TITTESWORTH BIRD NEWS

Winter 2009 issue
(Covers the period – October to December)

Weather and season

OCTOBER: October was regarded as a second “Indian summer” month. Daytime temperatures in this area were typically in the range 12 to 17ºC, with a high of 19ºC on the 6th. Nationally the mean temperature was 1-2ºC above the 1971-2000 average. The first half of the month was dominated by high pressure and the second half by low pressure. There was very little rain about in the local area and in the midlands & northwest England as a whole, just 50-70% of the October average was recorded. Quite surprisingly for such a mild month there was frost overnight on the 11th and 12th.  British Summer Time ended on the 24th October.

NOVEMBER: The month was characterised by a number of severe rainfall events affecting places across the whole of the UK. Records for November rainfall had been broken in many areas well before the end of the month. The local area escaped the heavy rain until the 23rd, when roads were flooded and some became streams! There was also very heavy rain the following day. Further afield over 400mm of rain fell on higher parts of the Lake District, with 316mm being recorded at Seathwaite on the 19th. Devastating floods resulted in Cumbria, especially around Cockermouth and Workington. Daytime temperatures in our local area ranged from 5ºC to 16ºC. Mean temperatures were well above the 1971-2000 norm for November, typically by between 1.5 and 2.5ºC over England and Wales. For the UK, provisionally November was the warmest since 2003 and ranks seventh in a series starting in 1914. On the last day of the month there was a frost overnight, the temperature dropping to minus five degrees Celsius. UK wide it was the wettest November since 1951. Sunshine was about average for the time of year.

DECEMBER: Local daytime temperatures ranged from zero to 8ºC. For much of the month it was quite sunny. There was a smidgeon of snow on the 17th but 3 inches fell on the 20th and another one inch fell on the 22nd.  The lowest overnight temperature occurred on the 22nd, minus 9ºC. A thaw started on Christmas Eve. In this part of the world most of the snow had gone by the year’s end. UK wide the mean temperature was about 2ºC below the 1971-2000 norm for England and Wales. Overall it was the coldest December since 1995. Provisionally, it was the second sunniest December in a series from 1929 and similar to December 2008. The Winter Solstice was on the 21st of December. As you now know there was more bad weather to come in the New Year!

West Midland Bird Club (WMBC) events

The following events have been organised by the Staffordshire Branch of the WMBC in the next quarter:

Indoor events:  2nd February: Birds of the Wetlands by Barry Trinder.  2nd March: The BTO Atlas Project by Dawn Balmer plus the branch AGM. Indoor meetings take place at Perkins Sports and Social Clubrooms, Tixall Road, Stafford ST16 3UB, starting at 7.30 pm.
Field events: 21st February: Doxey Marshes. 28th March: Tittesworth Water.

For more information, contact via phone – 01782 253502 (Andy Lawrence) and 01630 673409.

If you would like to become a member of the WMBC contact the Membership Secretary, John Hoyle at 22 Montfort Road, Coleshill, B46 3LT. Email: membership@westmidlandbirdclub.com. Membership rates: Standard: £17 (No reserve access), Inclusive: £25 (access to three reserves included).

BIRD and other nature news: selected highlights

OCTOBER:
On the 3rd the star find was a group of four WHOOPER SWANS on the Conservation Pool at about 8.30 am, departing at around 11.45 am.

Whooper Swans

Also of note on the 3rd: two Mute Swans, seven Grey Herons, four Wigeon, a female Shoveler, 18 Teal, a female Sparrowhawk, three Common Buzzards, three Ravens, five Jays, two Nuthatches, 24 Swallows, five Sand Martins and a Chiffchaff. Altogether this was a very exciting birdwatching day. On the 4th 128 Lapwings were counted. Also present: two Snipe, a Kingfisher, a Kestrel, the female Shoveler and seven Tufted Ducks. By the 7th Lapwing numbers had lifted to 148. Also of particular note: 14 Coots, three Moorhens – an incredibly scarce species at Tittesworth, three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a pair of Crossbills in Foster’s Wood, five Snipe, three Coal Tits, a Kingfisher, a Dipper – an excellent find, and a Little Owl. Over 20 Redwings were seen in the Churnet valley on the 9th – the first arrivals of the current winter season.  On the 10th the first Goldeneye (female) of the season was noted plus three Mute Swans (a male and two juveniles), 21 Snipe and a Common Gull. A count was made on the 11th of the Mallards, which showed that there were 192 birds present. On the same day 22 Snipe were noted as well as the following: two Kingfishers, 16 Coots, a Tawny Owl, a Pheasant, 14 Swallows flying south and a Nuthatch. Of note on the 14th: 15 Great Crested Grebes, 34 Wigeon, 45 Teal, seven Swallows over the Conservation Pool, four Skylarks, a Kingfisher, a Grey Wagtail and two Ravens. On the 17th 42 Fieldfares were counted – the first of the winter season, 17 Redwings, a Green Woodpecker – now a site rarity, two Kingfishers, a male Pochard – the first of this winter season, four Goosanders, three Lesser Redpolls and two WILLOW TITS – very scarce nationally.

Willow Tit

The 18th yielded the following: a male Pochard – the first of this winter season, five Crossbills (3 males & 2 females), 36 Teal, 15 Snipe, 11 Cormorants, 167 Black-headed Gulls, two Swallows, a wing tagged Common Buzzard, a pair of Bullfinches, and 25 SISKINS.

Siskin

On the 19th there were 41 Teal. The best find on the 21st was a PEREGRINE.

Peregrine

A male Mandarin was noted on the 21st plus 21 Snipe, three Mistle Thrushes and a pair of Bullfinches. On the 23rd approximately 60 Siskins were found. Of note on the 24th: 48 Teal, a female Shoveler, 28 Snipe, 15 Long-tailed Tits, two Jays, and two Kingfishers.  Sixty-one Wigeon and 58 Teal were counted on the 24th.  Also noted were a female Shoveler, 28 Snipe, 15 Long-tailed Tits, two Jays and two Kingfishers. Wigeon numbers were up to 61 by the 25th.  A Red Admiral butterfly was noted on the same day. Two Little grebes were recorded on the 27th – a very uncommon species at Tittesworth. Of note on the 28th: 175 Redwings, 300+ Fieldfares and 47 Snipe. On the 29th a pair of Goldeneye were observed. Also there were eight Meadow Pipits, 18 Siskins and 14 Lesser Redpolls. On the 31st the first five Bramblings of the current season arrived. 205 Lapwings and 35 Snipe were present plus three Golden Plover, a Shoveler, 38 Teal, three Kingfishers, a Willow Tit, 33 Siskins, 13 Lesser Redpolls and a Red Admiral butterfly.

NOVEMBER:
On the first day of the month a COMMON SANDPIPER was located.

Common Sandpiper

Also sighted on the first were two Whooper Swans, 35 Snipe, two Grey Wagtails and two Meadow Pipits. Of note on the 4th: two female Goldeneyes, 38 Wigeon, 62 Teal, 37 Snipe, a Crossbill and a Skylark. There were 16 Crossbills on the 7th plus nine Mistle Thrushes, 40 Redwings, 32 Fieldfares, two Willow Tits and a pair of Pochards. Of note on the 8th: eight GOOSANDERS, two Little Grebes and 160+ Rooks – a species rarely seen on site.

Goosander (male)

Of note on the 11th: nine Crossbills, 35 Siskins, three Nuthatches and a Dipper. A wing tagged Common Buzzard was located on the 14th. Also seen – two Bramblings and eleven Crossbills.  By far the best find on the 15th was a RED-THROATED DIVER, only the second for the site. The first was seen way back in 1997. 

Red-throated Diver (winter)

On the 16th there were over 100 Fieldfares and over 50 Redwings present. Two ringed immature birds were noted in the small Black-headed Gull flock on the 18th. Of note on the 21st: 55 Teal, 28 Snipe, 42 Common Gulls, three Crossbills, three Jays, three Goldcrests and a Red Fox. The following were in the gull roost on the 22nd: over 900 Black-headed, four Lesser Black-backed, four Common and three Great Black-backed gulls. Also noted – 45 Siskin, a Tawny Owl and 200+ Redwings. There were approximately 1800 Black-headed Gulls in the roost on the 25th. Also there was a substantial Starling flock on site, estimated at over 1600. Of note on the 29th: a pair of Peregrines and two Redshanks.

DECEMBER:
Among the many species seen on the 2nd the following are worth mentioning: 101 Canada Geese, 39 Teal, a pair of Shovelers, five Pochards, six Wigeon, three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, four Coal Tits, five Bullfinches, 20+ Siskins and a Kingfisher. Of note on the 5th were the following: 21 Goosanders, 41 Teal, 23 Tufted Ducks, six Great Crested Grebes, approximately 3000 Black-headed Gulls, 48 Common Gulls and 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the gull roost, two Kingfishers, a Tawny Owl and a Little Owl, four Nuthatches, 32 Fieldfares, 14 Redwings, four Song Thrushes and a Raven. Duck numbers had changed a bit by the 6th as follows: 23 Goosanders, 28 Tufted Ducks, 48 Teal, three Mandarins and five Pochards. Also present – 9 Cormorants, two Grey Herons, a female Sparrowhawk, a pair of Kestrels, a Jay, a Mute Swan and two Kingfishers. In the gull roost on the 8th it was noticed that Common Gull numbers had risen to 185. The most notable sighting on the 13th was 110 Pink-footed Geese over the reservoir at about 10am before heading south. A Dipper was found on the 14th – fairly uncommon on site these days, plus 25 Siskins and 40 Snipe. Of the species recorded on the 16th the following are highlighted: a female Goldeneye, 43 Wigeon, 81 Teal, 146 Mallards, five Snipe, a Treecreeper, four Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 24 Long-tailed Tits, a Willow Tit, a Grey Wagtail and a Reed Bunting. By far the best find on the 19th was a JACK SNIPE, a site rarity. Also of interest – 16 Cormorants, 19 Goosanders, 10 Great Crested Grebes, 42 Siskins, one female and two male GOLDENEYE.

Goldeneye (male)

Thirty-two species were recorded in the logbook on the 20th including 148 Mallards, 97 Canada Geese, a Kestrel, a Common Buzzard, four Coots, a Moorhen – so scarce at Tittesworth, a pair of Shovelers and a Snipe. On Boxing Day (26th) observations were made as follows: a “drumming” Great Spotted Woodpecker, 153 Mallards (a steady rise in numbers noted throughout the month), a wing tagged Common Buzzard, six Stock Doves, 25 Long-tailed Tits, 160 Jackdaws – usually uncommon on the site, three Moorhens and two male Sparrowhawks. A LITTLE EGRET arrived at about 3.30pm, flew around the reservoir and then departed southwards.

Little Egret

The best observation on the 27th was of 35 Golden Plovers flying over the site. A Red Fox and a Brown Hare were the most unusual observations for the 28th. 

Red Fox

Brown Hare

On the penultimate day of the year few species were recorded but did include a Snipe, a Kingfisher – always exciting to see, a Nuthatch and the wing tagged Common Buzzard.

Bird reports

Due to very difficult personal circumstances during the second half of 2009 Brenda Scott has been unable to issue the 2008 bird report so far. The report will be made available in due course. We all hope that 2010 will be a better year for Brenda. Brenda and the visitor centre staff sold a good few copies of the 2007 bird report and as a result Brenda will be donating £110 to the World Owl Trust, a very worthy wildlife charity, which uses every penny received wisely in supporting owls worldwide.

Little Owl

The sum raised so far for wildlife charities by the sale of annual bird reports and quarterly newsletters is over £1000. Our thanks go to all those who have bought the publications over the last few years and made this sum possible. Brenda and I are most grateful for your support and interest in natural history reporting at Tittesworth.

Another ringed Lesser Black-backed Gull

Once again sharp-eyed Steve Gibson noticed and photographed a ringed Lesser Black-backed Gull at Tittesworth. He found the bird on the 28th June 2009 and reported his finding, including the ring code, to the BTO. The BTO recently provided Steve with the following information:-

The bird was ringed at Langli, Blåvandshuk, Denmark on the 1st July 2008 by Kjeld Tommy Pederson and Rune Skjold Tjørnløv. Well done Steve, another good result.

Contributors

Bird reports and newsletters cannot be produced without information. We, the compilers, salute those who make contributions to the logbook and inform us by email. We are grateful to all recorders but a special thank you must be handed to Steve Gibson and John Oakes for their comprehensive and regular entries over the years.

And finally –

As usual the observations recorded in this newsletter are but a fraction of those in the logbook. I have attempted to provide some of the most interesting sightings and to also display the range of species present, both common and uncommon.

Best wishes to all for the New Year.

Ray Perry                                                                                                                              17th January 2010

Tel: 01625 432668. Email: ray_perry@btinternet.com