Wildlife Sightings July 2012

The month started muggy and wet, as heavy rain continued. The visitors still came . The occasional fine days brought out our enthusiastic, 'can't keep away' visitors. They said 'we'll find a way' – some did get to the wetlands. People were saying – 'it's my first time here and it's fantastic – you have all done a great job'. Our volunteers created a dry bypass track from the canal meadow to the Fishers Mill bridge track.      The summer finally came in the last week

Heronry news:

Heronry activity continued. Occasional birds came in – followed by a kerfuffle and shrieks. These would have been juveniles returning after a foraging expedition. There's no place like home for a roving young heron.

 Young were heard chattering away throughout the month – at the heronry north-end, which was the site of this year's new nest building. Herons do not usually have two broods. So these late chatterers were probably replacement broods for first brood failure of inexperienced adults (where the north-enders nest). Perhaps caused by the recent very wet weather.

It looks like there will this year's fledgling herons around for at least to the end of August and probably into September. There were a few standing birds at the heronry north-end. They can come and go as they please now. Out for a snack and back for a mooch.

We saw a flock of 3 herons crossing over the play meadow and across the heronry reeds. Herons, unlike little egrets and cormorants, do not fly in groups – they are solitary creatures. These 3 birds were probably sibling birds from the same nest. They will have a nest bond and play 'follow-the-leader' in the first days of  'away-from-home' feeding. They will become independent and separate very quickly.

We had a report from our volunteer wardens of a heron hovering over the northern lakes acting like a kestrel. This is the silly season for juvenile herons – expect any strange activity as part of their foraging learning curve.

Woodpecker news:

Green woodpeckers were seen flying over the heronry silt pool.

A family group of green woodpeckers were seen along the cow meadow trail.

Adult and juvenile great spotted woodpeckers were regularly at the feeding station.

... And back to the twosome-great spottie-gymnastics – youngster is clasping and feeding from the suet slab feeder – easy.  Father is on the side support branch and stre-e-tching to the other suet slab – it's not close but with the long beak it's reachable. Yes, dad has still got the flexibility of last year. Well done team GSW.

A lesser spotted woodpecker was seen in the woods and by the end of the month it was seen occasionally exploring the feeder station.

Spring-Summer birds

Warblers – blackcap, chiffchaff, garden warbler, grasshopper warbler (heard in the Dosthill area and around our grasslands), reed warbler, sedge warbler, whitethroat, willow warbler were seen or heard at the beginning and throughout the month.

Lots of activity at the feeding station. Where else can you see blue and great tits and goldfinches queuing up for next-in-turn at the food station.

One early morning, at the feeders, a juvenile blackbird was looking bemused as it perched on a branch support. It had found the food store but what next? Well it was safer amongst the feeders – there was so much to-ing-and-fro-ing, nobody would see it, would they? And where was mum....

Swallows and swifts flying over the river and the lakes.

Common tern were seen along the river by riverside view and a towards the cow meadow. Later over Fishers Mill Lake and over the north lake.

Young seen - blue and great tit, chaffinch, coot, gadwall, great crested grebe, finches, mallard, mute swan, tufted duck (first young seen on the river on 19th), warblers.

A hobby was seen along the canal and along the river.

A kestrel was seen to hover, move down, hover again, move down and hover again before landing for its breakfast.

A buzzard was hovering beyond the heronry, obviously spotting some food because it dived gannet-like down towards the distant farmer's fields.

Grasshopper warbler heard over Dosthill from the wetland river track

A moorhen was seen clinging to the top of some reeds, looking down over a nest perhaps or did it want a better view of the site.

A single great crested grebe was practising its courtship moves – never too late. Head up, stretch neck, jump up, dive under water, rise up – then swim nonchalantly towards the reeds. But who was watching.

A coot was on a nest in the middle of a grassland pool. Young were seen later.

Sedge warblers were still singing even in mild drizzle along the pool edges.

Blackcaps, whitethroats, willow warblers, a garden warbler – and even a grasshopper warbler (or two) were heard, probably one from Dosthill - were active (moving around or singing) in the grasslands.

The short-eared owl was still being seen occasionally in the grassland area – sometimes seen catching food.

Another mystery solved. Over the winter there were several sightings of bullfinch by the tracks and car-park hedgerows. Then no more (or few) sightings during spring. Recently one of our volunteer wardens had taken some photos of the heronry and when he enlarged them on his computer, what did he see.... Yes – you guessed.  Hidden from our eyes but visible via the digital eye, on the edge of the lower heronry canopy, was a male bullfinch.  Deep in woods, away from the rooks, crows and herons they were safe and active. Secret nature at its best.

Wetland trail had barn owl, black-headed gull, black-tailed godwit, buzzard, Canada goose, Cetti’s warbler (occasionally heard), common sandpiper (seen and heard), common tern, cormorant - back in their favourite old perching tree (6 were seen,  and also at the north-end), cuckoo (birds seen  in the 4th week), great crested grebe, green sandpiper, greenshank, grey heron (singles watching for food), hobby, house martin, jay, kestrel, kingfisher (along the river), lapwing (50), little egret, linnet, mute swan (80), oystercatcher, pochard, raven, reed bunting, ringed plover, short-eared owl (occasional sightings), skylark, snipe, sparrowhawk, stock dove, swift, wheatear, yellow wagtail.

Meadow trail had blackcap, chiffchaff, cuckoo, green woodpecker, jay, sparrowhawk.

Woodland trail had blackbird, blackcap, bullfinch, buzzard, Cetti’s warbler (occasionally heard), chaffinch, chiffchaff, goldfinch, greenfinch, greylag goose (several flying in v-formation over the car-park), jay (in the woods), kingfisher (along the brook), lesser spotted woodpecker (in the woods and later near the feeders), long-tailed tit and other tits , nuthatch, robin, song thrush, sparrowhawk, swallow.

BUTTERFLIES:   Comma, common blue, dingy skipper, large skipper, meadow brown, orange tip, peacock, red admiral, ringlet, small copper, small skipper, small tortoiseshell.  A peacock caterpillar was seen (" it was black, spiky and glistening") feeding on nettles.

DAY-FLYING MOTHS (and other inverts): Various burnet varieties, cinnabar (caterpillars on ragwort), eyed hawk moth (laying eggs), large yellow underwing, lattice heath, shaded broad-bar, silver-y, six-spot burnet, yellow shell,  long-horned beetle.

DRAGONFLIES: Azure damselfly, Banded demoiselle, blue-tailed damselfly, common blue damselfly, large red damselfly, black-tailed skimmer, brown hawker, common darter, emperor dragonfly, four-spotted chaser,  southern hawker.

WILD FLOWERS, shrubs  (in flower):   Bee orchid, broom, field forget-me-not, foxglove, knapweed, lupin, meadowsweet, ragged robin (by the bridleway silt pool), red campion, rosebay willowherb, selfheal, toadflax, yarrow.

MAMMALS:  Foxes, hares, rabbits and stoats were active. A muntjac was moving along the bridleway in the mornings.

Grass snakes were seen.

June and July were very wet – lots of sad news around the UK about low bird breeding successes and reductions in butterflies and dragonflies. For some, the worst in many years.  However, we are optimistic – nature will bounce back.

It has been so wet that we have heard that waders have left their breeding grounds early, after giving up breeding attempts. We will wait to see if this is reflected at Middleton.

There were rumours of early redwing in Bloxwich / north Walsall.

With a great thank you to everyone for your nature sightings – keep them coming in. You can use the car-park sightings board, phone or email. Contact details are on the maps – a copy of which can be downloaded from the RSPB Middleton Lakes internet page and also available in the car-park.

Compiled by Nigel Palmer