Opened in 1992, Carsington Water blends with its natural setting to create sailing facilities of an excellent quality.
The Club has a modern stone built clubhouse, large warm changing rooms with hot showers, as well as a fully stocked bar and extensive catering facilities. There is ample car and boat parking. In addition to three slipways boats can also be rigged on the foreshore. Click here for more details.
FEBRUARY 2011 BIRD NOTES
February Highlights: Great Northern Divers, Brent Goose, Egyptian Goose, Smew, Red Kite and Caspian Gull.
A month of mainly grey cloud and mist but it brought in a bit of interest with two geese species and achieved an overall species sum of 90. Some of the breeding waders returned and most of the wintering wildfowl had moved on by the end of the month, all of which is usual. Water levels went up significantly during the last week and all islands now have water around them.
Last month’s 3 juvenile Great Northern Divers were seen together up to 20th at least, 1 was seen flying off northwest on 26th and 2 were still present on 28th. Little Grebe numbers are at a serious low with a maximum of only 3 individuals found. The Yellow-legged Gull with an appetite for Little Grebe must be to blame, hopefully some birds have escaped to other waters. There were 4 Pink-footed Geese with the Canadas on 3rd, a dark bellied Brent Goose on 8th at Sheepwash, and 2 Egyptian Geese turned up at the Wildlife Centre on 10th. Egyptian Geese are now probably resident in the south of the county and have recently bred. Significant counts for February included 31 Great Crested Grebe on 10th, 33 Barnacle Geese on 13th, 3 Shelduck on 17th, 55 Wigeon on 13th, 102 Teal on 13th, 106 Mallard on 13th, 4 Pintail on 11th, 2 Shoveler on 24th, 285 Tufted Duck on 13th, 35 Goldeneye on 2nd, 1 female Smew from 1st to 10th, 2 Goosander on 1st and 171 Coot on 13th.
A Red Kite was seen heading north on 1st and 3 Common Buzzards were in the air on 14th and 24th.
Oystercatchers have been returning and claiming their breeding islands and totalled 7 by 17th and the Sheepwash area bird bearing a bar-code leg ring had returned by 20th. The early morning Lapwing roost in front of the Sailing Club held 308 birds on 20th and 1 Dunlin was seen occasionally from 8th and 2 on 28th. Curlew passage became busy towards the end of the month with 9 northeast on 23rd and 12 on 24th. There were 5 Redshank on site from 8th.
The gull roost has been difficult to count due to poor visibility and birds being widely spread but was estimated at 6000 birds on 16th, safely containing at least 4000 Black-headed Gulls. Other counts were 525 Common Gulls on 28th, 2 Herring Gulls on 16th, an adult Yellow-legged Gull all month, an adult Caspian Gull on 21st and 43 Great Black-backed Gulls at dawn on Sheepwash Spit on 17th.
A Stock Dove was noted on 4th and 14 Collared Dove were around the Ranger Base on 8th. Gull watchers from Sheepwash Hide were treated to a Barn Owl hunting on 11th, 14th and 16th. A Kingfisher was seen on 6th and on other dates at various locations including Millfields, Wildlife Centre and Sheepwash. Other sightings were; 2 Skylark over on 11th and 14th, 50 Redwing on 10th, 4 Mistle Thrush on 25th and 3 singing on 22nd, 4 Willow Tit on the Wildlife Centre feeder on 2nd, 180 Jackdaw on 8th, 40 Rook on the dam fields on 9th, 12 Tree Sparrow and 8 Brambling on the Wildlife Centre feeder on 4th, a Linnet flying over on 9th and 23rd and 5 Lesser Redpoll at Lane End on 3rd.
90 Species this month compared with 87 in Feb 2010, 86 in 2009, 86 in 2008, 88 in 2007, 89 in 2006 and 90 in 2005.
JANUARY 2011 BIRD NOTES
January Highlights: Great Northern Diver, Little Egret, Smew, Kittiwake and Mealy Redpoll.
A reasonable January for species numbers when there is no migration movement either locally or nationally. Bird numbers are noticeably low away from the water, which is mainly due to the snow and freezing conditions of Nov/Dec, having forced many southwards. Bird numbers on the water are slightly down on previous winters and a reported Ruddy Duck cull on 25th will certainly have contributed to the decrease.
The 2 juvenile Great Northern Divers stayed on from the Christmas period and were joined by another juvenile from 29th, taking our site total to 3 birds. A Little Egret was on Sheepwash Spit briefly on 13th, then went into Hopton Arm Reedbed. Pink-footed Geese were around with Canadas, with a maximum of 4 on 29th, and skeins over were; 43 west at 0955hrs plus 170 west at 1100hrs, both on 24th, 150 west at 1425hrs on 26th and 80 west at 0930hrs plus 50 west at 1020hrs, both on 29th. Another Little Grebe was killed and eaten by the Yellow-legged Gull on 13th and these grebes are currently rarely seen on site. Site counts this month were from the WeBS count on 16th, unless dated otherwise, and included 1 Little Grebe, 56 Great Crested Grebe on 2nd, 28 Cormorant on 18th, 3 Heron on 13th, 10 Mute Swans, 33 feral Barnacle Geese, 2 Shelduck on 17th, 231 Wigeon, 7 Gadwall on 2nd, 110 Teal, 210 Mallard, 3 Pintail on 19th, 2 Shoveler on 6th, 45 Pochard on 2nd, 553 Tufted Duck, 41 Goldeneye on 10th, a female Smew all month, 4 Goosander on 19th, 4 Moorhen and 1340 Coot.
Raptor records were few, with 2 Sparrow Hawk on 8th, 5 Common Buzzards in the air on 19th, 2 Kestrel on 18th and a Peregrine seen on 9th, 13th and 17th.
Waders included an Oystercatcher at Millfields on 20th, 315 Lapwing on 24th, a Dunlin 17-18th, a Snipe on 17th, a Curlew over on 15th, 17th and 18th and Redshank around all month, with a maximum 4 on 24th.
The gull roost has been poor and little watched. It contained an adult Mediterranean Gull on 24th and an adult Kittiwake briefly on 22nd before flying off north. Counts included 2500 Black-headed Gulls on 6th, 350 Common Gulls on 24th, 200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on 6th, 150 Herring Gulls on 6th, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls on 12th and 24th and 30 Great Black-backed Gulls early morning on 3rd.
Two Stock Dove were in Tail Bay on 29th, a Kingfisher noted on 2nd and 17th, 3 Skylark over on 6th, 1 Meadow Pipit on 9th, 17th and 19th, a Grey Wagtail at Hopton End on 13th, 6 Fieldfare 9-10th, 12 Redwing on 24th, 2 Goldcrest in Hall Wood on 6th, 8 Long-tailed tit on Paul Stanley feeder on 16th, 3 Willow Tit on Wildlife Centre feeder on 6th, 3 Nuthatch and 2 Treecreeper in Hall Wood on 6th, 12 Rook on dam wall fields on 28th, 2 Raven from Sheepwash on 18th and other dates, 40 Chaffinch at Wildlife Centre on 24th, 40 Siskin on 10th and at least 2 Common (Mealy) Redpoll reported near Lane End Hide on pagers on 30th. This is only the second record of Mealy at Carsington and, until recently this species required a DOS rarity form submission.
89 Species this month comparing well with 86 in January 2010, 86 in 2009, 85 in 2008, 89 in 2007, 89 in 2006, 95 in 2005, 91 in 2004, 87 in 2003 and 75 in 2002.
Approximately 25 miles due west from Carsington Water is Tittesworth Water, a Severn Trent reservoir in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Severn Trent have a website at http://www.moretoexperience.co.uk/server.php?show=nav.6003 . The reservoir is watched by the West Midlands Bird Club – to find out more click here. Bird Reports can be found at: http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/bibliography/tittesworth .
