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Marsh Lane News - January 08
31st January 2008 - Windy and wet.
Nobody braved the elements or, if they did, saw nothing worth recording.
30th January 2008 - Sunny.
20 Siskins , one Lesser Redpoll and eight Bullfinches (farm end of the Old Road) and a Treecreeper were the only records.
29th January 2008
Cloudy start slowly giving way to a hazy sun. South-west wind.
I counted 153 mixed Finches and Buntings in the hedge adjacent to the crop field. With some birds likely to be out of view, the flock is probably in the 175-200 region, split approximately 1/3 each as to Reed Buntings, Chaffinches and Yellowhammers. The female Brambling, four Tree Sparrows and up to six Goldfinches were also present.
Three Bullfinches were feeding on maple seeds by the cottages and pairs of both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen together.
28th January 2008
Misty all day and no records.
24th to 27th January 2008
After the rain finally stopped on the 20th, it has been dry and remarkably mild. In fact, so mild that there have been plenty of signs of spring - for example bird song, including one of the best, the Song Thrush (three birds at least on site). Hazel Catkins and Pussy Willow have put in an appearance - and my lawn needs mowing!
Bird-wise, nothing remarkable, although a Ringed Plover on the 24th was our earliest ever record (previous early ones have been in February) - presumably a prospecting breeder.
The spinner feeder in the field and the car park feeder are holding the Finch and Bunting flock at about the 75 level. The milder weather and reduction in the seeded crop have led to a fall in numbers, though there remains a continued turnover. Of the current numbers, there are about 30 each of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer, up to 15 Chaffinches and no more than five Tree Sparrows. The female Brambling remains a daily visitor.
Last weekend’s Nordic Jackdaw reappeared again on the 27th, whilst the pair of Stonechat remained loyal to the rough field east of the underpass.
Duck numbers remain hugely variable. The Wigeon and Mallard counts at the weekend were the highest of the month - 281 and 62 respectively - whilst Teal (38), Shoveler (13) and Gadwall (3) were the lowest.
12 Pied Wagtails on the 26th was a notable early season count and a Nuthatch on the Oak Hide feeder was only the second of the month. The over-wintering Common Sandpiper put in one of its sporadic appearances, on the 27th, together with a Green Sandpiper, the first of the year.
21st January to 23rd January 2008 - A period of mild and finer weather with noticeably less rain.
The female Brambling has been regular at the car park feeder. Up to four Shelduck have been recorded and the Nordic Jackdaw was seen again today, at about 12.15 p.m., on the flood plain just north of the Reserve. There have apparently been no sightings of the unidentified Redpoll since Sunday 20th January.
20th January 2008 - Mild, drizzly and overcast. Increasing westerly wind.
The Nordic Jackdaw showed periodically and the Redpoll sp, briefly, by the farm, at 10 a.m.
Highlights for the day were three male and one female Pintail and a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. The former were initially found on Railway Pool, but had moved to Car Park Pool in the afternoon. The Woodpecker showed well in a Sycamore on the Old Road at 10.45 a.m., before flying into the Reserve and vanishing.
Some large Gull movement today included an adult Great Black-backed Gull, ten plus Herrings and 12 plus Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
19th January 2008 - Mild, generally still with period rain.
A quality find by Lee Johnson came in the shape of a Nordic Jackdaw (Scandinavian race) seen on the flood meadows occasionally during the morning. It has an obvious white neck patch to differentiate it from "our" race. The Redpoll sp showed again, briefly, with two Lessers, whilst a separate flock of 20 Lessers and approximately 100 Siskins flew over.
The female Brambling showed in the Old Road hedge, though the Finch and Bunting flock is down to c.50 birds, perhaps a consequence of the mild weather.
East of the A452, nine Skylark and 30 Pied Wagtail fed on the fields there and last weekend's Stonechat pair were re-found.
18th January 2008 - Intermittent rain on a south-westerly wind.
The Redpoll showed well again by the horse paddock and last weekend's Stonechat pair showed distantly from the underpass. A Stock Dove sat at the entrance to the Owl box, perhaps surveying a much cleaner box than prior to the last work party. 24 Cormorant was the highest monthly count.
17th January 2008 - more rain and wind.
The Redpoll sp. was present near the car park gates, with four Lessers. 30 Siskin were along the stream by Oak Hide, 10 Goldfinches were spread across the Reserve and the female Brambling was by the car park feeder with up to three Tree Sparrows. The Lapwing flock totalled at least 350 and 12 Lesser Black-backs were the highest for the month and three Herring and two Common Gulls were also seen.
16th January 2008 - Sunny, light south, south-westerly.
The Blythe has flooded extensively inlcuding overflowing into Railway Pool and the causeway was only traversible in wellies. The flood plain would have benefitted from prolonged observation, but as it was, there was little coverage and the only bird of note was the Redpoll sp.
15th January 2008 - Heavy and prolonged rain overnight and until mid-day today.
A male Goosander was seen (though no location) together with two Shelduck, 15 Siskin and the Redpoll sp again.
9th to 14th January 2008
Strong southerly winds with squally showers on the 9th and 10th, and particularly heavy rain on the 11th, turning to snow on a north-easterly wind on the 11th. The 12th was frosty with sun during the day and then evening rain, and the Blythe flooded into the Reserve as well as the River valley itself. The 13th was overcast with further strong south-westerly winds, which continued into the 14th with more rain.
The Redpoll of indeterminent origin was present until at least the 12th, with up to two Lessers and there were also 40 Siskins on the 12th. There have still been plenty of Finches and Buntings in the field, with at least one Brambling, although numbers seemed slightly lower than over the Christmas period. 135 Teal on the 14th was a good count, although otherwise most wildfowl seemed slightly lower than the preceeding few days. A male and a female Goosander flew over on the 12th, and the Merlin was seen again on the 13th. The Peregrine was recorded on the 12th and 13th, althuogh was probably present more regularly.
Milder weather was probably the reason for the movement of Lapwing on the 14th, when 32 moved east very high up. So far the only record for the year of the Common Sandpiper was on the 12th. The juvenile Greater Black-backed Gull was seen again on the 10th, and the Tawny Owl remained in its hiding place on the Old Road. The pair of Stonechats were seen in the rought field east of the underpass on the 12th, but were not visible the following day.
8th January 2008 - Weather as yesterday.
The Redpoll was present again by the car park gates at about 3 p.m., this time in the company of four Lessers. Two female Bramblings and at least five Tree Sparrows were present on the crop field, and a flock of 30 Siskins frequented the Alders by the Dragonfly Pond.
7th January 2008 - Strong south-westerly wind with squally showers.
The Commic Redpoll showed between 3.30 and 3.50 p.m., before flying onto the north shore of Car Park Pool. Two Shelduck were present and a Great Black-backed Gull flew over in the late afternoon.
6th January 2008 - Sunny after overnight frost, still.
No report of the Redpoll today, though at least three Lessers were present. An afternoon ringing session around the car park feeder and in the reedbed yielded 61 birds: 32 new Reed Buntings plus two retraps, three Tree Sparrows, seven Great Tits and three retraps, 11 Blue Tits, one Long-tailed Tit and two Goldfinches.
5th January 2008 - Sunny but cold south-westerly wind.
As a result of the suggestion that the Redpoll species is an Arctic, and the prompt of the excellent photographs taken by many observers, members helpfully manned the gate during the day and just under £40 was raised. Thanks to all those that helped.
The Redpoll showed well between 8.30 and 9 a.m. before being flushed by a Sparrowhawk and was not seen again until early afternoon. It then showed briefly, twice, and I think most people managed to see it.
Other highlights during the day included a female / juvenile Merlin (twice), Peregrine (on and off all morning), Waterrail (calling in the reedbed) and a female Brambling by the feeder. The finch and bunting flock of at least 150 birds received an appreciative audience for most of the day.
To avoid disturbance to the pools, due to the numbers of visitors and members, the work party carried out various maintenance tasks. These included the emptying of the two Owl boxes, both of which contained deep accumulations of debris. All hides were swept out, and the container was tidied up. Thanks to all those that helped.
4th January 2008 - Overcast mostly cloudy, cold south-easterly, rain later.
The Redpoll was seen briefly at 11 a.m. in the company of two Lessers. I have had no reports since. Tree Sparrows reached a new high of 14 birds (with maybe more than that) as part of a mixed finch and bunting flock of at least 150 birds. An adult female Brambling was by the car park feeder and a Peregrine was seen on a number of occasions in the morning.
21st December to 3rd January 2008
The cold south-easterly that brought freezing conditions turned to the south-west on the 24th and brought milder weather until January 1st. The 2nd and 3rd felt especially cold in a strong easterly.
The bird of this period has been a beautiful Redpoll species, associating with up to three Lessers, and feeding very confidingly on willlow herb and mugwort seeds on the Old Road verges. First found on the 22nd it was still present on the 3rd, though can go missing for long periods during the day.
Its arrival coincided with a noticeable increase in Siskins (11 to 60-80) and Redpolls (up to 20).
The bird had been identified as a Mealy on structure, and the amount of flank rump and undertail covert streaking. Superb photos appeared on the web, sparking much debate and interest. Martin Games visited site on the 2nd and 3rd and felt, after discussion with Andy Stoddart, (the writer of i.d. papers on these difficult species), that there were no features that precluded its identity as a first-year Arctic and as its paleness - white rump and size probably precluded Mealy, put it out as such on the pager services. Discussion continues!
Whatever its identity, it is a beautiful bird and is well worth seeing.
Found by Paul Johnson and Graham Rowling, they also found a roosting Tawny Owl in an ivy-covered willow along the concrete road. It was first found on the 26th and was still present, although difficult to see, on the 3rd.
The finch and bunting flock remains substantial, though birds come and go quite widely (40-50 Yellowhammers in fields east of the farm, for example, on the 26th). Up to 11 Tree Sparrows and three Bramblings have been present, with at least one Brambling visiting the car park feeder regularly.
Other birds or counts of note included 70 Shoveler on the 28th, a male Goosander on the 2nd, two visits from a Peregrine (on one, taking a Lapwing), a Merlin on the 1st, up to six Golden Plovers on December 31st, 590 Lapwings on the 1st, and an arrival of nine Skylark on the 24th (a clear cold wether movement and probably the explanation for the rise in Lapwing numbers).
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