven flew over on 29^th and 11 active/used House Sparrow nests were found around the Visitor Centre on 1^st.

95 Species this month compared with 87 in June 2010, 93 in 2009, 91 in 2008, 93 in 2007 and 89 in 2006.

Carsington Bird Club

May 2011 Bird Notes

MAY 2011 BIRD NOTES

May Highlights: Black-throated and Great Northern Divers, Red Kite, Osprey, Hobby, Sanderling, Ruff, Turnstone, first summer Arctic Tern, Black Tern and Waxwing.

The month started with an adult Great Northern Diver in summer plumage (check out photos on website!) and 2 first summer GND, only the adult and 1 immature on 3^rd and, on 7^th, the adult was displaying to the immature which fled site. The adult stayed on until 18^th, the day a first summer Black-throated Diver arrived. A photo of the BTD revealed a few moulted flight feathers and it was still present on 31^st. Will it summer moult here like one in 2003? Only 4 Little Grebe on site, so 2 chicks on 23^rd were welcome. Great Crested Grebe totalled 41 on 17^th but breeding success will be limited by falling water levels leaving nests high, dry and likely to fail at egg stage. There was a further brood of Mallard, taking the total to 9 and the first Coot brood, of 2, was noted on 23^rd. Significant wildfowl counts were 4 Greylag on 9^th, 15 Barnacle including wild ‘ADZ’ on 7^th, 2 Shelduck on 25^th, 2 Mandarin on 13^th and 29^th, a drake Wigeon from 12^th, 4 Gadwall on 31^st, 2 Teal on 11^th, 66 Mallard, excluding young, on 17^th, a pair of Red-crested Pochard from 12^th, 2 Pochard on 30^th, 80 Tufted Duck on 17^th, a female Goosander on 24^th and 68 Coot on 17^th.

Raptors were active with a Red Kite over Sheepwash on 15^th and Ospreys on 5-6^th, 9^th, 19^th and 23^rd. The bird on 5^th landed on the new Osprey platforms, where it consumed a fish and roosted overnight. Photographs of this Osprey on the perch featured in several local newspapers, but subsequent tracing of its ring identification showed it to be a Scottish bird just passing through northbound. Sparrowhawk were noted carrying prey on 9^th, 15^th and 16^th and 5 Buzzards were in the air on 9^th. Hobby was noted on 9^th and 23^rd and 2 on 26^th. A female Peregrine posed in front of Sheepwash Hide on 3^rd, others were noted on 15^th and 22^nd, then, on 24^th, one took a Common Tern which was peacefully perched with its mate in front of Sheepwash Hide.

Wader breeding so far is 2 broods from Oystercatchers, 3 from Lapwing and 2 from Redshank. A good selection of passage waders included 7 Little Ringed Plover on 25^th, 1 Ringed Plover from 15^th, 2 Sanderling on 18^th, 9 Dunlin on 18^th, 1 Ruff on 21^st, 2 Snipe on 1^st, a Black-tailed Godwit on 3^rd, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit on 3-4^th, 3 Whimbrel on 17^th, 3 Curlew on 10^th, a Greenshank on 5^th, a Green Sandpiper on 4^th, 4 Common Sandpiper on 3^rd and 2 Turnstone on 31^st.

The Black-headed Gull colony at the Wildlife Centre eventually took over the tern raft on 12^th, following them abandoning it, leaving a dead gull there last month. Some started nesting in front of Sheepwash and on Flat Island. The local breeding pair of Common Tern were mating, then took up residence on Flat Island on 14^th. A flock of 27 Common Terns flew through high north on 15^th. The maximum number of Arctic Terns was 6 through east on 1^st and a first summer Arctic landed at Sheepwash for a while on 21^st, a rare event for this age group to be seen in Derbyshire. A Black Tern went through on 3^rd.

The first Swift arrived on 1^st, Reed Warbler on 7^th and the first Spotted Flycatcher seen was already nest building on 24^th. A wintering Waxwing calling for a few minutes from a treetop on 1^st was a late surprise and a Marsh Tit in Tail Bay is the first since July 2008. There were a welcome number of records of common breeding birds including 10 nests of Tree Sparrow all being fed in a multi-nest box on 12^th.

111 Species compared with 106 in May 2010, 108 in 2009, 112 in 2008, 103 in 2007 and 107 in 2006

Carsington Bird Club

Jun 2010 Bird Notes

JUNE 2010 BIRD NOTES

June Highlights: Hobby, Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank and Pied Flycatcher.

No Little Grebe young yet, but 5 broods of Great Crested Grebe by the end of the month is an improvement on the past few years. Mute Swans had broods of 5 and 4 by 22^nd. Barnacle Geese have failed on Horseshoe and Sailing Club Island and the birds have left site. Mallard broods totalled 9 by 30^th compared with 13 and15 in the past two years and no broods of Tufted Duck yet, always a late breeder on this site. Moorhen showed 3 broods by 23^rd and Coot 6 broods by 24^th, which compares reasonably with the past few years’ performance. The WeBS count on 22^nd included 27 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Heron, 504 Canada Geese, 1 Teal, 87 Mallard, 177 Tufted and 195 Coot. Other wildfowl sightings were a Pink-footed Goose with Canadas on 17^th and a Shelduck on 14^th.

A Hobby was noted over StonesIslandon 17^th and Fishtail Creek on 27^th. There were probably 8 pairs of Oystercatchers present, based on Big Island, Flat Is/Sheepwash Spit, Shiningford Is, Horseshoe Is, Watersports Is, Sailing Club Is, Fishtail Creek and Millfields Is and 4 pairs successfully reached young stage. Other waders recorded include a Dunlin on Flat Island on 9^th, a surprisingly early Snipe flushed by a balloon on 30^th, a Black-tailed Godwit at the Wildlife Centre on 26^th and a Spotted Redshank on 22^nd. This Spotted Redshank was seen at Millfields during the WeBS count at 0600hrs and then flew west. It is 5 years since the last record and several others were reported in theMidlands and North on the same day.

11 young Black-headed Gulls could be seen from the Wildlife Centre on 6^th. On 8^th, there were 5 nests with young, 3 others probably on eggs and the only nest on Horseshoe Island had failed. The pair on the raft by Paul Stanley Hide had 3 young and another 2 or 3 pairs had nests on Flat Island, also on 8^th. By 26^th there were 4 big young/juveniles on Flat Island, at least 1 of which was well flighted. During thunderstorms on 6^th there were a further 14 Common Terns on site, obviously taking refuge.

Two Little Owls were seen in fields near Fishtail on 25^th and 2 separate groups of young Tawny Owls were noted on 18^th and 25^th. Great Spotted Woodpeckers were feeding at least 3 young in a hole in a tree in Middle Wood on 4^th and 2 family parties were seen on 18^th. A Swallow pair was feeding young in the Stone Barn on 4^th, another pair was around the draw-off tower and House Martins have at least 24 active nests around the Visitor Centre. Juvenile Pied Wagtails were on Stones Island and Flat Island on 9^th, a Sedge Warbler was singing at the ponds in Tail Bay on 15^th and a Reed Warbler singing at Hopton Pond on 9^th and Hopton Arm Reedbed on 22^nd. A Spotted Flycatcher was in the woodland strip north of Hall Wood on 9^th and 2 in Tail Bay on 15^th. The lonely Pied Flycatcher was again singing in Warrington Knob on 4^th but no sign later in the month. A pair of Great Tit was feeding young in the unmarked bird box among the display of bird boxes by the Wildlife Centre on 4^th and many other dates. They obviously failed to notice the box marked Great Tit. Two family parties of Nuthatch were noted on 28^th, a family party of Willow Tit on 30^th, 25 House Sparrows, including this year’s young, were around the Visitor Centre on 28^th and 12 Tree Sparrows including young, were on the Wildlife Centre feeders on 18^th.

87 Species this month compared with 93 in June 2009, 91 in 2008, 93 in 2007, 89 in 2006 and 84 in 2003. The low number is mainly due to few passage species calling in during a calm hot month.

Carsington Bird Club

Apr 2010 Bird Notes

APRIL 2010 BIRD NOTES (to 28^th April only)

April Highlights: Great Northern Diver, Whooper Swan, Osprey, Sanderling, Godwits, Little Gull,SandwichTern, Pied Flycatcher and Common Spring Migrants.

The adult Great Northern Diver stayed all month and was in mostly summer plumage by 29^th. A Whooper Swan was around the Wildlife Centre and Stones Island all Saturday 17^th, 2 Red-crested Pochard on 6^th and 8^th, a female Scaup stayed close in to the Wildlife Centre from 26^th and 4 Common Scoter were seen off Stones Island on 13^th. Counts included 12 Little Grebe on 18^th, 42 Great Crested Grebe on 18^th, 16 Cormorant on 2^nd, 3 Heron on 15^th, 3 Greylag Geese on 7^th and 24^th, 80 Canadas on 18^th, 38 Barnacles on 6^th, 5 Shelduck on 10^th, 7 Wigeon on 7^th and 8^th, 3 Gadwall on 17^th, 48 Mallard on 18^th, 3 Shoveler on 22^nd, 1 Pochard on 8^th, 189 Tufted Duck on 18^th, 13 Goldeneye on 13^th, 3 Goosander on 5^th, 19 Moorhen on 18^th and 106 Coot on 18^th. Four broods of Mallard were noted by 28^th.

Ospreys were seen again from Sheepwash, 1 at 1400hrs on 2^nd and another 1230-1305hrs on 19^th. An immature male Sparrow Hawk was perched close to Sheepwash Hide on 20^th, 14 Buzzards were in the air on 3^rd and 2 Peregrines were over Hall Wood on 26^th, with singles noted on other dates.

Wader passage included 1 Ringed Plover from 19^th to 21^st, 1 Sanderling on 28^th, 2 Black-tailed Godwit on 21^st and 5 on 26^th, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit on 6^th to 11^th, 2 Whimbrel on 21^st and 6 on 27^th, 4 Curlew on 18^th, 4 Common Sandpiper on 19^th and 28^th and 1 Turnstone flew through northwards on 7^th. Breeding Oystercatcher, Redshank and Lapwing were busy and a Lapwing showed 3 chicks on Big Island on 29^th.

An adult Little Gull on 18^th was followed a week later on 25^th by 2 adults and 4 first summer birds. Other gulls were a first summer Herring Gull on 14^th, an adult Yellow-legged on 23^rd, an immature Great Black-backed on 17^th and the breeding Black-headed Gulls, 60 present on 27^th, were busily arguing about space on the tern raft. Tern passage included a Sandwich Tern early on 7^th, 3 Common Terns early on 25^th with the flock of Little Gulls, 4 Common Terns on 28^th and single Arctic Terns on 15^th, 19^th 24^th and 27^th.

The first Swift was on 19^th but only small numbers have been seen since. Hirundine passage continued with 50 Sand Martin on 20^th and over 500 Swallow feeding close to the water on a drizzly morning on 19^th. The first House Martin was on 6^th and, by the end of the month, some birds were around the Visitor Centre breeding colony. A Tree Pipit flew over on 24^th and 40 Meadow Pipits were on the dam on 2^nd. Migrant wagtail species were in low numbers again this year, with the first Yellow Wagtail on Sheepwash Spit on 3^rd, 3 on the dam wall on 11^th and 4 on 19^th. White Wagtail numbers peaked at 9 on Stones Island in the evening of 7^th and Pied Wagtails totalled 37 there on 15^th. There are no records of resident Grey Wagtails since January 1^st. This species is susceptible to long spells of freezing winter weather when they cannot feed along the waters edge and, in case you have forgotten, we have just had an unusually severe winter, so please look out for this species at Carsington. Their former locations were Millfields, Tail Bay outlet stream, Fishtail Creek and Paul Stanley Hide. A Redstart was singing distantly upstream from WLC Creek from 24^th and a male Whinchat was in the Creek on 25^th. Single Wheatears were noted 3^rd and many other dates. Warbler species kept arriving, with 2 Sedge on 24^th, the earliest ever Reed at Carsington on 24^th, 2 Lesser Whitethroat on 18^th, 1 Whitethroat on 17^th and 1 Garden Warbler on 24^th. A count of warblers on 8^th included 13 Blackcap, 52 Chiffchaff and 8 Willow Warbler. A Pied Flycatcher was singing in Warrington Knob on 29^th, 100 Jackdaw were recorded on 3^rd, a female Brambling was in Hall Wood on 22^nd and a site rare Yellowhammer flew over Millfields on 18^th.

116 Species were recorded compared with 110 in April 2009, 118 in 2008, 103 in 2007, 118 in 2006, 117 in 2005, 116 in 2004, 120 in 2003 and 107 in 2002.