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Coordinator: Alan Hughes Leader: Andy Rhodes Reporter: David Laurie Bird List: David Gibbons Firstly, a big thank you to SMHOT for allowing Andy (who volunteers there) to take us on a walk beyond the flower meadow into a part of the reserve not normally open to visitors and later on a short excursion into the 50 acre Beaver enclosure to see signs of their activity. Sixteen members started at 9:00 on a day with a brisk and chilly NW wind that persisted throughout, though rain was thankfully confined to a short spell at lunchtime. We began with a pair of Red Kites over the car park and a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker perched obligingly in a tree. The feeders by the Visitor Centre had a House Sparrow. The Dragonfly Hide was quiet but Collared Dove and Greenfinch were added to the start of our list. In front of this hide is an open fronted shed which has a box with nesting Barn Owls which were not showing in the flesh but were on camera in the Visitor Centre.
Moving on we came across the first of the day's Chiffchaffs and at the bird feeders there were juvenile Blue Tits, Great Tits and Dunnock. A fine male Bullfinch appeared and close by was a singing Song Thrush. The Woodland Hide gave us a Reeve's Muntjac plus a singing Blackcap and then it was out into the flower meadow and its fine display of Buttercups, Ragged Robin and Marsh Orchids. Low flying Swifts passed close by and Swallows and House Martins joined them in search of insects. We disturbed a Grey Heron and came across a family of Stonechats, a Whitethroat and a few Linnets. Further away a male Marsh Harrier was circling pretty much exactly in the area marked by a Harrier on the map. We then moved into a part of the reserve not normally accessible to visitors and worked our way across a plank bridge towards the far end of the reserve. The aim was to exit onto the boardwalk near the Scrape Hides but high-water levels and boggy conditions meant we had to turn back and return to the path near the Woodland Hide, passing Whitethroat and Reed Bunting on the way. A quick stop at Whitley Hide proved quiet, with only a few Mallards beginning their moult into eclipse and then it was on towards the Wetland Hide overlooking the new scrape area, passing the Tawny Owl box whose occupants, on this occasion, were not visible. Four of us had to leave at this point while the rest made our way to the Wetland Hide where a Cuckoo was calling and three Little Egrets, a Little Grebe, Mallards and four Lapwings were visible. Little Ringed Plover and Kingfisher had been seen the day before but proved elusive today. Then it was on to the Raptor Watchpoint, the boardwalk dry but with water on either side showing how high the reserve's water levels remain. Heading back towards the Visitor Centre Andy took us on a detour through a gate into the enclosure which currently holds seven Beavers (the original pair, two young from last year and three from this). We saw saplings they had cut and stripped of bark and, a little further on, a small dam built in a stream with a clear difference in water levels. They have been busy! By then it was lunchtime, and we made our way back to the Visitor Centre and the end of the official part of the WVBS outing. Our thanks to Andy for acting as our very knowledgeable guide and to Alan for organizing the day. Bird List: Blackcap Blue Tit Bullfinch Buzzard Cetti’s Warbler Chaffinch Chiffchaff Collared Dove Coot Cuckoo Dunnock Goldfinch Great Spotted Woodpecker Great Tit Greenfinch Grey Heron Herring Gull House Martin House Sparrow Jackdaw Jay Lapwing Lesser Black-backed Gull Linnet Little Egret Little Grebe Magpie Mallard Marsh Harrier Mistle Thrush Pheasant Pied Wagtail Red Kite Reed Bunting Reed Warbler Robin Rook Sedge Warbler Skylark Song Thrush Sparrowhawk Starling Stock Dove Stonechat Swallow Swift Tawny Owl Whitethroat Willow Warbler Woodpigeon Wren In the afternoon four of us (Andy R, Stuart M, Howard C and myself) stayed on for a second look. We spotted a Marsh Tit at one of the feeders and on our way to the Scrape Hides at the far end we had to pass a not entirely friendly Mute Swan on the boardwalk by the river. The culprit was 4GEP according to its orange Darvic ring. As well as more Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings we saw Goldfinch and, in the shed at the far end of the reserve, a roosting Barn Owl. There would perhaps have been a nearer view of the Owl in the morning if conditions had allowed us to go further. Returning past a squealing Water Rail and the Mute Swan we called in at the Wetland Hide for a second look and added Shoveler, Gadwall and a Great White Egret. A Cuckoo was calling, three Mistle Thrushes flew over, and we had closer views of a Little Grebe. Cool conditions all day meant no butterflies or dragonflies were on the wing and only a handful of damselflies were seen (Large Red Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Banded Demoiselle). Consequently, no Hobby was seen either, though one or two had been around on previous days. An excellent day out even so.
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January 2025
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