Carsington Bird Club CBC Newsletters Events Member Reports

Frampton Marsh RSPB Reserve – Sunday 6th October 2024

A very fine turnout of 12 CBC members made the journey to the Frampton Marsh RSPB Reserve on the Lincolnshire coast on Sunday 6th October. This is one of our favourite destinations, which we have visited a few times before, and it always offers a good selection of wetland birds and the chance of the occasional rarity.

Meeting up in the Visitor Centre with its panoramic views over the reserve, we spent some time checking through the ducks and waders on show. The unmistakeable sight of a pair of Spoonbills on one of the islands was a nearly highlight of the day. Always an exciting bird to see, Spoonbills are becoming more commonly found of course and have now successfully bred in a number of locations around the UK.

With the arrival of Autumn the numbers of ducks and geese were starting to build up. Wigeon and Teal were by far the most numerous, with smaller counts of Shoveler and Shelduck noted. Later on a small group of Pintail added to the variety and Brent Geese were feeding on the tidal marshes. A lone Whooper Swan, believed to be an injured bird which has remained at the reserve throughout the year, was also spotted.

Apart from the many Lapwings and a flock of Golden Plover seen early on in the day, relatively small numbers of other waders were present. A handful of Redshank, Ruff, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit were noted, along with a single Bar-tailed Godwit.

Some keen eyes in the group picked out a pair of Snipe in the edge of the reeds, with one then obligingly moving out into the open. About 20 Avocets were also counted on the various pools.

Moving on to birds of prey, a Marsh Harrier was often observed during the day quartering the reedbeds, along with at least one Kestrel hovering over the fields. A distant Peregrine sitting on a fence post in the fields behind the Visitor Centre was seen by a few of us, and a Red Kite was also spotted flying above the road leading into the reserve.

Smaller birds were in fairly short supply though, with the exception of flocks of Goldfinches and a few Linnets. A single Stonechat and a Wheatear were good finds to add to our list and a Cetti’s Warbler was heard near the car park.

With the weather turning out to be much dryer and brighter than forecast, it was a very enjoyable day. Bird-wise it did seem to be quieter than on our previous visits, though agood collective total of 47 species was still recorded, bothon the reserve itself and from the approach road.

Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Brent Goose, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Shelduck, Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall, Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Pheasant, Avocet, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Snipe, Redshank, Ruff, Dunlin, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Spoonbill, Red Kite,Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Peregrine, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Starling, Cetti’s Warbler, Stonechat, Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch, Linnet

 

Carsington Bird Club Member Reports

Wyver Lane DWT Reserve – Sunday 17th March 2024

We stayed quite close to home for our latest walk on Sunday 17th March at the Wyver Lane DWT Reserve in Belper. Meeting up on a very wet morning, it did not look promising for seeing many birds, but the weather slowly cleared up and the 8 CBC members who made the trip were rewarded with a good variety of species seen or heard.
 
Setting off from the car park we had a quick look from the bridge over the River Derwent for the chance of Goosanders or Grey Wagtails, but the river was probably flowing far too quickly. As we walked along Wyver Lane towards the reserve, several of the more common birds were seen, including Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Wren, Dunnock and House Sparrow.
 
Reaching the wetland area we picked out a number of Tufted Duck, Teal and Gadwall on the water, along with a male Mandarin Duck which added a splash of colour with its bright plumage. A female Goosander and a pair of Shoveler were observed from the hide, then as we left it a pair of Snipe were flushed and flew briefly before dropping out of sight.
 
A single Great White Egret was spotted creeping along inside the reeds, before flying away over the river. A couple of Grey Herons were more obliging though and stayed in full view on the water’s edge.
 
The sound of singing Chiffchaffs became almost a constant backdrop to our walk, with probably at least 10 individuals heard and in some cases seen at the top of the trees. From the fields behind the hide and the ramp, the ‘yaffling’ of a Green Woodpecker was heard several times, but we were unable to find it. Similarly, the distant drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker was picked out, but again the bird was not seen.
 
We spent some time watching the feeders towards the end of the lane and were very pleased to see a Marsh Tit, which is becoming increasingly rare across the country, as well as Nuthatches, Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tits and of course numerous Blue and Great Tits. A Water Rail was briefly spotted by one of the group in the reeds near the feeders, but couldn’t be located again.
 
By the end of the morning a total of 44 species had been recorded by the group, which was far better than expected given the heavy rain earlier on:
 
Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Mandarin Duck, Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Water Rail, Snipe, Pheasant, Woodpigeon, Black-headed Gull, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Green Woodpecker (heard yaffling), Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard drumming), Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Wren, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting
 
Chris Lamb
CBC Events Organiser
Carsington Bird Club Events Member Reports

CBC trip to NWT – Attenborough Nature Reserve – 21st January 2024

A group of seven CBC members made the relatively short journey to the Attenborough Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Reserve on Sunday 21st January for our first outing of the year. It literally was a case of the calm before the storm, as we enjoyed a dry and bright morning before the strong winds and heavy rain of Storm Isha swept across the country later in the day.

Given the recent rainfall, it was no surprise that all the lakes were very full, though some still had ice around the edges from the cold snap of the previous week. Ducks, geese and swans were naturally seen in numbers, including Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Tufted Ducks and a couple of male Pochards. At least 10 Goosanders were noted during the morning, some affording very good views close to the paths, and several Goldeneyes were also seen.

Our collective gull identification skills were put to the test as we tried to pick out the adult Caspian Gull (successfully we think), which had been present on the reserve for a while. In among the large numbers of Black-headed Gulls a handful of Common Gulls were identified, and from the Tower hide, Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Yellow-legged Gull were also found.

Waders were in short supply given the water levels, with just a handful of Lapwing present and later in the morning a single Curlew flew over the path by the river. A couple of Grey Herons were spotted in the distance on the edges of the lakes, but perhaps surprisingly no egrets were seen.

Apart from the ubiquitous Blue and Great Tits, it seemed to be a relatively quiet morning for passerines, though a pair of Reed Buntings did show well near one of the feeding tables. A couple of Redwings perched obligingly on the tree tops, and a lone Fieldfare was seen later on the cricket pitch in Attenborough village. Still in the village, a Goldcrest and a flock of Long-tailed Tits were observed in the churchyard towards the end of our walk.

By the end of the morning a good total of 45 species had been recorded by the group, namely: Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose, Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Lapwing, Curlew, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Caspian Gull, Herring Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Redwing, Fieldfare, Robin, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting

Carsington Bird Club Features Member Reports

Carsington Water Walk – Sunday 24th September 2023

We stayed quite close to home for our first outing of the autumn, with a walk at Carsington Water on Sunday, 24 September. The monthly Birdwatching for Beginners walks, which are attended on a regular basis by some of our members, traditionally follow a route around Stones Island and on to the Wildlife Centre, so we thought we would start this walk by exploring a different end of the reservoir to see what we could find there.

Setting off from the Sheepwash car park on a wet, murky morning, we followed the path along the northern edge of the reservoir. Not surprisingly, various species of ducks made up most of the birds we initially saw, with good numbers of Mallard, Gadwall and Tufted Duck. A single Heron was observed patrolling the shoreline surrounded by a multitude of Coots. A colourful male Mandarin Duck was found in Brownale Bay by two members of the group.

Coming back to the Paul Stanley hide to shelter from the increasing drizzle, we added Great Crested and Little Grebes to our list, along with a handful of Cormorants, Mute Swans and Canada Geese.  The sizeable flock of gulls on Flat Island were mostly identified as Black-headed or Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

As we continued our walk past the Bombing Tower towards the Lane End hide, a section of trees and bushes next to the path proved particularly productive with a variety of birds flitting between the branches, including a Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Great and Blue Tits, as well as a party of Long-tailed Tits and a Goldcrest.

The Lane End hide didn’t really offer up anything new, so after a while for most of us it was time to call it a day.  Two members of the group did carry on to the Wildlife Centre though, where they were rewarded with more birds for our collective list for the morning, including Red-crested Pochard, Lapwing, Oystercatcher and great views of a Willow Tit.

In all, the 45 species that follow were recorded by the group, which was a pretty good total considering the somewhat damp weather:  Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Mallard, Gadwall, Mandarin Duck, Teal, Tufted Duck, Common Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Moorhen, Cormorant, Heron, Pheasant, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Willow Tit, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch.

Chris Lamb.

Scroll to Top