Although the reserve is still unfortunately closed to visitors the team have been working flat out to deliver as much conservation work as possible before the new year when we will be busy with our main reedcutting operations, that's if the weather is kind to us.
But as we've gone about our work its been very notable that there has been distinct movement through and arrival of birds on site which have no doubt been avoiding harsher weather elsewhere. Searching for milder climes and food, taking refuge in what is the sanctuary that our reserves provide.
Last week on a rainy and murky day (there's been a few of them!) I happened to be checking some water levels and noticed a single grebe on the water at Singleton, its a good job I looked at it as it turned out to be a Slavonian grebe! I managed a few photo's and then it moved into the reed edge and was lost to sight, and that was the last time I saw it! A bit surprising really as it seemed to be enjoying the sticklebacks that it was catching.
We've only ever had about 5 or 6 records of Slavonian grebe so quite a rare bird on site!
And with its breakfast
There's also been the odd goosander flying up river (always a sign to me of colder weather), this lovely male was on one of our other sites last week
Another species that suddenly arrived in force was Chiffchaff, we'd had one arrive a couple of weeks ago but on Monday there were two very vocal birds which often indicates fresh arrival, all three are Collybita type but rather than being British birds that had all gone through site by the end of October these are probably of European origin from places like Germany and Poland. Strange it just wouldn't be December these days without a wintering chiffchaff but then when I think back we used to catch and ring them regularly at the sewage works at Adwick-le-Street near Doncaster way back in the early 1980's. Nostalgia, I can just imagine the smell!
This was the first bird to arrive.
Unfortunately no photo's for the next Northern wonderer but while surveying bearded tits I literally almost stepped on a Short eared owl, I'm not sure who was more shocked the owl or me but it must have been either tired or full of voles as it landed nearby and near to the track I had to follow to get out of the reedbed. Strange thing was though it just disappeared into the ether, not a sign of it when I went passed! There has been an influx of this species recently into the UK so maybe no surprise that one turned up, recent radio tagging of this species has been revealing just how much of a wanderer it is, often breeding in both the UK and in Northern Europe in the same year!
There's been a few other birds of prey with at least 11 marsh harriers at roost but no sign of the hen harrier or merlin, mind you we haven't had a lot of time to watch the roost. But there has been the odd barn owl, and certainly active sparrowhawks that have been terrorising the smaller birds. And regular peregrines and buzzard which enlivens up the waterfowl and waders on site.
Sparrowhawk - they always look so hungry!
And a nice example of the 'eyes' on the back of the head that help reduce the risk of predation from behind
As is usual at this time of year the wildfowl numbers build up with now hundreds of wigeon and teal using the reserve and nearby river to feed and roost. There's also been a few pintail but of interest was 24 pochard out on the river yesterday, this species is undergoing major population declines in Europe due to both predation problems and Eutrophication of pools which then fill with vegetation. Back in the 1970's when there was cold weather there used to be over 300 regularly on the Ouse next to the reserve, but not for many years now so I must say it was nice to see at least a few using the Trent.
Pochard from yesterday
We've also had records of a couple of other species that are far from annual, the single brent goose feeding in with greylags follows what has been a good last year or so for this species, always nice to see especially when it seemed to be enjoying the grass where the sheep had been grazing.
Brent goose with greylags - at one time a traditional Christmas goose on the Essex coastline!
Of more note was a fly through record of the four Bewick swans that flew south from North Cave on Saturday and which I spotted from a distance as they flew down the Trent. They have now returned to North Cave so must have decided their foray onto the Humber wasn't the best choice. Once an annual visitor this species has declined as a wintering species nationally and on average we probably get a record once every 5 year or so.
Whooper swans on the other hand are increasing year on year and 2020 has been a very good year for them. On Friday these three adults flew in onto Ousefleet to rest up early in the morning.
Whoopers
I had been watching with concern a momentous fight between two pairs of mute swans, one of the pairs had pinned down the male from the other pair and were intent on killing it I suspect. I don't like intervening in nature unless really necessary so had by and large left them to it. Hard to see but sometimes wildlife just has to sort things out for itself.
Nature at its most intense.
There's been some good numbers of lapwings and golden plover out along the river sandbanks next to the reserve recently while up to 15 ruff have been flighting into our fields from time to time. 48 redshank and ten dunlin were notable feeding on the summer konik grazed area, the waders do love this short turf enriched with dung and so do the wigeon and teal. Curlew have been in short supply recently I think feeding out on the farmland but there were 37 on the grazing marsh on Friday for a while.
The river sandbanks form such an important safe refuge out in the Humber at low tide
With the weather not too cold small birds have been quite entertaining with still plenty of stonechats around the reedbed and good numbers of up to 6 water pipits around the grazing marsh and reedbed when I've been checking water levels which rather pleasingly are now starting to mount up after Novembers high tide and the recent rainfall. (Site Managers always worry about their water levels as I'm sure regular readers to this blog already know!). There also been the occasional kingfisher along the ditch.
Stonechat
Flooded reedbed in Singleton, water levels now above 15cm, the water pipits really like this habitat
Nice to enjoy this starling the other day too when I was looking at a pair of stonchat, they are lovely birds when you get the chance to stop and look.
Mistle thrush records are few and far between on the reserve with some years seeing no records. 2020 has been a goodun but I was a little surprised to hear this storm-cock singing one morning from the car park. They seem to have been mixed in with the migrant fieldfares and redwings this year.
Monitoring our bird friendly food crop has resulted in a max count of 622 linnets which isn't too bad considering that it was a particularly difficult growing season in the spring. There's still plenty of wheat left too which is good for December and is being used extensively by reed buntings although many are also still taking advantage of the good reed seed availability.
Linnets swarming around the bird friendly food crop
I have been wondering too what has happened to our tree sparrows, we do have a few left on site but certainly not the numbers. Anyway yesterday I found out where they'd gone, one of the local farmers I work with had been clearing out his grain store and also dumping the sorting's from the seed he had riddled for sale as seed in one of his fields. Great to see the tree sparrows and a good number of chaffinch feeding on it!
One of the reserve tree sparrows
I always do my best to estimate winter numbers of bearded tits as this often gives an idea of how well this species has done in the breeding season and also gives a reflection of how our habitat management is delivering for what is one of our key species. This year the reedbed is full of reed seed panicles probably due to a low wainscot moth infestation rate in the summer (brought about by the wet winter covering the eggs maybe), and I'm finding no shortage of beardies too greedily feeding on the seeds. Although its early days and my survey yesterday was somewhat curtailed by 10mph winds (the conditions just have to be right) I suspect there is over 300 birds in the reedbed at the moment. Hopefully if there's a few days of hard frost or better still snow I'll be back out on the marsh and get a more accurate estimate in.
Female bearded tit feeding on reed seed this morning as I checked a fence line out in the reedbed. It looks as though the population is pretty healthy.
I'll finish with a few inspiring landscapes, although the fog can be frustrating it also gives a real beauty to the Marshland landscape, here's just a few examples. Enlarge them all if you can
You really do have to enlarge this one as much as you can to appreciate the hundreds of lapwing and golden plover in the light of the faded sun
Outlines of trees are always so much more defined in fog
The fog tried to clear here for a brief moment just before it moved back in
Stay safe everyone, we will hopefully have news of where we stand next week if the tiers change.
Pete