17.05.2026 - Outdoor Meeting : Pensthorpe Dawn Chorus

Report & Bird List: Cath Robinson

Eight of us joined the reserve warden Richard Stowage at Pensthorpe at 5 am on Sunday, pleased to have missed the earlier rain which had been forecast to continue. We were grateful to Chris Stone for acting as our birdsong expert.

The car park was fairly fruitful with the usual Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird and Wren alongside the flyover Oystercatchers, Mallard, various Gulls, Corvids and Swallows. We went along the farm track to the field in front of the Farmland hide. This field is sown with a variety of crops for their seed potential but because of the underlying compactness of the soil there is a marked differential in germination success of different crops. Hopefully these
will all provide good feeding grounds for the winter buntings and finches that like the hedges on the right.
We walked to the scrubby area at the end of the track, two of us catching a glimpse of a pale bird which might (or might not) have been a Barn Owl. We were hoping for some singing warblers in the
scrub but instead got good views of a male Marsh Harrier and 2 Herons in flight. Into the woods and we were surrounded by the song of Blackcap, Robin and Wren; then onto the Wetland hide where
we found, alongside the usual suspects, a single Wigeon which Richard said was a new arrival.
On, and the first Swifts of the day, and then around Old Squaw lake to the bridge by the Fishing hut where the meadow in front acted like a sounding area for birdsong. Here we heard Cuckoo, Song Thrush, Reed Bunting, Linnet, Cetti’s and Whitethroat. The woodland hide was very quiet, as usual at this time of year, but we heard and then
saw Treecreeper and Jay as we went on through the woods.
We saw our first of at least 3 Common terns as we were walking through the meadow and a brief trip to the Scrape hide gave us more Avocets with maybe 6 on nests, a single Common Sandpiper
and a single Little Ringed Plover and a few hundred Black headed gulls with some early chicks. En route back to the café we had good views of a Great Spotted Woodpecker and also of a Garden
warbler which sounded like a Blackcap.
In all, we saw/heard 7 warblers and 5 waders. And great views of Marsh Harrier and a hunting Sparrowhawk. Then back to the café for a really excellent cooked breakfast and time to reflect on our early morning out. 
Very many thanks to Richard for giving up his time to take
us around and to the whole Pensthorpe team for their
generous hospitality yet again. What a wonderful mutually
beneficial relationship we have with them.

Bird List
Grey Heron Garden Warbler Moorhen
Sparrowhawk Common Whitethroat Coot
Marsh Harrier Goldcrest Avocet
Great Spotted Woodpecker Treecreeper Oystercatcher
Green Woodpecker Wren Little Ringed plover
Jay Starling Lapwing
Magpie Song thrush Sandpiper
Jackdaw Blackbird Black-headed gull
Rook Robin Lesser Black-backed gull
Carrion Crow Dunnock Herring gull
Blue tit House Sparrow Little grebe
Great tit Skylark Cormorant
Long-tailed tit Pied wagtail Common tern
Sedge Warbler Chaffinch Greylag goose
Reed Warbler Greenfinch Barnacle goose
Barn Swallow Linnet Mute swan
House Martin Goldfinch Egyptian goose
Chiffchaff Yellowhammer Shelduck
Cetti’s Warbler Reed bunting Gadwall
Blackcap Swift Wigeon
Stock dove Cuckoo Mallard
Woodpigeon Pheasant Tufted duck
Collard dove