April round up

15 new birds in April, with some decent migrants too!

My first visit was on the 6th and the Wigeon numbers had dropped to 23, but there were 22 Teal present and the increasingly regular Gadwall pair also. Singing Skylarks and Chiffchaffs (4) were a refreshing sound.



My visit on the 7th was much the same but with the Shelduck pair back and 2 Little-ringed Plovers and a displaying pair of Lapwings. A Snipe was a nice surprise after a month long absence from the Puddle. A flock of 90 Meadow Pipits matched the national trend with a big movement across the whole country.

Only 40 odd Meadow Pipits flew over on the 8th, some landing in the rough grass, and among them a heard only Tree Pipit (76). 4 Little-ringed Plover, 2 Lapwing and 2 Curlew (77) were at the Puddle at dusk and 2 Swallows were drinking (78)

(Curlew Photo)

A trip to Somerset meant my next visit to patch was not until the 13th, when I scored another 2 ticks for the year, a single singing Willow Warbler (79) and a lovely Yellow Wagtail (80). Wildfowl included 2 Shelducks, 4 Gadwall, 5 Mallard and 3 Shoveler. Looks the Wigeon are gone for the year.
The Curlew pair again came into roost as did a single Little-ringed Plover. Up to 10 Swallows now flying round,

(Yellow Wag Photo)

On the 15th I took a walk down the public footpath from Clifton towards Clifton Lakes, passing through some hillside sheep fields, and it paid off with a Wheatear (81) 300 yards down the path. A small pool to the right of the path had 5 Sand Martins (82) and a similar number of Swallows flying over it. Clifton Lakes itself produced a singing Reed Warbler (83), another Wheatear and 3 Snipe. Yellowhammer and Reed Buntings were numerous and singing constantly. I finally found 3 Linnets (84), which disappeared around October last year, I didn't even realise it was a tick until I was entering my records on BirdTrack.

The 16th was easily the best day on patch so far, with 4 new birds for the year. 61 species in total, and the star bird of the year so far!

A 6am start was called for as I was determined to find something decent with influx of migrants such as Hoopoes and Ring Ouzels into Britain as inspiration. It was grey and damp but I was still hopeful. After checking the Puddle and finding a Little-ringed Plover and the years first Green Sandpiper (85) I headed off to the horse fields thinking I'd peaked already. As I climbed over a gate, a black bird hoped up onto a felled tree/horse jump 20 yards in front of me. Turning to face me, it had a bright white chest band!! It then flew out of sight and I spent 5 minutes scanning every hedgerow I could see before picking it up at the top of a rather tall tree. After snapping a few photos I put the news out, and let my self smile and enjoyed watching the bird clack from his high perch. Ring Ouzel (86)!!

I nipped back to the puddle before heading to work where I saw the first Whitethroat (87) of the year, and a trip back to Clifton Lakes that evening produced a Little Owl (second patch record) and 2 singing Sedge Warblers (88) as well as another 2 snipe, a Reed Warbler and another Whitethroat.

A quick after work visit on the 17th failed to refind the Ring Ouzel which probably moved off the previous day, but a Common Sandpiper was on the Puddle (89) along with a Little-ringed Plover, 2 Shelduck and 6 Swallows. Up to 8 singing Chiffchaffs and at least 2 singing Willow Warblers as well.

The Shelduck pair were present again on the 20th, chasing off a single mallard. A Green Sandpiper and 2 Little-ringed Plovers were mobile, feeding round the rather high edges of the Puddle. 3 House Martins (90) flew over head amongst 15+ Swallows. A Heron was the first for a month and two Mistle Thrushes feeding taking food to a nest was good to see.

(Heron Pic)

No more ticks for rest of Month but refound the Ouzel on the 23rd and 24th

Better Yellow Wagtails, at least 3 on the 23rd, also a pair of Oystercatchers,

March Migrant Desert

March was a bit of a washout, with the latter half spent out the country, I was hard pressed to find migrants early on.

First new bird for the month (of a total of only 4) was Yellowhammer on the 1st in the hedgerows around the horse paddocks. This has since been a regular spot for them and there are singing males at Clifton Lakes as well.

The 7th produced the months largest count of Wigeon, 294, a significant drop over the last couple of weeks.

On the 9th a pair of Shelduck were back on the puddle, with 1 gadwall, 235 wigeon, 4 Golden Plover and the years first Little-ringed Plover, the 3rd to be reported in the country so far!

Screen grab from a video of the early LRP

A pair of Oystercatcher flew in late evening of the 12th, and were back on the 19th, again, a new bird for the year.

A Yellow-legged Gull was in a much reduced gull flock on the 14th, and I finally located a Treecreeper along the Great Central Way.

I flew out to Israel on the 21st, and my visits in the week prior produced nothing new, despite Sand Martins and Wheatears flooding the UK that week! Hopefully April will be more productive!

Things are picking up! February round up

February felt far more productive, with 10 visits (21 complete BirdTrack lists), 65 species (70 for the year) and 5 patch ticks!

The first two visits provided fly over Mute Swans (1 on the 4th and 5 on the 5th), and the Shelduck from January was on the pool again on the 7th. The 4th also saw the only Golden Plovers of the Month, 47, with 290 Lapwing.

I decided to stay until well beyond birdable light on the 7th and walk the public footpaths in the North West corner of the patch, and this paid off handsomely with calling Tawny and Little Owl (102 and 103), two much hoped for new birds for the list. Seeing these is going to be an entirely different challenge.

The 8th was a beautiful clear Sunday, so I spent the entire day walking areas of the patch I don't often visit. This was anoth inspired decision as I scored both Grey Wagtail (patch tick 104), and Kingfisher for only the 3rd time, at what seems to be a reliable spot for this cracking species.

The 8th also saw a high count of Wigeon, 332, which was then beaten on the 12th with 361, and number continued to build up to 406 on the 25th, putting this flock amongst the largest in the county.

Part of the large Wigeon flock in February

The Shelduck was last seen on the 12th, but replaced by an Egyptian Goose (105) on the 19th, which was a surprise at first light in with a small mixed flock of Greylag and Canada Geese, which flushed as soon as I entered the field (else I would have displayed another fine piece of photography). Presumably the same Gypo was seen at Draycote the next day.

Photo courtesy of a resident who had two the day before I saw mine

A very standard Chiffchaff was on the vegetated bank of the brook running to the east of the pool on the 24th, very close to where I saw one in November.

The final highlight of February gave me a great sense of relief, as two Ravens (106 life, 70 year) "Cronked" over on the 28th. I have Ravens over my house often enough to barely take note, so was surprised it took me so long only a couple of miles North. A decent count of 22 teal were on the pool as well.

A poor start to 2015! January round up.

I only managed 5 trips to the The Puddle in January, which was both frustrating and disappointing. I only managed to rack up  57 species, of which only Gadwall and Shelduck were outside the norm, both being  surprise patch ticks on the 28th. A Yellow-legged Gull (Adult) was on the pool edge on the 2nd, but numbers of LWHGs using the pool seem to be decreasing.

Golden Plover, having made it on to most lists in November and December seemed to have moved on (there is a large flock using the fields a few miles North either side of the A5), with only 1 flock of 44 seen flying over. Lapwing were also less numerous around the pool, perhaps the rising water level has pushed them else where.

Wigeon counts were very variable, with a high count of 247 on the 28th but this was down to 148 the next day.

A drake Shelduck and drake Gadwall appeared on the 28th and the former stayed into February. This wildfowl duo took the total site list to 101, which after only 8 months seems pretty respectable.

Hopefully February will provide more than the pitiful 57 species if I want to even challenge the heady heights of mid-table in the PWC Midlands mini-league.

The Wigeon flock feeding by the puddle. Hard to count as they are constantly moving and flush at the slightest thing, such as a flyover wood pigeon or carrion crow.

2014 at a glance

In early 2014 I began to take my local birding a lot more seriously, to fill the weekends where there was nothing to twitch, or I had no birding trips else where planned. What happened quite surprised me as I found an under-watched (although, most of Warwickshire is under-watched) spot just outside my town, which I have become quite attached too. I now try to visit the patch, known as "The Puddle", at least twice a week and I get withdrawal symptoms if I leave it too long!

May

31/05/2014 – 1^st trip to Clifton Lakes, Lesser Whitethroat, Reed and Sedge warblers singing

June

22/06/2014 – Discovered The Puddle, 1st Little Ringed Plover (1) and Green Sandpiper (2)

23/06/2014- 1st Lapwing (34)

July

05/07/2014 – Little Egret, first locally scarce bird, also Oystercatcher and Common Sandpiper, 5 species of wader in 2 weeks was giving me some hope for a decent autumn passage.  Male and Female Redstart by M6/bog were the first decent migrant passerines.

08/07/2014 – Kingfisher 1^st of only 2 records for 2014, a regular spot has since been found.

09/07/2014 – 1st Snipe (1), 

10/07/2014 – Hobby, only record for 2014

18/07/2014 – Little Ringed Plover (5), 2 Adult 3 Juv, probably from Shawell quarry/tip, where multiple pairs breed.

19/07/2014 – Black-tailed Godwit in full breeding plumage, a very welcome 7^th species of wader. Bird is asleep in the centre of the photo!

August

15/08/2014 – First Dunlin, later a group of 3 and two more singles.

21/08/2014 - Greenshank, another good Wader with very few records in Warwickshire annually, 9^th species of Wader for the puddle. Also a male Whinchat, first of 4 records, photo shows one of two birds seen on 07/09/2014. A high count of 27 Pied Wagtails around pool.

22/08/2014 – c300 Goldfinch feeding on thistles

23/08/2014 – Peregrine, only record of 2014, flew through and briefly chased a lapwing

26/08/2014 – Tree Pipit with first Meadow Pipits seen on visible migration.

28/08/2014 – First Teal (3)

September

02/09/2014 – First Wigeon (2), Local birder Tim Marlow assured me that these were the first of a wintering flock of around 200

07/09/2014 – 1st and only Wheatear on fence by puddle, also two Whinchats feeding in long vegetation/thistles

09/09/2014 – 1^st Shoveler, 4 species of wildfowl…. 38 Meadow Pipits feeding around pool edge

16/09/2014 – Ruff with c200 Lapwing, present for around 10 days, also the Puddles 10th species of wader!

October

09/10/2014 – Golden Plover flock c30, 11^th wader species, photo shows a group on the hill above the Puddle, taken in 2015.

13/10/2014 – Fly over tufted duck, not much deep water so a good record, presumably from Shawell Silt Lagoons.

17/10/2014 – 1st Grey Heron finally after months of Little Egret being the only Heron on the list.
21/10/2014 - 11 Snipe flushed from long grass around pool, high count.

22/10/2014 – Jack Snipe flushed from Marsh, Curlew heard then seen at dusk coming to roost at pool, the 12th species of Wader, surely the last of the year? 182 Golden Plover was the highest count for 2014.

26/10/2014 – A Barnacle Goose in with the feral Canada Geese was quite exciting although almost certainly from a feral flock itself.

30/10/2014 – Gulls really built up, often c200 large white headed gulls, including 1^st Yellow-legged Gull, hoping for Caspian (regular c1 mile away at Shawell) and white-winged Gulls down the line!

November

02/11/2014 – Adult Mediterranean  Gull in with Blackheads c200, metal ring on left leg but too distant to see any more than that.

05/11/2014 – Highest count of Lapwing – 236!

13/11/2014 – 1^st Caspian Gull, an adult sporting a yellow colour ring, perhaps PADZ, seen at Shawell 22nd Oct, but I could not read the letters with my now replaced old scope.

24/11/2014 – Woodcock flushed from wooded edge of Great Central Way – 13^th species of wader, not bad for 8 months and c75 visits!

29/11/2014 – 31 Teal – High Count

December

26/12/2014 – Highest count of Wigeon – 284!

Other Highlights

It appears to have been a great year for Marbled Whites and I was pleasantly surprised to see up to 15 flying around the fields at once.

There is a lot of Fox activity in the area and I regularly saw this individual who enjoys the odd staring contest.

Green Woodpeckers bred very near by, perhaps as many as 3 pairs around the village. One of a few juveniles I encountered pictured below.

Raptors are seen on almost every visit, and this Sparrowhawk has a regular perch, just out of sight of the feeders in the gardens.

Ospreys were present at Clifton Lakes in late summer, but somehow I failed to see a single one, so heres hoping for 2015!