September Sightings

September 2011

Autumn  finally arrived and there were more leaves flying than birds during our windy days. The grasslands were mowed so there were closer views of the pools and lakes in the area.

Mowing prevents thistles, docks, bramble, willows and scrub taking over and swamping the more delicate grass which supplies the food for birds, insects and mammals. It is hoped to extend grazing over the site in the future.

The water levels were still low and a few waders stayed looking for food in our muddy stretches. The black-headed gulls were starting to lose their dark head breeding plumage. Water-bird numbers were building up. The occasional house martin, sand martin, swallow and swift were flying around looking for a companion for the long journey ahead. Safety in numbers perhaps?

The heronry feeders were busy with: blue tit, chaffinch, coal tit, goldfinch, great tit, greenfinch, lesser spotted woodpecker and great spotted woodpecker. Flocks of goldfinch circled around the play meadow eyeing up the teasel and dock and then descending to eat the seeds.

As well as the seeds available – feeders or natural, the birds had an extra bonus. Berry-time had started. The hedgerows were laden with berries. There were (and still present): bramble, elder, hawthorn fruits and rose hips aplenty.

We of course had that last week of sunshine that brought out a family of buzzards over the carpark, and many a flutter of butterflies and a dash of dragonflies.

BIRDS: Birds of prey hovered above the site: buzzard, hobby, hen harrier (female), kestrel, merlin, peregrine, sparrowhawk.

Waders seen in the muddy reedbed areas  - north of Fisher's Mill lake were: black-tailed godwit, common sandpiper, dunlin, greenshank, green sandpiper, heron, lapwing, little egret, little ringed plover, little stint, pectoral sandpiper, redshank, ringed plover, ruff, snipe.

Autumn-winter visitors were coming in, as well as increasing numbers of our resident birds.

Our gallant winter Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) surveyors (included Dosthill) counted: black-headed gull (39), canada goose (38), coot (421), cormorant (38), gadwall (171), great crested grebe (20), greylag goose (18), lapwing (133), mallard (138), moorhen (18), mute swan (56), teal (24), tufted duck (95), wigeon (110) and a few shoveler.     

Other water-birds seen were: common tern, great crested grebe (a resident, with 2 juveniles), herring gull, kingfisher (resident),little  grebe (resident), water rail (resident).

The woodland and hedgerow birds seen were: blackcap, bullfinch, chiffchaff (still calling), goldfinch, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, jay, lesser whitethroat, linnet, long-tailed tit (moving in flocks with their quiet whistle calls), nuthatch, robin (singing their autumn song), whitethroat, wren.

Other birds seen: barn owl, grey wagtail, meadow pipit, pheasant, pied wagtail, reed bunting, sedge warbler, spotted flycatcher, stonechat, tawny owl, wheatear, whinchat, yellow wagtail, yellowhammer.

BUTTERFLIES: Braving the occasional winds, following a warm spell were:  brimstone, clouded yellow, comma, common blue, green-veined white, meadow brown, peacock, red admiral, small copper, small tortoiseshell, small white, speckled wood.

DAMSELFLIES: still a few common blue.

DRAGONFLIES: plunging about during the warm days: brown hawker, common darter, migrant hawker, ruddy darter, southern hawker.

MAMMALS:  muntjac (seen wandering along the tracks in front of the farm), stoat, weasel (single and juveniles playing in the grasslands).

It was a quiet month overall  as the spring-summer migrants finally started to make their journeys south.

With a great thank you to everyone for your nature sightings – keep them coming in.

Nigel Palmer