Lower Derwent Valley NNR - January Sightings
The month was dominated by extensive flooding and freezing conditions which resulted in some good winter birding – up to 168 Whooper Swans were present along with three Bewick’s (early in the month), with 5200 Pink-footed Geese and 300 Greylag Geese, alongside a brief appearance of up to four Tundra Bean Geese. Notable counts included 12,000 Wigeon, 9000 Teal, 2788 Mallard, with just 24 Pochard - a far cry from the 1000+ (and up to 5000+) that used to winter on the reserve, with numbers falling in line with national trends. A female Scaup and two redhead Smew were additional highlights.
At least eight Marsh Harriers remained with two to four Hen Harriers across the wider area, whilst a Great White Egret was recorded at several sites throughout the month. Wader numbers varied depending upon flooding and the frozen conditions, however, 6120 Lapwing was a notable count, whilst thermal surveys further increased our knowledge around wintering Woodcock in the area. One or two Jack Snipe and a wintering Green Sandpiper were also logged. The Wheldrake gull roost held two different Mediterranean Gulls and a 1st winter Caspian Gull, although the most popular attraction was the Starling murmuration of up to 150,000 individuals at North Duffield Carrs during the month.
Many thanks as always to everyone who submitted records and counts throughout the month, in particular to members of York Birding, and regular patch birder Duncan Bye. Thanks also to Richard Baines, Duncan Bye, Adam Firth, Tim Jones, Stuart Rapson and David Salisbury for the use of their images below.
BIRDS:
Mute
Swan – Monthly
maximum of 83 on the 22nd.
Whooper
Swan – 140+
were present across the reserve on the 3rd, followed by 120+ on
the 15th and 176 on the 22nd.
Bewicks’
Swan – A
party of three (two adults and one juvenile), remained at North Duffield Carrs between
the 1st - 8th.
Pink-footed Geese – Up to 3250 roosted on the Low
Grounds on the 1st and 2nd with 4000+ there
on the 3rd, building up to 5200 between the 6th -
14th. 2500 were present on the 15th, with numbers
declining thereafter with 613+ remaining by the 22nd to month
end.
In addition to the resident wintering numbers,
several high flying ‘directional’ skeins passed over heading north or
north-west - likely relating to birds returning to the NW coast. These included skeins of 120 on the 5th,
320 on the 6th and 88 on the 8th – this
return spring passage is however now harder to detect given the numbers present
around the reserve over the last few years. 90 flew high and east over Bank
Island on the 16th, followed by a total of 230 in several skeins
on the 18th, followed by 190 on the 19th, 340 on the 20th,
230 on the 21st and 198 on the 22nd. 300+
moved north-west on the 27th followed by 730 over on the 29th
and 218 on the 31st.
Greylag
Goose – 3000+
were present early in the month with reduced numbers thereafter, with flock's
mobile over a wide area in the southern Vale of York. A neck collared bird,
originally ringed at the moulting site at Windermere was seen on the reserve and at several other locations (on the Ouse Ings at Acaster and in the Ryther Ings area of the Wharfe Valley) during
the month.
Tundra
Bean Goose
– Four were present at Bank Island on the 17th before flying
onto the Low Grounds and then over to Wheldrake Ings. Two flew south at Bubwith on
the 27th.
Canada
Goose – Monthly
maximum of 342 recorded on the WeBS on the 22nd.
Egyptian
Goose – A
single at Bank Island on the 1st, with one to three regularly
there thereafter and up to two throughout the month at Elvington Airfield. 14
were present throughout the site on the 22nd.
Shelduck – Good numbers present
throughout, largely in the Thorganby/Ellerton area, where 117 were counted during
the WeBS on the 22nd.
Wigeon
– 12,052 were recorded on the WeBS counts on the 22nd.
Teal –
9242 were counted during the monthly WeBs on the 22nd.
Gadwall – Numbers fluctuated during
the month in response to flooding and freezing conditions. 176 were recorded
early on but declined to 54 on the 22nd before 100+ were
present on the 29th.
Mallard – 2788 were recorded on
the WeBS count on the 22nd.
Pintail – 429 were present throughout
the site on the 8th followed by 250 at Wheldrake Ings on the 29th.
Shoveler – 80 were counted at
North Duffield Carrs on the 7th with 123 throughout
the site on the 29th.
Tufted
Duck – 41
at Wheldrake Ings on the 15th was the largest count during
the month.
Scaup – Last year's individual
remained at Wheldrake Ings between the 1st - 8th -
presumably the same bird that relocated to Dringhouses Pond on the 14th.
A week later it reappeared at Wheldrake again on the 22nd and
remained to month end.
Pochard – Eight were present at
Wheldrake Ings on the 1st before moving to Bubwith Ings on the
2nd. 24 were at North Ings (Elvington) on the 14th,
with 12 at Wheldrake on the 29th.
Goldeneye – 16 were present
throughout the site on the 22nd.
Smew – A redhead was at Storwood
on the 1st with two at Wheldrake Ings the following day on
the 2nd.
Goosander – 12 were at Wheldrake
Ings on the 1st with nine into roost on the 8th
and five there on the 15th. Six were on the Low Grounds on the
17th followed by five at Wheldrake Ings on the 22nd
and 25th. Two were at Bank Island on the 26th
whilst ten roosted at Wheldrake on the 29th - the best
showing for several years.
Cormorant – Up to 21 roosted at
Wheldrake Ings throughout the month.
Little
Egret – Four or five birds were present throughout the
site daily during the month with six at Bank Island on the 31st.
Great White Egret
– One at Hagg Bridge on the 2nd
remained in that area, before moving to the Wheldrake/Bank Island where it was
present until the 8th.
Presumably the same bird then appeared at Melbourne on the 15th, with one/the same at
Thorganby Ings on the 16th, before settling at North Duffield Carrs between the 17th – 22nd
and then onto Hagg Bridge on the 26th
to month end.
Little Grebe
– Freezing conditions concentrated birds on to both the river and Pocklington
Canal with 24 recorded on the 22nd.
Marsh
Harrier –
Three were at Wheldrake Ings on the 1st when five were also at
North Duffield Carrs, with three at both Wheldrake and North Duffield Carrs on the
2nd. At least eight remained across the reserve on the 23rd.
Hen
Harrier –
Last month's immature remained, roosting at North Duffield Carrs on the 1st
-2nd. Two ringtails were hunting together in the Low Grounds/Sutton
Farm area on the 4th and perhaps accounted for a bird seen on
the Tilmire on the 7th. The single juvenile was again present
at North Duffield Carrs at dawn on the 8th and regularly
thereafter until the 26th, with occasional sightings of
another at the Tilmire until the 14th. At least two but
possibly three or maybe even four were present in the wider area during the
month.
Red
Kite – Present
throughout with signs of nest site prospecting.
Peregrine – Up to five or six birds
were recorded during the month.
Merlin – Singles at Bank Island
on the 4th and 17th.
Grey
Partridge
– Two coveys, totaling 14 birds, were recorded in fields by Wheldrake village
on the 3rd followed by 23 there on the 17th.
Up to nine remained at Cheesecake Farm on the 21st with 12
nearby on the 24th. Some of the covey sizes started to reduce
towards the end of the month as early birds started to pair off.
Water
Rail –
The month started with five or six calling birds in the Wheldrake reedbed on
the 1st, with four or five birds present along the
Pocklington Canal and up to three calling birds by the hides at North Duffield
Carrs with another two at Bank Island.
Golden
Plover – 1370+
were present across the reserve on the 1st, which turned out to be the largest
count (very few birds returned to the reserve after leaving the site during the freezing weather).
Lapwing – 4000 were at Wheldrake Ings
on the 1st with an estimated 6120 throughout the site on that
date – up to 7230 by the 2nd. However, just 161 were recorded
after extensive flooding and prolonged freezing conditions on the 22nd.
Snipe – Up to 100 were recorded at Heslington Tilmire throughout the month, with 120 at Wheldrake on the 22nd,
followed by 140 at North Duffield Ings on the 23rd and 100+
at Elvington Airfield on the 25th – total of 800 throughout the wider area.
Jack
Snipe – Two
were recorded at Skipwith Common NNR on the 3rd with three
after dark at North Duffield Ings on the same date. Two were also at Skipwith
Common NNR on the 8th with one at Wheldrake Ings on the 26th
and three there on the 30th.
Ruff
– 16 were
at Wheldrake Ings on the 1st with 30 at Thorganby Ings on the
16th. Another flock of 16 were present again at Wheldrake on
the 29th.
Dunlin
– 200+ were
at North Duffield Carrs on the 13th with 161 there on the 22nd.
Curlew – Up to 22 remained early
in the month with 28 at Wheldrake Ings on the 7th and 25
remaining at month end.
Woodcock – Five were seen on Skipwith
Common NNR on the 2nd and 3rd with six in
fields in Skipwith village after dark on the 3rd – on the same
date four were also at North Duffield Ings. 20+ were present on Heslington Tilmire
on the 6th with 50+ there on the 11th to
month end. 15 were in the Skipwith area on the 12th followed by
11 at Escrick on the 15th. Four had returned to Wheldrake
Ings on the 26th due to the falling water levels.
Black-tailed
Godwit –
Four remained at Wheldrake into the New Year - increasing to six by month end.
Redshank – Small numbers were
scattered throughout the site early in the month with 15 at Thorganby Ings on
the 16th.
Green
Sandpiper
– A single was present near Elvington Airfield after dark on the 5th
– presumably the overwintering bird present in late December.
Caspian
Gull – A
first winter bird was seen again at the Wheldrake Ings roost on the 1st
with another there on the 29th.
Black-headed
Gull – 20,000
were recorded at the Wheldrake roost on the 7th with 10,000 on
the 15th and 12,000 on the 22nd.
Mediterranean
Gull – A
first winter bird was observed at the Wheldrake Ings roost on the 1st
and 2nd, with an adult appearing on the 7th
and again on the 15th and 22nd. Two first
winter birds were feeding in fields by Skipwith Common NNR on the 31st.
Common
Gull – 10,000
were present at the Wheldrake roost on the 15th with 3000 on
the 22nd.
Yellow-legged
Gull – A first
winter was at Wheldrake Ings on the 8th.
Herring Gull – 300 at the Wheldrake roost on the 22nd.
Great
Black-backed Gull
– Up to 100 were present at the Wheldrake roost throughout the month.
Green
Woodpecker
– One at Wheldrake Ings on the 1st with two at Skipwith
Common NNR on the 2nd and then regularly thereafter. Single at
Thorganby village on the 31st.
Starling – 10,000 were present in
the North Duffield/Aughton area at dusk on the 3rd with numbers
increasing quickly thereafter to 50,000+ on the 8th. Numbers
continued to increase with 90,000 on the 15th and 100,000-150,000
by the 17th.
Raven – One flew south through
Bank Island on the 1st.
Cetti’s
Warbler –
Up to two birds continued to winter at Wheldrake, with three also present in
the Church Bridge area of the Pocklington Canal at Melbourne.
Chiffchaff – A single on the
riverside track at Wheldrake Ings near Tower Hide was first heard on the 8th
and again on the 14th.
Blackcap – Two were reported from
gardens at North Duffield during the month with another from Melbourne.
Linnet – Up to 100 roosted at
Bank Island during the month, with a flock of 300 also present in the area
around Cheesecake Farm. 220 roosted at Bank Island on the 30th.
Corn
Bunting –
47 roosted at Church Bridge Melbourne on the 30th.
No comments:
Post a Comment