05/05/23
Mainly highlights. Multiples of most species were seen.
A night of heavy rain broke for a couple of hours and in the garden I started the early morning with a vocal Great Spotted Cuckoo, a male Collared Flycatcher, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Spotted Flycatcher & the Golden Orioles. Rain settled in again until late morning when it eased and the Bee-eaters came down low across the grove , garden & fields in flocks of 20 or so.
As they were settling on power lines I had a good look down the ones stretching into the distance in the fields opposite and picked up on two birds fairly close by. One being a male Great Spotted Cuckoo and the other a Lesser Grey Shrike drying itself off. Further off 3 Turtle Doves (later to be 6) also sat preening. The regular Raven pair kindly passed around this time too.
The break in rain gave me the impetus to get on the bike and see if I could find the other 3 local Shrike species before the next storm started. Red Backed Shrike was easy, on the next piece of land and several throughout the day. By now the regular warbler species, Serin & Long legged Buzzard had also been seen.
Across to the dry river bed and a Northern Wheatear plus the first of many Common Nightingales in orange grove and woodland. Plenty of Squacco Herons along here, a path-feeding White Stork, Yellow Wagtails, Cattle & Little Egret, plus Steppe Buzzard. I took a brief diversion into the wood here and had good views of Syrian Woodpecker in a clearing , whilst Green & Greater Spotted could be heard.
In the meadow a Masked Shrike was hunting from the wire fence , and my first Rufous Bush Robin (are we still calling them that?) of the year appeared from the woodland scrub almost beneath it. Zitting Cisticola flitted back & forth and a Skylark was overhead.
Onto the river channel which I shall have to fix a name too. It’s so bloody bare, like a flooded scrape on an abandoned Lancashire open cast mine site, I can’t really call it the river anymore. This time last year it was a densely vegetated, fish rich channel. In its new identity as a Wigan Flash at least picking out waders is a lot simpler. A nice bright Curlew Sandpiper halfway along from the bridge was a surprise and right at the back where the reedbeds begin 2 Black Winged Stilts fed.
I didn’t venture down the dump path as a local builder was filling his trailer with spoil on the dump & a carload of young men were hanging out on the path itself. This wouldn’t bother me so much, as it’s not particularly threatening, if they’d just take their crap with them afterwards.
Moving on. The overgrown marsh behind the dump has so much promise but is largely inaccessible. So a glimpse of Purple Heron & Great White Egret were welcome. Wood Sandpiper could be heard too. Oh for a Tower hide here. I have visions of a Bharatpur of old behind the trees.
3 Night Herons were roosting across the road in the flooded Sweetgum wood. A Cretzschmars Bunting pair again on the land by the dog sanctuary road and Water Rail heard from the reedbed opposite. Easter Orphean Warblers & Sardinian showed well along the field margins here.
Just over the first little road bridge is an expanse of marsh worth a stop. 2 Grey Herons & 5 Glossy Ibis passed in the distance and the first of 3 Marsh Harrier sightings.
What I lazily expected to be another ubiquitous Crested Lark rising from the field edge turned out to be a cracking Calandra Lark. There’s such a profusion of bird life on some days here that I obviously miss a lot just through wanting to move onto the next site without distraction from common species. One day I’ll park myself in one spot for several hours and grill the place.
A Common Kingfisher shot up one of the dykes but no White Throated for me today. Penduline Tits were amongst the reedbeds and scrub and Corn Buntings sang loudly along the route.
A rumble of thunder (and stomach) sent me back towards town. 5 Whiskered Terns just visible beyond the beach reed edges. After getting to the marina end of the Kordon I settled down for a beer and kofte only to see a couple of distant terns. Another look revealed a long distant flock spread right across the lake. Mainly White Winged Terns but with some Whiskered in there & 3 Black Terns separately picking their way along the Kordon edge. The whole flock must have been well over a hundred but was probably much higher as I couldn’t see the front birds and there were many further back towards the small island.
I should add I counted 3 separate Golden Oriole singing along the Kordon plus a Nightingale from Iskele cafe.
Final push for home, having still not seen my 4th Shrike when I glanced across the fields on my street and there… was a Roller. First this year and almost a garden tick. A good end to the day. I didn’t find a Woodchat though a trawl through the side streets would probably have found me one. Must try harder!
