There was a good arrival of migrants over the last two days with warbler numbers shooting up. The reed beds hold several Reed and Sedge Warblers and several Lesser Whitethroats and Garden Warblers have arrived. Swallows, House Martins and Swifts have been passing through in good numbers all day. In the morning a Curlew flew over the site and a Little Egret made an appearance. In the late afternoon a Marsh Harrier flew in and possibly stayed to roost in the Slurry Lagoon reed bed. RW.
All posts by Pete Smith
Marsh Harrier – 4th May
Black Tern – 30th April
This afternoon there were signs that some more migrants had arrived with four Lesser Whitethroats in song. There were still no Garden Warblers or Grasshopper Warblers but in the Deep Pit a Black Tern was hawking for insects. It had a very buoyant flight as it rose above the water, flying into the wind. When it spotted an insect it dived like a falcon, probably catching a St. Marks Fly. There was a Lesser Black-backed Gull on the Slurry Lagoon and two Shelduck, but no sign of any Teal. PS.
Lesser Whitethroat – 27th April
The rain was unrelenting today but there were still more Swallows over the Slurry Lagoon than I had seen so far this spring, plus two House Martins. A Lesser Whitethroat sang and then showed itself in the bushes at the dry end of the Slurry Lagoon, near the steps and a Curlew called as it circled somewhere overhead, but it couldn’t be seen. PS.
Hobby – 26th April
In between showers this afternoon some corvids were soaring in the sky, trying to mob a Buzzard. As I watched a large swift-like bird came into view as a Hobby circled over the site. As I followed the Hobby three Swifts came into view beyond it. They were probably catching St Mark’s Flies which were flying in good numbers at the time.
Dawn to Dusk Patchwatch – 22nd April
The idea of ‘Patchwatch’ is to see how many species of birds can be recorded on the site in a day. Normally a day during migration is picked so that there are likely to be more species about as passage birds go through and there might be some winter birds still about as well as the incoming summer birds. Also different birds use the site at different times of the day hence the ‘Dawn to Dusk’ in the title.
I arrived at the site at 05.15, just as it was getting light. I was just in time to catch the Greater and Lesser Black-backed Gulls as they left the roost on the Slurry Lagoon. There were only a handful of birds, a tiny fraction of what would have been seen in December or January. I walked along the path on the south-east side of the Slurry Lagoon towards the river and the air was full of the sounds of Song Thrushes, Great Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, and Wrens. They were so loud that it was difficult to pick out some of the quieter calls and songs. However I did pick out Blue Tit, Dunnock, Blackcap and Willow Warbler and Pheasant and Carrion Crow interjected their coarser notes. In the growing light I could see a Mute Swan on the Slurry Lagoon and then I could hear Reed Bunting, Canada Goose, Mallard, Sedge Warbler and Chiffchaff. It was now 05.30 and I had seen or heard 20 species.
I saw John Feeney walking along the Causeway, but decided I would carry on towards the river, beside the Deep Pit. I could hear a Moorhen and then the staccato notes of a Cetti’s Warbler and on the water’s surface could be seen Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Coots. Twelve Common Terns were back on two of the breeding platforms but the Cormorants still had possession of one of them. Wood Pigeons were in the trees in the Deep Pit and a Chaffinch was singing. I carried on under the Railway Bridge and found some Stock Doves in their customary perches on the power lines. Pied Wagtails and Starlings were flying across the river, Grey-lag Geese were in the field across the river and a Green Woodpecker called. The Swallows were disappointingly thin on the ground (or in the air) and not many seemed to have made it back yet to their nest sites under the bridge. I turned and walked back along the river bank and saw Jack Dennison, who came to join me just as a Whitethroat began singing on the bank. It was now 06.00 and I had reached a total of 36 species.
We walked along the Riverside Path, hoping for a sighting of the Kingfishers and it wasn’t long before we heard one whistle and saw it perched on the river bank. A Linnet was singing in a riverside ash tree and soon two Oystercatchers were spotted on the opposite bank. A Grey Heron stood, hunched, in the field and a pair of Great-crested Grebes swam on the river. We rounded the corner to walk along the Boundary Hedge and Jackdaws were flying over the Severn/Trent field. Some Lapwings took to the air, plaintively calling as they stooped at marauding Carrion Crows and a Magpie flew along the hedge. We passed through the hedge by the large willow and headed towards the bank of the Deep Pit, passing a cacophony of warbler song as Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps and Whitethroats were singing lustily, along with Blackbird, Robin and Wren. From the top of the bank we looked across the Wader Scrape but found no new species, only Gadwall, Wood Pigeon and Pheasant, so we carried on towards the Causeway. From here we peered onto the Slurry Lagoon and found Shoveler, Teal, Dabchick and Shelduck. It was now 07.15 and I had spotted my 49th species.
On the Causeway I met John Feeney and Tony Lowry. John said he had heard a Tawny Owl earlier on and so I looked in the Deep Pit trees. Soon I found the tip of its tail amongst the branches and leaves and then the warm brown of its body. It was difficult to get a ‘scope on it but soon the owl could be seen. Neil Matthews joined us and said the had seen a Siskin as he came along the Ouse Dyke. As we watched the owl, Alan Edge and Sue Cowlishaw joined us and a male Bullfinch appeared in the willow trees before us. Neil spotted a Common Sandpiper in the Deep Pit, where there were also some Pochard, and some feral Rock Doves flew over towards the dry end of the Slurry Lagoon. Alan, Sue and I decided to follow the Rock Doves in the hopes of finding some Collared Doves. As we walked back along the path some Long-tailed Tits flew through the bushes and a Greenfinch sang from an ash tree. I went to my car to get some food and a Herring Gull flew over the Slurry Lagoon. Alan and Sue went along the Bottom Path and I caught them up but we added no new species, so we returned to the dry end of the Slurry Lagoon again to search for Wheatear. No luck, but we did get Goldfinch and Collared Dove. As we sat resting on the bench at the top of the steps a Skylark sang over the fields and a Sand Martin dashed through. This brought my total at 09.20 to 60.
Back towards the Causeway and Neil phoned to say he had seen Little Ringed Plover on the Wader Scrape. On the way we picked up Black-headed Gull and Keith Cox. After an age of searching a Little Ringed Plover flew from a patch of gravel across the scrapes but no other waders graced the site. A Buzzard was seen evading crows high above us as we headed back towards the Causeway, where a Ruddy Duck had been spotted, then Keith saw some House Martins flying in. The total was nudging up painfully slowly now and people began to leave so I went with them as far as my car, to get some more food, and we saw Rook, Common Gull and Sparrowhawk. I was on my own now and wondered why I didn’t go as well. A Yellow Wagtail called as it flew overhead, but I made my way towards my car again. I had just opened the gates when Sue called out to ask me if I was trying to sneak off now she had come back. We went for one last forlorn traipse around the site and managed to add Kestrel to the tally. With the Great Spotted Woodpecker that John Feeney had seen and had told me about earlier, that brought the final score to 72 species since dawn. It was now 17.15, and I wasn’t hanging about for dusk.
Patchwatch – 22nd April
The Patchwatch ended on a total of seventy-two species seen during the day. Highlights were a pair of Little Ringed Plovers on the Wader Scrapes and a Common Sandpiper in the Deep Pit. Several common migrants were seen on passage and Sedge and Reed Warbler numbers had been boosted in the night. Otherwise it was an unexceptional day with not a lot of migration in progress. PS.
Netherfield Lagoons – Manager’s Report – March
As the brush cutting of the banks is now complete I have been digging out another dragonfly and amphibian pool, beside the Haven. Unfortunately some youths took exception to this and on 15th they had a go at a volunteer, who was working on his own by the Small Gravel Pit. They said the path cut their access to their favourite fishing and camping spot. The next week they set fire to the Haven, destroying a reed bed and a swan’s nest. Mark Glover has contacted a security firm to get an idea of how much it would cost for them to patrol the site. Some frogs have already spawned in the ponds that have been created.
The ‘Wader Scrape’ still has very little water in it and, on three consecutive mornings, there have been people excercising their dogs on it. They want to cross the Ouse Dyke bridge at this point rather than about a quarter of a mile further up as it is a more direct route around the reserve to the river bank.
I have been on a chainsaw course and now am qualified to prepare and maintain a chainsaw (CS30) and to fell and process small trees (CS31). The main purpose of obtaining these qualifications is to be able to remove the larger trees that are beginning to encircle the Deep Pit plus any other trees that become a problem on site. There are no large trees that we are likely to want to remove so I will not need to further pursue my chainsaw tutelage. Some trees could be dropped straight into the Deep Pit and allowed to rot there. This could create wet wood habitat which is uncommon nowadays as people tidy up dead trees that may pose the risk of blocking water courses. This habitat is valuable to several uncommon invertebrates.
I have done a survey to see how much balsam is coming up this year. So far the signs are good and very few seedlings have been found. When the plants have grown a little bit more and are easier to see I shall continue the eradication programme. The Ouse Dyke remains the source for recolonisation of the site and will also be tackled.
March has been a good month for raptors on the site, with two Rough-legged Buzzards seen on 11th, three Peregrines on15th and two Red Kites on 25th. Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps Sand Martins and Wheatears are summer migrants that have already been seen on site, the Chiffchaffs having already set up in territories.
Netherfield Lagoons – Manager’s Report – February 2012
Most of my time has been spent on the Deep Pit banks again and they are now finished. I have also spent some time digging the dragonfly pools and a volunteer has been busy on these on many days this month. He has also opened up some areas that were formerly used for spawning by frogs. Whilst clearing the brush from the Deep Pit banks I came across good numbers of basal rosettes of Bee Orchids. It will be interesting to see if these flower this year.
We have been given an old bird table which we installed near the containers last month. I have kept it supplied with bird food and, although at first very little came, now there are good numbers of Reed Buntings and Chaffinches coming for food.
On 14th I received a phone call to say the swan on the Small Gravel Pit had fishing line dangling from its bill. I contacted Notts Wildlife Trust to see if they had anyone who they used to help them when these incidents occurred and they sent over the manager from Attenborough Nature Reserve. He brought a swan jacket and we soon caught the swan (it came for bread). Once restrained he soon had the fishing line out and it sat on the ground, unrestrained, between us, eating more bread. It didn’t bother getting up until all the bread was gone. Since then it has been seen several times and has flown between the Small Gravel Pit, river and Deep Pit, so it seems none the worse for its ordeal.
The week beginning 6th February was very cold and most of the pits froze over. A lot of the wildfowl moved away, although some stayed on the river. Since then it has all thawed again and the wildfowl are back, the Teal, Shoveler, Tufted Duck and Goldeneye in particularly good numbers. Otherwise it has been a quiet month for birds at the reserve but there have been some early signs of spring with a frog being seen on 24th February and a Red Admiral on the 1st March, plus Coltsfoot and Lesser Celandine coming into flower.
Wheatear – 14th April
Although beautifully sunny there was still a cold north wind blowing so not much migration was noted. A Swallow investigated the nest sites under the railway bridge, so it might be the first one of our birds back. Several Sand Martins flew through and there was a northward passage of Skylarks. Six Common Terns were on the Deep Pit and two Sedge Warblers were singing. On the dry end of the Slurry Lagoon were a very smart pair of Wheatears. PS.
Yellow Wagtail – 13th April
This morning was cool and over cast and not very promising for migrant spotting. Towards mid-morning the clouds started to break up and the sun nearly shone. Over the Deep Pit eight Common Terns squabbled and chased before two pairs settled on the breeding platforms. A Sedge Warbler was singing in the Deep Pit, along the Causeway. Most other migrants flew through, including four Swallows, two Sand Martins, a House Martin, three Yellow Wagtails and a Lesser Redpoll. PS.
This egg was found on the Causeway, it had been predated by a Magpie. It is about 25cm long. Can anybody identify it ?
