Since I started as Recording Secretary for the club (May 2024), its been great to see more and more of our members reporting their sightings to me; please continue to do so!
October has been a great month at the Res with the highest monthly total of species reported since at least May 2024, as well as the highest number of sightings reported to me over the same time period.
Monthly species count: 115.
Total number of sightings: 1832.
Year total to date: 155.
Monthly highlights:
Arctic Tern (2 on 15th), Avocet (1 on 23rd), Blackcap (almost daily), Black-headed Gull (max total of 446 on 13th), Brambling (1 at Highoredish on 30th), Buzzard (max of 38 at Highoredish on 21st), Caspian Gull (1 on 25th), Common Gull (on 6 days, with a max of 10), Common Sandpiper (almost daily, max count of 3), Common Scoter (1 on 25th), Common Tern (16 on 7th), Crossbill (on 14 dates, with a max of 10 birds, mostly but not exclusively reported from Highoredish), Dunlin (up to 3 on 8 dates), Goldeneye (1 on 1st), Golden Plover (singles at Highoredish on 2 dates), Goosander (on 8 dates, max of 6), Great Black-backed Gull (almost daily, 1-2 birds), Great Crested Grebe (max of 38 on 7th), Great White Egret (on 11 dates, with 3 seen on 27th), Greenshank (1 on 4th), Green Woodpecker (1 on 21st), Hobby (max of 2 birds on 5 dates), House Martin (almost daily, max of 760 on 18th), Kingfisher (up to 2 birds almost daily), Lesser Whitethroat (on 4 dates, last reported on 7th), Little Egret (max of 6 birds almost daily), Marsh Harrier (1 juvenile at Highoredish on 26th), Meadow Pipit (max of 333 at Highoredish on 29th), Mediterranean Gull (1 on 7th), Merlin (1 on 15th), Mute Swan (2 on 26th and 27th), Osprey (on 6 dates, last reported 16th), Peregrine Falcon (on 5 dates, max of 2 birds), Pink-footed Goose (first reported on 21st and then on a further 4 dates, max of 1500), Pintail (1 on 28th), Pochard (on 4 dates, max of 7 on 22nd), Raven (almost daily, max of 8), Red Kite (max of 3 on 6 dates), Redpoll (mainly reported from Highoredish, max of 132 on 9 dates), Redwing (first reported from Highoredish on 28th and a max of 5 birds), Reed Warbler (last reported on 9th), Ringed Plover (up to 4 birds on 14 dates), Sand Martin (max of 82 birds on 17 dates, last reported 18th), Shoveler (on 7 dates, max of 2 birds), Skylark (mainly from Highoredish, on 11 dates with a max of 33), Snipe (maqx of 8 birds on 10 dates), Siskin (max of 443 birds at Highoredish, reported almost daily), Sparrowhawk (almost daily and 7 birds on 23rd), Spotted Flycatcher (singles on 2 dates), Stonechat (on 7 dates, with 3 on 22nd), Swallow (almost daily with a max of 388 on 6th), Swift (1 on 3rd), Tawny Owl (1 on 6th), Teal (almost daily with a max of 88 on 24th), Tree Pipit (all from Highoredish – max of 6 and reported on 4 dates), Tree Sparrow (2 at Highoredish on 6th), Whitethroat (last reported on 5th), Wigeon (max of 6 birds on 7 dates), Willow Tit (on 10 dates), Willow Warbler (last reported on 22nd), Yellowhammer (on 8 dates), Yellow Wagtail (on 2 dates, with 3 on 15th), Yellow-legged Gull (almost daily)
Many thanks as always to everyone who contributed to the monthly sightings – by writing in the hide diary, commenting on the Whatsapp group or by contacting me directly: Tim Sexey, Steve Sutcliffe, S Nicholson, Matthew Birkin, Peter Burrill, Roger Thornley, Peter Marks, Bill Padley, Richard Gratton, Clive Harris, Phillip Buxton, Kevin Grayston, Rob Hewison, Stephen Walker, Val Jones, Les Beeston, Trevor West, Julie Clewes, Angela Slater, Daniel Martin, Roger Wood, Mike Conroy, Julie Atkinson, A. Bennett, Jim Noone, Graham Crook, D. Maddox and Andy Marshall.