Blogs

A good count of fourteen bird species on the reserve this afternoon (Sat 21st) as follows, 1 Woodpigeon (singing), 7 Wrens (6 singing), 1 Robin (singing), 3 Blackbirds (males), 1 Mistle Thrush, 3 Blackcaps (males), 1 Chiffchaff (singing), 1 Goldcrest (singing), 1 Coal Tit (singing), 2 Blue Tits, 2 Great Tits (singing), 1 Treecreeper, 1 Chaffinch (singing) & 1 Goldfinch. Butterflies seen were 3 Orange Tip & 1 Peacock.

Apologies for the lack of reporting recently but a week on Cape Verde was a better option than a week at Carr Vale. Since I got back on Tuesday though it has been quite productive. Undoubtedly the birds of the week and quite possibly contenders for birds of the year were a party of three Common Cranes that arrived from the north at 1135 on 19th April and then circled and slowly drifted south then south west until lost from view at 1152. This is the just the second record for the reserve being on 9th April 2010 and about the 22nd record for the county (got to check that). It is also the second largest flock to be recorded in the county and for me it was a new species for Carr Vale as I missed the first ones. Indeed the 19th was a very good day as we also logged our eighth record of Ring Ouzel, the first since 2011. There also seemed to be an arrival of Warblers on that date with two Grasshopper Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, a Reed Warbler and four Lesser Whitethroats, whilst the Cetti's Warbler continued to sing and a Common Tern was seen. Other birds on 19th included four Snipe, 90 Great Black-backed Gulls and three Water Rails. The 18th saw the arrival of our first Common Terns when two appeared mid-morning and also on this date we had a male Shoveler, a pair of Grey Partridge (first record this year), 145 Great Black-backed Gulls, 55 Herring Gulls, our first two Lesser Whitethroats (two) of the year and three Yellow Wagtails. Today (20th) eight Grey Lag Geese, a female Teal, a Whimbrel that left north followed by another Whimbrel that arrived with a Curlew (both of which left north after quarter of an hour), an extra Oystercatcher, two singing Grasshopper Warblers and the singing Cetti's Warbler which showed very well for a change and three Lesser Whitethroats. Whilst I was away the most notable records concerned a Common Sandpiper on the 10th, a Bittern on the 13th and an adult Kittiwake on 14th.

An unexpected addition to our garden bird list on 20th. Two Lesser Black-Backed Gulls landed on the bird table for chicken scraps!!

Todays sightings of a pair of Red-L Partridges, following a single (SB) on 15th. A single LRP was on Farmers presumably yesterdays bird (CP) on the Delta. 2 Wheatear over the river from Nth-Field, 2 Sedge Warblers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats. odd Blackcap Willow Warbler & Chiffchaff. and fresh in this evening a Common Whitethroat