January on 3BLNR
Siskin in trees
An Occasional Bird Report by Rob and Friends
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January on 3BLNR |
An Occasional Bird Report by Rob and Friends |
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5 August 2009 A further batch of sightings from Steve and Rachel today. House Martins were seen over the lake and there were Little Grebe chicks with their parents on the lake (see photo from last year). A single Swan was on the lake and there was a family of Coot. There were also a couple of Aylesbury ducks on the late as well. This is the first time Coot have bred on the lake for many years and is a welcome addition to the reserve's breeding list. It is a shame that the pair of Swans did not breed this year, but hopefully next year will see their return. We had a small population of Aylesbury ducks until recently and I wonder whether this is a return or a new pair? 13 June 2009 A Kingfisher was seen again today. This time by the lake. Rachel saw it fly along the bank and into some bushes. 4 June 2009 A Kingfisher was spotted today by Big Dave from the Green Gym. They were clearing Himalayan Balsam from Patchway Brook and the bird flew along the brook. Hopefully this is a sign that Kingfishers are again breeding on the reserve. 17 May 2009 Ducklings are starting to appear on the lake and will be around for quite a while yet. At least ten were there on the 17th. Ducks have large broods and many of the young will die or be taken by gulls or a heron. The fox will also take ducklings if the opportunity arises. A good number will survive to breed next year though and those on our lake have a head start with food due to the large amount of bread thrown to them. The biggest clutch of ducklings I think I've seen on the lake was 12, see if you can spot a bigger one. Thanks to Steve and Rachel for the sighting. 10 May 2009 - Dawn Chorus Walk Thank you to Emma for providing the report of the walk. All in all, a good start to the day. 31 species counted and 4 new for the year (making 54 for the year). Now that the summer visitors are arriving back in force, listen out for the sound of the Reed Warbler down by the lake. If you're lucky you may see him perching at the top of a reed singing. 2 May 2009 The 3 Brooks work day was spent surveying the reserve for future projects and generally enjoying the reserve. The Swans nest is coming on, but does look a little unfinished. See this photo of swans nest from Steve. 19 April 2009 I haven't managed to get out on the reserve for the last couple of weeks, but I have seen the first Swallows and House Martins arriving back at Leyland Court Farm on Trench Lane. Neither species nests on the reserve, but a few House Martins do nest on the houses in Bradley Stoke. Swallows, House Martins and Swifts can all be seen around the reserve during the summer months, the best place to find them is over the Tump. The Great Tits nesting in my bird box have laid 10 eggs and Mrs. Tit is busy incubating. It won't be long before we hear the racket of baby birds clamouring to be fed. Last year all 9 chicks from the first brood managed to fledge, so I have high hopes for this year's batch. Look out for newly fledged Blackbirds and Robins, as they are some of the earliest birds to nest and may already be fledging. This will be my last personal posting of sightings on the reserve for a while, as I won't be able to get out on the reserve for 4-6 months. My friends in the Three Brooks NCG will hopefully be able to update the blog while I'm out of action and I shall try to add some new pages of historical data. 4 April 2009 Wildflower planting today in the meadow by Sherbourne's Brake. Plenty of birds around, including the first Blackcap of the year, singing loudly but unseen. A Green Woodpecker was also calling from the wood and a couple of Buzzards were seen wheeling over the reserve. The usual mix of birds included a Grey Heron seen flying in towards the lake. Further round by the Bradley Stoke Way bridge, a small flock of House Sparrows were chasing each other around the bushes. A pair of Little Grebe seem to be setting up home on the brook just downstream of the bridge, which explains why there is only one pair on the lake at the moment. The Blackcap brings up the 50 birds for the year mark. Other warblers should be arriving in the next few weeks, so listen out for the Willow Warbler and Whitethroat in the trees and bushes and Reed Warbler by the lake. 29 March 2009 A lovely bright sunny day today, if a little chilly to start with. Good numbers of birds around today, as most are getting in the breeding mood. Lots of singing birds perched at the top of trees made a lovely sight and sound. A Sparrowhawk was cruising around Savages Wood, which also gave the first sighting of a Great-spotted Woodpecker for the year. The Jays were uncharacteristically obvious and a Goldcrest was also spotted. Over the Tump, the Skylarks were singing loudly as they climbed high in the air and there were obvious signs of migration as several groups of Meadow Pipit flew over. The Chiffchaffs were also singing loudly, but no sign yet of other summer warblers. These along with House Martin and Swallow should be seen soon. The Swans have started to build a nest, so we may soon see some goslings. The eggs are incubated for 45 days, so a hatching date in May would be likely. 33 bird species overall today, which is a good total for this time of year, the weather probably helped a bit. New species today were: Sparrowhawk, Great-spotted Woodpecker and Skylark. Year total is now 49. 17 March 2009 Over the lake this morning was a single Sand Martin. Rarely seen on the reserve, but probably more common than it appears. A least one bat was seen this evening, along the path from Bradley Stoke Way towards the lake. Year count now up to 46. 16 March 2009 It seems that this last weekend has brought an influx of Chiffchaff. They seem to suddenly be everywhere with their simple clean song piping from trees and bushes throughout the reserve. Does this mean that spring is on the way? Year count now up to 45. 8 March 2009 I haven't been able to get out on the reserve for a month, so I hope I've not missed anything. The leaves seem to be just thinking about coming out. A wander to the lake this afternoon found the normal selection of birds around. The pair of Mute Swans were mating. I couldn't see whether there were any leg rings on the swans, so don't know if these were the Abbey Wood pair or our own pair that have been around since last year. It would be nice to have breeding swans again. I've never seen so many Magpies in one place before, although other members of the crow family do gather in large flocks. Around the hedge line between Savages Wood and Bowsland Meadow were approximately 80 magpies, either preparing to roost or congregating before going to a roost. 7 February 2009 Still very cold and some snow still on the ground. The group were out coppicing in Webbs Wood today, which means that the majority of sightings were from that area. A pair of Stonechat were on the grassy banks by the woods. Buzzard, Grey Herron and Kestrel were all seen over the woods during the day. Earlier in the day a Goldcrest was spotted at Savages Wood and also the first Starling actually on the reserve. Collared Dove were seen with nest building material. They will breed all year, but not normally when it's this cold. Three new species for the year were Goldcrest, Starling and Stonechat, bring the running total to 44. 5 February 2009 It's unusual for me to be out on a Thursday, but with the snow I just couldn't resist it. As the schools were closed, there were a good number of people out enjoying the reserve. The birdlife was fairly average apart from 150 or so Fieldfare flying over in small groups. Today also saw the first Redwing of the year. Several Meadow Pipits were seen over the Tump and a Snipe was flushed by some kids trying to find the best slope to slide down on their makeshift toboggans. A count of 29 species today, with new
year spots for: Fieldfare, Redwing and Meadow Pipit. 18th January 2009 An afternoon trip out today, down to the lake and back. No Swans today, but still 60 Mallard. Only 28 species today, but another four to add to the year list: House Sparrow, Herring Gull, Greenfinch, Song Thrush. 6th January 2009 My cycle route to work goes through the reserve. It's a chilly ride this time of year, but very refreshing and it certainly wakes me up. Two new species seen this morning: Mistle Thrush, Lapwing. 4th January 2009 An early start this morning meant I could cover more of the reserve and managed to catch up with the Redpolls. Among the regulars on and around the lake, a Snipe was seen. 70 Mallard and 55 Black-headed Gulls are high counts for both and a Grey Wagtail was on the edge of the lake. The Redpolls were feeding on Willowherb seed heads near the corner of the school fence, just north of the lake. Not as many as before Christmas and not really close enough for good pictures, but a nice sighting for the reserve. 30 species today and now up to 32 for the year. New for the year: Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Rook, Jay, Mallard, Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Little Grebe, Dunnock, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Coot, Snipe, Grey Wagtail, Lesser Redpoll. 3rd January 2009 I spent the new year in Cornwall so was unable to make a start to the 3 Brooks year on Thursday. I did manage a good trip round west Cornwall though, picking up 64 species including the Snowy Owl which has been in the hills around Zennor for a couple of weeks. Today was the first 3BNCG meet of the year, hedge laying along the Bradley Stoke Way side of the new Savages Wood plantation. The birds seen today were all in the plantation, or close to it. Some were even in the hedge we were working on! It was also mentioned that a small group of Redpoll were seen before Christmas, so I'll make an early start tomorrow and see if I can catch up with them. Birds 1-13 for 2009: Great Tit, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Blue Tit, Woodpigeon, Robin, Magpie, Wren, Buzzard, Long-tailed Tit, Pied Wagtail, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw. |
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All photos copyright R Williams, or as credited Blogmaster - threebrooksbirdingblog'at'blueyonder.co.uk Last updated 23 January 2012 |
