• Wildlife sightings for January 2013

    This is a monthly summary, so if you want more recent nature sightings, please click on the recent sightings tag on the RSPB Middleton Lakes web page.

    The month started with mild ice-free days, blue skies with temperatures over 10C. This brought the foggy mornings. Mild days were a forerunner for the week of snow and ice and then the floods that followed after the thaw. The month ended with mild, some sunshine and showery…

  • Little and large

    The floods have gone and the bridleway is now passable, but still wear your boots – it can be slippery.

    The sun was out and the herons were busy. The bird feeders were constantly in use, with goldfinches and greenfinches, with usual movements of blue and great tits.

    We watched herons flying, sometimes singly and then in twos – was this courtship, we asked.

    Thanks Ken Rogers for these pictures.

     

  • Welcome sign meets rainbow and winter

    We thought you would like to see these images of our car park welcome sign.

    Eugene Butterworth sent us these photos for comparison..

    Summer - a rainbow after a rain storm.

     

    and Winter snow

     

    Thanks for these amazing pictures.

  • Stargazing January update and February to-do

    Our volunteer stargazing enthusiast Bob Evans has sent us these notes of the January event  (before the snow came) .....

    The sky was cloudy during the day and the team were thinking of cancellation – but their positive nature kicked in and they decided to wait. As it was, the clouds cleared and there was a clear sky.

    Our signed-up visitors enjoyed a very successful evening of stargazing linked  to the BBC Stargazing…

  • A visitor felt inspired recently

    Tears welled up as I read this offering from a visitor - they had heard nature's voice ....... 

    It's a little bit muddy, there's some on my boots,
    There's some on my socks and trousers, hey look.

    It's not something I can easily hide
    unless I find a puddle that's deep inside.

    It's a wash that I want, that would be fine.
    But I'm just a walker, with plenty of time.

    Middleton is great, in sunshine…

  • During the snowy week, and after the thaw, these were reported ...

    Note: the bridleway is flooded beyond the silt pool,  so access to the wetlands is via the canal towpath.   

    But still come, park and walk to the silt pool, after stopping at heron corner and the feeding station.

    Above the car park: buzzard, grey heron.

    Around the feeders:  great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker (climbing a tree), greenfinch, nuthatch, redpoll, siskin, water rail.

    Along the bridleway:  brambling in…

  • Before the snow, there were waxwings.

    Waxwings were seen in the hedgerows by the car park. Some lucky visitors were in awe at the sight of these delightful birds from northern Europe.

    What beautiful birds with those blobs of wax-like colours on their wings.

     

    Thanks to Bob Evans for these photos.

      

     

     

     

     

     

  • January bird ringing

    During the recent mild spell, the keen and dedicated bird ringers were up early one recent Saturday, with Stefan Bodnar (our master ringing warden), with their special wall nets along the bird feeder and butterfly track, by the farm.

    Several great spotted woodpeckers, blue tits, great tits and greenfinches (and others) were recorded.

    Thanks to Rupert Hartop for these photos

    Blue tit  in the hand .....

     

     

    Great tit…

  • January's winter wetland bird counts (WeBS)

    Our all-weather, fearless, dedicated volunteer WeBS (Winter Wetland Bird Surveys) watchers braved the driving snow and wind,

    after agreement with the contractors to permit a mid-month count in the wetland area.

    So for your interest ......

    Fishers Mill / New Reedbed – Coot (70), Gadwall (2), Goldeneye (3), Goosander (2), Great Crested Grebe (1),

    Mallard (63), Mute Swan (2), Pochard (45), Teal (6), Tufted Duc…

  • No time to walk to the lakes - why not walk to heron corner

    There's been 10 herons there recently, grumbling and squawking over whose owns what nest area.

    One bird had nest material in its beak.  Several flew over the play meadow.

    A group of rooks flew over to their rookery.

    The feeders were busy with blackbird, blue tit, chaffinch, coal tit, goldfinch, great spotted woodpecker, great tit, greenfinch.  Visitors had seen a nuthatch there.

    A visitor saw a barn owl looking…

  • More wildlife reported recently

    We have been told about:

    Flocks of redpoll (in the birch trees along the river edges) and goldfinch (in the feeder trees).

    Also, bittern (flying across fishers mill lake), goldeneye, goosander, green sandpiper,

    green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, grey wagtail, heron (feeding across the site),

    linnet, little egret, lapwing, jay, long-tailed duck (on FML), long-tailed tit (feeding on the reeds at the silt pool…

  • A touch of spring, perhaps

    A visitor has reported seeing an oystercatcher at the northern lakes. This breeds here and so this arrival is seen, by some,  as a forerunner of spring or at least a warm spell.

    Geoff Williams has noted that the arrival date is getting earlier:

    2013  - 7Jan,  

    2012 - 11Jan,

    2011 - 12Feb,

    2010 - 19Feb,

    2009 - 21 Feb.    (Thanks Geoff for your details). 

    Also, there have been 5 or more grey herons seen in the heronry. We…

  • January 1st sightings

    One of our visitors asked if we have a New Year's Day Bird count. We do, in a way. Geoff Williams is inspired to go out (often includes Dosthill) every first day and count what he sees .... he may swap some notes with others.

    He saw 58 bird species this year, and a couple more were added.

    For your interest, here is the list ....

    Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Cetti's Warbler…

  • Jubilee Wetlands commemorative pin badge is launched!

    Isn’t it smart?  This is the special pin badge that has been commissioned to commemorate the Jubilee Wetlands ‘Lifeline for lapwings’ project at Middleton Lakes. 

     It’s a beautiful silver lapwing to mark one of the special species for which this project will provide vital breeding and feeding habitat. 

    This would not be possible without generous funding from Viridor Credits Environmental Company…

  • Muntjac and tracks

    Following from recent muntjac deer and track sightings, our inspired volunteers have sent us some images.

    Thanks to Finn Holding for his photo, yesterday.

    Thanks to Andy Merrett for this photo

     

    Thanks to Ken Rogers for this photo

     

     

    Thanks to Eugene Butterworth for both these photos.

     

     

    Thanks everyone for your moments of inspirations on seeing these tracks and deer.

  • Sightings at year end and last few days

    The rain came again overnight and the puddles joined up along the canal meadow. The visitors arrived - some were humming "it's a little bit muddy" .

    They reported seeing:

    around the car park and along bridleway but passing through....

    a few waxwings (car park), nuthatch (feeders), siskins (bridleway), calling rooks,

    little egrets and Cetti's warbler (silt pool), green woodpecker calling (bridleway)…

  • Wildlife sightings for December 2012

    This is a monthly summary, so if you want more recent nature sightings, please click on the recent sightings tag on the RSPB Middleton Lakes web page.

    The first month of winter started with cold mornings, blue skies and some cloud, some showers and wet nights. The frosty days continued with icy pools and then there were mild spells with rain and flooding. It was a wet Christmas.

    Birds over the site:

    Ferruginous …

  • Over the holiday - the water levels have fallen and ...

    Our visitors have been busy exploring the route to the wetlands and report that except for some mud and a few puddles, Fishers Mill lake is  reachable. There are some visitor-made grassy paths around the muddy bits - so go for walk and lean on the wooden rails at the wetland entrance and watch the coots milling about.

    These have been seen recently...

    a sparrowhawk flying along the bridleway, a woodcock bursting out from…

  • It's going to be a wellie, wellie christmas

    Ok the bridleway is flooded and so the only access to the wetland viewpoint is via the canal but our car park is open so bring a flask of coffee (or similar) and some sandwiches and have a picnic.

    You may see a grey heron fly over, or perhaps some fieldfare or redwing.

    Occasionally we have had a cormorant or a little egret fly over the car park.

    So fancy a short dry walk - then follow the path towards the farm, and cross…

  • Not so much a White Christmas but a wet one

    What do you know - it's raining again!

    Rain over the past 36 hours has topped up the water table nicely and that means more water in places we don't need more water.

    Please note if you're planning to visit our reserve before Christmas you may be disappointed as the bridle way is once again under water.

    We have had to block the shortcut alongside the canal between the end of the bridleway and Fishers Mill…

  • Around the site – mid-December

    The rain has come back and so watch out for flooding along the bridleway.

    These have been seen recently by our visitors ...

    Water rail mooching in the reedy pool at heron corner.

    Little egret - a pair were crouching by the horse grazing field pool. 

    Sparrowhawk seen along the meadow trail.

    Kingfisher was flying across the lakes.

    Bullfinch was seen in the hedgerows.

    Pair of stonechats on the western wetland track.

  • Early winter wetland bird counts (WeBS)

    Our dedicated volunteer WeBS (Winter Wetland Bird Surveys) team kindly persuaded the contractors to permit a mid-month count in the wetland area.

    So for your interest ......

    Fishers Mill / New Reedbed – Black-headed Gull (2), Coot (106), Goldeneye (4), Grey Heron (1), Little Egret (1), Little Grebe (2), Mallard (27), Moorhen (4), Mute Swan (6), Shoveler (7), Snipe (1), Teal (10), Tufted Duck (43).

    Central Grasslands…

  • Seen around the site – early winter sightings

    Our visitors and volunteer wardens (VWs) have told us about these hedgerow, woodland and wetland birds seen recently ......

    Barn owl, blackbird, buzzard, blue tit, Canada goose, Cetti's warbler, chaffinch, coal tit, coot, cormorant, dunnock,

    fieldfare, gadwall, goldcrest, goldfinch, goldeneye, goosander, great spotted woodpecker,

    great crested grebe, great tit, green sandpiper, greenfinch, grey heron, greylag…

  • Lapwing Project Slowly Takes Shape

    I had the good fortune of being able to walk around the reserve ths week for the first time since the summer. The sun was shining and the ground underfoot was frozen - a perfect chance to photograph the work being carried out for the Viridor Credits Project. Whilst walking past Fishers Mill Pool I looked across towards where the lapwing land will be and noticed the excavators formed a giant logo for a well known fast food…

  • Sounds in the woodlands

    While you are walking along the bridleway from the car park listen out for the sounds of nature.

    Robins are chattering, wrens are muttering, jackdaws are jecking, and rooks are caw-ing.

    A great spotted woodpecker has been heard drumming (digging for grubs in a tree) somewhere in the woodlands.

    Also  .......

    Recently, a flock of little egrets and a few grey herons  were seen moving into roost in the heronry at dusk.