Carsington Bird Club 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 30th 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
Carsington Bird Club News

March Bird Sightings

March 2023 BIRD NOTES

HIGHLIGHTS: Black-necked Grebe, record Skylark numbers, Sand Martin, Swallow, Stonechat, Wheatear, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler.

 Water bird maxima were from the WeBS count on 12th unless dated otherwise. 1 Great Northern Diver reported most days till the end of the month, 4 Little Grebe 3rd and 8th, 40 Great Crested Grebe 8th, 8 Black-necked Grebe 8th 6 in summer plumage and 2 in winter plumage a record number for Derbyshire, 15 Cormorant 4th, 2 Little Egret 20th, 21st and 22nd, 5 Grey Heron 7th, 20th and 22nd, 3 Mute Swan 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 20 Greylag Goose 7th, 200 Canada Goose 7th, 20 Barnacle Goose 8th, 3 Shelduck 6th, 3 Mandarin 12th and 13th, 100 Wigeon 12th, 56 Gadwall, 210 Teal, 145 Mallard, 6 Pintail 13th and 22nd, 2 Shoveler 7th, 26 Tufted Duck, 1 Common Scoter 16th (immature male), 12 Goldeneye, 2 Goosander 12th and 20th, 6 Moorhen, 126 Coot, 1 Kingfisher 12th and 13th.

Raptor sightings included 4 Red Kite 21st and 22nd, 3 Sparrowhawk 12th, 18 Buzzards 17th, 2 Kestrel 4th and 16th, 2 Peregrine 5th and 13th.

Ten species of waders through this month with 12 Oystercatcher 11th and 12th, 1 Little Ringed Plover 21st, 28th and 31st, 1 Golden Plover 17th, 78 Lapwing 6th, 4 Dunlin 21st, 1 Jack Snipe 15th, 11 Snipe 12th, 2 Woodcock 5th, 43 Curlew 8th, 6 Redshank 29th.

Maximum Gull numbers were 2 Mediterranean Gull 22nd, Black-headed Gull present all month but not in significant numbers, Common Gull also present this month, 130 Lesser Black-backed Gulls 5th, 17 Herring Gull 4th, 1 Caspian Gull 4th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th, 2 Great black-backed Gull 8th, 11th, 22nd, 29th and 30th, 1 Kittiwake 13th seen off Stones Island for around 15 minutes before departing.

Along with the other species were 966 Wood Pigeon 17th, 1 Barn Owl 12th, 16th and 21st seen in the Sheepwash/Tail Bay area early in the morning, 2 Tawny Owl 18th, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 130 Skylark 12th, 40 Sand Martin 30th, 40 Swallow 30th, 65 Meadow Pipit 17th, 4 Grey Wagtails 17th, 1 Stonechat 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 18th, 3 Wheatear 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 44 Fieldfare 16th, 100 Redwing 3rd and 6th, 13 Chiffchaff 20th, 1 Willow Warbler 31st, 1 Marsh Tit reported on 7 dates this month, 6 Willow Tit 2nd, 8th and 16th, 6 Raven 19th and 21st, 200 Starling 3rd, 5 Tree Sparrow 8th, 4 Greenfinch 3rd and 17th, 10 Siskin 8th, 50 Linnet 7th,11 Lesser Redpoll 23rd, 10 Bullfinch 15th, 8 Reed Bunting 2nd.

The total 102 species noted compares to 106 in 2022, 102 in 2021, 95 in 2020, 100 in 2019, 102 in 2018.

Carsington Bird Club

Opticron Telescope For Sale

Opticron Imagic 65 telescope for sale, with a 16-45X HR zoom lens and
a stay-on case. It’s in a good condition and is in good working order.
I’m selling it as I’ve just bought a new telescope, having used this
one for the last 20 years.

It comes with a 27X wide angle lens, but I think that it may need an
adapter to fit this.

Happy to meet at Carsington to ‘try before you buy’.

£140.

Please call Paul on 07884433277, or email
paul_james_bennett@yahoo.com

I’m happy to email photographs.

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