• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Wyver Lane Nature Reserve (DWT) (1 Viewer)

After my sighting of the Great White Egret on the 10th it was subsequently seen on 11th and the 12th but no sign since. I also suggested in my last post that there might be 4 Stonechats. Well somebody reported 4 on the 14th although I could only find 3 on 15th.

After 108 Teal on friday there was only 69 present yesterday. Highlights yesterday include 3 Cormorants, 2 Herons, Mandarin, Goosander, 2 Water Rail, 15+ Snipe, 195 BHG, Tawny owl hooting at 14.13, 4 Goldcrest, 4 Fieldfare are the first of the autumn, and 10 Blackbirds suggests a little bit of an influx.
 
Been having a few computer issues hence my lack of posts lately, so here's the latest update.

17/11: 6 Cormorants, 90 Greylags, 74 Teal, drake Goosander, 2 Water Rail, 33+ Snipe, c500 BHG, female Stonechat from the mound, 21 LT Tits and 6 Siskin.

19/11: 2 Stonechat.

20/11: 101 Greylags, 95 Canadas, 125 Teal, 6 Goosander, 31 Snipe, Barn Owl, Song Thrush singing and 800+ Jackdaw at dusk.

21/11: 116 Canadas, 112 Greylags, drake Wigeon, 114 Teal, 3 Goosander, 20+ Snipe and a female Stonechat.

24/11/: 91 Teal, 5 Goosander, 9 Mandarin, Water Rail, 39 Snipe, 220 BHG, female Stonechat, 3 Song Thrush and a Raven.
 
5 Gadwall and a drake Shoveler yesterday were fresh in and the first records for a while. 108 Teal and 100 Mallard on the main pool and 5 Goosander in to roost. At least 18 Snipe out at dusk. Water Rail calling. Pair of Stonechat from the viewing mound.
 
10 Goosander in the roost tonight. Also 120 Greylags and 80 Canadas. Teal numbers right down but no surprise given the work party on site. Still a drake Shoveler and a female Gadwall though. 5 Mandarin over at dusk, and 15+ Snipe. Male Stonechat opposite the hide. 2 Kestrels hunting the old tip field. Mistle Thrush singing and 4 Lesser Redpoll.
 
30/11 highlights were a drake Shoveler, female Gadwall, 4 Goosander, 2 Kestrel, 36 Snipe, 117 BHG, ad Common Gull and a male Stonechat.

A quick visit tonight revealed a Heron, 89 Canadas, singles of Wigeon, Gadwall and Shoveler, 97 Teal and 3 Tufteds. The highlight was a female Goldeneye which is rare here and the first for a couple of years.
 
Decent few hours down Wyver today. From just 1 Wigeon yesterday there was 23 today. 97 Teal again, drake Shoveler, pair of Tufteds, and 14 Goosander in the roost. The female Goldeneye reappeared on the pool late on presumably from the river. 116 Greylags and 71 Canadas also came in to roost.

At least 3 Water Rails calling, 2 around the main pool and 1 in the top marsh. An impressive 61+ Snipe out at dusk. 162 BH Gulls on the pool. The Barn Owl was around the old tip field at 16.21 and then in front of the gate by the main pool in almost darkness at 16.48. Pair of Stonechat from the viewing mound. Few other bits include 2 Song Thrush, 6 Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Green Wood, GS Wood, 80 Starling, 3 Goldcrest, 2 Jays and a Reed Bunting.
 
Blimey over a month since my last post. I had a virus before and over xmas so I've only just started getting back out again. A few bits from 28/12 include 4 Shoveler, 55 Teal, 11 Goosander and c 100 Greylags.
06/01: Barn Owl, 4 Wigeon, Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 6 Tufteds, Green Wood, Water Rail
07/01: c100 Canadas, Little Grebe, 28 Teal, 5 Shoveler, 5 Gadwall, drake Pochard, 5 Tufteds and male Stonechat.
09/01: 7 Cormorants, 160 Canadas, 120 Greylags, Barnacle Goose, 4 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 49 Teal, 8 Wigeon, Mandarin, 9 Goosander, 6 Tufteds, 74 Mallard, 2 Kesrel, 2 Buzzards, 40+ Snipe, 200 BHG and a male Stonechat.
11/01: Little Grebe, 117 Canadas, 114 Greylags, Barnacle Goose, 5 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 54 Teal, 6 Tufteds, 8 Goosander, 90 BHG, ad Common Gull, 15 Pied Wags, Grey Wag, 2 Mistle Thrush singing, 22 Magpies and 2 Stonechats.
14/01: 70 Greylags, 30 Teal, 5 Shoveler, 11 Wigeon, 12 Tufteds, 8 Goosander, 3 Stonechat (female by layby and pair around top pool from the mound), 50 BHG, 1st w LBBG, 19 Pied Wags, 70 Starlings and a Lesser Redpoll over.

All my sightings except 06/01 from Richard Taylor. I'll hopefully start to post a bit more regularly.
 
Latest update. 16/01. A Little Grebe on the main pool. Pair of Gadwall also on the main pool with a further 8 on the top marsh. 4 Shoveler, 36 Teal and 4 Tufteds spread around. 12 Goosander into roost. 300 BHGulls with an adult Common and 3 Lessers. Female Stonechat. A few Thrushes on show.....115 Redwing, 10 Fieldfare, 16 Blackbirds and a Song Thrush. The highlight for me was c2100 Starlings pre dusk including a flock of c1500 performing a brief murmuration.

17/01: 33 Teal, 5 Gadwall, 4 Shoveler, 2 Tufties and 5 Goosander on the main pool. 2 Stonechat from the hide.

18/01: 155 Canadas, 83 Greylags, 4 Shoveler, 10 Gadwall, 59 Teal, 49 Mallard, 6 Tufties, 12 Goosander, Water Rail, 2 Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 210 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, 29 Pied Wags, 3 Meadow Pipits, c20 Goldfinch, 2 Stock Doves, 2 Siskin, Bullfinch and a Reed Bunting.
 
A quick look this afternoon revealed 2 Shoveler, 25+ Teal, 7 Wigeon, 4 Tufteds, drake Pochard, 2 Goosander, 7 Coot, male Stonechat and a singing Mistle Thrush.
 
The River Derwent is high and as a result Wyver is high and a good selection of wildfowl were present. Mallard numerous coming into roost. 76 Teal, 23 Wigeon, 6 Gadwall, 4 Shoveler, drake Pochard, 8 Tufteds, and 12 Goosander in the roost.

A very showy Water Rail was visible from the gate feeding and bathing in a small pool. Over 10 Coot and 4 Moorhen also.

Surprisingly in my time there, I didn't get a single Gull on the pool. I did have 5 Common Gulls fly through though.

There's still 3 Stonechat present in their usual areas. The pair around the top pool viewable from the mound, and the female around the main pool.

c1'100 Starlings over to the SE before dusk. And 2 Ravens over are the first of the year.

Other bits include Green Wood, GS Wood, 21 Magpies, Mistle Thrush, 8 Redwing, 29 Pied Wags, 8 LTT, Stock Dove and a male Reed Bunting.
 
14 Goosander in the roost this evening is the best of the winter. Also 102 Canada Geese into roost. 46 Teal spread around the reserve. 24 Wigeon and 9 Tufteds on the main pool. 9 Gadwall and 2 drake Shoveler on the top pool. The pair of Stonechats were showing well from the viewing mound. 26 Snipe out at dusk. Song Thrush and Great Tit singing.
 
Just a flying visit this afternoon. A returning Oystercatcher was feeding in front of the gate. Earlier than in recent years. Also a Little Grebe, 10+ Wigeon, numerous Teal and 4 Tufteds.
 
52 Canada Geese and 51 Greylags this evening. 67 Teal around the reserve. 26 Wigeon on the main pool + 3 Tufteds. 12 Gadwall and 3 Shoveler on the top pool. 17 Goosander in the roost (11 female). 13 Coot, 4 Moorhen, 2 Water Rails calling near dusk.

The lone Oyc still present and I suspect it's one half of the breeding pair as it was investigating the island. 43+ Snipe out at dusk. The pair of Stonechat were again showing from the mound. A few other little bits....Green Wood, GS Wood, Song Thrush, c20 Fieldfare, 5 LTT, 2 Stock Doves, 16 Magpies, Jay and 2 female Reed Buntings.
 
The Barn Owl flew right in front of the gate this evening at exactly 17.30 in the gloom. The first time I've seen it this year. The pair of Stonechat still viewable from the mound. On the main pool: Little Grebe, Mute Swan, 59 Teal, 26 Wigeon, 5 Tufteds, and 12 Goosander in the roost. On the top pool was 10 Gadwall and 3 Shoveler. Only 15 Snipe out at dusk.

One of the highlights today was 4 Pochard. I know it might not sound much but Pochard isn't a common bird here so 4 is very good and the best count for several years.

The Oyc still present with 3 Lapwing. 3 Reed Buntings in the viewing mound hedge.
 
18 Goosander in tonight's roost which is the best of the winter. Just the one Pochard today along with 7 Tufteds. 51+ Teal, 23 Wigeon, 6 Gadwall and 3 Shoveler scattered around the pools. 400+ BH Gulls on the main pool with 2 Common Gulls. 2 Kestrels and 2 Stonechat showing from the mound.
Barn Owl in flight at 17.14 on the old tip field.
 
A good count of 14 Gadwall on the top pool yesterday. 3 Shoveler there too. 5 Mandarin on the river bank. 50 Teal on the reserve + 24 Wigeon. 8 Tufteds on the main pool along with a Little Grebe, and 17 Goosander in the roost.

The Oyc hasn't been seen for a few days. 4 Lapwing and numerous Snipe out at dusk. The Barn Owl was seen at 17.20 flying between the two pools and also perched on the owl box in the large ash tree. The pair of Stonechat still around the upper pool. A pre roost gathering of 32 Magpies and c330 Starlings over pre dusk.
 
The main pool was mostly ice yesterday so not much to report. Just c20 Wigeon, c25 Teal and 6 Coots. The ice had nearly all gone today so a bit better. 26 Wigeon, 51 Teal, 6 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 7 Tufteds and 14 Goosander. The pair of Stonechat still visible from the mound around the top pool. 950 Starling over in several flocks near dusk. 32 Magpies pre roost.
 
Update for the past few days. 9th Feb. The highlight was 2 Woodcock that I flushed from an area of scrub around the top marsh area near the channel that separates the 2 pools. My 3rd record here and the first for several years. Around the 2 pools were 2 ad Mute Swans, 118 Canadas, 95 Greylags, Little Grebe, 38 Teal, 26 Wigeon, 3 Shoveler. 17 Gadwall on the top pool was the best count for some time. A drake Goldeneye was on the main pool was the first of the year. I think I've said before that Goldeneye are rare here. In fact the female we had in early December was the first since 2015 and drakes are even rarer. 7 Tufteds and 16 Goosander came into roost. Also 3 Buzzards, Oystercatcher, 32 Snipe, c350 BHG, ad Com Gull, pair of Stonechat, Barn Owl back of main pool at 17.40, Tawny Owl, 2 Mistle Thrush and 32 Magpies.

10th Feb: Richard Taylor had 22 Wigeon, the drake Goldeneye, and the Oystercatcher's mate has returned.

11th Feb: I did the roost with Chris. Grey Heron, Little Grebe, 134 Canadas, 92 Greylags, 19 Wigeon, 27 Teal, 12 Gadwall, 3 Shoveler, the drake Goldeneye still, 11 Tufteds, 11 Goosander, 2 Kestrel, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Stonechat. In the fields behind the hide/mound were 79 Starling, 44 Fieldfare and 87 Redwing.
 
Tuesday 13th Feb wasn't a bad day. On the main pool was a Little Grebe, Mute Swan, 107 Canadas, 96 Greylags, 12 Tufties and 14 Goosander. Around both pools were 42 Mallard, 53 Teal, c20 Wigeon, 8 Gadwall, 3 Shoveler, 13 Coot, 5 Moorhen, 15 Snipe and 35 BH Gulls.

At least 3 Water Rails on site. 2 heard and one briefly seen in the top marsh area and 1 heard calling back of the main pool. 2 Kestrel around the old tip field area. The 2 Oystercatchers still.

6 Herring Gulls flew through south, as did 3 LBB Gulls. The pair of Stonechat still viewable from the mound. The Barn Owl flew past the layby at 18.02 as I was leaving.

34 Magpies in their roost. 48 Fieldfare and 70 Starling in the fields behind the hide. 4 Song Thrush including 2 singing.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 6 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

Euan Buchan
Hauxley Nature Reserve
Replies
4
Views
554
Euan Buchan
Euan Buchan
ClarkWGriswold
Griswold’s UK Birding List 2024
2
Replies
35
Views
2K
Paul Chapman
Paul Chapman
markpie
Markpie's 2024 List
Replies
5
Views
671
markpie
markpie
M
Marks 2024 green list (on foot and by bicycle)
Replies
8
Views
795
Moo
M
D
DG1's 2024 Bird List
Replies
2
Views
251
DG1
D

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top