Wyver Lane Bird Notes
March 2012
Highlights include, Osprey, Red Kite, Pink-footed Goose,
Stonechat and returning migrants.
A mainly dry month with unseasonal temperatures that
produced 74 species. Maximum counts include 2 Little
Grebes on 31st. Grebes of any kind are rare for Wyver
so to get 2 was a bonus. The last time there was 2
Little Grebes was in September 2006. Another rare
visitor was a Great Crested Grebe on the 8th. Other
counts include 8 Cormorants on 20th, 2 Grey Heron on
8th and 17th, 2 Mute Swans all month with 3 on 24th,
there were 5 Pink-footed Geese on 1st which then
increased to 7 on 9th, 73 Greylag Geese on 22nd, 60
Canada Geese also on 22nd, 2 Shelduck for most of the
month, and 3 on 20th and 22nd, 7 Mandarin on 30th, 19
Wigeon on 3rd and 17th, as ever, most Wigeon had gone
by the end of the month, although 1 male had stayed on
and had paired up with a female Mallard. 2 Gadwall all
month, 15 Teal on 29th, 8 Shoveler on 6th, 3 Pochard on
3rd, 4th and 6th, 7 Tufted Duck on 18th, a drake Goldeneye
on several dates, 3 Goosander on 23rd and 24th, 21 Coots
on 27th and 8 Moorhen on 2nd.
Raptors put on a good show this month. Following on from
last month's Red Kite there was a further 2 sightings on 6th
and 9th. A site record 12 Buzzards were seen from the
viewing mound in ideal conditions on 12th, 2 Sparrowhawks
on 2nd, a Peregrine on 22nd and 2 on 31st. 2 Kestrel also
on 31st. The bird of the month was an Osprey that flew
through on 29th. This coincided with several other sightings
across the Midlands the same day.
2 Oystercatchers all month were joined by a 3rd bird on 16th,
20th and 23rd. Curlew on 1st, 10th and 24th. 15 Lapwings on
2nd. c500 Black-headed Gulls on 4th, 3 Common Gulls on 3rd,
5 Lesser-black Backed Gulls on 3rd.
A male Stonechat was in the hedgerow in front of the viewing
mound on 4th. 3 Stock Doves on 4th, 9th and 20th. The first
Hirundine was 3 Sand Martins on 20th which was 5 days later
than last year, another 1 on 24th. The first Swallow was 1 on
24th which equals the earliest date of returning Swallows.
There was also 1 on 27th and 31st. The first Chiff Chaff was on
15th which is the same date as last year. By the end of the month
there was 3. The first Blackcap was on 29th. A Kingfisher on 4th
was the first record this year, 14 Starling on 15th, 4 Pied Wagtails
on 22nd, 70 Fieldfare on 22nd, a Skylark on 24th, 2 Green
Woodpeckers on 24th, a single Meadow Pipit on 29th, 2 Raven
for most of the month, 4 Jays on 17th, 15 Magpies on 18th, 3
Redwing on 17th, 10 Goldfinch on 15th, 7 Siskin on 3rd, a Lesser
Redpoll on 24th and 5 Reed Buntings on 16th.