This morning at about 10.00 a Bittern was seen flying fairly high over the Slurry Lagoon reedbed. Two Common Terns attacked it as it tried to circle, and forced it lower and then two Carrion Crows joined in, forcing the Bittern into the reedbed. During the next twenty minutes the Bittern tried twice more to get airborne, but with the same result both times. There were also four male Cuckoos and a male Emperor was seen. PS.
Tag Archives: Common Tern
Reed Warbler – 16th April
This morning at Netherfield Lagoons there were three Reed Warblers, three Grasshopper Warblers, five Sedge Warblers, three Lesser Whitethroats, a Whitethroat, six Common Terns, four Little Ringed Plovers, two House Martins and a Redshank. PS.
Later on a Hobby was seen over the Slurry Lagoon. MS.
Merlin – 15th April
This morning there were two Grasshopper Warblers reeling on the Slurry Lagoon. Overnight several Whitethroats had come in and female Blackcaps seem more numerous. A female Merlin flew low across the Slurry Lagoon reed bed and across the railway land and four Common Terns were on the Deep Pit. PS.
Red-crested Pochard – 25th June
There were three Red-crested Pochard, two males and a female, on the Slurry Lagoon this morning. Activity around the Common Tern colony is increasing as more chicks hatch with at least six pairs now with young. JMD.
Sedge Warbler – 15th April
This morning a Sedge Warbler was heard singing in the Deep Pit and several Willow Warblers were seen and heard. RW.
In the afternoon six Common Terns were in the Deep Pit and seven Little Ringed Plover were on the Wader Scrape. Four Oystercatchers flew over, calling and displaying and Swallows were seen going into the nest sites under the railway bridge. A pair of Blackcaps and five Willow Warblers were seen along the Lower Path and Toads were seen crossing it on their way to the Slurry Lagoon. PS, RW.
Kittiwake – 13th April
More evidence that migration is underway – an adult Kittiwake rested for about half an hour on the Deep Pit mid morning and earlier the first Common Tern of the year was on one of the Tern Platforms and a Common Sandpiper was feeding along the river bank. Warbler numbers are increasing with a number of Chiffchaffs singing around the Reserve and at least two Willow Warblers and a couple of Blackcaps were also seen. RW. JMD.
Dunlin – 20th July
A single Dunlin was on our Wader Scrape this evening. Eighteen Common Terns flew in to roost on the Tern Platforms including the only two juveniles to fledge from the Platforms this year. On the Slurry Lagoon at least one Coot chick has hatched from the nest at the back edge of the Lagoon. JMD.
Warbler Walk – 9th May
After a bright sunny morning the weather clouded over and the first raindrops were felt just as three intrepid birders arrived to start the walk. By the footbridge there were Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and a Lesser Whitethroat, so at least the warblers were not put off by the weather.
The rain came and went in short, light showers, so the weather was not too uncomfortable, as we made our way around the south western side of the Slurry Lagoon. There were lots of birds singing, making it sometimes difficult to point out a particular species, with Dunnocks, Wrens, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Robins joining the singing throng. A Willow Warbler perched up nicely so that everyone could see it as it sang its sweet cadence of descending notes. More Blackcaps were singing but they were much harder to see, and another Lesser Whitethroat was rattling out its song from deep in the hawthorns. Whitethroats were heard but they were giving their ‘churring’ contact notes and the only singing bird was rather distant, so we moved on towards the Causeway, where I hoped to find Reed and Sedge Warbler.
When we arrived by the reed bed there was such a hubbub of song that again individuals were hard to pick out. Then a Sedge Warbler started to perform and its staccato notes gave us no doubt of the performer’s identity. The Reed Warblers sang much more rhythmically with a more even range of notes. None of the birds were showing as they remained deep in the dried stems of last years reeds. A Whitethroat sang briefly from the Deep Pit but gave very poor views, and the Cetti’s Warbler song exploded from the bushes at the foot of the bank several times as it made its patrol.
All of this was soon forgotten as rain brought Swifts and House Martins low and their close passes above our heads completely stole the show. They seemed to go through in waves as first there were Swifts rocketing over the Causeway at head height, and then the House Martins could be heard giving their conversational ‘prrit’ calls as thirty or so were feeding higher up. Next some Swallows came though and then it was House Martins again. During this time the Swifts kept coming though, sometimes passing between peoples’ heads and Common Terns flew between the Deep Pit and Slurry Lagoon several times, calling excitedly as they pursued one that was carrying a fish. The Swifts were so impressive that it took us a long time before we could drag ourselves away.
We walked around the Deep Pit and back along its eastern side towards the river. On the bank by the river there were two Sedge Warblers singing loudly and a good view was grabbed of a male Whitethroat. On the fence we noticed some Swallows having a rest, so we paused until they decided to continue their journey, which was not very long. We tried to identify the males from the females. Some Sand Martins were feeding in the Deep Pit and we heard their rasping ‘trrrsh’ calls as some flew over towards the river. We carried on back towards the Causeway, hearing Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps singing along the railway embankment. Back on the Causeway we struck lucky as a Garden Warbler bubbled through its repertoire as it sat on an exposed perch and everybody got good views of it. The Swifts were still performing well, so we dawdled along the Causeway, hearing the Cetti’s Warbler again. It now began to rain more seriously and so we made our way off the site. We had missed one of the warblers, so we only scored nine. The Grasshopper Warbler has only been heard once or twice, very briefly, and is possibly not even on site this year.
Warbler Walk – 9th May
After a bright sunny morning the weather clouded over and the first raindrops were felt just as three intrepid birders arrived to start the walk. By the footbridge there were Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and a Lesser Whitethroat, so at least the warblers were not put off by the weather.
The rain came and went in short, light showers, so the weather was not too uncomfortable, as we made our way around the south western side of the Slurry Lagoon. There were lots of birds singing, making it sometimes difficult to point out a particular species, with Dunnocks, Wrens, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Robins joining the singing throng. A Willow Warbler perched up nicely so that everyone could see it as it sang its sweet cadence of descending notes. More Blackcaps were singing but they were much harder to see, and another Lesser Whitethroat was rattling out its song from deep in the hawthorns. Whitethroats were heard but they were giving their ‘churring’ contact notes and the only singing bird was rather distant, so we moved on towards the Causeway, where I hoped to find Reed and Sedge Warbler.
When we arrived by the reed bed there was such a hubbub of song that again individuals were hard to pick out. Then a Sedge Warbler started to perform and its staccato notes gave us no doubt of the performer’s identity. The Reed Warblers sang much more rhythmically with a more even range of notes. None of the birds were showing as they remained deep in the dried stems of last years reeds. A Whitethroat sang briefly from the Deep Pit but gave very poor views, and the Cetti’s Warbler song exploded from the bushes at the foot of the bank several times as it made its patrol.
All of this was soon forgotten as rain brought Swifts and House Martins low and their close passes above our heads completely stole the show. They seemed to go through in waves as first there were Swifts rocketing over the Causeway at head height, and then the House Martins could be heard giving their conversational ‘prrit’ calls as thirty or so were feeding higher up. Next some Swallows came though and then it was House Martins again. During this time the Swifts kept coming though, sometimes passing between peoples’ heads and Common Terns flew between the Deep Pit and Slurry Lagoon several times, calling excitedly as they pursued one that was carrying a fish. The Swifts were so impressive that it took us a long time before we could drag ourselves away.
We walked around the Deep Pit and back along its eastern side towards the river. On the bank by the river there were two Sedge Warblers singing loudly and a good view was grabbed of a male Whitethroat. On the fence we noticed some Swallows having a rest, so we paused until they decided to continue their journey, which was not very long. We tried to identify the males from the females. Some Sand Martins were feeding in the Deep Pit and we heard their rasping ‘trrrsh’ calls as some flew over towards the river. We carried on back towards the Causeway, hearing Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps singing along the railway embankment. Back on the Causeway we struck lucky as a Garden Warbler bubbled through its repertoire as it sat on an exposed perch and everybody got good views of it. The Swifts were still performing well, so we dawdled along the Causeway, hearing the Cetti’s Warbler again. It now began to rain more seriously and so we made our way off the site. We had missed one of the warblers, so we only scored nine. The Grasshopper Warbler has only been heard once or twice, very briefly, and is possibly not even on site this year.
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.