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Upton Warren (14 Viewers)

History

An adult with white “28D1”, ringed in the nest at Hosehill Lakes, Berkshire on the 4th June 2011 and noted annually at Upton Warren since 2013.

The first sighting at the reserve was on the 5th May 2013 with the bird recorded the following year at the Flashes on the 9th and 28th March. In 2015 it was observed at the Moors Pool on the 24th June and at the Flashes on the following day. In 2016 it was seen at the Flashes on the 5th March and again on the 17th April whilst last year it was at Flashes on the 17th June before being recorded this year at the Moors Pool on the 16th May.

Other than its nest site later in 2011 and this reserve I understand the bird has only been noted in one other location, the River Lee in Cork on the 1st January 2012, although I will ask the ringing project coordinator for an updated history.

I love reading these histories; very interesting.
Pam
 
5am start at Flashes only 6 degrees and misty.
As expected no migrants but plenty of breeding activity. Plenty of juv tits especially long tailed around Hen pool.
Avocets have 2 broods of 4:1 & the 3 LRP chicks are now 5 and 4 days old. The Male Redstart continued to sing from Sagebury farm. A tatty red kite was picked out by Stuart Croft to the east of the reserve.

Species count:
Little grebe 1 hen pool. Shoveler pr. Gadwall. Shelduck 8. Tufted 12. Greylag 4 +5chicks sailing pool.
Avocet 35 +5 chicks. LRP 6ads +3 ch. Oystercatcher 2. Lapwing 7.
BHG C250 CHICKS. Very few large gulls as they were chased off by the Avocets.
Kestrel. Peregrine. Red Kite. Sparrowhawk. Buzzard 6.
Stock dove 30. Collared dove.
Raven 2. Rook 5. Jay 2.
Swift 2. Swallow. House Martin 10. Skylark 3.
Cetti's. Reed w 8. Sedge w 2. Blackcap 3. Whitethroat. Chiffchaff 3.
Song thrush 3. Redstart. Starling 2.
Linnet 6. Chaffinch singing (unusual). Greenfinch.
Reed Bunting 3.
 
5am start at Flashes only 6 degrees and misty.
As expected no migrants but plenty of breeding activity. Plenty of juv tits especially long tailed around Hen pool.
Avocets have 2 broods of 4:1 & the 3 LRP chicks are now 5 and 4 days old. The Male Redstart continued to sing from Sagebury farm. A tatty red kite was picked out by Stuart Croft to the east of the reserve.

Species count:
Little grebe 1 hen pool. Shoveler pr. Gadwall. Shelduck 8. Tufted 12. Greylag 4 +5chicks sailing pool.
Avocet 35 +5 chicks. LRP 6ads +3 ch. Oystercatcher 2. Lapwing 7.
BHG C250 CHICKS. Very few large gulls as they were chased off by the Avocets.
Kestrel. Peregrine. Red Kite. Sparrowhawk. Buzzard 6.
Stock dove 30. Collared dove.
Raven 2. Rook 5. Jay 2.
Swift 2. Swallow. House Martin 10. Skylark 3.
Cetti's. Reed w 8. Sedge w 2. Blackcap 3. Whitethroat. Chiffchaff 3.
Song thrush 3. Redstart. Starling 2.
Linnet 6. Chaffinch singing (unusual). Greenfinch.
Reed Bunting 3.

John, have the 2:2 broods now become 4.

Des.
 
John, have the 2:2 broods now become 4.

Des.

I think they were almost certainly 4 to start with. Maybe the parents allowed the pair that were due to hatch their clutch (and lost chicks or they never hatched at all) to temporarily foster two chicks the adults could be related. In the past I have seen the 'alpha' pairs ( the first breeders) form creche's when the chicks were half grown, so sho knows. I suppose our Avocets are very closely watched so we could be witnessing behaviour not previously documented;)
 
At the Flashes early morning Dave J reports:

37 Avocet +5 young (4:1), Dunlin, Redstart, 2 Cuckoo*, 4 Little Ringed Plover + 3 young, 2 Oystercatcher, 4 Shelduck, 2 Shoveler, Gadwall

* One Cuckoo was first heard calling in old orchard, then over the sewage works. One bird was then seen chasing another over the field, heading towards the Education Reserve. Stuart Croft then had one of them over the Sailing Pool.
 
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On 30th April re final photo.
Sunday 29th April at the Moors pool there was a nest-gathering BHG with a white ring 24HO. Is there any available history for this one?

It had been ringed in the nest at Cerney Wick in the Cotswold Water Park on the 10th June 2013 and had previously been recorded at the Flashes on the 10th April 2015, in the Flashes roost on the 23rd and 25th March 2017 and again at the Flashes on the 5th April this year.
 
One of my more ambitious charts, documenting the number of scarce and rare waders on Spring passage. I have taken "spring passage" to cover the second half of March to the first half of June and have excluded resident breeders (except Avocet prior to their establishment) plus the more common migrants such as Common Sand, Green Sand, Dunlin, Redshank and Ringed Plover. Clearly the totals are thrown by some of the exceptionally large flocks recorded eg Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit.

What is immediately obvious is that whilst this year (still 3.5 weeks left to run) has been very poor for numbers of scarce and rare passage waders, it hasn't necessarily been the worst for overall numbers of scarce and rare passage waders. However it has certainly has, to date, been the poorest for sheer variety of species with just Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit recorded. Of those years that noted less birds:

2004 - 5 waders (2 Greenshank, 1 Little Stint, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Sanderling)
2001 (Foot and Mouth lockdown year which restricted access) - 6 waders (4 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, 1 Knot)
2005 - 10 waders (6 Greenshank, 3 Whimbrel, 1 Sanderling)
2006 - 11 waders (3 Whimbrel, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Sanderling, 1 Turnstone, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Black-winged Stilt)
 

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At the Flashes early morning Dave J reports:

37 Avocet +5 young (4:1), Dunlin, Redstart, 2 Cuckoo*, 4 Little Ringed Plover + 3 young, 2 Oystercatcher, 4 Shelduck, 2 Shoveler, Gadwall

* One Cuckoo was first heard calling in old orchard, then over the sewage works. One bird was then seen chasing another over the field, heading towards the Education Reserve. Stuart Croft then had one of them over the Sailing Pool.

Dave J further reports from the Flashes:

38 Avocet, 6 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Common Tern briefly, 10 Lapwing, Lesser Whitethroat, Cuckoo seen / heard a couple more times.
 
Dave J reports from the Moors Pool:

Hobby, Cuckoo, 4 Oystercatcher + 2 young, 8 Gadwall, Willow Warbler
 
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Bit late getting to flashes this morning but expecting another hot quiet day, although I was already aware of the Ruff on the flashes which showed nicely. The 3 LRP chicks looked healthy and Avocet chicks were coming on nicely with at least another 8 or 9 birds appearing to be sitting... but you have to be 'in it to win it' as the saying goes and so you have to make the effort or you'll miss the birds...and the first good bird was a cuckoo calling around east shore of sailing pool (however not seen)... then a call from John Belsey to check out a tern on the moors which had been spotted by Keith Moore...turned out to be a Black Tern...and whilst watching the tern a Hobby circled overhead!... 4 year ticks in the space of an hour.

Weather conditions now humid/overcast and so an early morning visit planned tomorrow... some pics of tern and Hobby...
 

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Monday 21st May 2018 0845-1300

On paper the weather was broadly similar to my visit last Monday morning but as soon as I got out of the car and felt an easterly breeze on my face my expectations were heightened, for once not to be disappointed:

SAILING POOL
2Mute Swan, 5 Greylag Geese, 15 Canada Geese, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 8 Coot, 8 Tufted Duck, 1 Moorhen, 2 LBB Gull, Cetti's Warbler

FLASHES
Male Ruff, 31 Avocet +5 young (4:1), 3 Lapwing, 2 Oystercatcher, 6 Little Ringed Plover + 3 young, 25 Tufted Duck, male Gadwall, 6 Shelduck, 2 Mute Swan, 19 Canada Geese, 1 Grey Heron, 8 Coot, 6 Moorhen, c275 BH Gull chicks, Cetti's Warbler, Cuckoo calling from old orchard, male Redstart on old barn roof
Little Grebe on Hen Pool

NORTH MOORS
1 Mute Swan, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Coot + brood, Jay

MOORS POOL
4 Oystercatcher (family party out of sight by the seasonal pool), 3 Lapwing, 2 Shoveler (both males), 60 Tufted Duck, 4 Shelduck, 6 Gadwall (5 males + 1 female), 8 Coot, 3 Moorhen, 3 Little Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Cormorant, 2 Mute Swan, 9 Greylag Geese, 31 Canada Geese, 3 LBB Gull, no terns, 3 Swift, Raven, Cetti's Warbler, Willow Warbler on east track, GS Woodpecker.
Also present along the east track was an interesting mixed singing phyllosc warbler with a song started tentatively as a Chiffchaff but the finished strongly as a Willow Warbler.
 
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