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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Upton Warren (17 Viewers)

Birding at the Moors

Moors:
GCG. little grebe 6. cormorant scarce this time of year. Greylag 2. Mute swan pr.
Shoveler 2. gadwall 8. tufted 70+.
Oystercatcher 4. lapwing 2.
Common tern 10. Med Gull 2x2nd summers.
water rail 2.
Buzzard 4. Green woodpecker. great spotted w 2. stock dove 2. swift c10. swallow 6. song thrush 3 singing. Starling.
Whitethroat. lesser whitethroat 2. blackcap feeding young.
sedge warbler 3. Reed warbler c15. Cetti's Warbler 3.
 
Flashes today

Flashes :
Little grebe - 3rd Flash.
shoveler 3. Shelduck 7. tufted 20
Avocet 46-48. 15 chicks. broods 3:2:2:1:4:1:2. At least 2 broods have been lost a 3 and 2 along meadow shore..this could be due to the buzzards that have completely wiped out the lapwing chicks.
redshank 3. lapwing 12 - 3 sitting. LRP 4 +chick now 12 days old. oystercatcher 2. Med Gull 4 (3 ads + 2nd summer ).
Jay. Cetti's Warbler.
no migration at all today, but there's always a chance of an unusual species appearing....don't give up. :t:
 
Today's highlights:

FLASHES:
LRP (5) + chick-----------------Ringed Plover (5) tried to land this evening but were sent off NW by Avocets.
Redshank (1)-------------------Avocet (min of 46) + 4:3:2:2:2:1:1 chicks
Oystercatcher (2)--------------Shelduck (7)
Lapwing (12)-------------------Shoveler (pr + m)
Gadwall (2)---------------------Tufted Duck (19)
Whitethroat---------------------Med Gull (3 ad)
Cetti's Warbler

MOORS/N MOORS*
Common Tern (9)--------------Gadwall (11)
Shoveler (m)-------------------Oystercatcher (2)
Lapwing (7)--------------------Coot (54)
Tufted Duck (66)---------------G C Grebe (1)
Whitethroat (1) (1)*-----------Lesser Whitethroat *
Teal (m)-------------------------Med Gull- the 2 x 3 cal year were presumed to be in their usual place but were not see behind thick vegetation and were not seen to fly in or out.
Cetti's Warbler (2)

SAILING POOL/ ED RES*
G C Grebe (9)------------------Egyptian Goose
Greylag Goose (21)------------Lesser Whitethroat*

Des.
 
At the moors for 0630 on a very still, hot day.

Highlights...

Gadwall (5m, 3f)
Oystercatcher (4)
Redshank (1)
Teal (1m)
Shoveler (2m)
Tufted Duck (c40)
Water Rail (2)
Swift (3)
Swallow (2)
Common Tern (8)
Little Grebe (3)
GC Grebe (1)
Lesser Whitethroat (2 singing on NM)

Sailing Pool...
Greylag (11)
Egyptian Goose (1)...finally for PWC2017

Flashes...until 1130

Avocet (40+)...14 chicks
Buzzard (3 plus 1 which took a BH Gull and proceeded to consume it in the middle of the BH Gull group on the left of the meadow)
LRP (4 plus chick)
Whitethroat (2 singing by bridge on boardwalk)
 
Some of today's pictures

Lovely day.
First three pictures taken at The Moors.I went for a walk along The Salwarpe. Not much to see bird-wise, but loads of Banded Demoiselle (thanks Alan for the ID.) flying over the river. The males looked fabulous with the sun on them.
 

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Lovely day.
First three pictures taken at The Moors.I went for a walk along The Salwarpe. Not much to see bird-wise, but loads of Banded Demoiselle (thanks Alan for the ID.) flying over the river. The males looked fabulous with the sun on them.

That's a very good shot of the Demoiselle.
 
With five days of the month left (including the Bank Holiday weekend), May's list currently stands in 107 species after April's bonanza of 116 species.

After several days of hot south to south easterly winds coming from the Med the weather over thr next 72 hours is very interesting with the potential to turn up something very interesting - rain from just after dawn tomorrow until late morning could drop something as could the rain overnight on Sunday into the early hours of Monday, a pattern repeated Monday night into Tuesday morning.

More outlandish predictions could include Red-necked Phalarope, White-winged Black Tern, Spoonbill or even Golden Oriole; Wood Sand, Temminck's Stint, Little Stint or Little Tern are more likely additions to the year list which currently stands on 107 species.
 
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on a very hot and breeze day I split it into 2 parts.Day started with a Grey wagtail other highlights lesser white throat,skylark, all busy on the boardwalk,usual on the flashes,then a walk over to the moors a lot of time spent by the salwarpe and north moors looking for Flycatchers but without any luck who ever strimmed those areas many thanks made life easier.highlights GSW and a Ringed Plover.This evening Cormorant,pheasant,Egyptian goose.bird reported but missed Little Egret fly through,didn't see med gulls too,so 59 birds in all finished with Pied wagtail.
 

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My thanks to Alan for educating me on the Demoiselle flies too.Some birds don't make it easy, one pic shows a Greenfinch without a tail.
 

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Early morning at the Flashes JTB reports:

Avocet 48 adults +15 chicks, LR Plover 4 adults + 1 chick, Redshank, Oystercatcher 2, Med Gull and no passage!
 
This morning at Flashes

jEarly 5.15 am start joined by Crofty in car park:eek!:
A mild 17 degrees with SE breeze and the forecasted showers this was going to be our last chance for spring migrants. The Egyptian goose was roosting on the sailing pool. On route to the Avocet hide whitethroat, sedge and reed warblers as well as chiffchaff sang. But little else other than a family of long tailed tits was encountered.
Just before we reached the hide the rain came well before it was due. Unfortunately no migrants were present before during or after the rain.
So it was all about breeding birds, this is always a special time monitoring the avocets where they nest , where they take the chicks and seeing the chicks progress. It's not always happy news though and today the brood of 4 along the meadow become 3 when they ventured into the more open water. I wasn't sure what took the chick but herring gull and a LBBG were close by. The other 6 broods were all intact. Other broods are imminent so pressure on the few chore feeding zones will force some chicks into less ideal peripheral areas. Some clutches have been lost recently to coots . Sad as this is, a staggered, protracted breeding season is more productive. This is because the ideal feeding zones are utilised by the late breeders. This also means that avocets will be present into September. Unfortunately the picture for lapwing is less promising, as they have a very short breeding season and rarely get a chance to replace lost clutches let alone lost broods. As all our broods have been taken mostly by buzzards it's not looking good this year. Today the only remaining sitting bird in the meadow was coming under pressure from Canada geese families. For 20 minutes the pair feigned injury and attacked the geese to move them on, which thankfully they finally did. Also in the meadow 14 avocet attacked and pinned down an adult BHG that was walking through the Avocet colony . I don't thing the gull was a threat but was probably a sick bird as it didn't attempt to fly and was probably looking for an isolated spot to die.
The BHG chicks were now growing well and several were now flying. The shoveler and gadwall were prospecting for nest sites and a lone male Shelduck was hanging around waiting for its female to emerge with her young.
So apart from a few hirundines and swifts it was all about breeding..Roll on the Autumn 8-P

Species count FLASHES :
Shoveler 5 (3 males). gadwall 6. Shelduck 3. tufted 22. Greylag 11.
Avocet 48. (14 chicks) 3:2:2:1:3:1:2 in age order. Oystercatcher pair. Redshank. lapwing 15. LRP 6 ( 3pairs) +chick 16 days old.
Med Gull 2 ads. Hybrid Med x Bhg re-nesting.
Herring gull 3 LBBG 4. BHG 350 chicks min
common tern 3 over.
Buzzard 2. Raven pr +1juv filly fledged. stock dove 10. great spotted w
Swift 5 .swallow. house martin 10. Skylark 2. song thrush 2.
sedge warbler 2 .reed warblers. Whitethroat. chiffchaff 2.
linnet 5.

Sailing pool : Egyptian goose.
 
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From the Flashes this morning Dave J reports:

48 Avocet + 16 young (3:2:1:2:1:2:3:2 - latest brood still sitting), 3 adult Mediterranean Gull, 5 Little Ringed Plover (+ 1 young), 2 Redshank

Egyptian Goose still on the Sailing Pool.
 
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From the Moors Pool Dave J reports some monumental news:

2 second summer Mediterranean Gulls with 2 chicks (the first breeding record for the county), Gadwall brood with 7 ducklings (as per Bobby P), Snipe seen by others.
 
Last chance saloon?

This Spring hasn't been a classic for passage waders and terns but it looks like we have one last roll of the dice over the next 24 hours. Easterly winds overnight will be accompanied by rain from late this evening through to dawn. The morning will remain overcast with the rain gradually moving round during the course of the day but remaining southerly until at least midday - perhaps we could have a slice of the Red-footed Falcon action that Yorkshire has been basking in.
 

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