Sunday 18 July 2021

Soil Hill & Whiteholme; Week 12th July - 18th July

Soil Hill
  It was an enjoyable but typical week on Soil Hill, with the heatwave meaning only early morning birding was a realistic option. The undoubted highlight of the week was a Hobby that came blasting through late morning on the 13th. It delayed initially to chase down a Meadow Pipit, but soon abandoned the pursuit and left in a SE direction. This is only the second one I have ever seen here, and the first time I have managed to get a picture.
  Late summer migrants included a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker that flew N on the 15th, only briefly stopping on a lamppost on Taylor Lane. A pair of Bullfinch were in the scrub along Ned Hill Track on the 16th, but not subsequently. Willow Warbler numbers began to increase during the week with 9 present on the 17th. It was also nice to confirm that Blackcap have bred this year, with a female attending to a recently fledged juvenile in the Koi Farm Copse on the 24th.
-Eurasian Hobby

Whiteholme Reservoir
I only visited the reservoir twice this week but on both occasions it was very productive with some interesting species present. On the 12th July, in constant drizzle, it was nice to find two drake Common Scoters sitting in the middle of the reservoir. Whilst I was there a Whimbrel dropped in on the large expanse of shoreline in the SW corner of the water. Although the views were good through the scope the bird itself was not approachable and my photos were limited to distant record shots. The following day on the 13th I returned to find the scoter gone and the wader contingent being limited to a handful of Dunlin. A Willow Warbler did appear on the dam wall which is the first that I have seen here. As I was leaving I checked Blackstone Edge reservoir and here was a distant flock of 29 Common Scoters, a brilliant sight to observe on an inland reservoir. 

-Common Scoter
-Whimbrel
-Common Scoter

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, 
Whiteholme Reservoir: Canada Goose, Eurasian Teal, Common Scoter, Common Swift, Little Ringed Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Wren, Northern Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Reed Bunting, 

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