Events – Page 4 – Carsington Bird Club

New Parking Arrangements at Carsington Water

Please read the link below to see how a new system of charging for parking at Carsington is being put in place … but please also note that parking for CBC evening indoor meetings/talks will be free so long as registration numbers of those attending the talks is supplied to the reception desk. Just add your name to a list we’ll place alongside the cash tin, so you can add your number plate at the same time as paying the entry fee to the meeting.

https://www.stwater.co.uk/wonderful-on-tap/our-visitor-sites/come-visit-us/carsington-water/parking-at-carsington/

Carsington Bird Club Events Member Reports News

29th September – Club Trip – RSPB Burton Mere

An intrepid group of 7 CBC members braved a very gloomy weather forecast and headed north west for our latest outing to the Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB Reserve on the Wirral on Sunday 29th September. With a welcome hot drink on arrival, we settled down in the comfort of the roomy Visitor Centre looking out over the reserve pools, which contained an expectedly large numbers of ducks, including Shoveler, Teal, Mallard and Tufted Duck. Waders were present in moderate numbers, mostly Black-tailed Godwit and Lapwing, together with a few Ruff and Dunlin that were found with some careful scanning of the mud edges. Soon we were treated to a Kingfisher flying low over the water, then a Sparrowhawk rather obligingly perched on top of a bush right in front of the Visitor Centre for several minutes.

Walking along the trail to the first of the site’s two hides, a number of common woodland birds were seen or heard, including Chiffchaff (still singing perhaps surprisingly at this time of year), Wren, Robin, Nuthatch, Great-spotted Woodpecker and Goldcrest, and at least one Cetti’s Warbler announced its presence in the reeds, but true to form remained hidden from view! Reaching the Inner Marsh Farm Hide at the far end of the reserve, the promised rain did start to fall, but this did not prevent us from enjoying more ducks and waders out over the water.

Shelduck and Gadwall were added to the list, along with 3-4 Snipe, including one which seemed to be swimming as it waded across the water! A Water Rail was briefly seen scuttling across a path between two reed beds but wasn’t seen again, and a Hobby flashed past being mobbed by 2 Lapwings. The 2 Spoonbills which had been noted earlier by the reserve staff re-appeared giving us good views and that other increasingly common sighting, a Great White Egret, was spotted in a distant field.

Moving back to the Visitor Centre towards the end of the day, our raptor species count was boosted to five as we enjoyed good views of a Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and Kestrel, accompanied of course by another warming drink! In total, 55 species were noted collectively by our group on an enjoyable day (and we didn’t get too wet, despite the dire weather forecast!).

Burton Mere Visitor Centre (l-r Rob Chadwick, Jane Chadwick, Fay Follett, Chris and Nicole Lamb, Gary Atkins, scope and John Follett)

The full list of sightings are as follows: Teal, Moorhen, Coot, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Mute Swan, Grey Heron, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Shoveler, Mallard, Ruff, Dunlin, Kingfisher, Carrion Crow, Sparrowhawk, Pheasant, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Gt Black-backed Gull, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Little Grebe, Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Starling, Goldfinch, Wren, Chiffchaff, Gt Spotted Woodpecker, Robin, Goldcrest, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Cetti’s Warbler, Gadwall, Water Rail, Hobby, Spoonbill, Snipe, Dunnock, Swallow, Gt White Egret, Redshank, Jackdaw, Jay, Magpie, Long-tailed Tit, Black-headed Gull, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and Kestrel.

Carsington Bird Club Educational Events Features News Severn Trent Water

Hen Harrier Day 2019 at Carsington Water

Chris Packham talking at Hen Harrier Day 11th August 2019 – Carsington Water
Picture by John Sykes ©

“Established in 2014 , with various events held at locations from Northern Ireland to inside the M25 and from the south coast of England to the highlands of Scotland. Hen Harrier Day is now a recognised part of the ornithological and conservation scene and continues to raise awareness of the persistent illegal persecution by the grouse shooting industry of this beautiful, important and iconic bird………..”.

For more information, see the links below…….

Carsington Bird Club Educational Events Member Reports

Warbler Walk, Sunday 12th May

Around a dozen new and existing Club members joined a Warbler Walk, led by Simon Roddis, the aim being to see and hear several warbler species which can be found at Carsington in the spring. We started with a walk around Stones Island and soon located and, with a bit of perseverance, saw five species: Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Garden, Sedge and Willow Warblers. The songs of all of them are pretty distinctive, although there can be overlap between Garden Warbler and Blackcap; as it happened, all the birds that we found performed as per the text book! After being a bit secretive for a few minutes, a Sedge Warbler performed its song flight and settled in view – if a bit obscured – in a patch of bushes. Sedge Warblers seem to be having a good year at Carsington, with several singing birds on Stones and another near the Wildlife Centre. A little surprisingly, we failed to find a Common Whitethroat on Stones Island although they have been there this spring – perhaps they are just in a quiet spell.

After Stones Island we made our way towards the Wildlife Centre and to the top of the creek. We heard more Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Garden Warblers but not for the hoped-for Common and Lesser Whitethroats or Reed Warbler. Again, they have all been seen and heard in the area in the last two or three weeks, but not today. Lesser Whitethroats do go rather quiet once they are established on territory and their breeding cycle is underway, so they may well still be there. Reed Warblers are still arriving, and there are several in patches of reed in the northern half of the reservoir, so there is still time for one or two to take up residence in the reed-beds close to the Wildlife Centre. Our failure to find Common Whitethroat is less easy to explain – just one of those days.

We didn’t just look at warblers, and in total saw or heard 35 species, including a Willow Tit singing on Stones Island, Oystercatchers, Redshanks, our three breeding geese species – Canada, Barnacle and Greylag – and the Mute Swan still sitting on her nest on Horseshoe Island.

Simon Roddis