RSPB Middleton Lakes (1 Viewer)

geoffw1946 · Jun 2, 2015

Still a good range of birds are visiting the feeders, 12 species were seen in 10 minutes including Jay, Great Spotted Woodie, Nuthatch and House Sparrow.
Waders on the NP and JWs included Avocet, 10 Ringed Plover, 3 LRP, 1 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper and a Dunlin.
Geoff

Piccalilli · Jun 2, 2015

I've seen all 4 Avocet chicks together tonight. One is slightly smaller than the other 3 but they have grown significantly since the weekend. The big problem now is that there are 700 mostly juvenile Herring and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls on NP and a further 300 on JW. I don't know where they've all come from but let's hope the wind takes them elsewhere tomorrow. It was difficult to watch at times and a relief to see the chicks finally brooded. I noticed that the adults have however become more tolerant of other birds in their airspace so not sure if they think the chicks are now safer or they were just exhausted from a days chasing.

A couple of shots from tonight - count the legs under the adult and there should be 10.

SteveAtkinson · Jun 2, 2015

geoffw1946 said:
May monthly totals from 2008 to 2015 are as follows,
2008, 93
2009, 91
2010, 87
2011, 96
2012, 116
2013, 94. Could be low because of work on the JWs?
2014, 119
2015, 106
I would say things are getting better as the years go by, but it is obvious that continuous work is necessary to keep the reserve in tip top condition, even now the willows are growing strongly around the JWs making it difficult to see the birds, and we have been lucky that there hasn't been much rain this spring.
I haven't seen any young LRP or RP yet.
The only passage waders I've seen today were 1 Dunlin and 3 Ringed Plover.
Geoff.

That's very interesting Geoff. Definitely seems to be an overall upward trend. Thanks for that mate.

Steve

SteveAtkinson · Jun 3, 2015

Piccalilli said:
I've seen all 4 Avocet chicks together tonight. One is slightly smaller than the other 3 but they have grown significantly since the weekend. The big problem now is that there are 700 mostly juvenile Herring and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls on NP and a further 300 on JW. I don't know where they've all come from but let's hope the wind takes them elsewhere tomorrow. It was difficult to watch at times and a relief to see the chicks finally brooded. I noticed that the adults have however become more tolerant of other birds in their airspace so not sure if they think the chicks are now safer or they were just exhausted from a days chasing.

A couple of shots from tonight - count the legs under the adult and there should be 10.

Definitely grown substantially since this picture that I took on Saturday Steve...

SteveAtkinson · Jun 3, 2015

Afternoon visit. Avocets and young still present. The young were difficult to count as they were in and out of the undergrowth, I definitely saw at least 3 and two other birders who were before me said they had seen all 4. Otherwise nothing particularly interesting. 2 Redshank, 6 Ringed Plover, LRP, 6 Shelduck, Common Tern, 3 Oystercatcher, 1 Cuckoo calling and although I didn't count them there were far less LBB Gulls than Steve reported yesterday.

All the best

Steve

geoffw1946 · Jun 4, 2015

A drake Mandarin Duck on the West side of the JWs this afternoon was my first for here. There were 9 Oystercatcher including a flock of 6 on NP otherwise much the same.
Geoff

Piccalilli · Jun 4, 2015

geoffw1946 said:
A drake Mandarin Duck on the West side of the JWs this afternoon was my first for here.....................

Geoff

A picture of your duck. Thanks for finding it - another year tick. Also all 4 Avocet chicks and adults getting very complacent now with one of them feeding on JW whilst the chicks run to the 4 corners of NP.

Steve

upstarts1979 · Jun 5, 2015

SteveAtkinson said:
Definitely grown substantially since this picture that I took on Saturday Steve...

Hi Steve
Your Avocet chicks will be 18 days old today, so they are probably safe from avian predators. When threatened the good thing about avocet chicks, unlike most other waders that freeze and hunker down, is that they run off and swim. Obviously having webbed feet they are in their element in deep water, so hopefully they will go on to fledge. The parents do become less feisty as their chicks reach 3 weeks or so. We have had chicks fly at 30 days and completely fledge and leave Upton warren after 45 days. So in a couple of weeks they could be flying, BUT some chicks took longer to reach that point. The main factors determining their fledging period is the food supply. At the Flashes some feeding zones are sub-standard and there the chicks struggle to grow and some die of starvation.
However at Middleton for all 4 to live for 18 days that would indicate that there is an ample food supply and the likelihood is they will survive. It will be interesting to monitor their actual flying and fledging period and compare that with the brackish water of Upton and the freshwater of Middleton.
Next year you will probably have more pairs and then the moans will start, as some people blame them for the lack of passage waders. I personally love them and would miss them if they disappeared from Upton Warren.
B

John

Piccalilli · Jun 5, 2015

upstarts1979 said:
Hi Steve
Your Avocet chicks will be 18 days old today, so they are probably safe from avian predators............

John

Some good info there thanks. I think food is becoming an issue as the adults have moved the chicks out into the middle of North Pit and whilst one stays with them the other goes off to feed on another pool. I couldn't however find them all tonight, just the 3, but now they are in amongst the islands the 4th could have been anywhere.

Steve

SteveAtkinson · Jun 5, 2015

Hi John,

Thanks for that, its really useful information. I'd read that they fly at 35-42 days but that still seems a way off and the fact that the parents are getting so much more relaxed over the last few days has been worrying. I haven't seen any of the chicks actually swim yet. It seems incredible to me that some Avocets are beginning to breed in freshwater now and it will be interesting to compare what happens at Middleton with Upton Warren. A good thing about Middleton is that it's a large area so hopefully it'll be difficult to blame any lack of passage waders on the Avocets. On that subject we've had 22 species of waders so far this year, let's hope it continues!

All the best and thanks for the info,

Steve

geoffw1946 · Jun 6, 2015

SteveAtkinson said:
Hi John,

Thanks for that, its really useful information. I'd read that they fly at 35-42 days but that still seems a way off and the fact that the parents are getting so much more relaxed over the last few days has been worrying. I haven't seen any of the chicks actually swim yet. It seems incredible to me that some Avocets are beginning to breed in freshwater now and it will be interesting to compare what happens at Middleton with Upton Warren. A good thing about Middleton is that it's a large area so hopefully it'll be difficult to blame any lack of passage waders on the Avocets. On that subject we've had 22 species of waders so far this year, let's hope it continues!

All the best and thanks for the info,

Steve

Hi Steve, I make the wader year list 24 with 36 all time and today was a good day for early June with 8 species :- 1 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, 3 Redshank plus Avocet, Oystercatcher, LRP, Ringed Plover and Lapwing.
A Cuckoo was still calling, Shelduck have now got 7 ducklings and 3 Kingfisher were reported along the river.
Geoff.

SteveAtkinson · Jun 6, 2015

geoffw1946 said:
Hi Steve, I make the wader year list 24 with 36 all time and today was a good day for early June with 8 species :- 1 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, 3 Redshank plus Avocet, Oystercatcher, LRP, Ringed Plover and Lapwing.
A Cuckoo was still calling, Shelduck have now got 7 ducklings and 3 Kingfisher were reported along the river.
Geoff.

Hi Geoff,

24, that's excellent mate I'm glad it's you keeping count and not me!

By the way, I came across this swarm of bees on Wednesday near the benches on the north east side of the JWs. Thought it would be of interest.

upstarts1979 · Jun 6, 2015

SteveAtkinson said:
Hi John,

Thanks for that, its really useful information. I'd read that they fly at 35-42 days but that still seems a way off and the fact that the parents are getting so much more relaxed over the last few days has been worrying. I haven't seen any of the chicks actually swim yet. It seems incredible to me that some Avocets are beginning to breed in freshwater now and it will be interesting to compare what happens at Middleton with Upton Warren. A good thing about Middleton is that it's a large area so hopefully it'll be difficult to blame any lack of passage waders on the Avocets. On that subject we've had 22 species of waders so far this year, let's hope it continues!

All the best and thanks for the info,

Steve

Any time Steve & Steve. we've had a very poor wader passage and like you say the size of the Middleton is in its favour. The lapwings at upton are more feisty than the Avo's and the lapwings are winning hands down.
B

John

geoffw1946 · Jun 7, 2015

Not much change this morning, 2 Dunlin and 2 Common Sandpiper on JWs, the 4 Avocet chicks were still reported.
Geoff

SteveAtkinson · Jun 7, 2015

geoffw1946 said:
Not much change this morning, 2 Dunlin and 2 Common Sandpiper on JWs, the 4 Avocet chicks were still reported.
Geoff

I saw two of the Avocet young this afternoon as well as the adults. Also this evening the Common Sandpiper were attempting to breed. Brood of 7 Shelduck on the north pit, they seem to have lost a couple. As well as the Dunlin there was a Redshank on JWs and a Cuckoo calling on the Dosthill side.

Steve

geoffw1946 · Jun 8, 2015

Today the 4 Avocet young continue to thrive, the 2 Common Sandpiper were still on the JWs and I saw my first LRP chick of the year.
2 Bullfinch were my first of the month.
Geoff

Piccalilli · Jun 9, 2015

They Can Fly ????

Spent a couple of hours in the hide tonight trying to locate all 4 Avocet chicks. Could only manage one and an adult. Then some numpty arrived at the two benches with two dogs off their leads. They then proceeded to chase everything around North Pit from in front of the hide out to the islands. It was then apparent there was only one chick and one adult. As soon as the dogs left I found it strange that the adult left NP and went to feed on JW. After leaving the hide I went over to the benches to check everything was ok and then was drawn to go and look on East scrape because that's where the adult kept heading. When I got to East scrape there was an adult with two of the chicks - CAN THEY FLY ????? or else they have walked 600 yards through many obstacles. They are only 22 days old so surely they can't fly, but if they walked then surely they would have all gone.

The only other birds of note were a pair of Garden Warblers and my first Hobby down the reserve for a long time.

Steve

rollingthunder · Jun 10, 2015

The can certainly wade when required, i've seen them do it a number of times abroad in order to escape disturbance...

Laurie:t:

Piccalilli · Jun 10, 2015

rollingthunder said:
The can certainly wade when required, i've seen them do it a number of times abroad in order to escape disturbance...

Laurie:t:

Laurie

I can understand them running or swimming a few yards to avoid danger but this was a mammoth crusade and has split the family group and put them 600 or so metres apart.

Steve

SteveAtkinson · Jun 10, 2015

Piccalilli said:
Laurie

I can understand them running or swimming a few yards to avoid danger but this was a mammoth crusade and has split the family group and put them 600 or so metres apart.

Steve

That's puzzling Steve. They have webbed feet and can swim from an early age I know but that is a big distance. Maybe they moved over a day or two.
I can't believe that dog owner. Its been one of the fears of regular birders at Middleton that the RSPB won't be able to manage irresponsible 'visitors' especially once the bridge over the river was installed. Mind you I've seen dog owners and cyclists access the reserve from the canal directly to the north pit over the ditch - there's no signs there.

All the best

Steve

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