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.
Wednesday 5th August.
Paul Adams and myself set off to do the bird count at a parched Pensthorpe on
Wednesday morning. We ended up having a very mixed day weather wise! Rain was
just a distant memory and neither of us had thought to bring wet weather gear. This
turned out to be a mistake! The temperature was just 21c which felt decidedly chilly after the recent hot spell.
When we arrived the car park was like a desert with no greenery except some Vipers
Bugloss shining brightly while all else shrivelled. We checked out the field behind the carpark and though birds were scarce we could see a bird sitting
outside the owl box in the Dutch barn at the top of the hill. It was slightly too far away to get a definite
id, but we thought we could check it out if it was still there by using the seasonal footpath by the
hedge. As we made our way round we saw many Black-headed Gulls in eclipse and a female Mallard
with 18 ducklings.
As we walked through the millennium garden, we got a taste of things to come when we discovered the irrigators were on full right by the footpath. We had no choice but to make a
dash for it. This proved to be our first but not last soaking of the day. We headed for the seasonal footpath and ran into Libby. She told us she had heard and seen four Ravens at
Heath Farm. We spent the rest of the day with one ear on alert for them but sadly they didn’t show for us. In the hedge leading up to the barn were several Finches who kept
themselves well hidden. Paul did get a nice picture here of a moulting Reed Bunting missing his tail!
As we approached the Dutch barn, we could see that the bird we had spotted was a Stock
Dove. This left shortly afterwards and two Jackdaws emerged from the hole too. It seems
the box is being used by several species at the moment. We also found this fantastic Buzzard
tail feather (right), one of several on our visit. We carried on around the top of the field, a
first for me. The pond had completely dried up. We also identified two lots of Fox poo.
As we headed to the Wetland scrape, I got a rain warning on my phone. I’d had several of these over the past few days and all had come to nothing so we didn’t take much notice.
We commented as we entered the hide that the area should be renamed ‘The Dryland Scrape’ with water levels at an all- time low. The area at the back had been without water for
so long, vegetation was starting to take hold. Bird numbers were at a minimum with just eight Egyptian Geese, a few Lapwing, a Grey Heron and some Mallards evident. The Swallows nest in the hide was still in use with the adults coming in regularly to feed the youngster. One particularly bold one was watching us from over the edge of the nest.
It was while we were in here the heavens opened and the reserve received a welcome downpour. The
adult Swallows decided to take a break at this point and stay in the dry. We spent the rest of the day dodging showers, usually unsuccessfully and we ended up quite wet.
At Moon Water we spent a while watching the Common Tern families who seem to have done well
this year. There were two distinct age groups – small fluffy ones and some just about to fledge. What
they both had in common though was noisily demanding food from the adults. The older ones were
exercising their wings and helicoptering. We believe we saw one take its maiden flight and if so, this
was an enormous privilege. The Woodland hide was busy mainly with tits including one
unringed Marsh Tit. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Chaffinch were
present too.
As we headed off to the Wader scrape, brighter weather moved in from
the west and the rain stopped. There was lots of activity at the scrape and
we spent almost an hour here. We spotted what we thought was a
juvenile Marsh Harrier sitting on a distant fence post. It eventually took off
and confirmed our identification. It was one of two we spotted in the area.
A Green Sandpiper gave us a good showing on one of the nearer
islands which helped considerably with our Sandpiper identification skills.
We were just about dried out by the time we got back to the café having counted 54 species, not a
bad haul for early August on a dull rainy day.
Mammals: Roe Deer 1, Muntjac Deer 2, Grey Squirrel 4.
Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Gatekeeper. Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood.
Kathy B and Paul A
Friday 14th August
The morning started hot and didn’t take long to get up into the 30s. There were 50 Rooks and
Jackdaws in the carpark, a Coal Tit was singing loudly and a few Blue Tits and 2 Robins.
Wader Scrape was busy, with a Cetti’s Warbler singing on our arrival. A Greenshank, 3 Green
Sandpiper, a Great White Egret, and 2 Grey Herons were busy feeding. Egyptian and Greylag
Geese, and a large flock of Lapwings concealed 12 Golden Plover on the far island.
The Lapwings and Golden plover were disturbed when a Buzzard did a flyby, and flew onto the
dry meadow, making them easier to identify.
A Kestrel sat conveniently on a fence post, with Buzzards and a Red Kite high on the thermals.
The Mandarin Ducks were all in the shade of the trees on Makins Mere. Plenty of dragonflies
on the wing.
In the woods and the Woodland hide it was very quiet. With only a few Blue and Great Tits on
the feeders.
The walk to Lake hide over Otter bridge was an absolute delight. First 30
House Martins were swooping across the fields, and returning to a large
willow tree, before setting off again.
Then the glorious Kingfisher did a dash up the river, before we came across
60 Swallows perched in a tree at the edge of Old Squaw Lake, giving a
brilliant aerial display over the water. Common Terns were resting.
Wetland hide still had 2 unfledged Swallows (left), with the
parents busy.
The wetland was very green, little water, but 1 Green Sandpiper.
51 species.
Cath R and Andy I
Sunday 16th August
Due to the unavailability of my survey companion, I was flying solo for this survey and therefore
decided to combine it with a WeBs survey I was doing with Mark H. This meant a slightly
different route but still involved a good shake of the stick around Pensthorpe. An overcast day
was a blessed relief after all the heat of late and made for easier viewing over the scrapes.
Walking out across the boardwalk we spotted five Mandarin Ducks, the first of 15 seen during
the day as numbers build into the autumn. Summer Warblers are becoming harder to spot as
the breeding season has ended and bird slip away on their migration south. Nonetheless,
courtesy of their contact calls we picked up our first Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs as we walked to
the Wader Scrape.
The scrape continues to hold good amounts of water despite the drought and a decent edge
to the islands is emerging. Being peak wader season there were plenty of birds to look at. A
good hand of Green Sandpipers, a single Common sandpiper and a feather perfect juvenile
Greenshank were our tally. Four Common Snipe were a sure sign that autumn is firmly here.
Further on we heard a soft “tett” and with a bit of patience we spotted an adult Lesser
Whitethroat. Not a common bird at Pensthorpe so pleasing to find. It was a good day too for
Green Woodpeckers with a total of four, seen and heard.
The rest of the survey went as expected. Most pleasing was the sight of five fledged Common
Tern chicks on the islands on Old Squaw with three other smaller chicks. It has been a strange
season for them this year. Initially, they found it hard to find a foothold among the Black-
headed Gull colonies. However, in the middle of June the Old Squaw gull colony was predated
and the adults abandoned the islands as a result, allowing the terns a late chance to lay, or re-
lay. As ever, one species’ loss is another species’ gain.
A final highlight was the large numbers of Swallows and House Martins sitting in trees around
Old Squaw. A testament to the productive breeding seasons both species have enjoyed.
60 species.
Nick P
Tuesday 25th August
Bright and breezy was today’s weather. Loads of hirundine about first thing, and a few
Greenfinches and Linnet as usual, all watched from the overflow car park. Just one female
Mandarin Duck of note on Mill Pond, and just 38 Herring Gulls on Moon Water early on, but
184 there a bit later when I passed it from the Old Squaw side. Gulls were on the move
passing over all day in the strong Easterlies.
A Common Sandpiper on Moon Water was the only wader of the day other than Lapwings,
and on the only area of muddy edge now, following the rains of recent days.
A Humming-bird Hawk-moth was in the gardens, then a short visit
to the Farmland Hide saw a Sparrowhawk whooshing through, a
Yellowhammer in the field and a Raven over calling.
The Wetland was quiet, but plenty of birds albeit with a shortage of
different species greeted me at the Woodland feeders, then a nice find of
a group of Willow Emeralds in the wood, which I sat and enjoyed
for a while.
Higher water levels at the Wader Scrape meant most of the birds were crammed onto the
islands in the tall vegetation making them difficult to count. A nice lot of Lapwings there
though, and Duck numbers building up, with 3 Little Grebes there too, and Hobby and Marsh
Harrier in the air. Then lastly another group of Willow Emeralds beside the path on the way
back, just before reaching Mill Pond.
57 species.
Mammals: Grey Squirrel 6.
Butterflies: Small White many, Speckled Wood 5, painted Lady 1, Peacock 2, Common Blue 2.
Dragonflies & Damselflies: Willow Emerald 15, Common Blue Damselfly many, Brown Hawker
4, Emperor 2, Common Darter 11, Ruddy Darter 2.
Steve C
Paul Adams and myself set off to do the bird count at a parched Pensthorpe on
Wednesday morning. We ended up having a very mixed day weather wise! Rain was
just a distant memory and neither of us had thought to bring wet weather gear. This
turned out to be a mistake! The temperature was just 21c which felt decidedly chilly after the recent hot spell.
When we arrived the car park was like a desert with no greenery except some Vipers
Bugloss shining brightly while all else shrivelled. We checked out the field behind the carpark and though birds were scarce we could see a bird sitting
outside the owl box in the Dutch barn at the top of the hill. It was slightly too far away to get a definite
id, but we thought we could check it out if it was still there by using the seasonal footpath by the
hedge. As we made our way round we saw many Black-headed Gulls in eclipse and a female Mallard
with 18 ducklings.
As we walked through the millennium garden, we got a taste of things to come when we discovered the irrigators were on full right by the footpath. We had no choice but to make a
dash for it. This proved to be our first but not last soaking of the day. We headed for the seasonal footpath and ran into Libby. She told us she had heard and seen four Ravens at
Heath Farm. We spent the rest of the day with one ear on alert for them but sadly they didn’t show for us. In the hedge leading up to the barn were several Finches who kept
themselves well hidden. Paul did get a nice picture here of a moulting Reed Bunting missing his tail!
As we approached the Dutch barn, we could see that the bird we had spotted was a Stock
Dove. This left shortly afterwards and two Jackdaws emerged from the hole too. It seems
the box is being used by several species at the moment. We also found this fantastic Buzzard
tail feather (right), one of several on our visit. We carried on around the top of the field, a
first for me. The pond had completely dried up. We also identified two lots of Fox poo.
As we headed to the Wetland scrape, I got a rain warning on my phone. I’d had several of these over the past few days and all had come to nothing so we didn’t take much notice.
We commented as we entered the hide that the area should be renamed ‘The Dryland Scrape’ with water levels at an all- time low. The area at the back had been without water for
so long, vegetation was starting to take hold. Bird numbers were at a minimum with just eight Egyptian Geese, a few Lapwing, a Grey Heron and some Mallards evident. The Swallows nest in the hide was still in use with the adults coming in regularly to feed the youngster. One particularly bold one was watching us from over the edge of the nest.
It was while we were in here the heavens opened and the reserve received a welcome downpour. The
adult Swallows decided to take a break at this point and stay in the dry. We spent the rest of the day dodging showers, usually unsuccessfully and we ended up quite wet.
At Moon Water we spent a while watching the Common Tern families who seem to have done well
this year. There were two distinct age groups – small fluffy ones and some just about to fledge. What
they both had in common though was noisily demanding food from the adults. The older ones were
exercising their wings and helicoptering. We believe we saw one take its maiden flight and if so, this
was an enormous privilege. The Woodland hide was busy mainly with tits including one
unringed Marsh Tit. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Chaffinch were
present too.
As we headed off to the Wader scrape, brighter weather moved in from
the west and the rain stopped. There was lots of activity at the scrape and
we spent almost an hour here. We spotted what we thought was a
juvenile Marsh Harrier sitting on a distant fence post. It eventually took off
and confirmed our identification. It was one of two we spotted in the area.
A Green Sandpiper gave us a good showing on one of the nearer
islands which helped considerably with our Sandpiper identification skills.
We were just about dried out by the time we got back to the café having counted 54 species, not a
bad haul for early August on a dull rainy day.
Mammals: Roe Deer 1, Muntjac Deer 2, Grey Squirrel 4.
Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Gatekeeper. Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood.
Kathy B and Paul A
Friday 14th August
The morning started hot and didn’t take long to get up into the 30s. There were 50 Rooks and
Jackdaws in the carpark, a Coal Tit was singing loudly and a few Blue Tits and 2 Robins.
Wader Scrape was busy, with a Cetti’s Warbler singing on our arrival. A Greenshank, 3 Green
Sandpiper, a Great White Egret, and 2 Grey Herons were busy feeding. Egyptian and Greylag
Geese, and a large flock of Lapwings concealed 12 Golden Plover on the far island.
The Lapwings and Golden plover were disturbed when a Buzzard did a flyby, and flew onto the
dry meadow, making them easier to identify.
A Kestrel sat conveniently on a fence post, with Buzzards and a Red Kite high on the thermals.
The Mandarin Ducks were all in the shade of the trees on Makins Mere. Plenty of dragonflies
on the wing.
In the woods and the Woodland hide it was very quiet. With only a few Blue and Great Tits on
the feeders.
The walk to Lake hide over Otter bridge was an absolute delight. First 30
House Martins were swooping across the fields, and returning to a large
willow tree, before setting off again.
Then the glorious Kingfisher did a dash up the river, before we came across
60 Swallows perched in a tree at the edge of Old Squaw Lake, giving a
brilliant aerial display over the water. Common Terns were resting.
Wetland hide still had 2 unfledged Swallows (left), with the
parents busy.
The wetland was very green, little water, but 1 Green Sandpiper.
51 species.
Cath R and Andy I
Sunday 16th August
Due to the unavailability of my survey companion, I was flying solo for this survey and therefore
decided to combine it with a WeBs survey I was doing with Mark H. This meant a slightly
different route but still involved a good shake of the stick around Pensthorpe. An overcast day
was a blessed relief after all the heat of late and made for easier viewing over the scrapes.
Walking out across the boardwalk we spotted five Mandarin Ducks, the first of 15 seen during
the day as numbers build into the autumn. Summer Warblers are becoming harder to spot as
the breeding season has ended and bird slip away on their migration south. Nonetheless,
courtesy of their contact calls we picked up our first Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs as we walked to
the Wader Scrape.
The scrape continues to hold good amounts of water despite the drought and a decent edge
to the islands is emerging. Being peak wader season there were plenty of birds to look at. A
good hand of Green Sandpipers, a single Common sandpiper and a feather perfect juvenile
Greenshank were our tally. Four Common Snipe were a sure sign that autumn is firmly here.
Further on we heard a soft “tett” and with a bit of patience we spotted an adult Lesser
Whitethroat. Not a common bird at Pensthorpe so pleasing to find. It was a good day too for
Green Woodpeckers with a total of four, seen and heard.
The rest of the survey went as expected. Most pleasing was the sight of five fledged Common
Tern chicks on the islands on Old Squaw with three other smaller chicks. It has been a strange
season for them this year. Initially, they found it hard to find a foothold among the Black-
headed Gull colonies. However, in the middle of June the Old Squaw gull colony was predated
and the adults abandoned the islands as a result, allowing the terns a late chance to lay, or re-
lay. As ever, one species’ loss is another species’ gain.
A final highlight was the large numbers of Swallows and House Martins sitting in trees around
Old Squaw. A testament to the productive breeding seasons both species have enjoyed.
60 species.
Nick P
Tuesday 25th August
Bright and breezy was today’s weather. Loads of hirundine about first thing, and a few
Greenfinches and Linnet as usual, all watched from the overflow car park. Just one female
Mandarin Duck of note on Mill Pond, and just 38 Herring Gulls on Moon Water early on, but
184 there a bit later when I passed it from the Old Squaw side. Gulls were on the move
passing over all day in the strong Easterlies.
A Common Sandpiper on Moon Water was the only wader of the day other than Lapwings,
and on the only area of muddy edge now, following the rains of recent days.
A Humming-bird Hawk-moth was in the gardens, then a short visit
to the Farmland Hide saw a Sparrowhawk whooshing through, a
Yellowhammer in the field and a Raven over calling.
The Wetland was quiet, but plenty of birds albeit with a shortage of
different species greeted me at the Woodland feeders, then a nice find of
a group of Willow Emeralds in the wood, which I sat and enjoyed
for a while.
Higher water levels at the Wader Scrape meant most of the birds were crammed onto the
islands in the tall vegetation making them difficult to count. A nice lot of Lapwings there
though, and Duck numbers building up, with 3 Little Grebes there too, and Hobby and Marsh
Harrier in the air. Then lastly another group of Willow Emeralds beside the path on the way
back, just before reaching Mill Pond.
57 species.
Mammals: Grey Squirrel 6.
Butterflies: Small White many, Speckled Wood 5, painted Lady 1, Peacock 2, Common Blue 2.
Dragonflies & Damselflies: Willow Emerald 15, Common Blue Damselfly many, Brown Hawker
4, Emperor 2, Common Darter 11, Ruddy Darter 2.
Steve C
