Nature is full of surprises that’s for sure. When I set out for Old Moor this morning, I was pretty sure I knew what to expect – common sandpiper, bittern (of course), a generous helping of warblers, those Med. gulls, a few redshank…
What I didn’t expect was to see three adult, drake goosander sunning themselves on the Wader Scrape. Nevertheless, there they were. In May!
In case you are wondering why I’m surprised it’s because goosander are a species that we see at Old Moor chiefly in the winter months. For us, sightings of them dwindle between April and October. So, not a ‘rare’ species as such, but definitely unusual now, almost in the summer!
Three drake goosander in the May sunshine
Another surprise was that, early this morning, two sandwich tern flew East over the Wader Scrape. Sadly, I missed that one and didn’t even catch up with them at Adwick where they appeared to be heading.
Old Moor’s Early Birders had more success. They found two bittern, two Mediterranean gull, four shelduck, three common tern, three common sandpiper and two redshank. With them were two buzzard, three sparrowhawk, a barn owl and a peregrine.
A common tern over the Wader Scrape today
At Edderthorpe this morning there were four avocet and a whimbrel with the first lapwing chicks being seen on Houghton Washlands.
At Adwick Washland, Nigel Smith recorded: two oystercatcher, four black-headed gull, three sedge warbler, one sparrowhawk, three lesser whitethroat, two common whitethroat, a single male wheatear, two grey partridge, two buzzard, one kestrel, a grey heron and two little egret.
Nigel also reported: five mute swan, forty-seven Canada geese, forty-two greylag geese, one pink-footed goose, sixteen mallard, twenty-five gadwall, ten shoveler, one teal, two garganey, twenty-two tufted duck, twenty-five coot, twenty-one moorhen, fifty-five lapwing, sixteen (or more) redshank, twenty-nine avocet and three ringed plover. Thanks Nigel.
One of three common sandpiper at Old Moor today
After all those surprises, the remainder of Old Moor’s sightings today were slightly more predictable. A male bittern boomed throughout the day and there were regular sightings of female birds flying from Reedbed One towards Bolton Ings.
The nesting Mediterranean gulls on the Mere continued to draw an audience with one bird adding new materials to the nest while the other sat tight.
At least nine lesser black-backed gulls were also present on the Mere along with a great crested grebe, four oystercatcher, those common sandpiper and – overhead – plenty of sand martin and swift.
A smart shelduck from the Wader Scrape this afternoon
On the Scrape were the three sleeping goosander, five common tern, two pochard, two shelduck and plenty of black-headed gull.
Green Lane produced reed warbler, sedge warbler, blackcap, willow warbler, chiffchaff and bullfinch along with sighting of brimstone and orange-tip butterflies and the first common blue damselflies.
The bird ‘species count’ at Old Moor today was a healthy sixty-seven and there’s even more sunshine to come in the next few days. - Yes, I know, there’s another surprise!
Until next time.