News received today included the Black-necked Grebe still, also 4 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 14 Great Egret and 11 Little Egret were present. 8 Stonechat were off the west track. A Goshawk was reported this morning.
Day 4 on Shetland was another hard day in the field, spent mainly on North Mainland. Just two Yellow-browed Warbler at Isbister and Vidlin were the only highlights today.
News received today included 5 Crossbill over the dam this morning . The Black-necked Grebe was still present . A Ruff flew thru this afternoon, also 3 Ringed Plover and 1 Dunlin were present. 14 Great Egret and 14 Little Egret were counted. 8 Stonechat and 3 RedKite were noted.
Day 3 on Shetland started with us dipping the Black-faced Bunting seen yesterday at Noness. It was pretty hard work for the rest of the day as it appeared to be a clear out of general birds. A Red Kite at Quendale was the best during the morning. However the day was saved with flight views of a 1st winter male Siberian Thrush at Scatsa plantation late afternoon. This was my 3rd Siberian Thrush in Britain.
News received today included the Black-necked Grebe still present. Also 4 Pintail, 1 Goldeneye, 54 Wigeon, 13 Great Egret and 17 Little Egret were counted. 5 Ringed Plover and 1 Dunlin were on the north shore. 2 Wheatear and 9 Stonechat were noted.
Day 2 of our Shetland trip was much more rewarding with lighter winds today. Our team found a Rustic Bunting at Maywick this morning. We also saw 8 Yellow-browed Warbler with 3 at Bigton, 3 at Geosetter and 2 at Wester Quaff. A Bluethroat showed well eventually at Geosetter. We also had distant views of a Blue-winged Teal at Loch of Spiggie. Other padders were Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Willow Warbler, 1 Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Slavonian Grebe
News received today included the Black-necked Grebe still off the dam, also the drake Goldeneye remains. 5 Ringed Plover, 1 Common Sandpiper and 3 Snipe were present. 2 Wheatear and a Stonechat were at the west end. 100 Swallow flew thru this morning. 15 Great Egret and 14 Little Egret were noted.
Day one on Shetland was hard work with a very strong southerly wind blowing. A drake Ring-necked Duck was at Loch Tingwall this morning. A very elusive 1st winter Brown Shrike was on Yell at North Aywick.
News received today included the Black-necked Grebe and Goldeneye still. A Wheatear and 2 Stonechat were at the west end. 15 Great Egret equals the record count set last October. Also 10 Little Egret. 4 Ringed Plover and 2 Shelduck were noted .
On our way up to Aberdeen, we called into Musselburgh lagoons where a 1st winter Marsh Sandpiper has been present for the last 3 weeks. It showed very well on arrival and the first I've seen for over 20 years. 2 Spotted Redshank and several Ruff were also present.
Next, we saw the drake White Winged Scoter off the sea wall. (photo 4th bird from right) We had decent views of it amongst a flock of 54 Velvet Scoter. There was also a Red-necked Grebe and several Red Throated Diver on the sea.
Finally we called in to Lunan Bay to see another drake White Winged Scoter. It was viewed at a much greater distance in choppy conditions amongst many Velvet and Common Scoter. Also 3 Long-tailed Duck were noted. I will post some photos tomorrow when I get on Shetland.
A juvenile Black Tern dropped in this morning. Also new was another Black-necked Grebe and a Garganey (photo)from the Chappell hide. There was noticeably more wildfowl today with 177 Shoveler, 35 Wigeon 1 Pintail and the first drake Goldeneye of the autumn. 8 Ringed Plover and 2 Common Sandpiper were present , also 3 Curlew flew thru. 2 Wheatear remain along the south west shore. The Cormorant record was smashed again today with 530 counted. 14 Great Egret and 10 Little Egret were noted.
I'm off to Shetland for 10 days but will still be able to update the blog, as long as members let me know what is present . I will still post what we get on Shetland.
The first Rock Pipit of the year was seen by others on the shoreline in front of the Chappell hide. 2 Wheatear remain along the south west shore. 8 Ringed Plover and 2 Common Sandpiper were present. A Hobby flew over the dam this afternoon. 11 Great Egret and 8 Little Egret were noted. 17 Wigeon, 208 Teal, 33 Pochard and 4 Little Grebe were counted.
Pretty quiet this afternoon. 2 Wheatear were along the south west shore. 9 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin and 2 Common Sandpiper were present. 9 Great Egret and 11 Little Egret were noted.
A Black-necked Grebe from the Gazebo hide was a new arrival. 1 Pintail, 104 Shoveler, 1 Shelduck and 11 Pochard were counted. 8 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin and 1 Common Sandpiper were the only waders present. A Wheatear and 2 Stonechat were at the west end. A juvenile Goshawk raided the north wood this afternoon, also 1 Hobby and Red Kite were noted.
The main highlight today was a dark morph juvenile Honey Buzzard that flew through to the south east at 7.35am. I picked up the bird way out to the north west coming in from beyond the north wood. It did the decent thing and came over the reservoir and was between us on the dam and the Scott hide. It circled a couple of times before powering out to the south east. There were also 3 Hobby and 3 Red Kite in the area. The fresh cool northerly breeze, also brought some Pink-footed Geese through. All the flocks were viewed distantly, way out east between the reservoir and Cannock Chase. At least 350 birds were involved between 10.30-11am. 3 Black-tailed Godwit dropped in mid morning, also 1 Greenshank, 7 Ringed Plover and 4 Common Sandpiper were present. Great Egret have increased to 13, also 7 Little Egret. 7 Wigeon and 44 GC Grebe were counted.
There was no sign of the Grey Phalarope today. 3 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 7 Common Sandpiper, 18 Ringed Plover and 5 Snipe were present. 9 Common Tern flew thru early morning. A Wheatear was along the south west shore. A Vis Mig off the dam between 0630-0930 produced 1 Hobby, 230 Swallow, 47 Siskin, 2 Redpoll, 12 Chaffinch, 10 Mistle Thrush and 57 Meadow Pipit, A Garden Warbler was ringed this morning. A Buzzard was observed catching and killing a Weasel on the north shore this morning.
The 1st winter Grey Phalarope remains along the dam, also 3 Greenshank, 16 Ringed Plover and 9 Common Sandpiper were present. A Red Kite was following the tractor that was mowing the north shore this afternoon, also a Hobby and Peregrine were noted. 11 Wigeon, 1 Mandarin, 250 Tufted Duck and 6 Pochard were counted. 11 Great Egret remain.
The 1st winter Grey Phalarope was still present, spending a good chunk of the day on the south shore from the Chappell hide before relocating back to the north east corner of the dam after 4pm. A juvenile Knot on the north shore was a new arrival, before it too relocated to the dam. 3 Greenshank, 16 Ringed Plover and 9 Common Sandpiper were present. 11 Great Egret were noted.
A single Grey Phalarope was still along the dam and was the bird that arrived yesterday. 4 Greenshank, 17 Ringed Plover and 11 Common Sandpiper were present. A juvenile Goshawk was over the north wood early afternoon, also 3 Hobby were present. 2 Wheatear and 9 Stonechat were off the west track. 36 Siskin flew south over the dam this afternoon. 32 Gadwall were counted. 10 Great Egret remain. Some video of the Phalarope can be viewed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P3A7cU5SiU
Amazingly, there are now 2 1st winter Grey Phalarope along the dam today. It's the first multiple record in Staffordshire, with just Draycote September 25th 1988 and Arrow Valley October 16th 1987 matching it. A juvenile Arctic Tern dropped in at 10.10am but had departed by early afternoon. An Osprey flew south at 2.20pm, also a Peregrine and Hobby were noted. 18 Ringed Plover were present with 13 flying thru, also 3 Greenshank and 12 Common Sandpiper were present. A Wheatear was on the dam, also 4 Stonechat were off the west track. 10 Great Egret and 8 Little Egret were present.
A strong blustery wind blew for much of the day but disappointingly, no storm blown waifs were found. The Grey Phalarope was still along the north east corner of the dam. A Black-necked Grebe was a new arrival. 3 Greenshank, 11 Common Sandpiper, 1 Dunlin and 4 Ringed Plover were present. A juvenile Goshawk (photo) showed well over the north wood this morning, also 2 Peregrine, Hobby and 2 Red Kite were noted. 4 Swift flew thru this morning. A Yellow Wagtail was at the west end.
The Grey Phalarope was still along the north east corner of the dam. 3 Greenshank, 13 Common Sandpiper and 5 Ringed Plover were present. 17 Siskin, 2 Redpoll and a trickle of Meadow Pipit flew over this morning. 4 Goosander dropped in late morning, also 293 Tufted Duck were counted. 9 Great Egret were at the west end. An imm Peregrine caught a racing Pigeon this morning. A Goshawk and Hobby were noted.
Another 1st winter Grey Phalarope was found this morning along the north east corner of the dam. 5 Greenshank, 7 Redshank, 12 Common Sandpiper and 2 Ringed Plover were present. A Marsh Harrier flew thru at 9.45am, also 2 Hobby and 1 Peregrine were noted. 2 Swift were over the dam this morning. A Grasshopper Warbler was trapped and ringed early morning. 6 Stonechat were off the west track. 12 Great Egret remain. 8 Red-legged Partridge were north of the dam.
2 Whinchat and 8 Stonechat were off the west track. A Swift flew through this afternoon. 3 Yellow Wagtail were in front of the Chappell hide. 3 Greenshank, 13 Common Sandpiper and 1 Ringed Plover were the only waders present. 695 Greylag Geese was a new record count. 2 Hobby and a Peregrine were noted.
A Juvenile Whinchat and 7 Stonechat were off the west track, also a Wheatear was along the south west shore. 4 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 14 Common Sandpiper and 1 Ringed Plover were present. 11 Great Egret and 8 Little Egret remain. 2 Hobby were noted. The drake Scaup x Tufted Duck hybrid was at the west end.
2 Black Tern dropped in at 3pm. Waders today included 3 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 10 Common Sandpiper and 3 Ringed Plover. At least 1 Whinchat and several Stonechat were on Hawkshutts ridge. A Swift flew through this afternoon. The Cormorant record now stands at 411 today. 12 Great Egret, 2 Hobby and 2 Red Kite were noted. I couldn't find any Lesser Scaup today. 10 Wigeon were present.
There was no sign of any Glossy Ibis today. 11 Great Egret and 44 Grey Heron were counted. The Cormorant record continues to rise with 399 today. 3 Greenshank and 7 Common Sandpiper were the only waders present. 2 Whinchat and 9 Stonechat were off the west track. Again there was only 1 Lesser Scaup today .
2 Glossy Ibis flew in early afternoon. It's difficult to know how many individuals we have positively had since Friday. At least 2 possibly 4 with the current large influx across the country at the moment. Waders today included 3 Greenshank, 7 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 1 Ruff, 3 Curlew and 10 Common Sandpiper. A Swift flew thru this morning. A Redstart was off the west track. 10 Great Egret, 10 Little Egret were noted. A new record 388 Cormorant were counted. Only one Lesser Scaup could be found today, also 5 Wigeon, 14 Gadwall, 118 Mallard and 178 Coot were counted.
Another good days birding with plenty dropping in over the day The Glossy Ibis was still at the west end to till around 11am but not after. 2 Black Tern were present early morning before flying off west, then 4 more dropped in at 11.05pm. 5 Little Stint were the first of the year with 4 in front of the Chappell hide between 12.55-1.16pm when they flew off south. Another bird dropped in at the west end at 3.20pm. Other waders included 24 Ringed Plover, 4 Dunlin, 4 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Greenshank and 11 Curlew that dropped this afternoon. The 2 Lesser Scaup were still present, also the returning drake Scaup x Tufted Duck hybrid. 92 Shoveler and 22 Egyptian Geese were counted. A Cattle Egret was present briefly along the south east bay this afternoon, also 9 Great Egret and 10 Little Egret. A Spotted Flycatcher was on the edge of the reservoir plantation. 2 Hobby and a Peregrine were noted.
Yesterday's 102 species recorded are as follows. 1 Mute Swan, 2 Greylag Goose, 3 Canada Goose, 4 Egyptian Goose, 5 Mallard, 6 Gadwall, 7 Pintail, 8 Shoveler, 9 Wigeon, 10 Teal, 11 Pochard, 12 Tufted Duck, 13 Lesser Scaup, 14 Pheasant, 15 Little Grebe, 16 GC Grebe, 17 Cormorant, 18 Little Egret, 19 Great Egret, 20 Grey Heron, 21 Glossy Ibis, 22 Osprey, 23 Red Kite, 24 Buzzard, 25 Sparrowhawk, 26 Goshawk, 27 Kestrel, 28 Hobby, 29 Peregrine, 30 Moorhen, 31 Coot, 32 Ringed Plover, 33 Lapwing, 34 Dunlin, 35 Wood Sandpiper, 36 Green Sandpiper, 37 Common Sandpiper, 38 Greenshank, 39 Snipe, 40 BH Gull, 41 Herring Gull, 42 Yellow-legged Gull, 43 LBB Gull, 44 Black Tern, 45 Feral Pigeon, 46 Stock Dove, 47 Wood Pigeon, 48 Collared Dove, 49 Tawny Owl, 50 Barn Owl, 51 Little Owl, 52 Swift, 53 Kingfisher, 54 Green Woodpecker, 55 GS Woodpecker, 56 Skylark, 57 Sand Martin, 58 House Martin, 59 Swallow, 60 Meadow Pipit, 61 Pied Wagtail, 62 Grey Wagtail, 63 Yellow Wagtail, 64 Dunnock, 65 Robin, 66 Redstart, 67 Whichat, 68 Stonechat, 69 Song Thrush, 70 Blackbird, 71 Garden Warbler, 72 Blackcap, 73 Whitethroat, 74 Lesser Whitethroat, 75 Sedge Warbler, 76 Reed Warbler, 77 Willow Warbler, 78 Chiffchaff, 79 Goldcrest, 80 Wren, 81 Great Tit, 82 Coal Tit, 83 Blue Tit, 84 LT Tit, 85 Nuthatch, 86 Treecreeper, 87 Magpie, 88 Jay, 89 Jackdaw, 90 Rook, 91 Crow, 92 Raven, 93 Starling, 94 House Sparrow, 95 Chaffinch, 96 Linnet, 97 Goldfinch, 98 Greenfinch, 99 Siskin, 100 Bullfinch, 101 Reed Bunting, 102 Yellowhammer.
Today, a team of us attempted the autumn all dayer, starting at 4.30am and finishing at 8.10pm. A total of 102 species were recorded on the reserve today. The highlights included a Glossy Ibis dropping in at 6.59am, spending the rest of the day, mainly at the west end and roosting in the north wood at 7.23pm. An Osprey flew south at 11.53am, also 2 Goshawk, 2 Hobby, Peregrine and 3-4 Red Kite were in the area. A Wood Sandpiper was at the west end briefly this morning before flying off north with 2 Greenshank. Other waders included 5 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 17 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin and 8 Snipe. 2 Whinchat, 7 Stonechat and a Redstart were off the west track. The 2 Lesser Scaup were still present, also the first Pintail of the autumn was noted. 9 Great Egret and 10 Little Egret were at the west end. A juvenile Black Tern dropped in this evening. I will publish a full list on tomorrow's blog.
A Glossy Ibis (photo by Malcolm Page) was present along the south west shore between 9.05-9.30am only and appears to be part of a national influx at the moment. It becomes the 6th record for the reserve, the last one being in February 2022. The Grey Phalarope remains at the west end, also 3 Greenshank, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin and 1 Common Sandpiper were present. The 2 Lesser Scaup were still present after one had a day trip to Gailey yesterday. 4 Yellow Wagtail and a Spotted Flycatcher were at the west end. A Goshawk was soaring east of the dam, also 2 Hobby and a Peregrine were noted. 8 Great Egret remain.
The Grey Phalarope was still present, flighty and mobile but always sticking to the west end. The heavy rain only managed to fetch down a single Whimbrel thru at 11.45am, also 4 Greenshank, 4 Common Sandpiper and 2 Ringed Plover were present. There was only 1 Lesser Scaup present today with 274 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard, 1 Wigeon and 54 GC Grebe counted. 8 Great Egret remain. 3 Hobby and a Peregrine were noted. 3 Swift flew thru.
Not a bad day with a bit of passage this morning while the conditions were murky. The Grey Phalarope was still present at the west end, though mainly sticking along the north shore. A Sandwich Tern dropped in at 9.55am and was still present around 4pm at least. 28 Common Tern were present early morning, including 9 adults and 19 1st winters before flying off south. A Whimbrel flew thru this morning, also 3 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Common Sandpiper and 1 Ringed Plover were present. The 2 Lesser Scaup and Garganey remain, also 1 Wigeon, 78 Teal and 55 Shoveler were counted. 2 Swift flew thru this morning. 8 Great Egret were present. A Red Kite and Peregrine were noted.
The 1st winter Grey Phalarope was still present at the west end. 3 Greenshank, 1 Redshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 5 Common Sandpiper, 3 Ringed Plover and 2 LRP were present. The 2 Lesser Scaup and Garganey remain. 8 Great Egret and 351 Cormorant were counted. 4 Stonechat were off the west track. 2 Hobby were noted. The current Cormorant numbers are a record total, beating the 321 in September 2020.
A 1st winter Grey Phalarope was found early morning, but wasn't reported until after 10.40pm and positively identified until late morning. This is the first record since one on the 13th September 2017. It spent most of it's time at the west end along the north shore. 3 Greenshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 4 Common Sandpiper, 2 Ringed Plover and 2 LRP were present. The 2 Lesser Scaup,and Garganey remain. 8 Great Egret and 341 Cormorant were counted. A Marsh Harrier flew over the Gazebo bay this morning. 5 Stonechat were off the west track.
