Upton Warren (13 Viewers)

It's with pride that I tell birders I meet on my travels of the breeding success of the avocets at UW. 27 birds yesterday, fabulous.
Meanwhile . . .
I really need to catch up with the blog. No excuses. Here's my Slimbridge day.
http://bikingbirderridesagain2015.blogspot.co.uk/

upstarts1979 said:

Hi John,
Tomorrow I will be accessing the Flashes to re-install the monitoring equipment – from 11am.
This shouldn’t take long but will undoubtedly cause some disturbance.
I’ll stick a poster up in the hide this afternoon but could you please also post on the bird forum.
Kind regards,
Peter Case
Water and Wetlands Officer

jUST READ THIS, SENT THIS FROM THE TRUSTU

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I'm not sure what the monitoring equipment is, but the Water and Wetlands Officer also took the opportunity to cut down reeds along the waters edge of the 1st and 2nd flashes.


Des.

UW82 said:

I'm not sure what the monitoring equipment is, but the Water and Wetlands Officer also took the opportunity to cut down reeds along the waters edge of the 1st and 2nd flashes.


Des.

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I will ask the question:t: John

UW82 said:

I'm not sure what the monitoring equipment is, but the Water and Wetlands Officer also took the opportunity to cut down reeds along the waters edge of the 1st and 2nd flashes.


Des.

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Hi Des
I have spoken to Peter, it wasn't part of his task. But he did say that John Hodgson and his team went in to do the work....It would have been nice to have been told, so we could inform the birders visiting..At the end of the day its up to the Trust what they do..but it would have been courteous to let us know. :t:

Did they rake up what they've cut I wonder?

wheatearlp said:

Did they rake up what they've cut I wonder?

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I don't think they did.


Des.

wheatearlp said:

Did they rake up what they've cut I wonder?

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Have sent an email to Helen , to find out if they are doing any more this spring.
Might be worth asking the questions, maybe there is a plan we don't know about.

Trevor Jones reports from today:

8 Avocets on the Flashes and a further 10 at the Moors Pool, Lapwing displaying at the Flashes, Chiffchaff calling and 48 Shoveler at the Moors Pool.

Ringed Black-headed Gull

A first winter Black-headed Gull sporting the white leg ring TOYE was observed at the Moors Pool on the 1st November 2014, the Flashes on the 11th November 2014 and again at the Moors Pool on the 6th January 2015.

This bird was ringed in the nest on the 13th June 2014 in Truskaw, Mazowieckie, Poland, less than 7 miles north west of the centre of Warsaw. It has not been recorded elsewhere to date.

Phil Andrews said:

A first winter Black-headed Gull sporting the white leg ring TOYE was observed at the Moors Pool on the 1st November 2014, the Flashes on the 11th November 2014 and again at the Moors Pool on the 6th January 2015.

This bird was ringed in the nest on the 13th June 2014 in Truskaw, Mazowieckie, Poland, less than 7 miles north west of the centre of Warsaw. It has not been recorded elsewhere to date.

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I saw this bird last Tuesday 3rd March , at the Flashes. I had already reported it in January, so I guessed it had spent the winter with us.

We all like to think optimistically of March opening the floodgates for summer migrants moving north from their wintering grounds in Africa but what is the reality on the ground?

I have reviewed the 31 annual reports produced since 1984 and noted those migrants that have made it to Upton Warren during March; please note this probably is an under-representation as some of the earlier reports didn't note the return date for all species:

Little Ringed Plover - occurred in March in 30 of the years between 1984 and 2014
Chiffchaff - 30
Sand Martin - 27
Wheatear - 18
Swallow - 17
Willow Warbler - 14
Blackcap - 13
House Martin - 10
Common Sandpiper - 4
Osprey - 3
Garganey - 2
Common Sandpiper - 2
Sedge Warbler - 2
Marsh Harrier - 2
Yellow Wagtail - 1

Prior to this period Ring Ouzel has also been noted a couple of times in March.

Sand Martin over sailing pool this morning.

update at Flashes...avocet 28...snipe 20. shelduck 3.

Is the Flashes going to suffer from Avocet overload this year......or does nature regulate things before they take over ???

keithr said:

Is the Flashes going to suffer from Avocet overload this year......or does nature regulate things before they take over ???

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Last year we had 14/15 pairs at the Flashes so these numbers are tolerable, albeit it is not even mid March and incoming numbers don't peak until early to mid April, so who knows how many may be present by then! :eek!:

In terms of impact, the obvious parties to suffer are the smaller, more timid waders. This may be either potentially breeding LRP, Lapwing and Redshank which are either squeezed out of nesting sites or are harassed on site, or passage calidris waders who also are disturbed by the unwanted attentions of the Avocet. As they nest in loose colonies there is a temptation for more and more birds to pask into a suitable area, even though such numbers may result in sub-optimul outcomes. One only has to look at the survival and growth rates of last year's chicks in the prime feeding areas (the 'saucer' and 'delta') compared to the later / weaker broods pushed out to feed in front of the reed beds with a poorer food source and more opportunities for predators - John may have some detailed analysis of this effect.

We have already seen breeding attempts at the Moors Pool and I would expect displaced birds from Upton Warren to try breeding at other sites in the wider West Midlands such as Grimley, Middleton, Branston etc

Today at the reserve

For a change started at the Flashes, owing to the cold W/NW more than any great bird expectations.
The rain was almost continuous until mid-day and later this afternoon the sun warmed things up a bit , but it was never more than 8 degrees.
Andy P got me my first sand martin on the sailing pool, it soon disappeared and probably went back south8-P.
Cettis sang both at the sailing pool and the Flashes as well as the 2 at the Moors. The avocets were again nervous and flighty, due to sewage workers maintaining the green tanks. This happened last year at the same time, the birds eventually got used to it and the work finished in April. The reed cutting around the meadow has opened up this area and several waders and coot fed in the cut section. Teal as always in March declined in number.
On to the Moors east hide, where noticeably shovelers had increased. There were several parties of thrushes and starlings moving through to the NW. Snipe were conspicuous feeding on the saturated ground but Pochard again had vacated the reserve.
Finally, a quick look over the North Moors revealed a bit of activity and it is hoped that the habitat improvements will see an upsurge in waterfowl in and around the pool.

Species Counts:-
FLASHES: teal 19, shelduck 3, mute swan pr, coot 21, AVOCET 28, curlew 9, snipe 20, oystercatcher pr, lapwing pr - later joined by 10 dropping in. BHG 150, herring gull, buzzard, kestrel, stock dove, skylark, cettis w, goldcrest pr, starling 20, song thrush 2

SAILING POOL: GCG 2, tufted 6, coot 8, cettis w, song thrush

MOORS: Little Egret 3, GCG 5, little grebe 5 (2 Broadmeadow pool), cormorant c20, shoveler 61, teal 12, gadwall 5 (2 prs + m), shelduck 2, tufted c55, coot 100 ish, water rail, snipe 15, lapwing 6, oystercatcher 4, kestrel, buzzard, sparrowhawk, green woodp, kingfisher, stock dove, redwing c45, fieldfare 35, starling c 30, cettis w 2, chaffinch 2, bullfinch, goldfinch 2,

NORTH MOORS: Little grebe, gadwall pr, teal 4, coot, moorhen 3. Rich saw a treecreeper in the plantation earlier this week.

NB: I spoke to the geazer who saw the Barn Owl on 11th March. It flew along the east side of the NM and then disappeared into the plantation. It probably then flew past 'Lifestyles'.B

reed cutting at Flashes

Pics 1 and 2
1st Flash reed bed before and after cutting on 11th March

Pic 3 and 4
sewage works reed bed before and after cutting

keithr said:

Is the Flashes going to suffer from Avocet overload this year......or does nature regulate things before they take over ???

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Spring peak numbers and resulting breeding activity for Avocet is as follows:

2003 - spring peak of 2 - 1 pair nested at the Flashes
2004 - spring peak of 2 - 1 pair nested at the Flashes
2005 - spring peak of 2 - 1 pair nested at the Flashes
2006 - spring peak of 4 - 2 pairs nested at the Flashes
2007 - spring peak of 8 (late April) - 2 pairs nested at the Flashes
2008 - spring peak of 11 (24th April) - 4 pairs nested at the Flashes
2009 - spring peak of 13 (31st March) - 2 pairs nested at the Flashes
2010 - spring peak of 15 (15th April) - 4 pairs nested at the Flashes; 1 pair nested at the Moors Pool
2011 - spring peak of 19 (9th April) - 8 pairs nested at the Flashes
2012 - spring peak of 17 (1st April) - 5 pairs nested at the Flashes
2013 - spring peak of 27 (26th May) - 13 pairs nested at the Flashes
2014 - spring peak of 32 (15th April + several dates after) - 13 pairs nested at the Flashes; 2 pairs nested at the Moors Pool (1 of which relocated to the Flashes)
2015 - spring peak of 28 to date (13th March)

Dave J at the Flashes- avocet 28.. chiffchaff 2 singing. treecreeper singing. a total of 5 cettis singing on reserve....Rob G had 3 little egrets in oak tree by cuckoo hide

upstarts1979 said:

Dave J at the Flashes- avocet 28.. chiffchaff 2 singing. treecreeper singing. a total of 5 cettis singing on reserve....Rob G had 3 little egrets in oak tree by cuckoo hide

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Dave J updates as follows:

3 Little Egrets, 28 Avocet, Cetti's Warbler, 2 Skylark - Flashes.
Little Egret, 2 Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler - Sailing Pool.