Warwickshire

Work has led me into Warwickshire this week, carrying out all kinds of interesting survey work, including Breeding Bird Surveys, Vantage Point Surveys, extended Phase 1 habitat surveys and Great crested Newt surveys.

Today we had a Yellow Wagtail fly over (Year 168), Peregrine and Green Woodpecker, as well as several Great crested Newts.

It's a tough life, but somebody has to do it.......

Warwickshire

Whitethroat 1

Year 167

Eccleston Mere

Arctic Tern 2
Common Sandpiper 1
Water Rail 1
Kingfisher 1
Gadwall 10 (5 pairs)
Willow Warbler 4 singing
Chiffchaff 3 singing
Nuthatch 1
Buzzard 1

Year 166

Arctic Terns are nearly annual at the mere, and there has been quite an influx across the country today. The Water Rail showed exceptionally well under the Alder Carr at dawn. It's getting quite late in the season for Water Rail at the mere.

Lancs mosslands

Marsh Harrier 1 male
Barn Owl 1
Wheatear 15
White Wagtail 2
Golden Plover 120


Many of the ditches were full of flowers, dominated by Lesser Celandine but also including Marsh Marigold.


Wood Anemone is an ancient woodland indicator species, so it seems a little odd to find it growing in a ditch on the mosslands, in amongst Lesser Celandine. There were lots of Brown Hares in evidence today.

Eccleston Mere

Common Sandpiper 1
Willow Warbler 4
Chiffchaff 4
Swallow 10
Gadwall 10 (5 pairs)
Goldeneye 1 female
Buzzard 2

Year 165 (Common Sandpiper)

Marshside

Waxwing 30
Mediterranean Gull 2
Avocet 2
Black-tailed Godwit 20
Little Egret 2

After leaving the RSPB reserve we cycled along Marshside road towards Churchtown. About 100m past the reserve, I was amazed to find a flock of about 30 Waxwings in a tree. My latest ever Waxwings.


Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gulls. Despite the jet black head, this is clearly not a full adult because an adult would have pure white wing tips. The photo of the bird in flight clearly shows that the bird has some black in the primaries, making it a 2nd summer.


This photo shows not only the difference in colour of the hoods of these two gulls, it also shows how much further down the neck the hood of the Med Gull comes.

Eccleston Mere

Shelduck 1 flew over
Raven 1
Willow Warbler 4 singing
Blackcap 1 singing
Chiffchaff 5 singing
House Martin 1
Swallow 15
Sand Martin 2
Gadwall 10 (5 pairs)
Pochard 2 males
Tufted Duck 25
Teal 1 (pair)
Goldeneye 3 females
Lesser Redpoll 30
Treecreeper 4
Bullfinch 3