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Upton Warren (48 Viewers)

Am at the Flashes before the contractors started.
Teal 35+, gadwall 5 ( pr + 3 m), shelduck 7 - 9, tufted 8,
LITTLE EGRET,
avocet 27, Snipe 1, lapwing 1, oystercatcher pr,
herring gull c10 mostly 1st w,
coot 20,
meadow pipit

sailing pool
CGC 4, little grebe, tufted 8, coot 6, grey wag

Moors 12 - 5pm
GCG 4, little grebe 7, shoveler 31 (6 fems), teal c10, shelduck 5 ( par of flock from Flashes), Gadwall pr, tufted 81 min poss 86 ( 5 flew around after my count but couldn't be sure they were new birds),
Avocet 29, (2 were already on site and these were joined by the birds from the Flashes - counted by Bill B), lapwing 2 ( male and fem), Dunlin arrived at 4.25PM, snipe 21 ( again more conspicuous once it started raining - many fed around the muddy margins of the seasonal pool) it is worth checking this pool as it has a very inviting shoreline, today teal and gadwall were attracted to it. Oystercatcher 6 (incl pr from flashes), water rail singing in the 'hook'
a steady stream of herring gulls dropped in c50 in al , mostly 1st winters.
sand martin 12 mid afternoon - fighting against the strong SW wind. redpoll still a good number seen by Keith M, Fieldfare 60, redwing 10,

Flashes roost 5.10 - 6.50pm
as before minus little egret.
curlew 13, Avocet 29,
BHG 800 min roosted
stock dove 4,
 
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upstarts1979 said:
in the last 24 hours this thread had over 4000 views a new record, Norfolk had 2780.:t:
Click to expand...

And that's with no decent birds and/or argy bargy. I might need to do a chart to celebrate.

March's list has now reached 84. Potential additions fall into four main categories:

Scarce residents - Coal Tit, Yellowhammer, Tawny / Little / Barn Owl
Winter visitors on the move - Goldeneye, Goosander, Golden Plover, Brambling, Pintail
Incoming spring migrants - Swallow, Willow Warbler, LRP, Wheatear, Common Sand, Blackcap
Passage waders - Green Sand, Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit
 
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Sand Martin

Rather than quoting the usual average return dates I attach a chart showing the wide spread of dates of the first arrival of Sand Martin recorded at Upton Warren:
 

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wheatearlp said:
So I suppose the obvious question is - what year did we not get one until 12th April ?
Click to expand...

1975 according to the data I have

Might be associated with declines in this (and other) species that occurred in the late 1960's / early 70's due to Sahelian droughts.

When bird populations are lower, their apparent arrivals may be skewed later...
 
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Started and finished at the Flashes.
Didn't see Gert's dunlin, as yesterdays bird disappeared from the Moors and I didn't see it last thing at the Flashes, it must have been a 2nd bird.

Flashes :(am)
Teal only 5, gadwall 5 (3m + pr), shelduck 9, tufted 2,
Avocet 24, curlew 2, oystercatcher 2,
BHG only 60, peregrine,
Stock dove 4, green woodpecker. skylark 2 singing
meadow pipit, chiffchaff, linnet 2,

Sailing Pool
GCG 4, little grebe. tufted 14, coot 6,

North Moors
Water rail, snipe, mistle thrush, reed bunting 4.

Moors
The freshening SW wind stirred things, the ducks were constantly jostling for sheltered areas. This made it easy to count them and the tufted were everywhere. With so many tufted I had to rush back to the Flashes and sailing pool to get an accurate count.
LITTLE EGRET - SW marsh, GCG 4, little grebe 4, cormorant 4, mute swan pr, shoveler 31, teal 8, gadwall pr, shelduck 2 (total of 11 on reserve), NO POCHARD .
, COOT 32, Buzzard , sparrowhawk, lapwing 2 (m+f), snipe 8, oystercatcher 4, BHG 400, herring gull 12, LBBG 5, stock dove 2, fieldfare 35, song thrush, cettis warbler - causeway, chiffchaff 2, pied wag, goldfinch, redpoll 6 - singing,

Flashes pm
Teal 28, Avocet 26 Dave H had 4 sand martin c 2pm

My final tufted counts, having counted the Moors birds I rapidly went back to Flashes and sailing pool
moors 89, Flashes 8, sailing pool 2, = 99
 
Woodchat said:
1975 according to the data I have

Might be associated with declines in this (and other) species that occurred in the late 1960's / early 70's due to Sahelian droughts.

When bird populations are lower, their apparent arrivals may be skewed later...
Click to expand...

As with any data set one needs to be cautious with the statistics contained within. For example all the pre-1984 data comes via the WMBC annual reports which only flags return dates that were the earliest for the county that year, skewing the data. At some point I will go through AFJ's old notebooks and see what light they may shed on migrant arrival dates in the 1970s. In the meantime please find the average return dates for Sand Martin in five year blocks (bearing in mind the above caveat).
 

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news

just some news
I don't normally report second hand news but it is from an reliable person, Paul the raptor guy had a Juv Marsh Harrier fly over the sailing pool yesterday at 1.30 going from west to east, as his records show its only one day out from a bird last year which stayed around the area for four days.
just thought it may be a good idea to take a second look at any large raptors over the warren ,tim
 
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upstarts1979 said:
Started and finished at the Flashes.
Didn't see Gert's dunlin, as yesterdays bird disappeared from the Moors and I didn't see it last thing at the Flashes, it must have been a 2nd bird.

Flashes :(am)
Teal only 5, gadwall 5 (3m + pr), shelduck 9, tufted 2,
Avocet 24, curlew 2, oystercatcher 2,
BHG only 60, peregrine,
Stock dove 4, green woodpecker. skylark 2 singing
meadow pipit, chiffchaff, linnet 2,

Sailing Pool
GCG 4, little grebe. tufted 14, coot 6,

North Moors
Water rail, snipe, mistle thrush, reed bunting 4.

Moors
The freshening SW wind stirred things, the ducks were constantly jostling for sheltered areas. This made it easy to count them and the tufted were everywhere. With so many tufted I had to rush back to the Flashes and sailing pool to get an accurate count.
LITTLE EGRET - SW marsh, GCG 4, little grebe 4, cormorant 4, mute swan pr, shoveler 31, teal 8, gadwall pr, shelduck 2 (total of 11 on reserve), NO POCHARD .
, COOT 32, Buzzard , sparrowhawk, lapwing 2 (m+f), snipe 8, oystercatcher 4, BHG 400, herring gull 12, LBBG 5, stock dove 2, fieldfare 35, song thrush, cettis warbler - causeway, chiffchaff 2, pied wag, goldfinch, redpoll 6 - singing,

Flashes pm
Teal 28, Avocet 26 Dave H had 4 sand martin c 2pm

My final tufted counts, having counted the Moors birds I rapidly went back to Flashes and sailing pool
moors 89, Flashes 8, sailing pool 2, = 99
Click to expand...

Hi John. I saw 2 female Pochard at the Moors Pool early morning and they were still there when I returned early afternoon. Alan H and myself also had 4 Sand Martins from the East Hide early morning. I then had a further 2 from the Arthur & Joyce Jacobs Hide late morning and a party of 10 from there mid-afternoon.

I spent 12 hours at the reserve today, logging 64 species. I also missed Gert's Dunlin and didn't get Skylark, Meadow Pipit or Mistle Thrush (still need that for the year!). That would suggest that there were at least 68 species present at UW today. Of the other more common species I might have expected to see Redwing, Goldcrest, Siskin & Common Gull were the most notable absentees.
 
Spoonbill Finder said:
Hi John. I saw 2 female Pochard at the Moors Pool early morning and they were still there when I returned early afternoon. Alan H and myself also had 4 Sand Martins from the East Hide early morning. I then had a further 2 from the Arthur & Joyce Jacobs Hide late morning and a party of 10 from there mid-afternoon.

I spent 12 hours at the reserve today, logging 64 species. I also missed Gert's Dunlin and didn't get Skylark, Meadow Pipit or Mistle Thrush (still need that for the year!). That would suggest that there were at least 68 species present at UW today. Of the other more common species I might have expected to see Redwing, Goldcrest, Siskin & Common Gull were the most notable absentees.
Click to expand...

cheers Andy, had two pochard yesterday, I must have concentrated on the Tufteds too much, no I didn't see any redwings either. :t:
 
Spoonbill Finder said:
Hi John. I saw 2 female Pochard at the Moors Pool early morning and they were still there when I returned early afternoon. Alan H and myself also had 4 Sand Martins from the East Hide early morning. I then had a further 2 from the Arthur & Joyce Jacobs Hide late morning and a party of 10 from there mid-afternoon.
Click to expand...

Has the hide been officially re-named now?
 

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