Thanks to Wendy again for keeping the list
Canada, Black Headed Gull, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Grey Heron, Mallard, Little Egret, Coot, Robin, Little Grebe, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Jay, Chiffchaff, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Wren, Goldfinch, Crow, Litle Owl, Kestrel, Magpie, Nuthatch, Swallow, Jackdaw, Rook, Dunnock, Collared Dove, Mistle Thrush, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Osprey, Raven, Buzzard, Hobby.
The weather forecast was foul causing even the trip leader to bale out. However, three hardy souls braved the elements and reported as follows:
You (i.e. the trip leader) were right to cancel. It rained for the 4 hours we were there. Visibility was bad and there was very little movement.
We saw 51 species including Barn Owl, Greensand, Dunlin, Marsh Harrier, Spotted Redshank, Snipe & half a dozen Ruff in a wide variety of plumages . We dipped on the female Montague’s Harrier that had been reported twice the day before and also that morning before we arrived. Also surprisingly absent were Avocets, Spoonbills and Bearded Tits, all of which we had expected to see.
It can’t have been that bad Ron, if you managed to see 51 species or were you counting plants as well?
Thanks to Wendy Dyson for keeping the bird list for the walk. Here is the full list:-
Lapwing, Buzzard, Cormarant, Mallard, Swallow, Wood pigeon, L black backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Greenfinch, Crow, Canada Goose, Pied wagtail, Common tern, Swift, Tufted Duck, Little egret, Heron, Coot, Goldcrest, Moorhen, Sparrow hawk, GT tit, Chaffinch, Blue tit, Coal tit, Robin, GT Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Magpie, Yellow hammer, Blackbird, Green Finch, Gold Finch, Nuthatch, Dunnock, L Tail Tit, Wren, House sparrow, Greylag Goose, Housemartin, Black headed Gull, Black cap, Reed warbler, Willow warbler, Willow tit, White throat, Bull Finch
Makes 46 in total.not a bad number for August!
Bird list for the walk, thanks to Wendy Dyson
Crow, Robin, Wren, Chiffchaff, L t tit, Oystercatcher, Canada goose, Greylag, Heron, Goldfinch, Pheasant, L B Backed Gull, Cormorant, B Headed gull, Swallow, Wood pigeon, Chaffinch, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Sedge warbler, Swift, Lapwing, Herring gull, Tufted Duck, Blackcap, Yellow hammer, Mallard, Black tailed godwit, Mandarin, Blackbird, Coot, Pied wagtail, Great tit, Blue tit, Dunnock, Jay, GT Spotted Woodpecker, Song thrush, Sparrow hawk, Whitethroat, Greenfinch, Magpie, Mistle thrush, House sparrow, Buzzard, Nuthatch.
We then went into the hides and added
Osprey, Little ring plover, Reed warbler, Bullfinch.
That makes 50 in all.
Thanks to Wendy Dyson for the following:-.
A pleasant morning saw about 40 people join the walk. Most did the Brackenfield loop, a few returned after reaching the Church. Four walked down to the River Amber and did the loop of the reservoir.
Sightings were;
Greylag and Canada Geese. Willow Warbler, Lapwing, Mallard, Chiff Chaff, Cormorant,
Carrion Crow, Robin Wren, Common Tern, Swallow, Dunnock, Blackbird, Great Crested Grebe, Reed Bunting, Reed Warbler, Oystercatcher, Coot, Pied Wagtail,
Grey Wagtail, wood Pigeon, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, Jackdaw, Magpie, Chaffinch,
Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Goldfinch, Kestrel, Starling, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush,Yellowhammer, Swift,Jay,
Little Ringed Plover, Rook, Bullfinch, Heron, Buzzard, After the walk a Black Headed Gull was seen from the hide. Those still in the car park saw an Osprey at 1pm.
This month’s work party will focus on keeping the paths clear and removing some of the Cleavers that are coating the site.
To help at the work party, meet at the reserve on Saturday, 22nd July at 9:30 am. We will finish around lunchtime with time to walk around the reserve to observe the wildlife. All members are welcome and no previous experience is necessary. Please wear appropriate work clothes, stout shoes, boots or wellies, and gardening gloves or equivalent. Most tools are available on-site but bring along anything you think might help such as a sturdy rake or a pair of loppers.
This trip was the one which should have taken place on 7th June, but had to be rescheduled after the National Trust closed parts of the park as a result of damage to a number of trees resulting from the recent gales.
The 13th of June, in contrast presented a warm still evening which meant that we had to wait longer than normal for the Nightjars to appear. Interestingly, in such perfect conditions, one would have expected to get at least as many species as we did on our visit on the 23rd May. However this was not to be with 39 recorded and yet we clocked Mandarin, Greenfinch and Tawny Owl which we didn’t record last time. That being as it may, the stars of the show were again the Nightjars and the Woodcock. The latter treated us to some marvellously close views with as many as four flying at once making their squeaking calls. The first churring of the Nightjars happened at 21:46, a good half an hour later than on the previous trip. Also, they weren’t churring as frequently until around about 22:20. However, we did get to see a male and a female flying together on several occasions, complete with a bit of wing clapping and ‘yelping’ from the male.
Maximum numbers had booked on this rightly, popular trip and with the weather being incredibly warm, with little wind, hopes were high that we would break the previous record of 44 species of bird identified. Indeed, the evening started well with linnets and a Yellow Wagtail spotted on our way to the ford near to Hardwick Village. At or near the ford, a Cetti’s warbler was heard and there were a few Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings whizzing around to keep us entertained.
At about 9 p.m. we drove to the area where we hoped to see the Nightjars and we’d only been there a few moments when the first Woodcock flew overhead. Ten minutes later, while it was still quite light, we heard the first Nightjar churring. It seemed to be coming from close to the top of some nearby pine trees and this was confirmed a moment later when someone spotted it perched on a branch. We stayed in the same spot until about 10:20 p.m. getting frequent sightings of flying Woodcock with a maximum of 4 at any one time. We also had excellent, close sightings of a male Nightjar, displaying to the female with wing clapping and yelping cries.
The last species to be identified was a cuckoo, which rather surprisingly was still calling after 10 p.m. Total species seen/heard was 44 so the record remains.
A very select group of people, ie both of us, set off at 8:30am for a fabulous walk in brilliant weather. We finished as usual with the excellent brunch at Grindleford Station.
The following is a full list of birds recorded:-
Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal tit, Common Buzzard, Crow, Cuckoo, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Green Woodpecker, GS Woodpecker, Jackdaw, Jay, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch, Pheasant, Pied Flycatcher, Robin, Rook, Song Thrush, Starling, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Tree Creeper, Tree Pipit, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Wood Pigeon, Wren.
Paul Beard
Six members attended this meet on a gorgeous sunny day marred a little by a rather strong wind. The target species was the Nightingale but when we arrived at ‘Nightingale Corner’ it was to find that the bird had just departed. Ten minutes later there was still no sign and with the majority of the party never having seen one before and expectations being high, the trip leader wondered if his best course of action was to sneak off unseen and thus avoid a potential lynching party.
Hoping to find Nightingales further on, we set off round Coot Lake and fortunately were soon distracted by hearing and then getting fleeting glimpses of Lesser Whitethroats. Added to this were good sightings of Blackcaps and Garden Warblers as well as a fabulous surround sound serenade from these warblers.
Having done a full circuit of the lake, half the group decided to take a walk round the northerly half of the reserve while the other half returned to the favourite Nightingale spotting place, determined to see the bird. The walkers eventually returned pleased as punch with their sighting, albeit brief, of a Hobby. However, their triumphalism proved to be short-lived as the others, with ear to ear grins, had both seen and heard a Nightingale.
Green-veined White
Green-veined White
After lunch the Nightingaless group went back hoping to see the elusive bird and this time were quickly rewarded with a 10 minute serenade from this little brown job as well as the opportunity to see it between the tangle of branches.
After this success, we decided to drop into RSPB Langford Lowfields reserve on our way back. The highlight here was, without doubt, being able to sit on a bench beside the reed bed, in sunshine, watching up to four Hobbies hawking for dragonflies. And finally, the icing on the birding cake was our sighting of a Whimbrel on one of the islands.
A great day on two excellent reserves with 55 species of bird identified.
