31st March 2013
– Sunny intervals, cold easterly
Not a great deal of change today with the Little Egret, Jack Snipe, Chiffchaff (in the back gate copse along with six Siskins) and a pair of Goosander all being present again. A Green Sandpiper was on the flash to the north of Patrick Farm Barns and the Barn Owl showed well from 6.55 pm to 7.20 pm at least.
30th March 2013
– Sunny intervals, easterly wind.
Two Chiffchaffs were in song this morning, one by the back gate copse and one on the central streamline and the Snipe totals again exceeded 50 with a single Jack joining them in the Marsh. The Little Egret was present for much of the day and wildfowl totals were still quite high considering the time of year with, for example, the Wigeon numbers still in excess of 200 which is very unusual for the end of March.
The mornings totals were as follows; nine Cormorants, a Little Egret, five Herons, twoGreat Crested Grebes, four Little Grebes, two Mute Swans (one of the pair now sitting on the Reedbed Pool), four Greylags, a Farmyard Goose, 19 Canadas, one Shelduck, 213Wigeon, 23 Gadwall, 50 Teal, six Mallard, 13 Pochard, 13 Tufted, a pair of Goosander, 29 Coot, four Moorhen, a Ringed Plover, four Oystercatchers, four Redshank, 54Lapwing, 50+ Snipe, 180 Black-headed Gulls, two Common Gulls, six Lesser Black-backs, one Herring Gull, five Meadow Pipits, six Linnets, two Yellowhammers, 47Redwing and six Fieldfare.
In the late afternoon, the Jack Snipe showed well under Oak Hide with a Water Rail in the juncus behind Oak Hide and the Barn Owl showed particularly well from 6pm catching small prey, probably Short-tailed Field Voles.
29th March 2013
– Cold, sunny intervals.
Still not much in the way of summer migrants and still no Sand Martins but some passage was evident in that 28 Skylark flew east between 9am and 10.20 am and at least 21 Meadow Pipits were feeding in the tip field with ones and twos moving through most of the morning.
The Little Egret showed well in the Marsh and there was a Green Sandpiper again on the flash in the field north of Patrick Farm Barns.
A Tree Sparrow again visited the Oak Hide feeder and waders were much the same as the previous few days though there were no Little Ringed Plovers recorded today.
The pair of Goosanders again put in an appearance and the pair of Rats underneath Oak Hide feeder have now got three juveniles.
In the afternoon, one of the Jack Snipe showed well in the Marsh and the Barn Owlreappeared about 5.30 pm favouring the area behind Oak Hide where it caught several Voles.
28th March 2013
– Sunny intervals, lighter but still cold easterly wind.
Some 12 days after the normal arrival date, a Little Ringed Plover was present this morning when it showed initially on Railway Pool and then briefly on Car Park Pool prior to 9.15, before it flew off towards Berkswell. The solitary Ringed Plover was also present on Railway Pool and between the pools there were seven Oystercatchers and five Redshanks, with at least 50Snipe and a Jack Snipe in the Marsh. Approximately 10 Meadow Pipits were scattered across the Reserve with most of them on the flood plain just to the north and three Skylarksalso went over.
The Little Egret showed on and off, in various different places, and a Green Woodpecker fed along the side of the track to Railway Hide with the Chiffchaff singing in the copse there first thing.
In the afternoon, two Jack Snipe showed well in the Marsh together with a Water Rail and a pair of Goosanders roosted again.
27th March 2013
– Cold easterly wind, sunny intervals.
A mixed array of birds today included the Tree Sparrow, at least four each of Oystercatcherand Redshank, a Jack Snipe and 60 Snipe in the Marsh, a Peregrine, 40 Linnets in the crop field and a few Winter Thrushes, mostly along the Old Road.
A pair of Goosanders lingered on Railway Pool and the Little Egret spent most of its time on Car Park Pool.
26th March 2013
– Cold easterly wind, sunny spells, north-easterly wind.
A Tree Sparrow was an unusual reoccurrence today at the Oak Hide feeder, having gone missing for some weeks. The Little Egret continued to put in an appearance, mostly on Car Park Pool, and at least two Rats have now become regular attendees under the Oak Hide feeders.
25th March 2013
– Cold easterly wind, mostly overcast.
Two Jack Snipe showed well in the marsh this morning where a minimum of 35 Snipe were also on show. A Little Egret was present as well.
24th March 2013
– More snow!
A little quieter today with just three Oystercatchers and a Ringed Plover on Railway Pool, at least 40 Snipe and one Jack Snipe in the Marsh and. intermittently, the Little Egret. In the afternoon there was a Chiffchaff calling by the cottages and at 6 p.m., unexpectedly, a Barn Owl showed well at Oak Hide.
23rd March 2013
– Snow all day, cold easterly wind.
Despite the inclement weather there was actually a good selection of birds today with twoDunlin on Railway Pool, together with the Ringed Plover and a Jack Snipe in the Marsh, eight Oystercatchers spread across the Reserve and three Redshank on the flood plain.Snipe reached a total of at least 70 all in the Marsh where there was a Little Egret as well. After a dismal showing of Thrushes on the Reserve this winter and spring, there was some decent overhead passage today with at least 250 Redwing and 100 Fieldfare moving through or pausing along the Old Road and the flood meadows.
There has also been quite an influx of Meadow Pipits on the south coast and so 13 going over was no surprise. Two Grey Wagtails were also on show, one by Oak Hide and the other in the crop field where it joined at least 20 Linnets and three Yellowhammers.
Other counts today included 37 Cormorants, two Great Crested Grebes, two Little Grebes, five Mute Swans, the Black Swan, 14 Greylags, four Canadas, one Shelduck, 111Wigeon, 14 Mallard, 26 Teal, six Gadwall, 14 Pochard, 14 Tufted, 15 Coot, fourMoorhen, 123 Lapwing, 200 Black-headed Gulls, one Common Gull, four Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the deck and, in the late afternoon, 53 went over to the south-east.
22nd March 2013
– Light overnight snow, cold north-easterly wind. Snow in the evening.
Little of note aside from a Polish variant of Mute Swan; this has pink as opposed to black legs.
21st March 2013
– Hazy sun, progressively clouding over with an easterly wind increasing in strength.
Not a great deal of change in terms of variety, but the Little Egret and a pair of Goosanderswere present along with at least five Redshank and three Oystercatchers whilst, in the Marsh, one Jack Snipe showed well.
By the car park feeders there were 25 to 30 mixed Finches and Buntings, including at least five Yellowhammers.
20th March 2013
– Overcast, light easterly wind.
Two pairs of Goosander appeared today on Car Park Pool, with two pairs of Oystercatcherspresent, one on each of the pools. The Little Egret flitted around the Reserve and additional birds of note included seven Stock Doves around the car park and at least three Redshank.
19th March 2013
– Overcast, light easterly wind.
Four Redshanks were flying around calling before disappearing off to the north this morning and there were two Oystercatchers present. Certainly four and probably six Yellowhammerswere in the crop field.
In the afternoon, there was more of interest, with firstly a Greater Black-backed Gull on Railway Pool. This was an interesting bird, slightly reminiscent of a Yellow-legged Gull. It was a first winter moulting into first summer plumage. There was a Little Egret also on Railway Pool, a Chiffchaff on the Old Road, a pair of Goosander on Car Park Pool and a Ringed Plover and Dunlin there was well.
18th March 2013
– Overcast, north-easterly wind.
The Little Egret was present on Railway Pool this morning, along with three Redshanks and two Oystercatchers and there was a Chiffchaff singing by the back gate.
A Jack Snipe joined 28 Snipe in the Marsh and there were four Yellowhammers in the crop field.
17th March 2013
– Mostly sunny, occasional showers, south-easterly wind.
Yesterday’s rain had caused the river to flood extensively on the flood plain and there was aDunlin on the margins, which also appeared briefly as it circled Railway Pool in the afternoon.
The first Redshanks of the year (three) also appeared and yesterday’s Little Egret was also present. There was a Chiffchaff on the Old Road, a Curlew flew over and what was presumably the same bird was later seen perched on Car Park Pool islands. A femaleGoosander put in a brief appearance in the afternoon and up to five Oystercatchers were on site. On the Old Road, Nuthatch and Treecreeper were seen.
16th March 2013
– Wet a.m., showery p.m., south-westerly wind.
Yesterday’s rain continued overnight and into the morning and perhaps as a result of the soggy ground, an impressive and probably record count of 109 Snipe was made, spread between Oak Hide and the Marsh.
Two Meadow Pipits went over early on and there were at least four Oystercatchers present on the pools. As the morning slowly improved, a pair of Goosanders appeared on Car Park Pool from 10 a.m. to 11.20 a.m., before they flew off north. A Chiffchaff called and was seen briefly on the causeway with a probable second on the railway embankment, but the cold wind was clearly not to their liking in terms of song. A particularly large female Peregrine was perched prominently in a single alder on the flood plain and its white front stood out like a beacon, even in the rain.
A Little Egret appeared at about 10 a.m. on Car Park Pool and then flipped over the bank onto Dragonfly Pool.
At least 90 Starlings were feeding on the islands on Railway Pool.
Other counts today were as follows: four Great Crested Grebes, a Heron, 22 Cormorants, three Mute Swans, 22 Canadas, one Greylag, 185 Wigeon, 31 Teal, 17 Gadwall, 16Mallard, two Shoveler, a Shelduck, 16 Pochard, 16 Tufted, 24 Coot, six Moorhen, 46Lapwing, 108 Black-headed Gulls, one Common Gull, four Lesser Black-backs, twoHerrings, a Sparrowhawk and three Buzzards.
Along the Old Road, there were two Grey Wagtails and 35 Fieldfares.
In the afternoon, the Lapwing numbers had increased to 200 and there were at least threeYellowhammers in the crop field.
Seven attended the afternoon Work Party and, as usual, achieved a lot including the removal of a number of emerging Willows and Alders from the west side of the southern bay on Car Park Pool and litter clearance along the Old Road. Many thanks to all those who attended.
15th March 2013
– Periodic heavy rain, south-westerly wind.
The wind began to turn yesterday and was most certainly from the south-west today. The best bird of the day was a drake Mandarin that was found in the late afternoon displaying to aMallard. A Peregrine was present over Siden Hill Wood and a Ringed Plover was on Railway Pool for most of the day. Two Oystercatchers were in display flight again on and off, there was a single Shelduck, 12 Snipe and three Common Gulls.
14th March 2013
– Cold and sunny, slowly clouding over.
It was clearly cold last night with temperatures down well below freezing and, as a result, there was a considerable icing up of all the pools. The wind was beginning to turn to the north-west and by mid-morning the temperature had risen to +5 but the ice was taking some time to melt.
The Bittern was slow to leave its roost, half way up the Reedbed this morning, and this behaviour has often followed the colder temperatures. There were two Jack Snipe showing particularly well in the Marsh and a Curlew was heard to fly over.
13th March 2013
– Sunny intervals, cold north-easterly wind.
The Bittern remains (although probably for not much longer) perched on the left-hand side of the Reedbed and, in the afternoon, a pair of Goosander were present.
Other birds of note included at least five Oystercatchers, 39 Snipe (35 of which were at Oak Hide), a Kingfisher, a pair of Nuthatch and a pair of Yellowhammers on the Old Road, aMuntjac in Lower Siden and two Field Voles along the concrete road.
12th March 2013
– Strong, cold north-easterly wind, sunny.
The wind remained cold but at least it is sunny. The Bittern was perched half way up the reeds at 9 a.m. this morning, again on the east side (the crop field side). There were threeOystercatchers around Car Park Pool in noisy display flight, along with a drake Shelduck and a pair of Shoveler.
22 Cormorants were roosting on the gravel bar on Railway Pool, and a pair of Long-tailed Tits were prospecting around the central stream crossing.
11th March 2013
– Strong, cold north-easterly wind, snow showers, occasional sunny intervals.
Aside from the Bittern in its usual place on the east side of the Reedbed, there were no other records.
10th March 2013
– Cold, north-easterly wind.
The slight alteration in the wind direction and the chill / strong north-easterly wind put an end to most of yesterday’s movement. Other than an increase in Shoveler to three, there was little out of the ordinary.
The Bittern again showed well on the left hand side of the Reedbed and was seen to catch a fish there. A single drake Shelduck was joined by four Oystercatchers on Car Park Pool and there were just four Common Gulls and four Herring Gulls with the Black-heads on Railway Pool. A Fieldfare went over the Car Park Pool. Thrush totals have been disappointing so far this spring, with better flocks seen in the surrounding countryside.
Lastly, a third Great Crested Grebe appeared today.
9th March 2013
– Light, cold easterly wind, drizzly.
It was evident today that there had been some movement overnight and into the early morning with a pair of Pintail until 11 am., and two Dunlin were joined by a third at 12.45.
Yesterday’s Goosanders were again on show on Railway Pool and the Bittern was in its usual place on the east side of the Reedbed.
Around the Reedbed Pool and the causeway screen, a pair of Kingfishers were interacting and calling noisily.
In the crop field, at least 11 Yellowhammers and nine Linnets joined about a dozen Reed Buntings and briefly there were a pair of Bullfinches in the adjoining crop field hedge. 11Siskins were feeding in the Alders by Railway Hide and mid-morning something disturbed all the birds off Car Park Pool, which included at least 40 Snipe which got up and flew around before dropping onto Railway Pool mostly into the Marsh area.
Other counts today included two Great Crested Grebes, two Little Grebes, five Herons, 18Cormorants, five Mute Swans, one Greylag, one Farmyard Goose, 20 Canadas, a drakeShelduck, 180 Wigeon, 21 Gadwall, 11 Mallard, 122 Teal, one drake Shoveler, 26 Tufted, 30 Pochard, 42 Coots, six Moorhen, 397 Lapwing, 300 Black-headed Gulls, nineCommon Gulls, three Herring Gulls, 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and five Skylarks, of which four flew west and one was singing on the east side of the A452.
8th March 2013
– Misty, light easterly wind.
Five Oystercatchers with in noisy, vocal display flights around the Reserve this morning with, it would appear, the usual pairs on each pool and an unpaired male. The Ringed Plover was on the car park islands with a pair of roosting Goosander. A minimum of 28 Snipe were counted with all but three on the grass around Car Park Hide. There were at least twoYellowhammers by the car park feeder along with ten Reed Buntings.
7th March 2013
– Wet most of the day, easterly wind.
At least 59 Snipe were counted today with 28 in the wet grassland around Car Park Hide and 31 in the Marsh along with the Jack Snipe. A pair of Great Crested Grebes and a pair ofLittle Grebes (both of which have been around for a few days) showed well on Car Park Pool and two Oystercatchers spent the day roaming between the two pools.
6th March 2013
– Drizzly, overcast, light easterly wind.
No records.
5th March 2013
– Warm and sunny after overnight frost.
Despite the lovely warm weather, there was nothing particularly unusual by mid-day with the better birds including a pair of Oystercatchers, one Ringed Plover, 16 Common Gulls , aHerring Gull and a Kingfisher by the north causeway screen.
From lunchtime onwards a Jack Snipe showed in the Marsh and the Bittern showed again on the left hand side of the Reedbed roosting from 5.15 p.m.
4th March 2013
– Hazy sunshine, light easterly wind.
Again there was a light overnight frost but a reasonable selection of birds today including theBittern again on the left hand side of the Reedbed, a Ringed Plover, two Oystercatchers, 22 Common Gulls, a Jack Snipe in the Marsh and two Yellowhammers in the crop field
3rd March 2013
– Sunny early on, progressively clouding over, light north-easterly wind.
The Bittern was again showing on the left hand side of the Reedbed and other birds of interest included the returning Ringed Plover on Railway Pool, a pair of Ravens that flew over and a good flock of Gulls with over 400 Blackheads and 17 Common Gulls. Three Herring Gullsalso went over.
Pochard numbers increased slightly from yesterday to 32 and there were two Little Grebestoday, along with a single Shelduck.
Ten Yellowhammers in the crop field was a better count than of late.
2nd March 2013
– Sunny all day, light north-easterly wind.
The Bittern showed on and off for much of the day on the left hand side of the Reedbed, low down between the lifebuoy and the beehives. There were two Oystercatchers early on increasing to four later in the day and the Snipe count reached 25 with 19 in the Marsh and six by Dragonfly Pond.
Duck counts remained reasonably good, although Mallard numbers are dropping off as they pair up and move away to breed. There was, however, a significant rise in Lapwing numbers with 520 today the best count of the year by some way.
The other counts were: one Dabchick, 24 Cormorants, six Heron, six Mute Swans, theBlack Swan, three Greylags, one Farmyard Goose, 11 Canadas, 225 Wigeon, 26Gadwall, 46 Teal, 23 Mallard, 30 Pochard, 35 Tufted, 25 Coot, five Moorhens, 184 Black-headed Gulls, six Common Gulls, two Lesser Black-backs and two Herring Gulls.
A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming in Siden Hill Wood.
1st March 2013
– Overcast, light north-easterly wind.
The Bittern was showing on the left hand side of the Reedbed this morning, as viewed from the causeway screen. It showed from about 8.30 a.m. and barely moved in all the time it was there. A Water Rail called on the opposite side and a pair of Oystercatchers appeared from the Berkswell area, land on Car Park Pool for a while before departing. There were at least 250Lapwing and over 100 Black-headed Gulls, but just a single Common Gull was amongst them. One Herring Gull went over.
There were at least 30 Cormorants on Railway Pool but both the Marsh and the grass by Car Park Hide was quiet for Snipe, with just three revealing themselves.
A Skylark was in song over the tip field and the car park. There was plenty of song from Song Thrush, Chaffinch and Dunnock.
On the crop field there were a handful of Chaffinches and Reed Buntings together with threeYellowhammers and there were three Linnets feeding on the islands on Railway Pool.
At 10.30 a pair of Goosander appeared on Car Park Pool for part of the morning.
