CBC Monthly Bird Notes

Apr 2010 Bird Notes

APRIL 2010 BIRD NOTES (to 28th April only)

 April Highlights: Great Northern Diver, Whooper Swan, Osprey, Sanderling, Godwits, Little Gull,SandwichTern, Pied Flycatcher and Common Spring Migrants.

The adult Great Northern Diver stayed all month and was in mostly summer plumage by 29th. A Whooper Swan was around the Wildlife Centre and Stones Island all Saturday 17th, 2 Red-crested Pochard on 6th and 8th, a female Scaup stayed close in to the Wildlife Centre from 26th and 4 Common Scoter were seen off Stones Island on 13th. Counts included 12 Little Grebe on 18th, 42 Great Crested Grebe on 18th, 16 Cormorant on 2nd, 3 Heron on 15th, 3 Greylag Geese on 7th and 24th, 80 Canadas on 18th, 38 Barnacles on 6th, 5 Shelduck on 10th, 7 Wigeon on 7th and 8th, 3 Gadwall on 17th, 48 Mallard on 18th, 3 Shoveler on 22nd, 1 Pochard on 8th, 189 Tufted Duck on 18th, 13 Goldeneye on 13th, 3 Goosander on 5th, 19 Moorhen on 18th and 106 Coot on 18th. Four broods of Mallard were noted by 28th.

Ospreys were seen again from Sheepwash, 1 at 1400hrs on 2nd and another 1230-1305hrs on 19th. An immature male Sparrow Hawk was perched close to Sheepwash Hide on 20th, 14 Buzzards were in the air on 3rd and 2 Peregrines were over Hall Wood on 26th, with singles noted on other dates.

Wader passage included 1 Ringed Plover from 19th to 21st, 1 Sanderling on 28th, 2 Black-tailed Godwit on 21st and 5 on 26th, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit on 6th to 11th, 2 Whimbrel on 21st and 6 on 27th, 4 Curlew on 18th, 4 Common Sandpiper on 19th and 28th and 1 Turnstone flew through northwards on 7th. Breeding Oystercatcher, Redshank and Lapwing were busy and a Lapwing showed 3 chicks on Big Island on 29th.

An adult Little Gull on 18th was followed a week later on 25th by 2 adults and 4 first summer birds. Other gulls were a first summer Herring Gull on 14th, an adult Yellow-legged on 23rd, an immature Great Black-backed on 17th and the breeding Black-headed Gulls, 60 present on 27th, were busily arguing about space on the tern raft. Tern passage included a Sandwich Tern early on 7th, 3 Common Terns early on 25th with the flock of Little Gulls, 4 Common Terns on 28th and single Arctic Terns on 15th, 19th 24th and 27th.

The first Swift was on 19th but only small numbers have been seen since. Hirundine passage continued with 50 Sand Martin on 20th and over 500 Swallow feeding close to the water on a drizzly morning on 19th. The first House Martin was on 6th and, by the end of the month, some birds were around the Visitor Centre breeding colony. A Tree Pipit flew over on 24th and 40 Meadow Pipits were on the dam on 2nd. Migrant wagtail species were in low numbers again this year, with the first Yellow Wagtail on Sheepwash Spit on 3rd, 3 on the dam wall on 11th and 4 on 19th. White Wagtail numbers peaked at 9 on Stones Island in the evening of 7th and Pied Wagtails totalled 37 there on 15th. There are no records of resident Grey Wagtails since January 1st. This species is susceptible to long spells of freezing winter weather when they cannot feed along the waters edge and, in case you have forgotten, we have just had an unusually severe winter, so please look out for this species at Carsington. Their former locations were Millfields, Tail Bay outlet stream, Fishtail Creek and Paul Stanley Hide. A Redstart was singing distantly upstream from WLC Creek from 24th and a male Whinchat was in the Creek on 25th. Single Wheatears were noted 3rd and many other dates. Warbler species kept arriving, with 2 Sedge on 24th, the earliest ever Reed at Carsington on 24th, 2 Lesser Whitethroat on 18th, 1 Whitethroat on 17th and 1 Garden Warbler on 24th. A count of warblers on 8th included 13 Blackcap, 52 Chiffchaff and 8 Willow Warbler. A Pied Flycatcher was singing in Warrington Knob on 29th, 100 Jackdaw were recorded on 3rd, a female Brambling was in Hall Wood on 22nd and a site rare Yellowhammer flew over Millfields on 18th.

116 Species were recorded compared with 110 in April 2009, 118 in 2008, 103 in 2007, 118 in 2006, 117 in 2005, 116 in 2004, 120 in 2003 and 107 in 2002.

CBC Monthly Bird Notes

Mar 2010 Bird Notes

MARCH 2010 BIRD NOTES

 March Highlights: Red Throated Diver, Great Northern Divers, Whooper Swans, Garganey, Osprey and early summer migrants return.

A Red Throated Diver was off StonesIslandfrom 1630hrs until dusk on 22nd and the Great Northern Diver count was a juvenile from last month to 5th plus an adult which remained all month. A Sunday treat for observers on 7th was 24 Whooper Swans landing at 0930hrs and a single Pink-footed Goose was with Canadas from 8th. The big surprise of the month was a very early Drake Garganey at the Wildlife Centre on 2nd March, a day when several were found around England. The earliest record at Carsington previously was 16th April but the extreme earliest Derbyshire record was on 1st March 1978. Maximum counts this month total 25 Little Grebe on 14th, 35 Great Crested Grebe on 14th, 8 Greylag on 6th, 46 Barnacle on 1st and 14th, 3 Shelduck on 17th, 53 Wigeon on 5th, 3 Gadwall on 14th, 21 Teal on 8th, 109 Mallard on 8th, 4 Pintail on 5th, 5 drake Shoveler on 21st, 325 Tufted Duck on 14th, a female Scaup on 2nd, 28 Goldeneye on 21st, 8 Goosander on 15th, a Water Rail on 7th, 18 Moorhen on 19th and 247 Coot on 14th.

Four Sparrowhawks were noted on 21st and 8 Buzzards were in the air on 14th, with 10 on 21st. An Osprey was on site from 1550hrs on 26th, one day earlier than previous records at Carsington. It was seen from Stones Island and the Wildlife Centre and later it caught a fish and went to dine and roost in Blackbrook Plantation. An immature Peregrine flew north over Sheepwash on 28th.

At least 5 pairs of Oystercatcher were noted on 8th and the first Little Ringed Plover record of the year was 1 on Stones Island with a Dunlin on 26th. The first Dunlin of the year was 1 on 7th then 2 at the Wildlife Centre on 10th. Snipe totalled 8 on Horseshoe Island on 20th and 6 Snipe were seen in flight at Warrington Knob on 7th. A Woodcock was flushed near Paul Stanley Hide on 24th. The largest Curlew numbers were 12 at Sheepwash on 9th, 16 on 11th and 11 were in a field near Lane Ends on 13th. 6 Redshank were noted around the Wildlife Centre, Stones Island and Sheepwash on 8th, 23rd and 31st.

An adult Mediterranean Gull was at the Wildlife Centre on 10th and was subsequently seen in the gull roost on several evenings up to 24th. Counts of the gull roost proved difficult due to the spread of the roost this month but 242 Common and 65 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were counted in an early roost on 1st. There was a first winter plus a second winter Herring Gull on 20th and an adult Yellow-legged on 10th and 23rd.

A Little Owl was seen in the field on the left between the main car park and Wildlife Centre on 2nd, 7th and 30th. As expected, the first Sand Martins flew through, with 4 on 18th and a flock of 12 the following morning. Swallows started slowly with 1 on 25th then 1 on 28th. Meadow Pipit records have been unusually low for this time of year with 1 on 19th and several singles since. A Rock Pipit was on Sheepwash Spit for at least 2 hours on 19th, 2 White Wagtails were on Horseshoe Island on 31st and a female Stonechat was on Stones Island on 5th. The first Wheatear was on the dam wall early on 19th and 3 were at the Wildlife Centre on 22nd. A wintering Blackcap was near the Wildlife Centre on 10th and a pair there on 24th. Chiffchaff were first noted on 19th with 5 singing and 12 were singing between Millfields and Sheepwash on 31st. Two Willow Tits were singing on 8th and 2 Linnets flew over Sheepwash on 10th.

102 Species recorded this March compared with103 in March 2009, 104 in 2008, 95 in 2007, 100 in 2006, 107 in 2005 and 98 in 2004.

CBC Monthly Bird Notes

Feb 2010 Bird Notes

FEBRUARY 2010 BIRD NOTES

 February Highlights: Great Northern Divers, Red-necked Grebes and Jack Snipe.

 A juvenile and an adult Great Northern Diver were present all month, quite often together at dawn and dusk. Early on 23rd the adult was calling while the juvenile was close by diving. As the mist cleared at 1320hrs on 15th a Red-necked Grebe was seen and photographed from Sheepwash and Lane End Hides and then lost to view. Searches were made by several birders and the bird was eventually relocated in Hopton Arm, in the rain and near to dusk. It was there that a second bird was noted. One bird remained in Hopton Arm, as far as the ice allowed, until 23rd, while the second bird was elusive, wandering as far as Millfields. Counts for February included: 27 Little Grebe on 8th, 41 Great Crested Grebe on 8th, 45 Cormorant on 15th, 6 Mute Swans on 23rd, 46 Barnacle Geese on 1st, 5 Shelduck on 25th, 48 Wigeon on 28th, 6 Gadwall on 22nd, 59 Teal on 1st, 141 Mallard on 23rd, 2 Pintail on 18th and 28th, 5 Shoveler on 20th, 2 Red-crested Pochard on 18th, 2 Pochard on 28th, 442 Tufted Duck on 23rd, 19 Goldeneye on 23rd, 5 Goosander on 13th, 5 Moorhen on 23rd and 401 Coot on 23rd. These counts were low for winter but similar to or slightly less than those in February last year demonstrating that many of the wintering wildfowl had gone by the end of the month.

Two Sparrow Hawks were noted on 10th, 6 Buzzard were in the air at the same time on 10th and, on 1st, a Buzzard was perched on the cairn on Flat Island while another searched the island for food. Peregrine were noted on several days with a female on 13th, 1 over Hopton Arm on 16th, an immature on 23rd and 1 from Sheepwash on 28th.

Oystercatchers have been returning and claiming their breeding island and, by 28th, numbered 10 including a pair mating on Millfields Island and the male with a bar-code leg ring returning to Flat Island and Sheepwash area. A Jacksnipe flew in to Hopton Arm on 19th for 2 hours and temporarily stole the red-necked grebe’s show, see photograph on our website. Snipe numbers have been low this winter with just 4 recorded on 13th and 22nd. A Woodcock was flushed from the path behind Sheepwash Hide on 23rd. Curlew are now moving through, with the first heard on 24th, 2 on 27th and 5 on 28th including 3 which landed to the right of Sheepwash Hide. Redshank were seen in singles at many locations but the maximum count was only 3 on 22nd and 24th.

The gull roost was larger than in mid-February last year, with at least 3000 Black-headed Gulls, 550 Common Gulls and 300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on 13th. The daytime resident, little grebe eating adult Yellow-legged Gull has not been recorded since 6th, and a heron was noted struggling to swallow a gull carcass on 16th!

A roost of 60 Woodpigeon was noted at Sheepwash on 8th and 16th, a Kingfisher regularly between 14th and 24th, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers on 16th, 2 Skylark flew over on 16th, a singing wren on 28th highlighted how few were seen this month, in excess of 50 Fieldfare at Sheepwash on 16th, 4 Song Thrush singing on 28th, 8 Long-tailed Tits squeezed onto Paul Stanley feeders on 23rd, 4 Willow Tits on 24th, 15 Magpie on 11th, 50 Jackdaw over Sheepwash on 12th, 6 Rooks on the dam wall fields on 23rd, 2 Raven on 6th and other dates, 4 Brambling in the Visitor Centre car park on 14th, 13 Siskin at Sheepwash on 15th and 10 Lesser Redpoll near the Wildlife Centre on 17th.

87 Species this month compared with 86 in Feb 2009, 86 in 2008, 88 in 2007, 89 in 2006 and 90 in 2005.

CBC Monthly Bird Notes

Jan 2010 Bird Notes

JANUARY 2010 BIRD NOTES

January Highlights: Great Northern Diver, Little Egret, Scaup, Caspian Gull and Kittiwake.

One of last month’s Great Northern Divers, a juvenile, remained all month and December’s Little Egret was around the Wildlife Centre area until 24th, with 2 present on Horseshoe Island from 1415hrs to 1500hrs on 18th. 150 Pink-footed Geese flew low east over the water at 1130hrs on 8th. Site counts this month were mainly the WeBS count on 17th, unless dated otherwise, and included 46 Little Grebe, 45 Great Crested Grebe, 45 Cormorant on 24th, 4 Heron on 27th, 28 Mute Swans, 5 Greylag on 20th, 45 feral Barnacle Geese on 20th, 6 Shelduck on 24th, 23 Wigeon (218 in Jan last year), 36 Gadwall, 49 Teal, 122 Mallard, 1 female Pintail on 11th and other dates, 134 Pochard, 596 Tufted Duck, an elusive first winter female Scaup on 10th and possibly all month, 12 Goldeneye, 11 Goosander on 31st, 11 Moorhen and 1424 Coot (1844 in Jan last year). Some of these counts are significantly down compared with recent years, probably due to the abnormally cold weather. Certainly any geese and ducks seeking grazing would have been struggling with the depth of snow. Escapee ducks seen were 2 Speckled Teal on 27th and a Chiloe Wigeon on 29th, both South American species.

Raptor records were few, with 4 Common Buzzards in the air on 1st, a Peregrine on the pylon observed from the Wildlife Centre on 17th and 24th, elsewhere on site on 18th, 19th and 20th, and a pair of Peregrine mobbing a Buzzard on 28th.

An Oystercatcher was seen on 11th and 16th, Snipe numbered 12 at the Wildlife Centre on 24th, a Woodcock was near Lane End Hide on 4th and 3 Redshank were on site on 1st and subsequent dates.

The gull roost, visible from Lane End Hide, on 24th included 4000 Black-headed Gulls, 600 Common Gulls and 500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Other gull records included 20 Herring Gulls on 18th, an adult Caspian Gull in front of Sheepwash Hide from 1430hrs on 18th, 17 Great Black-backed Gulls on Sheepwash Spit early on 1st, an adult Kittiwake near Millfields at 1000hrs on 28th, and the resident Yellow-legged Gull was seen eating a Little Grebe on 18th and a dead fish on 25th.

The freezing weather and thick snow lying on the ground prevented much activity by non-water birds. Two Barn Owls were out hunting near the Wildlife Centre on 14th and another near Fishtail Creek later in the month. A Kingfisher was in Penn Carr on 16th and at other locations later in the month and 2 Skylark flew east over Millfields on 18th. The annual wintering Meadow Pipit flock, which can usually be located around the Dam Wall and Tail Bay area, has not been seen this January. Presumably this flock has gone south or to the coast where ground feeding is possible. Two Nuthatch were on Paul Stanley feeders on 1st and other subsequent dates and Siskin flocks have been regularly noted, with the largest totalling 40 on 11th and 27th. Four Linnets were near the Wildlife Centre on 1st and 68 Lesser Redpoll were noted at in the same area on 17th.

86 Species this month comparing well with 86 in January 2009, 85 in 2008, 89 in 2007, 89 in 2006, 95 in 2005, 91 in 2004, 87 in 2003 and 75 in 2002.

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