Soil Hill & Whiteholme; Week 04th - 09th May

Soil Hill

The birding on Soil Hill has been badly hampered by howling winds and cold temperatures. For a site more suited to passage passerines neither of these is particularly helpful but there were still a few nice bits to be found. First of these was a very very distant Whinchat on the 07th May, which was sadly all too brief. Wheatears featured throughout the week but were often distant on the bottom Cattle Fields. Overhead the migration was limited, with hirundines being limited to 2 Sand Martin on the 06th and a single House Martin on the 09th. A Swift also flew north on the 06th. Small groups of Siskin have been around the hill, with a group of 7 being the largest. Regular migrants have arrived and already established territories with some interesting Whitethroat behaviour observed on two occasions. The male will fly around the female within the bush uttering a bizzare whirring noise, which I have the intention to record once the wind drops. And finally rounding off the week, a drake Tufted Duck on the NK pond, only the second time I have seen this species here. Frustratingly it spent most of its time on the near shore out of sight.

-Whinchat

Whiteholme Reservoir

  On the 8th the weather was truly horrific, with gales and heavy rain and sleet. Since Soil Hill was a write off I decided to head up to Whiteholme to see if any birds were dropping in during the rain. And the endevour was rewarding with a nice total of 29 Dunlin and a single Sanderling. Sadly I could not give it so long due to the fact that I myself could not cope with the conditions and soon had to return home for some comforts. 

  That said, the two hours I had spent in the rain had wet my appetite so the following morning I headed up early doors to see the results of the storm. DF had just beat me there and recorded nearly 40 Dunlin, but when I joined him he informed me he was up to 69. It was indeed a fantastic sight with Dunlin dotted all along the shore line and filling the air with their buzzy calls. In addition there were at least 15 Ringed Plover. After a while DF had to leave and it was not five minutes after he headed down Blackstone Edge that an Arctic Tern appeared over the northern edge of the reservoir. It made slow progress south, allowing for some excellent views of the bird before I lost it. After this I decided to walk the length of the mud, click-counting the Dunlin and I reached an excellent total of 72 individuals. There were also 2 Sanderling here, which I compared with photos of the previous days individual and both appear to be new birds. After another hour of watching I decided to head off, when a Pink-footed Goose dropped in. Initially the bird caused me confusion, due to it being May, but photos confirmed the ID. It sat on the bank for 10 minutes before it too headed off strongly south. In conclusion, it truly has been a memorable weekend. 

-Sanderling

-Dunlin

-Dunlin & Sanderling

-Arctic Tern

-Sanderling

-Dunlin

-Pink-footed Goose

Species List:

Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Little Owl, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting,
Whiteholme Reservoir: Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Red Grouse, Common Swift, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Sanderling, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Arctic Tern, Common Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Wren, Northern Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit,