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Plight of the Swift

Now we are in August, many chicks and adult Swifts have already left for Africa after what looks to have been a mixed breeding season across the UK, with some colonies further south doing well while others seem to have fared badly due to the cold, wet weather.

There have many reports of desperately starving and underweight swiftlets found in recent weeks as adults have been unable to find enough insects in the cold and rain, and so have either favoured a stronger chick or abandoned the brood altogether. If you find a young Swift out of the nest bring them indoors and arrange a source of warmth (such as a hot water bottle filled with warm water and wrapped in a tea towel). But please don’t feed them. Then find an experienced rehabber from this list:

If you live in or near Sheffield call Chet Cunago, an expert carer on 07850 799891
Ashford’s Animal rescue, Bakewell (07853 987378)
Overdale Vets Buxton, www.overdalevets.co.uk
Pet Samaritans, Chesterfield, Contact Us – Pet Samaritans
Bev Rhodes, near Ilkeston (via Nick B).
Swift Conservation has a list of UK rehabbers & useful advice about what to do when a Swift is found; Swift First Aid & Carers (swift-conservation.org) .
https://www.facebook.com/groups/swiftsos/?ref=share

Carsington Bird Club

Bird Notes May 2023

May 2023 BIRD NOTES

HIGHLIGHTS: Great Northern Diver, Osprey, Bar-tailed Godwit, Wood Sandpiper, Turnstone, Cuckoo, Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Flycatcher.

Water bird maxima were from the WeBS count on 21^st unless dated otherwise. 1 Great Northern Diver reported every day until it was last seen on 12^th, 1 Little Grebe 21^st, 29^th and 30^th, 47 Great Crested Grebe, 17 Cormorant 3^rd, 2 Little Egret 16^th, 2 Grey Heron reported on 8 dates this month, 6 Mute Swan 1^st, 25^th, 29^th and 30^th, 38 Greylag Goose, 182 Canada Goose, 4 Barnacle Goose 26^th, 3 Shelduck 8^th, 1 Mandarin 10^th and 11^th, 1 Wigeon 1^st and 12^th, 17 Gadwall, 2 Teal 30^th, 51 Mallard, 2 Shoveler 24^th, 52 Tufted Duck 23^rd, 2 Goldeneye 1^st, 1 Goosander 26^th, 4 Moorhen 7^th, 23 Coot, 1 Kingfisher 20^th.

Raptor sightings included 2 Red Kite reported on 6 dates this month, 1 Sparrowhawk on 11 dates, 14 Buzzards 3^rd,1 Osprey 5^th and 13^th with a possible 2 on 12^th, 2 Kestrel reported on 7 dates, 1 Hobby 4^th, 13^th and 19^th, 1 Peregrine 3^rd, 12^th, 17^th and 31^st.

Sixteen species of waders through this month with 13 Oystercatcher 4^th, 1 Avocet 9^th and 28^th, 2 Ringed Plover 23^rd, 1 Grey Plover 4^th, 3 Lapwing 19^th, 25^th and 26^th, 1 Sanderling 12^th and 27^th, 2 Dunlin 4^th, 5^th and 8^th, 1 Snipe 1^st and 8^th, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit 11 dates this month, 5 Whimbrel 5^th, 2 Curlew 14^th, 4 Redshank 5^th, 6^th, 10^th and 30^th, 1 Greenshank 15^th, 2 Wood Sandpiper 5^th, 2 Common Sandpiper 5^th, 1 Turnstone 26^th and 28^th.

Maximum Gull numbers were 1 Little Gull 19^th, 250 Black-headed Gull 20^th and 21^st, 3 Common Gull 19^th, 74 Lesser Black-backed Gulls 30^th, 2 Great black-backed Gull 19^th.

18 Common Tern 31^st, 6 Arctic Tern 10^th, 3 Black Tern 31^st.

Along with the other species were 1 Cuckoo 4^th and 13^th, 1 Tawny Owl 20^th and 23^rd, 50 Swift 13^th, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker reported on 6 dates this month, 100 Sand Martin 2^nd and 13^th, 100 Swallow 13^th, 50 House Martin 13^th and 31^st, 1 Yellow Wagtail 6^th and 7^th, 2 Grey Wagtails 10^th, 11^th, 20^th, 23^rd and 26^th, 123 Wren 20^th (from a perimeter count), 104 Robin 20^th, 6 Redstart 20^th, 1 Cetti’s Warbler 29^th, 14 Sedge Warbler 20^th, 5 Reed Warbler 9^th, 2 Lesser Whitethroat 20^th, 1 Whitethroat 2^nd, 10^th, 17^th and 20^th, 22 Garden Warbler 20^th, 60 Blackcap 20^th, 72 Chiffchaff 20^th, 26 Willow Warbler 20^th, 2 Spotted Flycatcher 20^th, 2 Pied Flycatcher 7^th, 9^th and 13^th, 1 Marsh Tit 14^th, 5 Willow Tit 26^th, 150 Jackdaw 6^th, 7 Raven 6^th, 11^th and 23^rd, 2 Tree Sparrow 7^th and 11^th, 3 Greenfinch 20^th, 27 Lesser Redpoll 4^th, 15 Bullfinch 20^th, 4 Reed Bunting 20^th,

The total 115 species noted compares to 113 in 2022, 111 in 2021, 87 in 2020, 108 in 2019, 104 in 2018.

Idle Valley NWT & Lound GP – Members Trip – May 2023

Idle Valley NWT Reserve & Lound Gravel Pits – Sunday 28^th May 2023

A little closer to home than some recent trips, the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve at Idle Valley was the destination for our most recent members outing on Sunday 28th May. This is a venue we had not visited before as a group, but with a network of lakes, wetland, grassland and scrub it promised to deliver a wide variety of birds.

Meeting up in the Visitor Centre with its panoramic views overlooking one of the lakes, we were able to pick out a pair of Red-crested Pochards among the numerous Tufted Ducks, Mallards, Gadwall and Coots. Lesser Black-backed Gulls seemed to be the dominant gull species on offer, with a smaller number of Black-headed Gulls also present.

As we set off on a circular walk around the lake, the trees and bushes along the path were alive with birdsong. A male Greenfinch perched on top of a bush proved a popular sighting, and afforded very good views for those of us with cameras. Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Blackcaps, Garden Warblers and Reed Warblers were all heard and in many cases seen, and even that most elusive of birds, a Cetti’s Warbler, appeared briefly flitting between bushes. Walking along the banks of the River Idle, we kept a keen eye-out for a Kingfisher, and one was eventually seen by a few members of the group as it darted between trees by the river.

After lunch we drove up to the nearby Lound Gravel Pits, a large area of lakes and scrapes to the north of the Idle Valley reserve. Most of the water bodies held more of the same wildfowl species we had seen earlier, but Common Pochard, Wigeon, Shelduck and Shoveler were added to our list of ducks. Perhaps the most unusual, but impressive, sight was a count of over 100 Mute Swans on one of the lakes. Waders were in rather short supply though, with just a few Lapwings, Oystercatchers and a single Redshank noted.

Possibly one of the highlights of the day was not two-legged but four-legged, as a very handsome fox came out into full view for several minutes at the edge of one of the lakes, no doubt on the hunt for any eggs or chicks it could find.

An enjoyable day resulted in an impressive total of 60 species recorded by the group:

Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose, Shelduck, Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Wigeon, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Woodpigeon, Cuckoo, Swift, Moorhen, Coot, Pheasant, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Buzzard, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Skylark, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swallow, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Whitethroat, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Starling, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch

Chris Lamb

Events Member Reports

Springtime Songbird Walk – Sunday 30th April 2023

A wonderful turnout of 27 people came along to our Springtime Songbird Walk at Carsington Water on Sunday 30^th April. Formerly known as the ‘Warbler Walk’, this is our traditional spring walk around part of the site to look for, and listen to, the many birds singing at this time of year. We were once again led by Simon Roddis, one of our expert bird recorders, who helped us to identify the birds we encountered by both sight and sound.

As we set off towards Stones Island we noticed the line-up of birds on top of the Visitor Centre roof – a Pied Wagtail, Linnet and House Sparrow, soon to be followed by a female Wheatear.

Setting the tone for what was to follow, the first singing warbler we came across was a Sedge Warbler, which was obligingly perched on top of a bush delivering its song. This was to become a very regular occurrence as we moved around Stones Island, so much so that one of the group suggested it should be renamed Sedge Warbler Island!

Other warblers and songbirds were proving a little harder to see, though with patience we did pick out Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Garden Warblers. A single Reed Warbler was heard singing, but we were unable to locate it. Perhaps a little surprisingly, it wasn’t until later in the morning that we heard and saw our first Blackcap.

The site holds a wide variety of bird species, not just songbirds of course, and looking across the reservoir from Stones Island, several Great Crested Grebes very resplendent in their breeding finery were noted, along with Swallows and Sand Martins hawking for insects over the water. A pair of Oystercatchers and Redshanks were seen on Watersports Island, and we had fleeting views of our winter-staying Great Northern Diver as it flew down towards Millfields. By the time you read this, it will probably have departed and set off on its long journey north to its breeding grounds.

Moving round to the Wildlife Centre, a male Redstart was observed flitting around bushes in the fields to the left of the path. Some nearby Barnacle Geese grazing under the bushes helpfully provided a marker for everyone to locate this fine-looking bird. From the viewing screens by the Wildlife Centre, a single Snipe on Horseshoe Island was spotted, though as is typically the case it proved quite difficult to see unless it moved!

Finishing off at Wildlife Centre Creek, Simon’s sharp ears picked out the calls of a Goldcrest and a Willow Tit to round off a very enjoyable morning. A grand total of 40 species were seen or heard by the group:

Canada Goose, Barnacle Goose, Greylag Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Great Northern Diver, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Willow Tit (heard), Sand Martin, Swallow, Long-tailed Tit, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler (heard), Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest (heard), Wren, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Redstart, Wheatear, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, House Sparrow, Linnet, Goldfinch

Chris Lamb