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Upton Warren (11 Viewers)

Yesterday at the Reserve

A very pleasant humid late afternoon on the reserve joined by Crofty Boy.
My main aim was to concentrate on the breeding species. A mixed bag really with a few disappointments but also good news.

Moors : tufted 3 broods 3:7:2. this is well below what we would expect at this time, but still time for improvement.
Gadwall 2. broods 4 well grown. 2 smallish chicks.
Little grebe 2. broods 1 well grown in SW marsh. 1 half grown off lagoon .
Common tern 1 juv. 1 well grown come out of raft abd resting on platform. 2 newly hatched on North raft. 2 others sitting and another pair prospecting.
Oystercatcher 1 flying young.
Also Hobby performing well from 4.30 in front of east hide. Little grebe 8 ads very vocal. shoveler 2 females. water rail calling in front of the East hide. kestrel
kingfisher. Green woodpecker. raven 2. Jay 2

North Moors :
Shoveler 2 half grown chicks

Flashes :
Shoveler 2 broods - 6 Well grown young. and other 4 small chicks both broods on 3rd Flash.
Mallard at least 12 broods of a range of ages.
Avocet..Some juvs have now departed with their mothers but still 65 birds present. Of these all the broods present on 27th June are intact and growing well. There are still at least 20 chick/juvs. There are 27 surviving chicks from 37 hatched not a bad percentage .
However the main THREAT to the chicks is the rapidly receding water level. The chicks are now having to venture wider than they normally would and this increases neighbour disputes with not only other avocets but moorhens and BHG. But hopefully the water will hold up for a couple of more weeks. Without any more substantial rain the 2nd Flash will be dry by early August.
Med Gull the chick is growing well and should fly in a we or do.
BHG many juvs have now departed but fresh broods are still being hatched.
Also Teal 12. Avocet 65? Oystercatcher 3. Curlew 15. Green sand 6? Common sand 3. LRP 4. Lapwing 25.
Med Gull 2ads chick +juv from elsewhere.
Kingfisher. peregrine. stock dove 40.

of Note..a flock of 50 starlings flew south of Flashes late on probably roosting close by. Just a few years ago we would be seeing several hundred at this time as they gathered in post breeding juvenile mostly flocks. A sign of how this once common breeding species has declined.
 

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First summer Hobby at the Moors Pool as per Lee Hudson

Juvenile Redstart along the west track at the Moors Pool as per Lloyd Evans

2 Black-tailed Godwits yesterday briefly at the Flashes
 
At the Flashes this morning Dave J reports:

Black-tailed Godwit dropped in at 8:55am, 1 Dunlin, 4 Green Sand, 4 Common Sand, 6 LR Plover (including 2 juveniles), 40 adult Avocet + 22 young / fledged juveniles, 2 Little Egret briefly, 2 Med Gulls (adult and juvenile) + young, 4 Shoveler young, 3 Tufted Duck young (2:1) of which one has been adopted by a Mallard!
 
waders on the move 4 Blackwits just dropped into Flashes seen by Clive L info via Dave J....July is a very underated month for passage waders...get out there and find some.:t:
 
From the Moors Pool Dave J reports:

5 young Common Tern (1:1:3), brood of 4 Gadwall, 1 young (fledged) Oystercatcher, 3 broods of Little Grebe with 4 young (2:1:1), 6 broods of Tufted Duck
 
A little gruesome to watch unfold but this is nature...
There were two gulls circling the Moors Pool, eventually one gets lucky. I just hope they don't get lucky too often.
On a brighter note another brood of tufted ducks spotted yesterday, 6 ducklings! Let's hope these guys stay safe.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/piedflycatcher/
 

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Hobby still at the Moors Pool as per Sue Hyde

House Sparrow on the west side of the Moors Pool as per Matt Smith

1+ juvenile Cetti's Warbler at the Flashes as per Dave J
 
interesting evening moors 10 mute swans,3 common terns + 2 chicks +fledgling ,2 Heron,Hobby.started counting coot distracted by a gull, Tufted had 6 chicks.
 

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flashes.3 Blackwits,5 green sand,2 common sand,6 LRP, 20 Lapwing, Avocets,1 Dunlin,2 Meds + chick,Tufted + 3 chicks,Buzzard.
 

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Flock of 18 Black-tailed Godwit just dropped into the Flashes as per JTB, joining one already on site.
 
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Spent whole 9 hours at the Flashes. From 12.30 it rained almost continuously until I left at 8.3pm.
This did raise the level a little but no more than 1cm. However all the shallow channels in the 'delta' and in front of the hide were well and truly wet and many waders did feed in these and in the previously dry shoreline along the meadow and 'saucer'.
I spent 3 hours or so in the cuckoo hide and was well impressed by the number of reed warblers foraging in the reeds and adjacent scrub. There were also a handful of sedge, chiffs and blackcap and a brood of 2 cetti's warbler. Reed bunting were also well represented. 2 kingfishers chased one another around the 1st Flash. A juv little grebe was heard begging in the Hen pool and it's parents regularly trilled.
During the first heavy showers 2 summer plumaged dunlin dropped in and joined the juvenile that we already present.
Many of the fledged avocet and their mothers fed in the 1st Flash as there was probably a food shortage due to the critically low water level in the 2nd Flash.
The area in front of the meadow where the old dead hedgeline is called the ' Gulley' and was holding many waders after 4 hours of the deluge.
At 5.45pm the Blackwit called, thinking it was about to leave I was pleasantly surprised when it got a reply and a flock of 18 circled and settled in the ' central area'.
The rain continued and by the time I left the ' central ' area was crammed with all the Blackwits, 30 Avocets. and many of the small waders.

Species Count FLASHES :
Little grebe 2
Teal 12. Shoveler fem. Mallard c100 including 12 broods. Tufted 3 +1 chick adopted by a mallard brood. Avocet 43 (22 juv/chicks ). Curlew 3. oystercatcher. Black Tailed godwit 19. lapwing 35. dunlin 3.LRP 8 (2ads + 2 juvs). (ad +juv).and our pair attempting to nest. Green sand 7. Common sand 4.
Med gull 2ads +chick almost fully fledged. BHG 300 max brood of 2 chicks just days old.
Kingfisher 2. swift 20. stock dove 45.
Reed warbler 20. sedge 5. Cetti's family. blackcap. chiffchaff. sand martin 40.
 

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