Colour-ringed Glauc - Part 4

Euan at Grampian Ringing Group has provided an update of the most recent movements of the Glauc bearing the colour-ring T:193:

• Ugie Estuary, Peterhead  (hand-caught) - 03/08/2011
• Boldon Flats, Tyne and Wear - 23/12/2011
• Newburn Sewer, Seaton Carew - 15/01/2012
• Cotham Landfill Site, Nottinghamshire - 18/02/2012
• Cotham Landfill Site, Nottinghamshire - 27/02/2012
• Ogston Reservoir, Derbyshire - 08-12/03/2012
• Longnewton Reservoir, Cleveland - 24/03/2012
• Lingham Lake, Yorkshire - 03/04/2012
• Lingham Lake, Yorkshire - 07/04/2012

It's interesting that after heading up to Cleveland after its stay in the Midlands, it then turned south again to Yorkshire. Where next?

Lunchtime at Budby

I stopped briefly for my lunch at Budby Heath on the way back into the office from a site meeting today; this proved the be a good call, as the Ring Ouzel reported there yesterday was still present; a smart male in the sheep field on the south-east side of the heath. I managed some particularly awful pictures of it (handheld through my bins).

Ring Ouzel at Budby Heath

Also there, my first Tree Pipit of the year, and a Chiffchaff with an abnormal song. I pointed my Remembird in its direction - the resultant spectrogram is produced below, and roughly equates to "chiff chiff chiff chaff chaff cheef chaf cheef cheeef cheeef cheeef" (or something like that!). Not an Iberian unfortunately (it looked like a standard Collybita as well), but I'm always interested by Chiffies with odd songs. I wonder if they manage to attract a mate?

Spectrogram of singing Chiffchaff at Budby Heath

Counting Cormorants

Still no Ring Ouzel in the paddocks at Cotham Flash this morning (but 2 Fieldfares); I didn't find one in a good walk round at Collingham Pits either, a bit disappointing as I was determined to find one this weekend, given the good numbers coming through, including a couple of birds in elsewhere Notts. Aside from no Ring Ouzels, there wasn't a huge amount else of note; small numbers of hirundines, a fly-over Yellow Wag, 2 Green Sands, a Little Egret, and a Peregrine scaring the local Stock Doves. There wasn't much at Mons Pool either, with singles of Green Sand, Redshank and Ringed Plover.

Given the lack of migrants, I spent some time trying to accurately count the Cormorant colony. This is easier said than done, given that some of the nest are obscured and there is a small rookery in the same location (i.e. black birds with twiggy nests...). The colony here was first recorded in 1990, peaking at 178 nests in 1999, but falling to 98 the year after; numbers then fluctuated between 78 and 120 up to 2006, when there were 90, and in 2007 a count of 137 was made (although I understand this was based on the number of Cormorants present rather than an actual nest count). My count (of 90 nests) is the first count since then, and suggests the colony remains fairly healthy.

Cormorants nesting at Mons Pool

Hundreds of hirundines

I began the day at Kilvington - convinced that the Black-winged Stilt that flew NNW from Rutland Water last night would have headed this way (it hadn't - it went to Spalding instead). There were a few hirundines on the East Lake; 5 Swallows and 2 House Martins. Nearby, the horse paddocks at Cotham Flash still didn't hold a Ring Ouzel; thrush interest here instead came in the form of 35 Fieldfares. No Yellow Wags today either.

Collingham produced my first good concentration of hirundines of the year - around 40 Sand Martins, 4 Swallows and 2 House Martins over the Main Pit, with a female Marsh Harrier north through here. On the Silt Lagoon, there was a Little Egret, with more hirundines at Mons Pool - 20 Sand Martins, and 10 Swallows, plus 3 Redshank.

Finally, as the weather came in at Girton, so did more hirundines; at the north end of the Sailing Lake, at least 40 Swallows were amongst c.100 Sand Martins, along with about 3 House Martins, and a further 40 or so Swallows and c.20 Sand Martins were on the Spalford Pit, bring the day's Swallow count to a least 95.

Swallows at Girton Pits

Elsewhere at Girton, there were good numbers of singing Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers, with a fly-over Yellow Wag near the sailing club, but no Whitethroats yet, and only one Sedge Warbler, along Trent Lane. Aside from migrants, the 3 Pink-feet remain on the Trent off the fishermens carpark (but no sign of last week's White-front), with 2 Curlew also here - hopefully  latter may stay and breed on the holmes.

April showers

I stopped at Kilvington and Cotham on the way home this evening, but got caught in a shower without a waterproof - foolish. Kilvington was a bit quiet, although the rain brought in 4 Swallows, and the 2 Egyptian Geese were back again. By the time I reached Cotham Flash, the rain had stopped, and there were 4 (and perhaps 5) Yellow Wags in the horse paddock to the south. Despite looking promising, no Ring Ouzel -  I'm sure there'll be one next visit! The field pools held 2 Ringed Plovers, 2 Oystercatchers and a Redshank, plus the usual Lapwings - one bird is definately incubating. The Flash itself held a few Teal and a couple of Gadwall.

Yellow Wag at Cotham Flash

Hello yellow

With the Thayer's Gull readily accessible today up near Brigg, I instead went round Collingham, Besthorpe and Girton as I'd promised myself some local birding before going back to work (and yesterday had been a write-off cos of the weather). Nothing too amazing - smatterings of hirundines (a total of 6 Swallows and 2 House Martins, the latter at Mons Pool) and Willow Warblers, and the new reedbed area at Besthorpe NWT (North) actually held a couple of birds, including an LRP.

Single Little Egret and Green Sand were on the Sailing Lake at Girton, and most notably a 1st W Eurasian White-fronted Goose was with the Greylags on the River Trent off the fishermens carpark (mind the asbestos).

An evening visit to Cotham Flash was notable for two reasons; 1. the flash is actually holding some water (and some birds - a Redshank, a Ringed Plover and a few duck), and 2. it produced my first Yellow Wags of the year, glowing in the sun. These were in the horse paddocks to the south, along with c.15 Pied Wags (but no alba's) and a Wheatear.

So will I regret not going for the Thayer's? I will if it doesn't hang round until saturday...

A week in Devon

We've just come back from a nice week in Devon, staying in Torcross at the southern end of Slapton Ley. Although strictly speaking a non-birding holiday, the time and location did lend itself to a few birding sorties...

Overall, migrants seemed a bit thin on the ground, but Wheatears featured frequently and the number of phylloscs built up during the week, with plenty of Willow Warblers at Prawle Point on the 7th - although Cirl Buntings were the undeniable highlight here (and elsewhere along the coast - super birds).

Prawle Point

Cirl Bunting at Prawle Point

A Black Redstart at Start Point on the 4th was probably my best find of the week - but not quite the Hoopoe of Alpine Swift I was hoping for... Hirundines were definitely few and far between - one Swallow at Start Point and two in-off at Prawle, a House Martin at Start, and a Sand Martin at Slapton Ley were the sum total.

Start Point

Other highlights were the Little Bunting at the sewage works at South Milton Ley, a pair of Garganey on the Graveyard Pool at Slapton Ley and a nice selection of seabirds including - Manx Shearwaters, Sandwich Terns, a Med Gull and plenty of Auks and Gannets. But perhaps more memorable were some of the common birds - Cetti's Warblers were everywhere in suitable habitat (and even in some not-so-suitable looking habitat), with one bird singing outside our cottage all night, and Stonechats seemingly sang from every patch of scrub, bracken or bramble on the coast at Start Point.

Little Bunting at South Milton Ley

So what did I miss whilst I was away? Well, I certainly wouldn't have put money on a Sacred Ibis turning up at Cotham Flash! Plastic ibises aside, I don't seem to have missed much; so I'll see what's around tomorrow.