31st March 2015
– Strong blustery westerly wind, sunshine and showers.
A dead male Tufted Duck in front of Oak Hide, first seen at the weekend, was probably killed by the juvenile Peregrine which this morning was feeding on the carcass before being disturbed and circling the pools (flushing everything as usual) and then disappearing to the north.
A Swallow shot past Oak Hide and vanished to the north at 10 a.m., and a few large Gullswere on the move overhead, mostly Lesser Black-backs but a few Herring Gulls as well. AGreen Woodpecker was calling regularly by the back gate copse and a Chiffchaff sang occasionally on the causeway, but most small birds were keeping their heads down in the wind.
Later in the day, three Sand Martins went north and the first Little Ringed Plover appeared approximately two weeks later than normal.
30th March 2015
– Bright start, progressively clouding over, rain late afternoon and evening, increasingly windy from the north-west.
Aside from another Sand Martin through briefly and at least four Chiffchaffs, there were no new migrants in and apparently poor weather in southern Europe is holding birds back.
29th March 2015
– Very blustery north-westerly winds. Periodic showers
Another two Sand Martins put in a very brief appearance about 3pm, feeding up over the Reedbed Pool or the crop field but they moved on rapidly. At a similar time a pair ofPeregrines cleared out pretty well everything from the pools and then engaged in talon grappling over the Reserve before the male flew off purposefully north and the female south.
There were two male and a female Goosander on Car Park Pool and a few Gulls roosted on the pools in the afternoon included seven Herring Gulls, three Lesser Black-backs and threeCommon Gulls. There were still 46 Wigeon and an overhead passage of mixed thrushes included about 250 birds although, the species mix was not put in the log. There were also at least 41 Starlings on the Railway Pool islands.
15 Snipe continued to linger in the Marsh and there were at least six each of Oystercatcher,Redshank and Little Grebe.
28th March 2015
– Overcast some showers increasingly blustery westerly winds
45 Fieldfare moved east and two Sand Martins put in a brief appearance this morning, but aside from four Chiffchaffs in song there was again precious little by way of spring migration.
Counts today included three Great Crested Grebes, Shelduck three Little Grebes, 20Cormorants, 11 Greylags, seven Canadas, two Shellducks, 76 Wigeon, 21 Gadwall, 12Teal, eight Mallard, 19 Shoveler, 30 Tufteds, 11 Moorhens, 48 Coots, six Oystercatcher, two Ringed Plovers, 29 Lapwings, 20 Snipe and seven Redshank.
Two pairs of Goosander roosted briefly and there were four Linnets in the crop field.
27th March 2015
– Westerly wind, overcast with occasionally sunny intervals.
19 Snipe were mostly located in the Marsh (there were a few by Car Park Hide) and there was also a Jack Snipe there which showed for about 30 minutes from 11am. A Chiffchaff sang on the causeway.
26th March 2015
– Mostly overcast north-westerly wind.
A immature Peregrine again hunted over the Reserve this morning and on the Pools there were two Common Gulls, two Goosanders, two Ringed Plovers, three Great Crested Grebes, four Heron, six Herring Gulls and two Lessor Black-backs.
25th March 2015
– Mostly sunny, after a sharp frost, light north-westerly wind.
Aside from a new Chiffchaff singing by the cottages, there was again precious little sign of spring arrivals. The substantial lingering flock of Wigeon is a sure sign that they are not ready to move and spring is delayed.
A pair of Goosander were on Car Park Pool this morning and two Fieldfare on the tip field and the only other bird of note was a Barn Owl hunting at Cornets End at 5.15 a.m.
24th March 2015
– Frosty start. Sunny intervals, light afternoon showers, north-westerly wind.
A female Stonechat showed well on the river side of Railway Hide this morning and appears to be the only new arrival of the day, although at least ten Buzzards might have included some passage birds as there was a heavy movement through the south-east and East Anglia on Sunday. There were still 196 Wigeon, but otherwise species were similar to previous days.
23rd March 2015
– Cloudy, light north-westerly wind.
The wind turned back again today and by and large restricted the arrival of spring migrants again. Eight Pied Wagtails spread equally between Railway Pool and east of the A452 probably included a few migrants and a Jack Snipe showed well in the Marsh after a noteworthy absence over the last few weeks. A few Chiffchaffs continued to sing including one by the Dragonfly Pond and there were four Bullfinches along the Old Road. At 12.30 a malePintail put in a brief appearance on Car Park Pool and there was also another visit from the immature Peregrine.
22nd March 2015
– Mostly sunny all day, north-easterly changing to south-westerly.
Despite the change in the wind direction there were no new birds in to speak of, with still fourChiffcaffs in song, with the bird on the central streamline moving to the Causeway in the afternoon where it showed well, singing occasionally.
Redshank had increased slightly to six and on the flood plain there were two MistleThrushes, a single Redwing but no sign of the Barnacle Goose. Two male Bullfinchesalong with a female showed well by the south-west pond and as the afternoon progressed the Corvid flock, east of the A452 started disperse and 10 Rooks flew to the west in the direction of Brandon Marsh.
21st March 2015
– Sunny morning light north-easterly, more cloud pm.
The first somewhat belated Sand Martin of the year put in a brief appearance on Car Park Pool at 9.30pm, with three further singles moving north between 10.00pm -11.00pm. There were also more Chiffchaffs in song, with at least four, two on the Old Road, one on the Causeway and one on the concrete road and a small movement of Pied Wagtails included nine on the Tip Field, though a single on Car Park Pool, two on Railway Pool and two by Patrick Farm were probably residents. There were five Fieldfares on the Old Road with a single Redwing and single Meadow Pipit flying over.
Over 200 Wigeon remain and the feral Barnacle Goose spent most of the day on the flood plain.
The counts today, courtesy of Graham Rowling were as follows;
One Great Crested Grebe, four Little Grebes, 21 Cormorants a Heron, six Mutes, oneBlack Swan, 18 Greylags, 13 Canadas, 217 Wigeon, 30 Gadwall, 21 Teal, 16 Mallard, 32Shoveler, 54 Tufted, 17 Moorhen, 33 Coot, eight Oystercatchers, two Ringed Plover, fiveRedshanks, 18 Snipe, 413 Black-headed Gulls, eight Lesser Black-backed Gulls, aHerring Gull and four Skylarks east of the A452.
Reasonable amounts of frogs spawn were also found in the Dragonfly Pool.
20 March 2015
– Sunny, either side of the Eclipse, still a cool north, north-easterly
The only news I have today so far is of the Black-tailed Godwit which showed all day in front of Car Park Hide. It is slowly moulting into summer plummage with hints of orange on the neck, back and scapulars. One of yesterdays Dunlin Also remained.
19th March 2015
– Overcast, cool north, north-easterly wind.
Aside from a female Goosander on Railway Pool, a singing Chiffchaff by the top gate and fourRedwing on the tip field, there appeared to be nothing new in compared to yesterday but just before 9 a.m. a Black-tailed Godwit was found feeding on the grass close to Car Park Hide. This is a welcome addition to the year list.
Four single Meadow Pipits went over between 6 a.m. and 8.30 a.m., following an arrival on the south coast yesterday.
At least 40 Jackdaws, in two flocks, flew low and south very quickly at dawn over Railway Hide and had presumably left their roost and were on their way to feed somewhere.
Other birds today included two Dunlins, a Redleg Partridge by Car Park Hide and a further 18 Meadow Pipits which flew northeast over Railway Pool at 17:40, along with 40 Redwings.
18th March 2015
– Foggy start, clearing to be a sunny day but still with a cold north-easterly wind.
A male Yellowhammer in the crop field and a drake Mandarin, which flew over towards Railway Pool in the morning, were the only two new birds today and still no obvious migrants other than the odd Chiffchaff. Two drake and a female Goosander joined eight Pochard, 50Wigeon, two Shelduck and three Great Crested Grebes on the pools. Two pairs ofOystercatchers were again present on each of the pools and there were 20 Snipe in the Marsh. A Great Spotted Woodpecker again drummed near the south-west pond.
17th March 2015
– Overcast and misty start, slowly clearing, easterly wind.
A Water Rail showed in front of Car Park Hide this morning and there were again twoChiffchaffs along the causeway.
As the day progressed, a different Water Rail showed in the Marsh and there were threeGoosanders on site (a male and two female). The Wigeon flock continues to fall with only 140 today. At 6 p.m. there were none on site but they flew in to roost from the flood plain as the light went, whilst Snipe departed the Reserve to feed in the adjacent field.
16th March 2015
– Overcast with a cool north easterly wind, heavy afternoon and evening rain.
There was a single Dunlin again today with other waders comprising two Ringed Plovers,three Redshank, eight Oystercatchers and plenty of Lapwings still with four pairs now on the crop field. A Little Egret fed around the margins of the pools and there were threeGoosanders, 183 Wigeon, three Shelduck, two Chiffchaffs and two Ravens over the flood plain.
15th March 2015
– Overcast, east, north-easterly wind, occasional drizzle.
Early on there were three Ringed Plovers again but by mid morning, only the regular pair could be found. A Little Egret fed along the riverside of Railway Pool for much of the morning and there was also a Dunlin on Railway Pool along with two pairs of Goosander. Over 30Snipe were counted in the Marsh, four pairs of Oystercatcher were split two pairs to each pool, there were at least four Great Crested Grebes and the Lapwings were put to flight by a Peregrine which went over early on.
East of the A452 there was a Chiffchaff along the concrete road, at least ten Rooks in the field, 26 Fieldfares in the trees there along with a handful of Starlings, at least six Skylarksin the rough field along with a Meadow Pipit.
A Treecreeper showed well half way along the concrete road and all the Wigeon flock were feeding along the flood plain with none left on the pools at all.
14th March 2015
– Mostly overcast, east, north-easterly wind.
Perhaps the most interesting record today was of a third Ringed Plover, in addition to the mating pair, which had rings and a leg flag on it and it turns out that this was ringed in Llanfairfechan either in September 2012 or September 2014. We are still waiting for further information. The male Pochard with the blue nasal saddle was also still present.
Other birds today of particular interest were three Dunlin (one on Railway Pool and two over to the north), a Green Sandpiper east of the A452 along with 12 Fieldfares and ten Rooks, a flock of 18 Redwing which flew north at 5.20 p.m. and a Chiffchaff on the causeway.
Other counts, courtesy of Graham Rowling, were as follows: six Great Crested Grebes, sixLittle Grebes, 17 Cormorants, a Heron, a Little Egret, three Mute Swans, 12 Greylags, 17 Canadas, three Shelduck, 41 Wigeon, 25 Gadwall, 26 Teal, nine Mallard, 24 Shoveler, four Pochard, 49 Tufted, eight Moorhen, 31 Coot, six Oystercatchers, 62 Lapwing, threeRedshank, 360 Black-headed Gulls, three Common Gulls, a Herring Gull and threeLesser Black-backed Gulls. A Linnet was seen in the orchid field, there was a Song Thrushon the causeway, a Goldcrest singing near Oak Hide and Sparrowhawk, Buzzard andKestrel all recorded.
13th March 2015
– Wet, cool north-westerly wind.
Still no sign of a Sand Martin, though others have been seen elsewhere in the Tame Valley. Nevertheless, at least 70 Snipe was a good count spread between Car Park Hide, the Marsh and the wet area behind Oak Hide. Both Ringed Plovers were still present along with fiveRedshank (including a pair in display flight), eight Oystercatchers, five Great Crested Grebes, a pair of Shelduck and at least 16 Shoveler. A Treecreeper sang by Oak Hide and a male Bullfinch was feeding on the buds of the Cherry Plumb by Railway Hide.
As the rain eased, during the morning, a Dunlin dropped in, a Water Rail showed in the Marsh, a Green Sandpiper was found feeding east of the A452, a Little Egret flew in to roost on the pools and a Coal Tit was singing in the pines in Siden Hill Wood.
In the early afternoon, a Red Kite came in from the west, over Siden Hill Wood and flew right over Car Park Hide before carrying on to the east.
12th March 2015
– High cloud, watery sun, south-easterly wind.
The first two Chiffchaffs of the year were in song, one on the causeway and one by the south-west copse. Two male Stonechats put in a brief appearance at Oak Hide before moving on. APeregrine, a pair of Goosander, a Little Egret, six Oystercatchers, three Redshank, twoRinged Plover and 18 Snipe made up the other more noteworthy birds.
11th March 2015
– Sunny a.m., light afternoon rain, southerly wind.
A second Ringed Plover, presumably a female, joined the male today with other more notable birds including a Little Egret, two males and a female Goosander and still 240 Wigeon. Other wildfowl comprised 25 Shoveler, three Shelduck, 53 Teal, 20 Gadwall, 59 Tufted and other waders made up of eight Oystercatchers, 50 Lapwing, at least 16 Snipe and twoRedshank. A Coal Tit sang by the cottages at the back gate.
10th March 2015
– Mostly sunny, light north-westerly wind.
Four pairs of Oystercatchers were present on site today so hopefully two pairs will breed on each pool. The Little Egret again roosted on Railway Pool, the Ringed Plover was also there for part of the time and today’s Snipe count reached no more than 12. A pair of Goldcreststhat have been regular by the back gate, were there again today.
9th March 2015
– Overcast, drizzly, south, south-westerly wind.
Not a dissimilar range of species to yesterday, with the Little Egret again on Railway Pool, three Shelducks, a single Redshank, two Oystercatchers on the pool margins and a maleGoosander, the latter flying north over the Reserve. A Treecreeper showed well near River Hide, there were two Goldcrests on the causeway again, a pair of Bullfinches in the south-west copse, a Green Woodpecker by Railway Hide and Great Spotted Woodpecker on the central streamline, with a pair of Kestrel around the car park. A Water Rail showed in front of the north causeway screen and there were six Fieldfares and a Redwing by the Aeromodellers.
8th March 2015
– Mild but overcast start, rain through the middle of the day, increasingly cold as a cold front passed over.
Two Curlew roosted on Car Park Pool during the morning, probably yesterday’s birds, but were flushed at 11.30 by a female Peregrine and flew off north. There was also a Little Egret, male Goosander, three Shelducks, six Oystercatchers and two Redshank. Later in the day a female Goosander appeared on Railway Pool, the Ringed Plover reappeared and there were also seven Skylarks over to the south-west. A Kestrel hunted the crop field, twoCommon Gulls dropped into Car Park Pool, there were 22 Shoveler spread between both pools and two Linnets went over.
7th March 2015
– Sunny and increasingly mild, south-westerly wind.
One and possibly two Curlews were heard early this morning, but could not be seen. They were heard half an hour apart. There were also two Redshanks, Ringed Plover, a maleGoosander, at least four Oystercatchers, three Shelduck, a pair of Bullfinches by the back gate, a pair of Mistle Thrushes on the flood plain and at least 15 Snipe in the Marsh.
Later in the day, Graham’s counts were as follows: 19 Cormorants, a single Heron, five Little Grebes, one Great Crested Grebe, three Mutes, one Black Swan, six Greylags, sixCanadas, four Shelduck, still an impressive 237 Wigeon but only 30 Gadwall, 20 Teal, 10Mallard and 22 Shoveler.
Pochard numbers were down to eight and Tufted to 35. A female Goosander joined the earlier male and only two Moorhens could be found. There were 23 Coot, 78 Lapwing and, by the afternoon, at least 30 Snipe and a Jack Snipe in the Marsh; the Black-headed Gullcount reached 355 and there were two Commons, ten Lesser Black-backs and four Herring Gulls.
Both Balsall Common Scouts and a successful Work Party achieved a lot this afternoon. The Scouts finished the Tern Raft by the back gate and floated this with the other three rafts that were finished last autumn around into the open water on the west side of Railway Pool.
In the meantime, nine attended the Work Party and the following works were undertaken. The hides in Siden Hill Wood were swept out, the rest of the nest boxes in Siden were cleared, some Willows were cut up and burned along the causeway, the sluices were lowered and the dead Swan removed from the Car Park Pool islands. Many thanks to all those who attended.
6th March 2015
– Sunny but strong south-westerly wind.
A still morning soon changed with a strong and blustery south-westerly wind rising during the morning but it was warm in the lee with temperatures over ten degrees.
Early on the female Peregrine disturbed the birds on Car Park Pool and then perched in Siden Hill Wood. The Ringed Plover put in another brief appearance and there were also threeOystercatchers, two Shelducks, singles of Common Gull and Herring Gull, 55 Tuftedsand 15 Pochard. Two Skylarks flew west at 11 a.m. and three further birds were heard singing from the Reserve and a Treecreeper was in song by the south-west pond.
Chris Laight and Richard Waite have made excellent progress with pollarding the Willows between River Hide and the river, but should be finished today. The top that has broken out of the Oak tree by Car Park Hide should also be cut up. Apologies for any disturbance.
5th March 2015
– Sunny intervals, cold south-westerly wind, light frost.
What was presumably the Dunlin from the 3rd was with a Ringed Plover on Railway Pool, briefly, this morning but both were elusive at times and frequently disappeared. On Car Park Pool three Oystercatchers were feeding on the grass margins and there were a pair ofShelduck and a first-winter Herring Gull on the islands. Nuthatch and Goldcrest were singing from around the back gate area with a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming away above the south-west pond. Pairs of Bullfinches were present by both the back gate and car park gate and 15 Snipe were hiding in the Marsh.
Later in the day, a Redshank appeared on Railway Pool along with two pairs of Goosandersand a Meadow Pipit fed around the margins of the car park.
4th March 2015
– Mostly sunny, but cold and brisk north-westerly wind.
The first Redshank of the year was a new arrival and the Ringed Plover put in another brief but elusive appearance on Railway Pool. There were seven Redwings feeding in the tip field, three Shelduck spread across the pools and, in the early afternoon, a second-winter Great Black-backed Gull joined three Herring Gulls on the far bank of Car Park Pool.
3rd March 2015
– Mostly sunny with occasional showers, blustery north-westerly wind.
A Dunlin joined the occasionally visiting Ringed Plover this morning but neither could be found this afternoon. There were five Oystercatchers, four Shelduck and two Goosanderand still a good flock of Wigeon feeding on the bank opposite Car Park Hide. A Curlew flew through to the north in the afternoon.
2nd March 2015
– Wintery showers, sunny intervals and blustery westerly wind.
A single female Goosander, plus two males, were on Car Park Pool this morning. Both Great Crested and Little Grebes were displaying to each other on Car Park Pool and 362 Black-headed Gulls were counted there. A pair of Sparrowhawks were thermaling over Siden Hill Wood.
1st March 2015
– Fine and sunny morning, heavy showers and noticeably colder in the afternoon. Westerly wind.
A presumed feral Pink-footed Goose was amongst the Greylags this morning, spending part of the time on Car Park Pool and part in the Lower Siden Hill field. A Red Kite went over the causeway went 8.20, heading north-west. Six Goosander were again spread between the pools and other counts today included 252 Wigeon, at least five Oystercatchers, twoShelduck, 20 Snipe in the Marsh, 37 Teal, 14 Shoveler, 27 Gadwall, four Little Grebe and 96 Lapwing.
A Peregrine was terrorising the Lapwings in the afternoon. On one occasion this large female came in from the east behind the horse paddock hedges and over onto the flood plain and then, a little later, was seen over Railway Pool.
A few Thrushes on the move comprised five Redwings, eight Fieldfares (mostly on the tip field), 18 Starlings, with six Skylarks and a Meadow Pipit east of the A452. A few Gullseither on the pools or flying over comprised nine Lesser Black-backs, three Herring Gulls,two Common Gulls and a first-winter Greater Black-backed. The latter bird was initially on Car Park Pool before flying north.
