Lower Derwent Valley NNR - July Sightings
Highlights
included another Spoonbill on the 5th and 6th which
lingered long enough for several of the local birders to connect with it. A White Stork
was briefly in the Hagg Bridge area on the 6th before it was tracked
over Wheldrake, Thorganby and Skipwith, before being picked up further south
towards Thorne later in the morning. Two vocal Cranes flew over
Wheldrake on the 15th.
A
further two Ospreys were recorded during the month whilst Hobbies
also showed well with up to five at Wheldrake Ings towards dusk. The first
returning wader passage started to pick up with several Little Ringed
Plover present early in the month and a passage flock of 35 Black-tailed
Godwits (28th). A fly-through Knot on the 18th was
more unseasonal and the usual build up in Green Sandpipers saw numbers
reach a high of nine late in the month. Two Wood Sandpiper were also
noted whilst two Mediterranean Gulls were also recorded. Two Redstarts
were present (Wheldrake and Seavy Carr) on the 19th following the
first (of four) Whinchats on the 13th. An influx of Grasshopper
Warblers saw at least seven reeling birds appear during the month, whilst
at least three broods of Cetti’s Warblers were confirmed at Wheldrake.
Many
thanks as always to everyone who contributed records and sightings throughout
the month, in particular to members of York Birding and regular patch birder Duncan
Bye. Thanks also to Duncan for the use of his photographs below.
BIRDS:
Whooper
Swan – A
single reappeared and remained throughout the month at North Duffield Carrs.
Egyptian
Goose – Thirteen
flew over Bank Island on the 14th and were later present at
Thornton Ellers on the 19th.
Wigeon – Two drakes remained at Wheldrake Ings during the month with possibly the first returning flock of 12 over Melbourne on the 23rd.
Teal –
Numbers remained low early in the month with up to 15 at Wheldrake Ings
increasing to 20 there by month end.
Mandarin
– Two were at Wheldrake Ings on the 16th.
Garganey
– A single eclipse drake was present at Wheldrake Ings on the 13th with three fledged
juveniles seen at Bank Island on the 28th.
Shoveler
– Good numbers of fledged and unfledged broods remained
throughout the month.
Gadwall – Good numbers of fledged and unfledged broods remained throughout the
month.
Tufted
Duck – One
or two were present daily throughout the site with a brood of nine at North
Duffield Carrs.
Little
Egret – The large numbers present in late June decreased
early in the month as post-breeding birds dispersed. Following on from that
only single figure counts could be made around the second half of the month
until an influx brought 20 back to the site on the 30th.
Grey Heron
– Up to 30 remained throughout the site during the month.
Great White Egret
– Three were present at Wheldrake Ings on the 30th
with one roosting by the Pocklington Canal at Storwood on the 31st.
Spoonbill
– A juvenile was at Bank Island and Wheldrake Ings on the 5th and 6th, reappearing briefly at
Bank Island on the 16th.
White Stork – An adult was present at Hagg Bridge on the 6th before flying off towards Wheldrake and south down the valley over Skipwith Common NNR. It was presumably the same bird (with primary damage) that was present in South Yorkshire the previous day, which was then seen again after leaving Skipwith Common as it flew south over the M62 and M18 30 mins later.
Grey Partridge
– A pair with six fledged young were at Hagg Lane, East Cottingwith on the 22nd. A pair remained at
Bank Island with eleven pairs at Ryedale Farm, Melbourne.
Common Crane
– Two flew south down the valley excitedly calling on the 15th.
Quail
– Singles were at Thornton Ellers on the 12th
and Wheldrake Ings on the 13th,
with the Thornton bird remaining until at least the 17th.
Osprey
– A single flew along the Pocklington Canal between Hagg Bridge and Storwood on
the 14th with another
over Elvington on the 24th.
Marsh
Harrier –
A single cream-crown remained throughout the month with two juveniles seen at
Wheldrake Ings on the 20th. A sub-adult male was at Melbourne
on the 30th.
Peregrine – Adults were at
Elvington on the 21st, Wheldrake on the 22nd
and Thorganby on the 25th.
Hobby – Two pairs were located
to their nest site during the month with seven young reared between them. Five
were at Wheldrake Ings at dusk on the 23rd with regular
sightings of single birds throughout the site. Birds were then seen daily
around Melbourne village throughout the second half of the month.
Little
Ringed Plover
– Two were present at Bank Island between the 1st and 7th
with three juveniles there between the 8th and 10th.
Oystercatcher – Small numbers were
noted moving throughout the month with many heard on nocturnal passage. Eight
were at Bank Island on the 28th, followed by on 30th.
Ten were at Wheldrake Ings on the 31st.
Lapwing – Up to 200 post-breeding
birds remained throughout the month with the last fledged brood of two seen at
Bank Island on the 17th.
Black-tailed
Godwit – Four
were present from the 1st to 3rd with two
remaining thereafter to the 7th. A single summer plumaged
adult was at North Duffield Carrs on the 21st. A flock of 35
flew into Bank Island on the 28th.
Knot – A single flew south at
Wheldrake Ings on the 18th.
Curlew – Fifteen chicks were
recorded on the 14th with a further five newly fledged young seen
on the 21st. A family party of three fledged young were seen at
Wheldrake Ings on the 25th to month end with seven there on
the 29th.
Whimbrel – A single flew south at
Wheldrake at dawn on the 15th whilst nocturnal passage was
noted in the area on the 30th and 31st.
Greenshank – A single at Bank Island
on the 30th.
Redshank – Two pairs that bred at
Bank Island raising eight young remained at Bank Island early in the month,
whilst three pairs had ten young at Melbourne Ings early in the month. A pair
at Bank Island still had unfledged young on the 12th with all
birds departing the site by the 20th.
Green Sandpiper – Up to five lingered between Bank Island and Wheldrake Ings early in the month, with six then seen on the 12th and seven on the 27th and 28th. Nine were present throughout the site on the 31st.
Common
Sandpiper
– One at Bank Island from the 1st to 4th
with one at Wheldrake Ings on the 16th.
Wood
Sandpiper
– Single at Bank Island on the 8th was the first returning
bird of the autumn with another there on the 15th and 17th.
Mediterranean
Gull – A
single moulting adult was present in fields around East Cottingwith on the 22nd
with an adult seen over Bank Island on the 30th.
Common
Tern – Up
to eleven (the family party and pairs plus additional passage birds) were
present at Bank Island until the 5th. The birds largely
departed the site from the 8th with just occasional adults/presumed
passage individuals noted thereafter to month end. An adult flew into the pool
at Wheldrake on the 30th.
Cuckoo – A single calling male
was heard at Wheldrake Ings on the 12th.
Green
Woodpecker
– A single was reported regularly in the Bank Island and Wheldrake area during
the month, with a single pair breeding at Thorganby.
Redstart – Two juveniles appeared
on the 19th – a single at Seavy Carr with another caught and
ringed in the reedbed at Wheldrake Ings.
Whinchat – The first returning
bird of the autumn, a juvenile, appeared at Wheldrake Ings on the 13th
and remained until the 19th. Three were then present between
the 20th and 22nd with two there until the 28th
and a single thereafter to month end.
Spotted
Flycatcher
– A single pair were found breeding in the Melbourne area during the month,
with a family party of four at Skipwith Common NNR on the 30th.
Two were present near the Melbourne Arm on the 29th –
presumably a dispersing local brood.
Grasshopper
Warbler –
A single reeling male was at Wheldrake Ings between the 7th and 12th
with two there on the 9th and three on the 10th.
One remained until at least the 17th with a new un-ringed
bird present at Bank Island (by Cheesecake Hide) on the 18th.
Two reeling birds were then at Seavy Carr on the 19th. Birds remained at Wheldrake and Bank Island with
two there on the 22nd followed by another new bird caught and
ringed (but not reeling) at Wheldrake Ings on the 25th. A
single remained at Bank Island to month end.
Raven – A single flew over the
Low Grounds on the 28th with one (presumably the same) at
Melbourne on the 29th.
Nuthatch – One on the riverside
path at Wheldrake Ings on the 28th.
Cetti’s
Warbler –
A single adult female with a brood patch was caught and ringed at the Wheldrake
Ings reedbed on the 11th with a newly fledged juvenile ringed
on the pool on the 22nd. A pair with four newly fledged young
were present along the riverside path at Wheldrake Ings from the 27th
to month end. In total three different broods were reported from Wheldrake including
a minimum of six young.
Corn Bunting – Up to two singing males remained at Wheldrake Ings early in the month until at least the 12th.
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