Mar – Apr 2015

Eleven wader species and 16 Buzzards in one day as Spring gets under way

Observations

Mar – Apr 2015

16 Buzzards one day in early April is a fine count. Marsh Harriers were recorded on three days in early April, but we cannot be sure if this was one, two or three different individuals. As well as our now regular Red Kites, Sparrowhawks, Kestrels and Peregrines, the first Hobbies also returned.

Eleven wader species were found over the period, including Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Whimbrel and Common Sandpiper besides our regulars.

The usual gulls were boosted by two Little Gulls, a Yellow-legged Gull and a Mediterranean Gull, and we welcomed back our first Common Terns – will they be able to find nesting space amongst the Black-headed Gull colony?

A rarity these days was a Turtle Dove, and a Short-eared Owl was a welcome addition to the usual Tawny and Barn.

Our usual summer visitors have returned, with peaks of 20 Chiffchaffs and 60 Blackcaps on passage. Other interesting passage birds included a male Bearded Tit, a pair of Whinchats, a Wheatear, two Stonechats, and four Yellow Wagtails. A light passage of Meadow Pipits peaked at 47, and Starling passage at 250. Meanwhile the last Redwings left for a summer elsewhere, but unusually there were no Fieldfare records in the period.

Finally, 11 Linnets over seven dates represented our best series of records in some years for this once common species.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to posts

Provide your details below, and we'll send you an email whenever there's a new post for you to enjoy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

By subscribing you agree to receive email notifications of new blog posts and other relevant email communications. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Please also consider becoming a Friend to receive our regular Bulletins and three yearly Reports. Details are on our Support us page.