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.
Monday 3rd March.
A walk round the driveway area gave us a few Redwings on the grass, the last few
House Sparrows hanging on in the courtyard, and a Reed Bunting by the overflow
car park, with a backdrop of a noisy Barnacle Goose flock on the move.
Four Skylarks were chasing around the Farmland field, with a good few Dunnocks
and a Coal Tit at the feeder, and just a small group of Chaffinches in the hedge.
The water level is starting to drop on the Wetland, creating a nice edge for the Grey
Wagtail there. A Cetti's Warbler was singing and Great Spotted Woodpecker
drumming at the back edge, before a briefly sighted Otter flushed the Shovelers,
Pochards and other wildfowl off the water.
From the Lake Hide at Old Squaw, 2 of each Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier,
and Red Kite were in the air together taking advantage of the perfect weather of
bright sun and a light breeze, whilst on the water were a pair of Pintail and a few
Goldeneye and Little Grebe, with 3 Common Snipe at the marshy edge.
The usual visitors to the Woodland Hide feeders included a Marsh Tit and 2 Nuthatch
with a Goldcrest close by.
No Mandarin Ducks were found at Makin's Mere whilst on route to the Wader
Scrape, where there was a large Lapwing gathering, plenty of Gulls and a few more
Pochard, plus a Linnet flock at the far side.
Last port of call was Mill Pond, where a seemingly wild Red-crested Pochard had
paired up with one of the 3 females remaining there from the wildfowl collection.
66 species.
In addition to the forementioned Otter other mammals included:
3 Grey Squirrel, 2 Muntjac Deer, 4 Rabbits and 5 Hares.
Bumble Bees were also noted.
Paul A and Steve C
Friday 14th March.
Although it had rained a fair amount overnight, I arrived at the park on a bright but
chilly day, with a slight breeze and intermittent cloud cover, and so it continued
throughout my morning there.
The most noticeable change since my last visit a month ago was the amount and
variety of birdsong: as well as at least 3 singing Chiffchaffs around the park, there
was a Song Thrush at the farm, and there were Wrens, Robins (lots of Robins!),
Great Tits, Chaffinches and Dunnocks singing everywhere, and a constant
background drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
The feeders at the Farmland Hide were empty, so little to see there. The best
sighting on Wensum Wetland was a pair of Great White Egrets, and Old Squaw was
dominated by lots of very noisy Black-headed Gulls looking ready to pair up on the
rafts and islands. A flock of approx. 20 Linnets greeted me at the entrance to the
woods, and the usual suspects at the Woodland Hide included 2 Marsh Tits (one had
a silver ring on its right leg). A flock of Redwing flew into the woods from an adjacent
field. The Wetland Scrape held large numbers of Lapwing and more Black-headed
Gulls on its islands, as well as several Avocet and the first of several Pochard. Moon
Water had 2 pairs of Goldeneye, as well as the usual gull roost, which included
Common Gulls.
I was interested to note that of the large numbers of Blackbirds, only 2-3 were
female.
I had an enjoyable morning and was left with the definite feeling that Spring was well
on the way!
Mammals: Brown Rat 1, Muntjac Deer 2, Grey Squirrel 2.
54 species.
Slow Worm 1.
Alan H.
Saturday 22nd March
Nick and I met in the car park on a lovely warm spring morning with little wind.
The air was full of bird song - noticeably Greenfinch, and as we moved to the
Wetland Hide we started to hear the sound of several territorial Chiffchaffs in the
woodland.
Two Shelduck greeted us on the roof of the Wetland Hide. There was a wide range
of sightings; the best being - six Common Snipe feeding very close to the hide; a pair
of Marsh Harriers soaring/courting on the warming air; two mating Oystercatchers
and a Kingfisher fly past.
As we moved around Moon Water, there were more raptor sightings with Red Kites
and Buzzard enjoying the warming air. On the water, in great lighting conditions the
mating plumage of the Teal, Gadwall, Little and Great Crested Grebes and Pintails
was a pleasure to see.
Walking to the Wetland Hide two Mediterranean Gulls were heard/sighted flying over
but could not be later found anywhere on the water. At the Woodland Hide we
enjoyed some very colourful Chiffchaffs, and two Marsh Tits kindly arrived just as we
were leaving.
On Dragon Fly Bridge we enjoyed watching a Sparrowhawk soaring for quite some
time, which for me (Stuart), was particularly rewarding as my previous viewings of
Sparrowhawk have always been fleeting.
The Wader Scrape was well occupied, with large numbers Black-headed Gulls,
Lapwings with 15 Avocet and 12 Pochard.
A very enjoyable day in great conditions, and I extend a big thank you to my partner
Nick for filling in the slight gaps in my birding knowledge!
61 species.
Stuart M & Nick P
Wednesday 26th March.
Temp: from 5 degrees to a balmy 16 degrees by midday.; wind was SW which was a
tad chilly initially. But it was a gloriously sunny morning and a delight to be out and
about.
The day started well as we spotted a Sparrowhawk on the drive in and many
Redwing. The final count for these was 35 all on the drive and the nearby field and
we added Mistle Thrush and Treecreeper on the drive. Lots of birdsong and it felt
very Spring like with a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker and many Chiffchaff.
But we’re still awaiting the rest of the Spring migrants.
The Farmland hide was quiet although there were many Corvids attracted to the feed
on the tracks. The Wetland Hide was also quiet really: still some Teal and a pair of
Great Crested Grebes displaying. We were surprised to hear a Tawny Owl calling as
we were on the Meadowland boardwalk and then saw a slowworm under the
corrugated iron top on “Great Reed Warbler Way”. Water levels were slightly down at
the Wader Scrape: so, we could count the Gulls before a couple of Marsh Harriers
put them all up.
And en route back lots more Gulls including at least 4 Mediterranean Gulls (thanks to
Howard for tracking them down amongst the hundreds of Black-headed Gulls).
Waders were still just Lapwing, Oystercatcher and Avocet.
Raptors were Red Kite, Buzzard, and Marsh Harrier plus Sparrowhawk.
We had a very good morning out with good company and wonderful weather and a
feeling that it was about to happen. The migrants are coming……
68 Species.
Mammals: Muntjac Deer 2, Grey Squirrel 2, Brown Rat 2.
Butterflies: Comma 2.
Amphibians: Frog 1, Toad 1.
Howard, Ray, and Cath
A walk round the driveway area gave us a few Redwings on the grass, the last few
House Sparrows hanging on in the courtyard, and a Reed Bunting by the overflow
car park, with a backdrop of a noisy Barnacle Goose flock on the move.
Four Skylarks were chasing around the Farmland field, with a good few Dunnocks
and a Coal Tit at the feeder, and just a small group of Chaffinches in the hedge.
The water level is starting to drop on the Wetland, creating a nice edge for the Grey
Wagtail there. A Cetti's Warbler was singing and Great Spotted Woodpecker
drumming at the back edge, before a briefly sighted Otter flushed the Shovelers,
Pochards and other wildfowl off the water.
From the Lake Hide at Old Squaw, 2 of each Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier,
and Red Kite were in the air together taking advantage of the perfect weather of
bright sun and a light breeze, whilst on the water were a pair of Pintail and a few
Goldeneye and Little Grebe, with 3 Common Snipe at the marshy edge.
The usual visitors to the Woodland Hide feeders included a Marsh Tit and 2 Nuthatch
with a Goldcrest close by.
No Mandarin Ducks were found at Makin's Mere whilst on route to the Wader
Scrape, where there was a large Lapwing gathering, plenty of Gulls and a few more
Pochard, plus a Linnet flock at the far side.
Last port of call was Mill Pond, where a seemingly wild Red-crested Pochard had
paired up with one of the 3 females remaining there from the wildfowl collection.
66 species.
In addition to the forementioned Otter other mammals included:
3 Grey Squirrel, 2 Muntjac Deer, 4 Rabbits and 5 Hares.
Bumble Bees were also noted.
Paul A and Steve C
Friday 14th March.
Although it had rained a fair amount overnight, I arrived at the park on a bright but
chilly day, with a slight breeze and intermittent cloud cover, and so it continued
throughout my morning there.
The most noticeable change since my last visit a month ago was the amount and
variety of birdsong: as well as at least 3 singing Chiffchaffs around the park, there
was a Song Thrush at the farm, and there were Wrens, Robins (lots of Robins!),
Great Tits, Chaffinches and Dunnocks singing everywhere, and a constant
background drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
The feeders at the Farmland Hide were empty, so little to see there. The best
sighting on Wensum Wetland was a pair of Great White Egrets, and Old Squaw was
dominated by lots of very noisy Black-headed Gulls looking ready to pair up on the
rafts and islands. A flock of approx. 20 Linnets greeted me at the entrance to the
woods, and the usual suspects at the Woodland Hide included 2 Marsh Tits (one had
a silver ring on its right leg). A flock of Redwing flew into the woods from an adjacent
field. The Wetland Scrape held large numbers of Lapwing and more Black-headed
Gulls on its islands, as well as several Avocet and the first of several Pochard. Moon
Water had 2 pairs of Goldeneye, as well as the usual gull roost, which included
Common Gulls.
I was interested to note that of the large numbers of Blackbirds, only 2-3 were
female.
I had an enjoyable morning and was left with the definite feeling that Spring was well
on the way!
Mammals: Brown Rat 1, Muntjac Deer 2, Grey Squirrel 2.
54 species.
Slow Worm 1.
Alan H.
Saturday 22nd March
Nick and I met in the car park on a lovely warm spring morning with little wind.
The air was full of bird song - noticeably Greenfinch, and as we moved to the
Wetland Hide we started to hear the sound of several territorial Chiffchaffs in the
woodland.
Two Shelduck greeted us on the roof of the Wetland Hide. There was a wide range
of sightings; the best being - six Common Snipe feeding very close to the hide; a pair
of Marsh Harriers soaring/courting on the warming air; two mating Oystercatchers
and a Kingfisher fly past.
As we moved around Moon Water, there were more raptor sightings with Red Kites
and Buzzard enjoying the warming air. On the water, in great lighting conditions the
mating plumage of the Teal, Gadwall, Little and Great Crested Grebes and Pintails
was a pleasure to see.
Walking to the Wetland Hide two Mediterranean Gulls were heard/sighted flying over
but could not be later found anywhere on the water. At the Woodland Hide we
enjoyed some very colourful Chiffchaffs, and two Marsh Tits kindly arrived just as we
were leaving.
On Dragon Fly Bridge we enjoyed watching a Sparrowhawk soaring for quite some
time, which for me (Stuart), was particularly rewarding as my previous viewings of
Sparrowhawk have always been fleeting.
The Wader Scrape was well occupied, with large numbers Black-headed Gulls,
Lapwings with 15 Avocet and 12 Pochard.
A very enjoyable day in great conditions, and I extend a big thank you to my partner
Nick for filling in the slight gaps in my birding knowledge!
61 species.
Stuart M & Nick P
Wednesday 26th March.
Temp: from 5 degrees to a balmy 16 degrees by midday.; wind was SW which was a
tad chilly initially. But it was a gloriously sunny morning and a delight to be out and
about.
The day started well as we spotted a Sparrowhawk on the drive in and many
Redwing. The final count for these was 35 all on the drive and the nearby field and
we added Mistle Thrush and Treecreeper on the drive. Lots of birdsong and it felt
very Spring like with a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker and many Chiffchaff.
But we’re still awaiting the rest of the Spring migrants.
The Farmland hide was quiet although there were many Corvids attracted to the feed
on the tracks. The Wetland Hide was also quiet really: still some Teal and a pair of
Great Crested Grebes displaying. We were surprised to hear a Tawny Owl calling as
we were on the Meadowland boardwalk and then saw a slowworm under the
corrugated iron top on “Great Reed Warbler Way”. Water levels were slightly down at
the Wader Scrape: so, we could count the Gulls before a couple of Marsh Harriers
put them all up.
And en route back lots more Gulls including at least 4 Mediterranean Gulls (thanks to
Howard for tracking them down amongst the hundreds of Black-headed Gulls).
Waders were still just Lapwing, Oystercatcher and Avocet.
Raptors were Red Kite, Buzzard, and Marsh Harrier plus Sparrowhawk.
We had a very good morning out with good company and wonderful weather and a
feeling that it was about to happen. The migrants are coming……
68 Species.
Mammals: Muntjac Deer 2, Grey Squirrel 2, Brown Rat 2.
Butterflies: Comma 2.
Amphibians: Frog 1, Toad 1.
Howard, Ray, and Cath
