Recent Sightings Monday 14th and Friday 18th March– Spring in the air, or is it? Thanks to volunteer Phil for his update
I was up very early on Monday morning for the monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS). I had the good fortune to accompany one of our wardens out on the “wilds” of the South Brooks in glorious sunshine with the overnight chill being rapidly banished by the sun.
It soon became clear that there was still a lot more water than meets the eye from the normal viewing points. It proved impossible to reach the river bank which had been one of our intended vantage points for counting without a very long walk round via the public footpath, for which we didn’t have time. I learned that large pools have been hampering the installation of the temporary electric fence around an area of the South Brooks to protect one of the prime areas for breeding lapwings against fox predation. This fence was used for the first time last year but although breeding success was up a little it is too early to be sure how much this is down to the fence. Since Monday the sluices have been opened to allow some of the water to drain into the river and the fence installation has started.
One highlight from the count was the large number of wigeon still on the reserve – over 1000 were estimated, actually up from February which is a little surprising for these winter visitors. Also we counted 32 snipe disturbed from the rushes near our route. How many more might there be across the whole reserve? The other highlight of the walk was seeing a peregrine on a kill just behind West Mead pool where 2 have been seen hunting recently.
Returning on Friday for Hides and Trails duty the weather was back to winter with a vengeance with leaden skies and a light but very chilly north easterly breeze. Despite the cold dunnocks were singing merrily all the over the reserve, with song thrushes and bullfinches also prominent. A lively flock of linnets was dancing over Upperton’s Field. Chiffchaffs were calling in a number of places.
A solitary snipe was to be seen from West Mead hide with all the others seen on Monday staying out of sight in their usual fashion. A single black tailed godwit now showing the reddish breast of breeding plumage was present on the edge of the pool. While the numbers were not so spectacular as the wigeon there were still plenty of our other wintering ducks – teal, shoveler and pintail, and several shelduck. In the field behind the hide a few fieldfares were spotted but the numbers seemed well down.
At Winpenny Hide 2 ruff and 2 dunlin were to be seen out on the edge of the main pool on the South Brooks with a large group of lapwing. This area of mud and rushes is very popular with waders just now with 14 ruff recorded earlier in the week, but curiously none from there on the WeBS count. The ruffs were showing particularly bright orange legs, making them easier to find despite the dull light.
In the hide I learned from a couple of visitors that they had seen a barn owl twice near there in the previous week. This adds to my own sighting from there 3 weeks ago, and another sighting at South Stoke a few miles away on the WeBS count. This could be a sign that the owls, which cannot hunt in wet weather, are recovering from the very bad winter of 2013-14. I learned also that the wintering short eared owls are still being seen, usually later in the afternoon.
Arriving at Nettley’s Hide I checked out the wet patch of ground just by the barbed wire fence that runs west from the hide along the bottom of the Hanger. This has been very attractive to a number of birds, and in recent visits I’ve seen, snipe, teal and moorhen in exactly the same spot at different times. Happily for me on this occasion it was the turn of the secretive water rail.
Out on the North Brooks a pair of herring gulls was to be found with the more usual black headed and common gulls and a redshank was to be seen flitting between the islands. Curiously no peregrines were to be seen anywhere on the reserve although several visitors reported a red kite flying over around lunchtime.
Returning to the Visitor Centre via Green Lane I looked for redwings on the field to the left. In recent weeks this has been grazed by the Highland cattle and has proved particularly attractive to winter thrushes as the cows churn up the soft ground bringing invertebrates to the surface for birds to eat.
A large flock of redwings has been particularly vocal here with the birds constantly chattering to each other and sounding rather like genteel starlings. However on this occasion all was quiet and only a handful of birds was to be seen. Spring is after all supposedly here and most of the birds may have flown north for the season. I shall miss them when they are gone, but not for too long as we will soon start to have the spring influx of warblers, nightingales and other migrants.