 The last half of February proved very quiet with little to report and many of the same birds present. However, a returning Oystercatcher arrived on 23rd and stayed until the next day - a welcome boost to morale as Spring tarries! The site would appear suitable for them to breed but, being relatively new habitat and in constant flux, the site may not hold enough food for them. Either way, the Oystercatcher brings this year's site total to 86. Other wading species were in short supply with a maximum count of 11 Snipe flushed on 20th along with 2 Jack Snipe - presumably the same birds recorded earlier in the year. Up to 80 Lapwing remained in the area along with 2 Green Sandpipers favouring the long drainage pit as usual. An adult Yellow-legged Gull joined the gull roost on 23rd and appeared to be a different bird to the one on 4th being a heavier, possibly male, bird.  Adult Yellow-legged Gull on 23rd Feb Wildfowl numbers have fluctuated, presumably in response to varying levels of disturbance at the site. Mandarin Duck numbers have grown to 12 birds with Wigeon fluctuating between 20 to 50 birds. A noticeable influx of Teal occurred with a peak of c150 on 24th but all virtually gone by the end of the week. Tufted Duck numbers also peaked at 19 birds on 24th and varying numbers of Shoveler (max 21) and Gadwall (max 10) were present. A single Pochard visited on 22nd while a Little Grebe has been seen on a couple of occasions. Two Great Crested Grebes were present on 26th and 2 Coot remain on site. Another Little Egret made a brief appearance on 23rd. Perhaps more noticeable on site has been the flocks of birds gathering to feed in the large sheep fields. Common Gulls have been passing through with the flock peaking at about 300 birds on 20th. The most dramatic flocks have been the Woodpigeons with some Stock Doves and Jackdaws mixed in. Several flocks of around 1,000 birds commute between the surrounding fields and virtually cover the crop when they land! Woodpigeons feeding on the turnip tops A smaller flock of c100 Fieldfares also remains in the field. These flocks of course attract predators and 2 Peregrines have continue to visit the site but, as yet, no Merlin. Last year's wing-tagged Buzzard has reappeared and at least 2 Ravens have been seen flying over the site on a few occasions. Another noticeable change - very much in line with previous years - is the growing flocks of Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits visiting the water's edge. Hopefully these in time will harbour White Wagtails and maybe some scarcer pipits.  Wing-tagged Common Buzzard - tagged in the nest in nearby Hatfield Park Passerine activity is more noticeable with the approach of Spring and both Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings are now singing on site. They will hopefully breed but one major set-back for all passerines has been the sudden removal of the willow hedge between the ruin and Symondshyde Farm. Aside from providing shelter and nesting opportunities for many birds the hedge-line also provided a valuable corridor into an otherwise shrub-less site. The track between the hedges also held a variety of butterflies not found elsewhere on site. It is not clear why the hedge was ripped out and hopefully it will be allowed to re-grow but equally it may be ploughed in and replaced with a fence. A real loss at the very start of the breeding season.  The good news is that March has arrived and with it the promise of Spring migrants. We'll hopefully soon have the calls of Little Ringed Plovers on site with Sand Martins and Swallows overhead. Last year March saw some excellent birds so let's see what this year brings!  Red-legged Partridge on 24th Feb
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 Despite the cold and quiet past few weeks of February little signs of Spring are beginning to creep in to view. Easterlies have dominated the month so far with temperatures struggling to get above 5 degrees Celsius. The cold, overcast conditions have not proved conducive to early Spring passage but finally, mid-month, it feels like we may be on the brink of Spring. The sun actually came out yesterday and this coming week promises a new and warmer weather system. By the last few years' standard, returning Oystercatchers are now officially late but little clues to early movement have appeared. Today the lone and patient Coot was joined by another - I assume they can now get to the business of courtship and nest-building but I'm sure challengers will arrive! Tufted Ducks have returned with numbers now up to 13 birds and just yesterday, 3 Mandarin Ducks arrived with 5 today. Despite their love of parkland pools with mature trees for their nests these ducks seem to really enjoy the bare gravel pits and appear to find plenty to nibble at on the stony ground.  Wildfowl numbers in general have fluctuated and never seem to have recovered from the shooting onslaught unleashed by the farmer on his pet Mallards. Unfortunately, the more savvy wild ducks are quick to leave and while occasionally visiting soon vacate the site once they spot human visitors. These have included around 30 Wigeon, similar numbers of Shoveler, a few Gadwall, a single male Teal and female Pochard. Other regulars have included the 2-3 pairs of Stonechats, 2 Green Sandpipers and varying numbers of Egyptian Geese arriving to roost in the evenings. A high count of 24 birds was noted on 5th Feb. A Chiffchaff was also foraging with the Stonechats on 5th. Highlights of the first few weeks of February include 2 Jack Snipe flushed along with 10 Common Snipe on 10th Feb and an adult Yellow-legged Gull on 4th Feb. A Little Owl was also calling from its usual area on 5th and a Little Egret was noted on 1st Feb. A Great Crested Grebe on 8th Feb and a pair of Grey Partridge on 9th were also new for the site year list. With a pair of Red-legged Partridge seen on 15th the site total now stands at a healthy 85 for 2025.  Adult Yellow-legged Gull on 4th Feb 2025 One final highlight of the month so far has been the continuing sighting of Marsh Harriers with a wing-tagged bird on 13th and a male on 14th. The male has been presumed to be an immature - possibly a 3rd calendar year bird - with contrasting underwing and dark trailing edge to it wings. However, it does not appear to be the same as a similar bird seen in November 2024 that had darker wings with dark ends to its tail feathers. In addition a full adult male was seen on 26th June last year along with a juvenile and female bird. Assuming some of the sightings are of the same birds it seems that there may have been 5-6 individuals involved over the last 12 months. With records in every month for a whole year it seems to bode well for a possible breeding attempt somewhere in the area at some point. Below are 4 of the birds seen over the last year: Having recently been introduced to a paper on Marsh Harrier identification I am less sure about ageing Marsh Harriers as the paper suggests it is nigh on impossible! The paper can be found here and makes for interesting reading.
Whatever the case, hopefully these birds will continue to be seen in the area and one day stay to breed.  Late November proved to be quite a quiet period at the pits so just a few highlights to mention along with the usual increase in wintering wildfowl and Lapwing numbers (c200). The 19th saw the arrival of a lone Barnacle Goose that stayed until 26th Nov. The day before a Marsh Harrier put in an appearance while a Great White Egret flew over on 29th but did not land.  Barnacle Goose The real highlight came on 28th Nov with a male Pintail gracing the far end of the main pit. It's been a good year for Pintail records at the site with this being the 4th record this year involving 10 different birds. The bird remained to the end of the month and on to 1st Dec. Scraping the barrel a bit but 3 Grey Partridge put in a reappearance along with 7 Red-legged Partridge - perhaps heralding further releases. New game feeding stations are also in evidence so their days could be numbered! A highlight for me was a particularly beautiful evening on 28th Nov when the Barn Owl chose to sit out in its recently adopted hole. |
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