Recent Sightings Friday 15th April – Singing in the rain - thanks to volunteer Phil for his sightings update.
This turned out to be an unseasonably wet and cold day which just became worse as the day wore on. After the sunshine earlier in the week I’d had high hopes of admiring the blossom on the blackthorn bushes particularly down the zigzag path. The blossom was indeed out and well worth seeing on a sunny day, and there were some lovely displays of primroses around the reserve, but this was not a day for stopping and looking at flowers.
However a damp start was brightened by seeing and hearing my first nightingale of the year at the top of the zigzags. I stopped to advise some brave visitors on how to find Adder Alley, this being usually the best spot to see nightingales, and then hurried to West Mead to escape from the light rain. A lesser whitethroat reported from near there earlier in the day failed to show but then it wasn’t a day for lingering to find it
From West Mead a pair of lapwings was to be seen aerobatically dancing in courtship display flight presenting a lovely sight straight in front of the hide. Then a sparrowhawk with the characteristic slate grey and red colours of a male flew straight across in front of the hide, travelling too quickly to see what the prey was in its talons.
I decided to scan for signs of redshank which have been seen recently by the pool and immediately a solitary wader obligingly flew in to the far side. However there was definitely no sign of red legs and this bird gave a great illustration of how difficult identification can be when the light is poor, colouring is not quite as expected and there is no nearby reference bird against which to judge.. I had a lively 15 minute debate with colleague John and two more intrepid visitors about this bird with my views gradually mutating from a green sandpiper through a new species called a “green sandshank” and finally ending up with a greenshank. The key deciding factor in the end was a very slightly upcurved bill and when it came out of the water the legs were quite long.
While lunching at Winpenny Hide birding was hampered by the copious raindrops on the windows and the strong breeze made opening them unthinkable. So with lunch over I quickly took advantage of the rain easing to hurry round to Nettley’s Hide. Stopping in Adder Alley to look out for nightingales was unthinkable too as was a visit to Hanger View although a quick glance established that the peregrine was not on its usual branch of the willow tree.
Arriving at Nettley’s a common sandpiper was to be seen flitting about between the islands in front of the hide and this time there was no doubt about its identity. There was no sign of the pair of little ringed plovers I’d seen on the North Brooks on Monday however one had been reported by a visitor earlier in the day.
Three male and 1 female wigeon were to be seen – a hugely diminished number from the thousands of wintering birds of just a few weeks ago – plus a few teal, shoveler, mallard, shelduck, tufted duck and coot, the latter indicating that water levels on the brooks are still high. Manadarins were also reported by a visitor seen from Little Hanger Hide. There was no sign of the American wigeon that has been seen a number of times in recent weeks. A sighting the previous day may well have accounted for there being many more visitors than I’d expected on such a wet day as several people asked after it.
A glance up at the willow tree revealed that the peregrine was now back there but on a different branch. On its usual perch sat a very brave or foolhardy woodpigeon - maybe it knew that the peregrine had already eaten lunch.
On one of the finger islands in front of the hide I saw a lapwing characteristically walk up and then shuffle onto a nest, most likely a new one as it hadn’t been spotted in the regular surveys of breeding lapwings now under way. All this time the rain was getting heavier and heavier making a deafening sound on the hide roof. It was easy to feel sorry for the poor lapwing having little option but to sit on the nest and keep the eggs warm.
Eventually at about 3.15 the rain eased off, the noise diminished and at this point it suddenly became clear that a song thrush was singing lustily away behind the hide quite unconcerned about the rain and intent on the important business of advertising its territory and attracting a mate.
I took advantage of the lull in the weather and beat a hasty retreat to warm up in the café reflecting on how wildlife just has to get on with the important things in life whatever the weather without the comforts of tea and cake.
Although Phil to did not manage any photos one of our visitors, Mark, did manage to take some great pictures of the nightingales and the lesser whitethroat - thanks & well done Mark!