TITTESWORTH BIRD NEWS
Autumn 2009 issue
(Covers the period – July to September)

Weather and season

JULY: The early part of July was hot leading to a successful Wimbledon tennis championship without any delays due to rain. However, overall, July proved to be a very wet month, it being the wettest July on record for England and Wales but the mean temperature was close to the 1971-2000 average across the UK.
AUGUST:  Rainfall was above normal for the UK as a whole (133%). It was generally a dull month with much cloud. It was a very disappointing “summer” month.  Not a good barbecue month as predicted by the Met Office earlier in the year. The remnants of hurricane “Bill” brought rain and wind to western and northern areas on the 25th and 26th.
SEPTEMBER: September was the summer we never had – an Indian summer you might say. The rainfall for the month was 40% below and sunshine 9% above the monthly average. Locally the daytime temperatures reached the mid to late teens most days, with the highest temperature of 22ºC being recorded on the 8th. The reservoir level dropped a little to reveal the top of the Large Island.

The Autumn Equinox was on the 22nd September. By the end of the month some leaves were changing colour, notably those of the Horse Chestnut. Autumn is upon us.

Site upgrades and conservation activities

I am indebted to Chris Fry for the Tittesworth update of site upgrades and activities. Chris is a ST ranger – formerly a Tittesworth employee and now part-time conservation office for the site but primarily he is now a regular ranger at Upper Derwent Valley.

Practical issues: Hay cuts have started again. The main meadows were cut by Mr Barlow and Chris tackled the more difficult to reach areas such as by the poplars on the west side of the main reservoir.

Amongst the many flowering plants found the following are worth highlighting: Devil’s Bit Scabious (blue), Purple Loosestrife, Southern Marsh Orchid (pink), Common Spotted Orchid (pink), Water Mint (pale blue), Adder’s Tongue Fern, Yellow Flag Iris, Yellow Rattle and Meadow Sweet (very pale yellow). Surveys by Val Riley, a botanist with the SWT and Meerbrook resident, and also the Sheffield branch of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) have confirmed the high value of these wild flower rich habitats. Moschatel or Town-hall-clock and Broad-leaved Helliborine have reappeared this year. Work has been done to ensure that Rhododendrons do not take over their areas by cutting back the “rhodies” and spraying off the remaining stumps.

In the past year over one hundred bird boxes have been erected. Thanks are due to the Peak Park rangers, based at Marsh Farm, Tittesworth volunteer rangers and the site’s local birders who have helped put them up and monitor their usage.

Hedge laying will start this winter with the help of BTCV volunteers. In the long term this will be good for wildlife and extend the lifespan and use of hedges as stock barriers.

The site has obtained funding through the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme for an additional bird hide. It will be located on the west side of the reservoir. Chris has found a good spot, which provides views into the woodland areas around, including a stream, standing deadwood, young broadleaved areas and some majestic old oaks. The timber for the hide will be supplied by ST from woodlands in the Upper Derwent, grown with good environmental practise and milled in ST’s own sawmill in the Upper Derwent. It will be a simple hide, with no roof, just general shelter and screening.  It is hoped this will deter the wrong kind of visitor and prevent fires, vandalism and litter. The intention is to have the hide finished during this coming winter.

Chris is pleased that Oystercatchers and Lapwings have used the Small Island for nesting this year. This island was “raised up” a few years ago, ensuring it is always above water level.

A site bird survey by Richard Dale

Richard Dale, Nestwatch Coordinator from the Upper Derwent Valley, spent a day at Tittesworth on
the 26th May this year surveying site birds. He did not include birds on the water or in the air. Chris passed on Richard’s report to me, which I have shared with several regular and long term site birders including Steve Gibson, John Oakes (site recorder) and Brenda Scott (annual bird report editor). All observations made on site are welcome and help us to understand the site better.  Steve feels that if Richard repeats the exercise next year a couple of extra volunteers helping out could give a very comprehensive one day survey indeed, again useful information about the site.

Richard split the site into six distinct areas and listed findings for each. All told 30 species were identified and numbers for each species found were given. Some of the overall highlights are given below:

Tawny Owl (1), Great Spotted Woodpecker (3) – pair feeding young at nest hole, Wren (28) – 26 singing, Robin (22) – 19 singing, Blackbird (26) 10 singing and a pair nest building, Song Thrush (14) – included a family party (8 birds singing); warblers [Sedge, Whitethroat, Garden, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow] (93) – 87 singing, Spotted Flycatcher (1), Pied Flycatcher (1), tits [Long-tailed, Coal, Great and Blue] (62), Chaffinch (33) – 20 singing, Goldfinch (13) – 5 singing, Lesser Redpoll (2) – both singing and Reed Bunting (6) – all singing.

There are a number of important points about this survey. It is, of course, always wise to note all unusual or rare birds, thus to know that only two flycatchers (1 Pied and 1 Spotted) were present is a concern. Can this be addressed? Decline in these species has occurred in their wintering territories. Some site recorders are apt to overlook or ignore the so-called common species. It is equally important to know the status of common species thus Richard’s report gives us an indication of how well they are doing on this site. The fact that a species has graced our site is great but numbers present can be very revealing. It’s a comfort to know that 14 Song Thrushes were found in one day. This species is generally in decline. I think the message from this report is to pay attention to ALL species and report commoner species – with numbers, at least sometimes.

A copy of Richard’s report has been pinned to the back wall of the west hide.

Long distance gull

On the 26th June Steve Gibson found a Lesser Black-backed Gull at Tittesworth with a leg ring. Steve noted the ring code and sent the information to the BTO. The BTO informed him that the bird had been ringed at Bath on the 6th July 2007. They also said that the bird had subsequently been recorded at Ferrol (Coruna, Spain) in January 2009. Steve’s photo of this bird can be seen at the back of the west hide logbook. Well done Steve, a very interesting find.

Tittesworth outdoor activities for the public this coming quarter

OCTOBER: Sunday the 18th. Artful Autumn. Take artistic inspiration from the autumn landscape. Meet at the barbecue shelter from 2-4pm. Cost £1. Sunday the 25th October to Sunday the 1st November daily. Halloween Trail. Pick up your sheet from reception 10.30am-4pm. Cost £1.50. Thursday the 29th. Halloween night walk. Join friends from the Walk to Water project and take a daring trip about the site in the dark! An adventurous walk! Ghostly tales to follow by the reservoir! Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at the barbecue shelter at 6pm, to finish at 8pm. A FREE event.

NOVEMBER: Sunday the 8th. Feed the birds. Make a bird feeder! Meet at the barbecue shelter from 2-4pm. Cost £1.50. Sunday the 15th. Habitat helpers. Join the Rangers and help them carry out practical habitat work to help native wildlife. Hot drinks will be provided. Wear old clothes and stout footwear plus bring a packed lunch. Under 16s to be accompanied by an adult. Meet at the Visitor Centre at 10.30am, finishing around 12.30pm. A FREE event but BOOKING ESSENTIAL! Call 01538 300400. Sunday the 25th. Bat walk. Meet at the barbecue shelter at 7pm for an informative talk about our nocturnal friends, followed by a short walk on site. Under 16s to be accompanied by an adult. Cost £2. BOOKING ESSENTIAL! Call 01538 300400.

DECEMBER: Sunday the 6th. Step into Christmas. Take a festive walk, then; back at the Visitor Centre to create some natural Christmas decorations. Minimum age 5. Meet at the barbecue shelter at 2pm, finishing at 4pm. A FREE event. Sunday the 20th. Christmas cracker race – a fell race. Only for the mad and very fit! I would have been in my element 30 years ago!! Contact Dave Owen on 01538 382438.

West Midland Bird Club (WMBC): Staffordshire Branch: Indoor meetings

Tuesday the 3rd November. 100 years of Bird Ringing. A BTO speaker.
Tuesday the 1st December. A Shropshire Birder’s year by Jim Almond.
Meetings held at Perkin Engines Sports & Social Club, Tixall Road, Stafford starting at 7.30pm.
Contact numbers for indoor and field meetings: 01782 253502 (Andy Lawrence) and 01630 673409.

BIRD and other nature news: selected highlights

JULY:
On the first of the month 27 Curlews were counted and a Barn Owl was noted. There were 15 adult Great Crested Grebes with 5 youngsters on the 4th. There were also five adult Oystercatchers and one juvenile. Also of note on the same day: a Barn Owl, a Tawny Owl, 32 Coots, three Common Sandpipers, 45 Lapwings and five Whitethroats. Of note on the 5th: 10 Grey Herons, six juvenile Great Crested Grebes, eight Common Buzzards, a Peregrine and one juvenile each of Moorhen, Coot and Willow Warbler. A GANNET was found on the 8th but unfortunately it was in a bad way. It was rescued and initially transferred to a veterinary surgery in Leek but was then passed onto the RSPCA rescue centre at Stapeley Grange, near Nantwich. Sadly the emaciated bird died on the 10th. On the 10th there were 78 Lapwings, three Common Sandpipers, a female Sparrowhawk and three Spotted Flycatchers. Of note on the 12th: two Kingfishers, three Ravens, a Pink-footed Goose, 303 Canada Geese, five Tufted Duck ducklings, a Sand Martin and a Lesser Redpoll. A good find on the 17th was a GREEN SANDPIPER.

Green Sandpiper

Also of note on the 17th: a Kingfisher, two adult Common Sandpipers and two juveniles, three adult Willow Tits + two juveniles, four Whitethroats and three Spotted Flycatchers. The best find of the day on the 18th was a Common Tern. Also noted on the same day – four Spotted Flycatchers, a pair of Bullfinches, a Jay, 15 Swifts and two Kingfishers. Lapwing numbers had lifted to 89 by the 19th. Also present – a Greylag Goose and three Oystercatchers. Lapwing numbers had risen again to 107 by the 22nd. A juvenile SCAUP was located on the 30th – a site rarity. An adult Blackcap was also seen feeding young. A Redshank also turned up.  On the last day of the month the following butterfly species were noted: Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and Small Copper.

AUGUST:
Eight SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS including three juveniles were found on the 2nd.

Spotted Flycatcher

Also of note on the same day: five Sand Martins, a Peregrine over the Roaches and eight Song Thrushes. On the 5th there was a Grey Wagtail, a Dipper, a Little Owl and four species of bumblebee.
A GRASSHOPPER WARBLER, a site rarity was seen on the 9th. A Hobby and seven Snipe were also seen as well as three owl species – Barn, Little and Tawny. Eight species of butterfly were noted including Painted Lady, Peacock and Small Heath. A Southern Hawker dragonfly was noted on the 14th. A male Hobby was found injured on the path by the River Churnet and taken to the Kingsley Bird & Falconry Centre on the 15th. On the 16th another Hobby was seen. Three Whitethroats, a Grey Wagtail, three Kingfishers and a flock of over 50 Goldfinches were also present. The 19th yielded yet another Hobby.  A Greenshank flew through on the 22nd.  Eight Long-tailed Tits were also observed. Among the butterfly species there were Red Admiral and Speckled Wood. There was a mixed corvid flock numbering over 250 on the 23rd. The flock consisted of Crows and Rooks, the latter species uncommon on the site.  A first summer Arctic Tern appeared on the 29th. An adult Common Tern was also present plus a Hobby was noted. Of the many species present on the 30th the following were of note: one Snipe, two Mandarins, two Kingfishers, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and over 25 Long-tailed Tits. The last day of the month was notable for the finding of two dragonfly species, the Common and Brown Hawkers.

SEPTEMBER:
On the 2nd there were three Sand Martins, a Raven, a Snipe and a Nuthatch. A Little Grebe was found on the 5th, a very uncommon visitor to the site. Two Wigeon were also noted on the Conservation Pool. On the 6th there were three Snipe, about 50 Lapwings and over 20 Long-tailed Tits. Three Kingfishers flew past the west hide on the 9th.  Many species were noted on the 12th including 11 Great Crested Grebes, 17 Tufties, 11 Snipe, four Grey Wagtails, five Swallows, 40+ House Martins, three Moorhens, a Jay and hundreds of Roaches in the Conservation Pool. Wigeon numbers rose to five by the 14th.  Fourteen Chiffchaffs were singing on the same day. Plants in bloom on the 15th included Devil’s-bit Scabious (blue), Purple Loosestrife, Ragged Robin (pink) and Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil (yellow). On the 18th a female Shoveler put in an appearance. Thirteen Snipe, 14 Meadow Pipits and 45 Goldfinches were also counted. Six female Goosanders were observed on the 19th. It was also good to see three Skylarks on the same day. Two good finds on the 20th: four CROSSBILLS and a juvenile Hobby.

Crossbill

Twenty five Siskins were seen on the 21st. Two male and three female Crossbills were found in Forster’s Wood on the 23rd.  By the 26th the Crossbill count had risen to seven. Also Teal numbers had reached 36 and a single Gadwall was noted. On the 27th a male Common Pochard was observed, a LESSER WHITETHROAT found and 47 Pink-footed Geese flew by. A Red Stag was seen nearby. Four Crossbills were seen in Forster’s Wood. On the 30th hirundines were about, 60+ Swallows, three Sand Martins and five House Martins. Also of note: – 33 Teal, three Jays, a pair of Bullfinches, a pair of Blackcaps and 12 Snipe.

As usual the above listed observations represent less than 10% of those recorded in the logbook. Hopefully I have chosen some of the more interesting sightings. Thanks to all who have made logbook entries.

Ray Perry                                                                                                                              10th October 2009
Tel: 01625 432668: Email: ray_perry@btinternet.com