Soil Hill & Whiteholme; Week 07th June - 13th June

Soil Hill

A pretty typical mid-June week with very little of note overall, but pleasant birding with many of the established migrants still around, lots of activity from the breeding waders and a few nice bits and pieces thrown in to keep things lively. Without doubt the standout of the week was a Nuthatch on Taylor Lane on the 9th. As I was walking up I heard the call, but was not 100% confident that it was indeed a Nuthatch, given that this would only be my third record here, but as I approached it flew out from the conifers and landed on a telegraph post on the opposite side of the road. Here I had just enough time to grab a few quick photos before it was flushed by a passing car. It then flew off towards the tall trees on Perseverence Lane. This week I also had two different Red Kite sightings, one on the 8th and another on the 9th. On the 8th a bird flew low and slow over Denholme Velvets, and may have dropped in but frustratingly I lost it while gathering my camera. The following day one was soaring well to north of Soil Hill, probably over Denholme, or possibly even further. A few Sand Martin and a Siskin rounded the week off nicely. 

-Red Kite

-Nuthatch

Whiteholme Reservoir

Just one visit this week, with wader passage all but over and the distant and time it takes to visit this site made it all seem a little worthless. I'll be back to frequent visits come mid-July. There were a couple of Dunlin and a nice group of 5 Oystercatchers, but otherwise precious little of note.

Undisclosed Location

Thanks to gen from Mark Dovestone, it was a pleasure to see, and more importantly hear, a displaying Nightjar less than half an hour from my house. It seems crazy to think that I can hear a nightjar whilst looking at the Soil Hill mast! A fantastic evening recording one of these birds, my first in the UK since 2018, when I ringed chicks on Hatfield Moor. 

-European Nightjar

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, 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, Lesser Black-backed Gull, European Herring Gull, Red Kite, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Sand Martin, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Eurasian Nuthatch, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly,
Whiteholme Reservoir: Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Kestrel, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark, Eurasian Wren, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Reed Bunting,

Thorne and Hatfield

Over the summer Tim was working on ringing Nightjars on the peat bogs between Doncaster and Goole. I managed to negotiate a day off work and had the pleasure of going out with him. During the day we worked Hatfield Moor tracking individual adult Nightjars with radio transmitters in the hope of finding some nests. We found three nests; the first had some fledged chicks we Tim stumbled across by chance, the second had two mid-sized chicks one of which I was able to ring, and the third nest had two chicks that had just hatched. At the final nest we also caught the female, on whom we put a data logger.

In the evening we went out onto Thorne Moors where we set up nets to try and catch adult birds to retrieve data tags. We caught three adult birds, a female and two males. All the birds were already ringed , but it was still fun to hold the birds whilst the tags were put on them. The mosquitoes were an absolute nightmare but it was worth the pain. 

Thorne and Hatfield are both excellent sites. Whilst out on the reserves we had excellent views of Turtle Dove and Hobby, and we heard the Cranes calling distantly, although we did not see them. We also had plenty of dragonflies including hundreds of Black Darters, plus Southern, Brown and Common Hawker, the latter (My favourite dragonflies) are the first I have seen for some years. 

-First Nightjar chicks

-Younger Nightjar chicks

-Adult female Nightjar

Species List:
Thorne and Hatfield Moors: Greylag Goose, Mallard, Teal, Tufted Duck, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Hobby, Kestrel, Little Owl, Pheasant, Grey Partridge, Lapwing, Redshank, Turtle Dove, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Green Woodpecker, European Nightjar, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Rook, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Common Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Black Darter, Emerald Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Large White, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral,

Dorset Holiday Day 12

Our last full day! My brother had an open day for his placement next year, which was in Gosport. Adjacent to Gosport is Titchfield Haven NNR with its ever resident Greater Yellowlegs, so that is where I got dropped off for the day.

I arrived to the news the Greaterlegs was in front of the hide, but picked it up on the river, as viewed from the road. It was fairly close and I got some nice views in the morning light before it flew off after about half an hour. I later watched it distantly from the Suffern Hide, for about an hour intermittently, before it flew off again late afternoon, when I was picked up by my parents.

-Greater Yellowlegs

 Between watching the yellowlegs I wandered round the reserve on Scrapes Trail, looking in the hide. In the first hide it was a very similar composition to my other visit here. However, that was rudely interrupted when the birder next to me pointed out a couple of Bearded Tits in the reeds right in front of us. It was the best view I have ever had of the species, and this included a superb moustached male. I was able to get some pretty nice shots and what was the best encounter I have ever had with this species.

-Bearded Tit

 On the path further round, at the Pumfett Hide, there were a few more nice additions to the day list. There was an Avocet in front of the hide which looked quite nice in the light. There were a few Juvenile Mediterranean Gulls too, as well as an adult. They were a plumage tick for me, as I have never seen juveniles looking as fresh as this. A final bonus was a Fluvlous Whistling Duck, which is obviously an escape but I seem to recall is resident. It was distant but was still nice to see. I would hazard a guess that this was the source of the ruddy shelduck reports earlier in the week.

-Avocet

-Juvenile Mediterranean Gulls

-Fulvous Whistling Duck

The other hides were quiet, mainly composed of commoner wetland species such as a nice Greenshank on the river with the Greater Yellowlegs. It was a nice comparison between the two species, but it was distant so I could not get a photo. Common Sandpiper, Redshank and Black Tailed Godwit were also all present, while Common Terns were fishing all the bodies of water. It was a pretty sweet day overall, a nice way to end the holiday.

In the evening we headed up the Nightjar point again and were rewarded with good views, but the views were far more inconsistent than they had been the previous night, with long periods where the birds had gone quite. That being said there were occasions when they were flying round our heads calling, which was awesome as per.

Species List:

Titchfield Haven NNR: Turnstone, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Greater Yellowlegs, Redshank, Common Tern, Linnet, Oystercatcher, Black-Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-Backed Gull, Lapwing, Black-Tailed Godwit, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Mute Swan, Cormorant, Avocet, Teal, Grey Heron, Gadwall, Starling, Blackbird, Magpie, Bearded Tit, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Canada Goose, Common Sandpiper, Sand Martin, Kestrel, Shellduck, Stock Dove, Mediterranean Gull, Shoveler, Marsh Harrier, Reed Bunting, Little Egret, Greenfinch, Wren, Blue Tit, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, House Sparrow, Robin, Song Thrush, Greenshank, Carrion Crow, Long-Tailed Tit, Dunnock, Willow Warbler, Jay, Great Tit

Dorset Holiday Day 11

Because of a placement related open day for my brother we were transferring from Dorset to Hampshire, specifically Fareham. As a result the morning was spent in transit and it was not until around 2.00 that I was able to get out.

I headed into the woods around the campsite to see what was about. On the bird front it was very quiet but there was a bit more success to be had on the butterfly front. I was able to enjoy a few more Silver-Washed Fritillaries around the wood, as well as numerous Peacocks and Red Admirals sunning themselves. A bonus was a nice Holly Blue along one of the tracks which settled down for some photos, but the light was poor and they are no more than record shots.

-Silver Washed Fritillary

-Small Copper

-Holly Blue

 On the other insects front there were a few Dragonflies on the wing, including a very nice Common Hawker, but none chose to land sadly. I was treated to a very nice Green Tiger Beetle running along the path, which are always awesome to see.

-Green Tiger Beetle

 In the evening we did our usual activity at this site of looking for nightjars. According to the site owners forestry work had disturbed them so I did not expect to see any. However, when we went up to the original spot we were surrounded by at least 4 calling birds, including an individual that settled on the path in front of us. They are so awesome, and they just get better every time. What superb birds. Words cannot describe…

-Nightjar

The Nightjar was so awesome to see, even if it was expected at the start of the holiday. Nightjar was my 208^th species this year, and without doubt is one of the highlights on the year.

Species List:

Bere Forest: Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Woodpigeon, Long-Tailed Tit, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Pheasant, Nightjar, Common Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Small Copper, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Large White, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, Silver-Washed Fritillary, 

Dorset Holiday-Day 12: Fort Nelson Royal Armouries, Arundel WWT

Another scorching day and my family decided to take us to Arundel WWT, but only after we had been to Fort Nelson Royal Armouries. When we got there I found that there was a nature reserve across the road, though it was little more than a field so I went to have a look while my family spent the morning at the armouries.

The field had a lot of butterflies but the were all the same species, though they were in excess. These included things like Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Large and Small White, But there were other species which were a bit more unusual, not least Marbled White and Small Skipper.

-Small Skipper

-Marbled White

Walking through the field I also found some none butterfly wildlife, though there was a lot less of this unless you counted the 6 Spot Burnet Moths which were once more very common.

-6 Spot Burnet Moth

While I was walking around there was a curious song coming from the grass and I eventually tracked it down to a very menacing cricket species, which Google informs me is a Roesel's Bush-Cricket, not that I regularly record cricket species, but it certainly struck me because of the striking yellow lines behind its head.

-Roesel's Bush-Cricket

On the bird front it was very quiet, with the exception of a couple of Magpies and on the way out I stumbled across a family of Willow Warblers. They were very flighty and I did not get exceptional views of them.

-Willow Warbler

I went to the museum cafe because my mum said that there we were going to have a coffee. While we were there my mum told me about all the butterflies that were on the wildflowers growing inside the museum. There was nothing that I hadn't seen, until during our coffee my dad spotted a Pill Millipede descending the wall of the museum, which is not a bug I can regularly see.

-Pill Millipede 

The journey to Arundel was none exciting except that there was a fire on the road which blocked everything up and restricted out speed at reaching the site. 

I have always wanted to go to Arundel, and when I arrived my first impressions were good, as on the first pond prior to entry there were Broad Bodied Chasers and Black Tailed Skimmers hunting it. The entry was good and we learnt that there were boat trips running, so we decided to go for one of those first before we had lunch and set off round the reserve.

The boat trip was very enjoyable and relaxing. I spotted some baby Tufted Ducks, as well as large families of Canada and Graylag Geese. On the mammal front we were delighted to see a Water Vole swim across the channel, though the delight would wear off as we walked round the reserve. On the Dragonfly front there were Black Tailed Skimmers, and there was another which I reckon was a hairy dragonfly but I did not get a good enough view. The only thing that would put me off that i.d. is that it is very late in their flight season, but apart from that, it ticked all the boxes. On the damselfly front there were Azure and Common Blue but also Red Eyed, but since we were on a boat I was unable to get any photos. For that reason my only photo of that species is from Norfolk 2 years ago.

We had lunch in the wildlife garden but did not really see anything.There was a school trip lunching next to us and that could be partly to blame. After lunch the trip headed off towards the lapwing hide, so we decided to  go to that hide later and instead go to the 'Sir Peter Scott centenary sand martin hide'. On the way, there were some Egyptian Geese on the path.

-Egyptian Geese

The hide was OK in terms of birdlife. There were Moorhens and Canada Geese feeding directly in front of the hide, as well as Mallards, Tufted Duck and Shelduck. There were also a pair of Common Terns on a raft in front of the hide, which were showing nesting behavior but no sign of chicks, despite what the sightings board said. They were quite close though, and they obviously were not too bothered by people who I imagine were often noisy which could have disturbed them from their nest.

-Common Tern

After we had finished in that hide we went back to the two hides we had meant to go to, Ramsar hide first, where there was nothing much except a female Mandarin. The second hide was the Lapwing hide, and it lived up to its name since the only bird in there besides Mallards was indeed a Lapwing.

After those two disappointments we headed to Scrape hide which was the best hide on the reserve, but that really did not say much. There was a good number of species, including Mallard, Shelduck, Tufted duck but also a few Gadwall sheltering from the heat under a tall tree. At the far end of the pond there was a Grey Heron hunting but it was some way away. There were also quite a few dragonflies around, but the only ones close enough to identify were Four Spot Chasers and Black Tailed Skimmer.

-Gadwall

-Grey Heron

We were watching the far dragonflies to see what they were, when a small mass began swimming across the lake. My initial thought was grass snake, and why not. But no, it turned out when I looked at it through my camera that it was another Water Vole, though to be honest I would rather that it was a grass snake.

-Water Vole

After we had finished at Scrape hide we moved on to Reedbed hide. Here there was very little, but there was a very cute family of four well grown Moorhen chicks. The adult bird then mounted a small platform in front of the hide, being very bold and then started looking in, even though we were only about 2 feet away.

-Moorhen

It was the best view of a moorhen I had ever had. After we had finished in Reedbed hide we moved on to the reedbed walk. About half way through the reedbed walk we sat down and were soon surrounded by a small gathering of Moorhens and Mallards, so my dad fished out the crumbs from lunch and started to feed them from our hands. The moorhen though decided that it would rather have my flesh than bread crumbs. 

After that we moved on and were just watching some more moorhens when I noticed that the reeds next to us were moving of their own accord. So I had a peek in and spotted another Water Vole there happily chomping away even though we were only about a meter away. Now the appeal of water voles at this site was beginning to diminish. On the boat, our pilot had told us that the reserve was in a big fence so that no water vole predators could get in with the exception of birds, but it also restricted the voles moving out. So effectively, it was like a big water vole zoo, but you don't really think of it until we start to see them as tame as this.

-Water Vole

We finished the reedbed walk and headed to the waterfalls enclosure. Here there was the only Blue Duck outside of New Zealand and that was quite exciting. After a few mins of watching it though you began to feel sorry for it, alone with only a farm duck for company. It was exciting to see because it is such a rare duck but for the above reason it seemed a bit bitter sweet.

-Blue Duck

We finished by walking back through the pet wildfowl zone and we got to see some large groups of rare wildfowl of the world, as you would expect from a WWT place. Once more though as we were walking over the white faced whistling duck boardwalk, a Water Vole appeared and started swimming across the pond, even though we were almost directly above it.

-Water Vole

I thought the reserve was a big disappointment really, I had expected a bit more. My dad summed it up quite well-Its a great place if you want to see Moorhens, but otherwise. We headed back to the caravan site, but the wildlife did not stop there, oh no.

That evening once more we set off to look for nightjars to see how many we would get. We had to wait a little longer than the night before and for a few minuets we were wondering if they would even turn up tonight when we were suddenly surrounded by churring and we saw one flying right towards us. We soon had 3 Nightjars flying all around us, and once more quite close. This time I had brought the tripod to try and get some photos of when the birds were landed. However, it did not really work as the camera still vibrated while on the tripod. Still I got more amazing views of these bizarre birds.

-Nightjar

So ends our last full day on holiday, alas that there 13 days have flown by so quick. Hopefully, on the way home we will go out on a high.