Sunday 18 March 2012

MIGRANTS, ARGUMENTS AND A ROUGH-LEG!

The view across Ewden Valley.
A quick update of weekend activities and sighting for the past few days...

FRIDAY 16th. the first Wheatears of the year were found by KP this morning with 2 birds on 'Eddies mounds'. I had an early finish so nipped down mid-afternoon and quickly located the 1 remaining bird - a smart male which showed pretty well.

Male Wheatear

Male Wheatear

Also seen were the male Smew, 3 Scaup and 8 Sand Martin. More news with the fencing being replaced across the back of the reserve area on the wetlands - more of this later!!

SAT 17th. 2 Shelduck back on the wetlands this morning, presumably the regular pair which breeds and provides tasty little chicks for the Mink to snack on...little else of note until DP picked up a Little Gull with the blackheads on the wetlands. An Ad Win plumaged bird, it was constantly harassed and left east after a couple of minutes.
   Sadly, this morning the newly erected fencing has been comprehensively removed/vandalised by someone using heavy duty wire cutters. Bits of fencing were thrown in the reserve reedbed and adjacent willows. A little later several dog walkers began entering the area and when challenged became rather 'heated'. The damage has been reported to the police but I'm not holding my breath!!

SUN 18th. A quick check of the patch was rewarded with 10 Snipe, male Smew, 3 Scaup still and an increase in Chiffchaff and Sand Martin numbers. 60 Golden Plover still over fields to the south and a small passage of Starlings totalling c350 heading east.
  Myself and MF then headed down to the Ewden Valley and immediately scored when I picked up the wintering Rough-legged Buzzard sat in a small tree out on the common.We were soon joined by K+MP and good views were had for the next couple of hours as the bird toured the moor and was mobbed by corvids. Rather proud of the worst photos to grace the blog thus far!!

It is one....Honest!

I Think.......
Other birds seen in the area included a Red Kite, 4-6 Common Buzzard, Peregrine and plenty of common moorland stuff - pretty good eh! Only slightly depressed then when DD text me to tell me he had an Ad Kittiwake on the wetlands at c11am ( a small passage inland it seems today).


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