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

Upton Warren (13 Viewers)

Phil, how high was the water level at the Moors. It appears that there has been an exodus of dabblers possibly as a result of the increased level or dirty water from the Salwarp.

Didn't look at the marker but wasn't as high as I feared. However both Mike and I commented on the colour of the water in the Seasonal Pool (if Augustus Gloop ever visited he would be in heaven ;))
 
WeBS priority count date for November:

SAILING POOL
20 Mallard, 5 Coot, 2 GC Grebe, male Kestrel

FLASHES
6+ Jack Snipe and 30 Common Snipe flushed (only walked as far as the channel right of the oak tree), 1 Curlew, 119 Lapwing, 15 Teal, 6 Mallard, 2 Shoveler, 9 Coot, 41 Moorhen, 26 BH Gull, Rook, Raven, Peregrine Falcon, c25 Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Cetti's Warbler behind third Flash
Water level still 0.46 - water still draining in along east shore

MOORS POOL
3 Pintail (eclipse male + 2 female), 3 Wigeon (adult male, immature male + female), 20 Shoveler, 37 Teal, 90 Mallard, 2 Pochard (male + female), 8 Tufted Duck, 1 GC Grebe, 5 Little Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret, 13 Cormorant, 32 Greylag Geese (including leucistic bird), c240 Canada Geese, no Mute Swan, Dunlin > north, c20 Snipe, 42 Lapwing, 195 Coot, 5 Moorhen, Water Rail, 1 LBB Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 35 BH Gull, Kingfisher, Sparrowhawk, Grey Wagtail, 2 male Cetti's Warblers singing + many contact calls at dusk. No sign of Bittern by 5pm :-C

Mike had Treecreeper in the Education Reserve

there were 4 juve mute swans on moors but later flew off, 13 curlew on field on left as you come into moors and at least 1 goldcrest with tit flock near secret garden.
 
few hours spent well today ,total of 48 birds ,highlights Sparrowhawk sat on bird table waiting for dinner to appear, Kestral hunting in field next to sailing centre,male Shelduck appeared on flashes am moors pm(confirmed when I returned to flashes later.3 Pintail (f) appeared from seasonal pool and returned there later. Kingfishers on s/pool and moors.
flashes ;3 pair wigeon, teal, shoveler, shelduck, lapwing, snipe, GSW, Linnets, pied wag, Raven
sailing pool; kestrel, GCG, mallard, tufted duck ,Kingfisher
Moors; cetti's calling in 5 different locations, Water rail calling from soggy bottom area, 4 LBBG,BHG's,GCG & Little Grebe
Good to see a fair number of people around today including togs hopefully they may put some better photos on the forum then mine.
 

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few hours spent well today ,total of 48 birds ,highlights Sparrowhawk sat on bird table waiting for dinner to appear, Kestral hunting in field next to sailing centre,male Shelduck appeared on flashes am moors pm(confirmed when I returned to flashes later.3 Pintail (f) appeared from seasonal pool and returned there later. Kingfishers on s/pool and moors.
flashes ;3 pair wigeon, teal, shoveler, shelduck, lapwing, snipe, GSW, Linnets, pied wag, Raven
sailing pool; kestrel, GCG, mallard, tufted duck ,Kingfisher
Moors; cetti's calling in 5 different locations, Water rail calling from soggy bottom area, 4 LBBG,BHG's,GCG & Little Grebe
Good to see a fair number of people around today including togs hopefully they may put some better photos on the forum then mine.

Tim, were the wigeon at the Flashes grazing by any chance.:t:
 
Survey's Wed 12th and Friday 14th NOV

ANDY HARRIS from the Trust has asked me to post this on the Forum

Dear all, I have put up signs around the reserve regarding surveys being conducted tomorrow by Natural England and on Friday by Michael Liley our botanist. The text is as follows;

Wednesday 12th November

(Flashes AM, Moors PM)

Friday 14th November

(Flashes)

10 to 4 pm

and subject to weather.

Botanists will be surveying the site to see how the nature reserve is evolving and changing in response to:

· Water level management
· Grazing
· Cutting of vegetation
· Subsidence
Bird viewing opportunities will be limited.

John, please could you add this to the forum,
 
Todays work in Secret garden to swampy bottom

10 of us toiled through the poor weather conditions
Paul M, Ray C, Bob O Bob P, Peter E, Tony B, Vern, Jim, Charles and myself.
B :)Boy's, we also observed the 2 minute silence:t:

This work is specifically aiming to provide breeding habitat for Cetti's warbler.
By opening up the willow carr in certain areas, we are allowing herbaceous vegetation to colonise and provide suitably thick ground cover in these damp zones. Willow carr will be kept in adjacent areas for feeding /foraging areas for cetti's and other passerines.

Pics
1. Before work
2. after work
3. closer view of opened up areas.
4. as viewed from Secret garden viewpoint
5. some of the team and a geazer trying to nick Paul's jacket 8-P
 

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ANDY HARRIS from the Trust has asked me to post this on the Forum

Dear all, I have put up signs around the reserve regarding surveys being conducted tomorrow by Natural England and on Friday by Michael Liley our botanist. The text is as follows;

Wednesday 12th November

(Flashes AM, Moors PM)

Friday 14th November

(Flashes)

10 to 4 pm

and subject to weather.

Botanists will be surveying the site to see how the nature reserve is evolving and changing in response to:

· Water level management
· Grazing
· Cutting of vegetation
· Subsidence
Bird viewing opportunities will be limited.

John, please could you add this to the forum,

John will the results of the survey be posted on here?
 
Birding at Moors

The weather was atrocious but the birds were not affected.
The scrape in front of the east hide was sheltered from the strong SE wind, attracting fish eaters, waders and dabblers. The water had risen by 6 inches since Saturday and a strange purple sheen covered the seasonal pool, although the ducks didn't mind.

Snipe island, finally lived up to its name with 32 commons on show, although soon moved off once the ducks and lapwings arrived.
A kingfisher spent all afternoon perched on the posts in front of the hide - but the light was crap.
The promontory was covered in teal, snipe, lapwing and geese, even the pintail fed and 'loafed' here.
The recently renovated western section of the 'pool island' passed the test, as it stood proud of the increased water level, previously it would have been submerged. Here shelduck , gulls, waders and geese roosted.

SPECIES COUNT AT MOORS
Little egret 2, GCG 2, little grebe 5, cormorant 16, mute swan 1 juv, greylag 11, canadas 250+, shoveler 48 - 55, teal 85, pintail 2, mallard 250, pochard 3 (2 males), tufted 15, coot 280, water rail 6 seen and heard, snipe 65+, lapwing 60, curlew 12, BHG 220, herring 10, LBBG 18, Kestrel, buzzard, sparrowhawk, green woodp, kingfisher 2, fieldfare 12, redwing, cettis warbler 4, chiffchaff, goldcrest 2 singing, meadow pipit, starling 140 - roosted in the 'hook' reeds in front of the east hide. reed bunting 6
 
10 of us toiled through the poor weather conditions
Paul M, Ray C, Bob O Bob P, Peter E, Tony B, Vern, Jim, Charles and myself.
B :)Boy's, we also observed the 2 minute silence:t:

This work is specifically aiming to provide breeding habitat for Cetti's warbler.
By opening up the willow carr in certain areas, we are allowing herbaceous vegetation to colonise and provide suitably thick ground cover in these damp zones. Willow carr will be kept in adjacent areas for feeding /foraging areas for cetti's and other passerines.

Pics
1. Before work
2. after work
3. closer view of opened up areas.
4. as viewed from Secret garden viewpoint
5. some of the team

I was trying to get away with that coat as well:-O
 
Flashes Roost

I only had 45 minutes at the Flashes, as I had spent too much time with the pied piper (3 furry's less) . Although a lot of birds were crammed into this short visit.
The water level had dropped since Saturday at 0.44, the new sluice is obviously doing the business.
Although I didn't see any starlings, I could hear them chattering in the 3rd Flash reeds.
Flocks of geese and ducks were dropping in late on, snipe and lapwing flying out and gulls jockeying for the best roosting sites. Just before dark, the 2 green sands were joined be 2 more, they then flew around in search of an unoccupied roosting island.
Species count FLASHES
Teal 22, shoveler 12 +, mallard 180+, canadas 320, greylag 30+, coot 17, moorhen 48, Green sand 4, curlew 13, lapwing 85, snipe 12, BHG 900, LBBG 41, herring gull 11, buzzard, jackdaw 400+,
 
A quick visit to the Flashes this afternoon, hopefully be able to get down a bit more this winter and make it to a few work parties. Sightings from the Flashes included;

Adult Female Peregrine on the masts
2 Adult Rook
Cetti's singing from 3rd flash reedbed
Yellowhammer calling in fields behind the hide
120+ Redwing whizzing about, 2 Fieldfare
2 Sparrowhawk, 2 Stock Dove
52 Moorhen

Think John covered everything else! Good to see the reserve looking so well managed!
 

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