Recent Sightings - May 2011

BIRDS:

Arctic Tern (14th, 15th), Avocet (5th , 6th, 29th), Black Tern (2nd, 7th), Black-headed Gull (resident), Black-tailed Godwit (regular sightings), Bullfinch (resident), Buzzard (regular sightings), Canada Goose (resident), Cetti’s Warbler (resident), Common Gull (10th), Common Sandpiper (2nd to 7th), Common Tern (regular sightings), Coot (with young), Cormorant (occasional sightings), Cuckoo (heard daily), Curlew (2nd, 7th, 25th), Curlew Sandpiper (12th), Dunlin (seen throughout month), Gadwall (20th, with young), Garganey (2nd, 12th), Goldcrest (7th), Great Crested Grebe (seen nest building), Green Sandpiper (2nd), Greenshank (3rd), Grey Heron (31 nests and 61 young this year), Grey Partridge (3rd, 7th, 16th), Grey Plover (7th), Greylag Goose (7th), Hobby (regular sightings), House Martin (regular sightings), Kestrel (7th),  Kingfisher (several sightings, resident), Knot (9th), Lesser Black-backed Gull (resident), Linnet (7th), Little Egret (3rd), Little Gull (2nd), Little Ringed Plover (regular sightings), Long-tailed Tit (12th, young seen), Mandarin (3rd, 10th), Meadow Pipit (7th), Mistle Thrush (7th), Moorhen (12th, young seen), Mute Swan (nesting), Oystercatcher (regular sightings), Pheasant (7th), Pied Wagtail (resident), Raven (7th),  Redshank (7th), Reed Bunting (resident), Ringed Plover (regular sightings), Ruff (3rd), Sand Martin (regular sightings), Sanderling (regular sightings), Shelduck (pair with young seen), Shoveler (occasional sightings), Skylark (7th), Sparrowhawk (occasional sightings), Spoonbill (19th, seen flying over), Spotted Redshank (4th), Swallow (seen throughout month), Swift (seen throughout month), Teal (7th, 24th), Treecreeper (7th, 19th, resident), Turnstone (2nd), Wheatear (several sightings), Whimbrel (several sightings), Wigeon (2nd, 8th, 10th), Wood Sandpiper (2nd to the 10th), Yellow Wagtail (several sightings), Yellowhammer (7th), Yellow-legged Gull (30th).

89 birds were seen or heard on our Bird Count Day (7th May).

Our resident water birds and waders were pairing off:

Canada Goose, Coot, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe, Lapwing, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Shoveler, Tufted Duck.

The woods were alive with the song of our resident birds together with the spring arrivals:

Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Garden Warbler, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Robin, Song Thrush, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren. 

The waterside hedges were full of singing Chiffchaff, Grasshopper Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler.

BUTTERFLIES:

Comma, Common Blue, Dingy Skipper, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Large White, Orange Tip, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small White, Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood.

DAMSELFLIES & DRAGONFLIES:

Azure Damselfly, Banded Demoiselle, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Broad-bodied Chaser.

DAY-FLYING MOTHS:

Burnet Companion, Chimney Sweeper, Cinnabar.

 WILD FLOWERS and SHRUBS (in flower) :

Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Bluebell (beginning to wilt), Broom, Common Vetch, Creeping Buttercup, Cuckoo-flower, Cut-leaved Crane’s-bill,  Field Speedwell, Gorse, Greater Stitchwort,  Green Alkanet, Ground-ivy, Hawthorn, Herb Robert, Lesser Celandine, Meadow Vetchling, Meadowsweet, Oil-seed Rape, Ox-eye Daisy, Perennial Cornflower, Ragged Robin, Ramsons (almost over), Red Campion, Red Clover, White Clover, White Dead-nettle, Wood Avens, Yellow Iris. 

OTHERS: Grass Snake, Muntjac

WEATHER comment.

This spring was officially the driest for over 100 years.

May’s early dry spell was followed by days with a few showers and lots of sunshine. Later there were windy spells and heavy rains and then the sunshine came back.

and finally ...

A Big Thank You:  to everyone who supplied details of their sightings during their walks or surveys.