Every week 2 members from the WVBS take a walk around Pensthorpe Natural Park and record every species that they have seen / heard and how many they have seen. This is submitted into our recorder, David Gibbons, and he collates all the data and sends it on to the County Recorder.
Below are the results from the recent monitoring visits, including a short summary from members.
Below are the results from the recent monitoring visits, including a short summary from members.
Friday 5th December.
With an icy start soon after sunrise, a few Greenfinches and Redwings, a singing Mistle Thrush
and a Goldcrest were to be the best of 11/2 hours around the car park area, until a Chiffchaff
popped up just before going into the reserve – common in summer but less than annual
winterers in our area.
The visiting drake Red-crested Pochard remained on Mill Pond, and a very showy Kingfisher
spent some time diving into the tiny pond in front of the office buildings next to Millenium
Gardens, where 2 Reed Buntings were jumping about in the reeds. A Woodcock was located
by the 2 small duck ponds next to the Crane pen and was left in peace still roosting.
The feeding stations from the Farmland Hide were as usual busy with Coal, Blue and Great Tits, a Greenfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Dunnocks, then not much counting required at the Wetland, where 1 Common Snipe on an island was literally the only bird there!
Lots of counting of common species at Old Squaw and Moon Water, and among them were single Pochard, Pintail and Great White Egret. Common species only also at Woodland hide, but by the turn into the woodland, a Grey Wagtail and a Water Rail on the wet areas were a nice
surprise, especially the Rail, though it soon scurried off. The woodland itself
was busy with very active Redwings, Goldfinches in the alders, Treecreeper and Nuthatch seen, and
another Nuthatch calling.
No Mandarin Ducks could be found on Makin’s Mere, but a Bittern was found further along, though it
wasn’t showing at all well, and was barely moving. On lastly to the Wader Scrape, with time running out, and just the job of counting the numerous Teal and having a few scans around. Four Reed Buntings were in the reeds with few other species present. The last addition to the list were 35 Starlings flying over, seen out of the café window.
60 species.
Steve C
Tuesday 9th December.
Following a week of strange weather patterns – one day nice, next day miserable, Mark Hill
and I headed out into Storm Bram to do the weekly bird count. We got a taste of what was to
come near the car park where the only signs of life were these Mallards enjoying the
weather. There were also two Egyptian Ducks sat on the fence. At the Mill Pond and Viewing
Lake as well as the captive birds we saw Pintail, Mute Swan, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck and
Mallard.
The weather forecast had predicted the worst of the rain would be first thing so we decided
to reverse our usual route and head first of all for the Wader Scrape so we would have some
shelter for the first part of our walk. It was very quiet as we headed for the scrape and the
only birds we saw were Collared Doves on the aerials on the gift shop, and Blackbird and Blue
Tit near the path. There were some Mallards mating on Dark Mere with two males
completely submerging the female.
When we reached the shelter of the Wader Scrape Hide, we were dismayed to find the seats
soaking wet as the windows had been left open. Rather than stand we wiped them down as
well as we could and settled down to count. The most noticeable thing was the large
numbers of Teal. With no mud present the species number was quite low with Mallard,
Cormorant, Coot, Moorhen, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Shoveler and Tufted Duck.
In the distance, several Cattle Egrets were seen among the herd of Aberdeen Angus. A
Muntjac was spotted headed up the hill.
We headed from there past the wildflower meadow where things started to liven up a bit
and we saw mainly Tits and Redwing flying overhead. We took a slight detour to the
Dragonfly Bridge as there seemed to be quite a lot of activity there. We saw Goldfinch,
Blackbird, Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits and Wren. At the small pond close by we saw
our first Goldcrest and were rewarded with Mandarin Ducks and Little Grebes.
The rain had just about stopped by now. At the woodland hide the staff had been very
generous with the bird food and it was very busy with Robin, Chaffinch and lots of Tits
including one unringed Marsh Tit. Interestingly we observed that the Blue Tits seemed to
prefer the peanut feeders rather than the more easily accessible scattered seed. A Nuthatch
was feeding on this almost all the time we were there. A Treecreeper was spotted in the alder
at the back
From there we headed to Old Squaw hearing Cetti’s Warbler and seeing Magpie on the way.
On the lake were the usual Ducks, Grey Heron and Great White Egret but also our first
Lapwing on one of the small islands. Mark also spotted a Common Snipe on the far bank with
his scope.
From there we headed to the farmland hide where we saw
Dunnock for the first time and Tits and Finches including a
Greenfinch on the feeders. Pheasants were hanging around
hoping for dropped food.
We could see a Buzzard sat in the copse at the top of the field.
What followed next was probably the highlight of our day when
a Sparrowhawk flashed right by the hide and put up all the small
birds on the feeder and the Woodpigeons and Stock Doves in the
far field.
As we headed back to the café for a well-earned lunch we met
two fungi enthusiasts who pointed out Amber Jelly fungus
among the lichen on one of the small trees near the Millennium
Garden. They seemed very excited about this.
53 species.
Mark H and Kathy B
Sunday 21st December.
As we were surveying on the shortest day of the year, Cath, Ray, and I decided to shake things
up. Rather than starting at daybreak we met at noon with the intention of birding through
until dusk. A Cattle Egret with a herd of cows was the first bird of note as we drove into
Pensthorpe.
It was busy with people and cars in the car park, but we found three Redwings and a
Goldcrest. The Collection Pond continues to hold apparently wild drake Red-crested Pochard
and Pintail. Moon water held a lot of gulls but before we could begin counting something
unseen flushed them. Only about half returned and so our totals were lower than we had
hoped.
Walking towards the Wetland Scrape produced a few Blackbirds but little else. It was similarly
quiet at the Farmland Hide. Water levels at the Wetland Hide are now pretty high and there is
next to no muddy edge. In consequence we found but a single Common Snipe. There were
lots of Greylag Geese and a couple of dozen Teal. Old Squaw held the usual suspects but also
singles of Great Egrets and Common Snipe. The highlight was probably a pair of Goldeneye.
It was a gloomy, dank afternoon and the light was beginning to fade, so we split up for a
while to make sure we covered the whole site. Cath and Ray walked the Woodland Trail and I
did the riverside and Makin’s Mere. Our joint efforts produced Siskin, Marsh Tit, Kingfisher
and a hooting Tawny Owl.
We had timed our arrival at Wader Scrape to watch bird activity as dusk fell. We were hoping
for a few Raptors and maybe a Barn Owl, but the conditions did not allow for this. A couple of
Red Kite was as good as we managed. A couple of hundred Starlings were murmurating, but
difficult to pick out in the gathering gloom. It was starting to get cold and so we made to
leave. Just then a Bittern flew in from the west, low over the reeds and then into roost.
Bingo!
One last treat awaited us as we walked back in the near dark, at Moon Water 10 Cormorants were
roosting and we also spotted 5 white blobs partially obscured in the trees. One was a Great White Egret and we could see the yellow bill of a Cattle Egret. It was too dark to identify the rest, but we left very satisfied with our efforts on the shortest day.
Cath, Ray, and Nick.
Tuesday 23rd December.
The weather forecasters had predicted an overcast day with a maximum temperature of 6
degrees and easterly winds of 10 mph gusting to 24 mph. Despite the poor light it was in fact
a very pleasant morning with gentle winds. The car park and adjacent fields were fairly
unremarkable apart from a Buzzard ‘mewing’ overhead.
Starting at the Viewing Lake, the first bird of the day was a Great White Egret! A bird now
routinely seen on the Reserve but not, to the best of my knowledge, at the Viewing Lake?
Also, present was a stunning male Pintail.
Being so close to Xmas I was short of time so decided to survey Moon Water next (usually left
until last). Not a single gull present until right at the last minute when a Herring Gull dropped
in. To be honest it wasn’t the best time of day to survey Moon Water and I suspect there
may well have been a selection of gulls had I surveyed here later.
Libby had just topped up the feeders at the Farmland Hide so they were fairly busy with
Great Tits, Blue Tits and Coal Tits, with Chaffinches ground feeding nearby. The hedgerow to
the right of the Hide was quiet but it’s definitely worth checking the ‘box’ feeders adjacent to
the hedgerow as they were busy too (mainly Tits plus 2 Greenfinch).
Onto the Wetland Hide and a reasonable count of 65 Teal. A Stock Dove was calling from the
distant trees whilst I counted the 195 (!) Greylag Geese on the banks.
From Lake Hide at Old Squaw highlights were another male Pintail along with 6 Little Grebes,
3 Goldeneye (2f, 1m) whilst a Kestel dropped into a silver birch nearby.
Noted on the way to the Woodland Hide were fifteen Long-tailed Tits, a Jay, a Great Spotted
Woodpecker and another Buzzard. At the Hide I recorded a total of 13 species including: 2
Marsh Tit (one with a metal ring), Nuthatch (metal ringed), Great Spotted Woodpecker and
the only Goldfinch of the day.
No sign of any Mandarin Ducks at Makins Mere (or the rest of the Reserve) but I did see
another two Goldeneye (m and f) and 4 Little Grebes.
Counting at the Wader Scrape proved to be very tricky as a lot of birds (mainly Teal and
Wigeon) were nestled into the edge of the bund adjacent to the hides – where you can only
just about see their heads! I managed to count 368 Teal and 11 Wigeon.....although I suspect
there were more than this of these species!
Nothing of note on either Dark Mere or Crane Mere
Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to you all.
Howard C
Wednesday 30th December.
It was a cold morning but still and brighter than the last few days. The car park area was quite
busy with the usual Rooks & Jackdaw but also several Blackbirds. It was lovely to hear a Mistle
Thrush singing, along with Robin and Great Tit, and see some bulbs emerging under the trees.
There were a couple of Redwing down by the café, unusually out in the open so I was able to get a really good view. Other birds of note today were several Goldeneye, the first
male with 2 females on Mill Pond, along with 2 Pochard, and then 2 Wigeon on Moon Water.
There were quite a few large Tit flocks, especially Long- tailed, and as I went into the woods I could hear a Dunnock singing. The Wetland was very quiet with only Egyptian Geese and Teal. There was another male Goldeneye on Old Squaw with 3 females, a Pintail and 5 Little Grebe.
There were noticeably few Raptors, with just 1 Red Kite on the way to the Woodland Hide. I spotted a Nuthatch, and further into the woods a flock of Siskin and Goldfinch. It sounded like there were far more than I was able to see. But no Woodpeckers today.
I took the seasonal pathway and, at the far end, saw a Great White Egret which was my only
Egret of the day, with the only Grey Heron seen on the Scrape. There were large numbers of
Teal here. I was scanning the far trees in the hope of seeing a Buzzard and, to my surprise, saw
a large flock of Barnacle Geese in the field beyond.
Walking back towards the café, the second raptor of the day, a Kestrel, flew over which was a
good end to a lovely morning.
Mandy E
With an icy start soon after sunrise, a few Greenfinches and Redwings, a singing Mistle Thrush
and a Goldcrest were to be the best of 11/2 hours around the car park area, until a Chiffchaff
popped up just before going into the reserve – common in summer but less than annual
winterers in our area.
The visiting drake Red-crested Pochard remained on Mill Pond, and a very showy Kingfisher
spent some time diving into the tiny pond in front of the office buildings next to Millenium
Gardens, where 2 Reed Buntings were jumping about in the reeds. A Woodcock was located
by the 2 small duck ponds next to the Crane pen and was left in peace still roosting.
The feeding stations from the Farmland Hide were as usual busy with Coal, Blue and Great Tits, a Greenfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Dunnocks, then not much counting required at the Wetland, where 1 Common Snipe on an island was literally the only bird there!
Lots of counting of common species at Old Squaw and Moon Water, and among them were single Pochard, Pintail and Great White Egret. Common species only also at Woodland hide, but by the turn into the woodland, a Grey Wagtail and a Water Rail on the wet areas were a nice
surprise, especially the Rail, though it soon scurried off. The woodland itself
was busy with very active Redwings, Goldfinches in the alders, Treecreeper and Nuthatch seen, and
another Nuthatch calling.
No Mandarin Ducks could be found on Makin’s Mere, but a Bittern was found further along, though it
wasn’t showing at all well, and was barely moving. On lastly to the Wader Scrape, with time running out, and just the job of counting the numerous Teal and having a few scans around. Four Reed Buntings were in the reeds with few other species present. The last addition to the list were 35 Starlings flying over, seen out of the café window.
60 species.
Steve C
Tuesday 9th December.
Following a week of strange weather patterns – one day nice, next day miserable, Mark Hill
and I headed out into Storm Bram to do the weekly bird count. We got a taste of what was to
come near the car park where the only signs of life were these Mallards enjoying the
weather. There were also two Egyptian Ducks sat on the fence. At the Mill Pond and Viewing
Lake as well as the captive birds we saw Pintail, Mute Swan, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck and
Mallard.
The weather forecast had predicted the worst of the rain would be first thing so we decided
to reverse our usual route and head first of all for the Wader Scrape so we would have some
shelter for the first part of our walk. It was very quiet as we headed for the scrape and the
only birds we saw were Collared Doves on the aerials on the gift shop, and Blackbird and Blue
Tit near the path. There were some Mallards mating on Dark Mere with two males
completely submerging the female.
When we reached the shelter of the Wader Scrape Hide, we were dismayed to find the seats
soaking wet as the windows had been left open. Rather than stand we wiped them down as
well as we could and settled down to count. The most noticeable thing was the large
numbers of Teal. With no mud present the species number was quite low with Mallard,
Cormorant, Coot, Moorhen, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Shoveler and Tufted Duck.
In the distance, several Cattle Egrets were seen among the herd of Aberdeen Angus. A
Muntjac was spotted headed up the hill.
We headed from there past the wildflower meadow where things started to liven up a bit
and we saw mainly Tits and Redwing flying overhead. We took a slight detour to the
Dragonfly Bridge as there seemed to be quite a lot of activity there. We saw Goldfinch,
Blackbird, Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits and Wren. At the small pond close by we saw
our first Goldcrest and were rewarded with Mandarin Ducks and Little Grebes.
The rain had just about stopped by now. At the woodland hide the staff had been very
generous with the bird food and it was very busy with Robin, Chaffinch and lots of Tits
including one unringed Marsh Tit. Interestingly we observed that the Blue Tits seemed to
prefer the peanut feeders rather than the more easily accessible scattered seed. A Nuthatch
was feeding on this almost all the time we were there. A Treecreeper was spotted in the alder
at the back
From there we headed to Old Squaw hearing Cetti’s Warbler and seeing Magpie on the way.
On the lake were the usual Ducks, Grey Heron and Great White Egret but also our first
Lapwing on one of the small islands. Mark also spotted a Common Snipe on the far bank with
his scope.
From there we headed to the farmland hide where we saw
Dunnock for the first time and Tits and Finches including a
Greenfinch on the feeders. Pheasants were hanging around
hoping for dropped food.
We could see a Buzzard sat in the copse at the top of the field.
What followed next was probably the highlight of our day when
a Sparrowhawk flashed right by the hide and put up all the small
birds on the feeder and the Woodpigeons and Stock Doves in the
far field.
As we headed back to the café for a well-earned lunch we met
two fungi enthusiasts who pointed out Amber Jelly fungus
among the lichen on one of the small trees near the Millennium
Garden. They seemed very excited about this.
53 species.
Mark H and Kathy B
Sunday 21st December.
As we were surveying on the shortest day of the year, Cath, Ray, and I decided to shake things
up. Rather than starting at daybreak we met at noon with the intention of birding through
until dusk. A Cattle Egret with a herd of cows was the first bird of note as we drove into
Pensthorpe.
It was busy with people and cars in the car park, but we found three Redwings and a
Goldcrest. The Collection Pond continues to hold apparently wild drake Red-crested Pochard
and Pintail. Moon water held a lot of gulls but before we could begin counting something
unseen flushed them. Only about half returned and so our totals were lower than we had
hoped.
Walking towards the Wetland Scrape produced a few Blackbirds but little else. It was similarly
quiet at the Farmland Hide. Water levels at the Wetland Hide are now pretty high and there is
next to no muddy edge. In consequence we found but a single Common Snipe. There were
lots of Greylag Geese and a couple of dozen Teal. Old Squaw held the usual suspects but also
singles of Great Egrets and Common Snipe. The highlight was probably a pair of Goldeneye.
It was a gloomy, dank afternoon and the light was beginning to fade, so we split up for a
while to make sure we covered the whole site. Cath and Ray walked the Woodland Trail and I
did the riverside and Makin’s Mere. Our joint efforts produced Siskin, Marsh Tit, Kingfisher
and a hooting Tawny Owl.
We had timed our arrival at Wader Scrape to watch bird activity as dusk fell. We were hoping
for a few Raptors and maybe a Barn Owl, but the conditions did not allow for this. A couple of
Red Kite was as good as we managed. A couple of hundred Starlings were murmurating, but
difficult to pick out in the gathering gloom. It was starting to get cold and so we made to
leave. Just then a Bittern flew in from the west, low over the reeds and then into roost.
Bingo!
One last treat awaited us as we walked back in the near dark, at Moon Water 10 Cormorants were
roosting and we also spotted 5 white blobs partially obscured in the trees. One was a Great White Egret and we could see the yellow bill of a Cattle Egret. It was too dark to identify the rest, but we left very satisfied with our efforts on the shortest day.
Cath, Ray, and Nick.
Tuesday 23rd December.
The weather forecasters had predicted an overcast day with a maximum temperature of 6
degrees and easterly winds of 10 mph gusting to 24 mph. Despite the poor light it was in fact
a very pleasant morning with gentle winds. The car park and adjacent fields were fairly
unremarkable apart from a Buzzard ‘mewing’ overhead.
Starting at the Viewing Lake, the first bird of the day was a Great White Egret! A bird now
routinely seen on the Reserve but not, to the best of my knowledge, at the Viewing Lake?
Also, present was a stunning male Pintail.
Being so close to Xmas I was short of time so decided to survey Moon Water next (usually left
until last). Not a single gull present until right at the last minute when a Herring Gull dropped
in. To be honest it wasn’t the best time of day to survey Moon Water and I suspect there
may well have been a selection of gulls had I surveyed here later.
Libby had just topped up the feeders at the Farmland Hide so they were fairly busy with
Great Tits, Blue Tits and Coal Tits, with Chaffinches ground feeding nearby. The hedgerow to
the right of the Hide was quiet but it’s definitely worth checking the ‘box’ feeders adjacent to
the hedgerow as they were busy too (mainly Tits plus 2 Greenfinch).
Onto the Wetland Hide and a reasonable count of 65 Teal. A Stock Dove was calling from the
distant trees whilst I counted the 195 (!) Greylag Geese on the banks.
From Lake Hide at Old Squaw highlights were another male Pintail along with 6 Little Grebes,
3 Goldeneye (2f, 1m) whilst a Kestel dropped into a silver birch nearby.
Noted on the way to the Woodland Hide were fifteen Long-tailed Tits, a Jay, a Great Spotted
Woodpecker and another Buzzard. At the Hide I recorded a total of 13 species including: 2
Marsh Tit (one with a metal ring), Nuthatch (metal ringed), Great Spotted Woodpecker and
the only Goldfinch of the day.
No sign of any Mandarin Ducks at Makins Mere (or the rest of the Reserve) but I did see
another two Goldeneye (m and f) and 4 Little Grebes.
Counting at the Wader Scrape proved to be very tricky as a lot of birds (mainly Teal and
Wigeon) were nestled into the edge of the bund adjacent to the hides – where you can only
just about see their heads! I managed to count 368 Teal and 11 Wigeon.....although I suspect
there were more than this of these species!
Nothing of note on either Dark Mere or Crane Mere
Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to you all.
Howard C
Wednesday 30th December.
It was a cold morning but still and brighter than the last few days. The car park area was quite
busy with the usual Rooks & Jackdaw but also several Blackbirds. It was lovely to hear a Mistle
Thrush singing, along with Robin and Great Tit, and see some bulbs emerging under the trees.
There were a couple of Redwing down by the café, unusually out in the open so I was able to get a really good view. Other birds of note today were several Goldeneye, the first
male with 2 females on Mill Pond, along with 2 Pochard, and then 2 Wigeon on Moon Water.
There were quite a few large Tit flocks, especially Long- tailed, and as I went into the woods I could hear a Dunnock singing. The Wetland was very quiet with only Egyptian Geese and Teal. There was another male Goldeneye on Old Squaw with 3 females, a Pintail and 5 Little Grebe.
There were noticeably few Raptors, with just 1 Red Kite on the way to the Woodland Hide. I spotted a Nuthatch, and further into the woods a flock of Siskin and Goldfinch. It sounded like there were far more than I was able to see. But no Woodpeckers today.
I took the seasonal pathway and, at the far end, saw a Great White Egret which was my only
Egret of the day, with the only Grey Heron seen on the Scrape. There were large numbers of
Teal here. I was scanning the far trees in the hope of seeing a Buzzard and, to my surprise, saw
a large flock of Barnacle Geese in the field beyond.
Walking back towards the café, the second raptor of the day, a Kestrel, flew over which was a
good end to a lovely morning.
Mandy E
