Lower Ure Conservation Trust
Nosterfield Bird and Natural History Review
May 2023
by Andrew (Andy) M Hanby
Turnstone Photo: Tim Jones
Common threads throughout the month included regular sightings of Marsh Tits near the camp portion of the Reserve to North Hide path and sporadic observations of one to two Yellow Wagtails, generally in the main Reserve or Ladybridge Lake areas. Other ‘irregular regulars’ during this period included four records of single Marsh Harriers and seven bird days of Osprey, including two birds on two occasions. There were also eight bird days of Hobby, with three being present hunting over Ladybridge on 27th. On the duck front, Mandarin sightings transformed from scarce to regular, with up to seven in the Kiln/Flasks Lakes area. Other threads were not so positive, for example the highest count of Swallow recorded was only six! And large losses of Black-Headed Gulls to Avian flu became evident.
Osprey Photo: Tim Jones
Osprey Photo: Tim Jones
The first day of the month confirmed the Bewick’s Swan was still present and indeed stayed until 13th, whilst the last Whooper Swan was sighted on 7th. Three Grey and seven White Wagtails represented good counts for both species, with the former count boosted by visits to the river, where Dipper and four Common Sandpipers were also found. Also of interest was a Whimbrel on the main Reserve and a Jack Snipe on North Lake – one of the hot sites for this species in the recording area.
The 2nd and 3rd saw two very scarce species for us, Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler respectively. The latter was the first for two years and was heard singing near Langwith Lake. A male Common Redstart was reported in Camp Wood on 4th, adding to the suspicion, from the long-staying family party down Flasks Lane last autumn, that they breed very close by.
Wood Sandpiper Photo: Tim Jones
The 5th provided a quality inland birding day, with the first Little Tern for over a decade. A supporting cast of Turnstone, two Wood Sandpipers was excellent, with a backdrop of two Ospreys, the Bewick’s Swan and a Wheatear - hardly Fair Isle, but good enough for us! The next day added a Greenshank to the month’s tally, whilst 7th was another good day, with the Little Tern still present, another sighting of Cuckoo, a fly-over Woodlark seen by one lucky observer. Also present were Grey Plover, Sanderling and Egyptian Goose- a veritable ‘purple patch’.
Temminck’s Stint Photo: Tim Jones
Things calmed down a little, with one or two Turnstone the main sighting of note between 9th and 11th. However, on the latter date, these were joined by another great local rarity, in the form of two Temminck’s Stints, on the main Reserve, remaining until 13th.
Amidst the gull gloom, four hale and hearty Mediterranean Gulls on 14th gave welcome relief, whilst six Pink-footed Geese the next day provided confusion. Subsequently, one or two of the latter species were seen until 23rd.
The run of wader diversity was reflected well on 18th, with Knot and another Sanderling, whilst a third sighting of Cuckoo on 19th was very welcome. On 20th a Grey Plover headed north over the area and 57 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were counted on Flasks Lake, easily the largest count of the month for this species.
Other than a Raven moving south-west on 21st, all went relatively quiet until 28th when two Corn Buntings were spotted at the Henges. This species is a former breeder in the area and therefore sightings at this time of the year area are always a cause for optimism - watch this space!
Curlew Sandpiper Photo: Tim Jones
It seems traditional for our patch to lay on a grand finale to each month, although once the rose-tinted spectacles are removed this is less common than we would like to believe. However, the full drumroll experience was to be experienced this May! On 30th a splendid pair of Black-winged Stilts was found on the main Reserve and a Curlew Sandpiper and two Turnstone on Flasks Lake. The stilts attracted a good number of visitors, but tardy twitchers arriving the next day were to be disappointed as they had moved on to Staveley NR. The 31st was also a top-quality birding day, which started with news of two Black Terns on Kiln Lake. The Black Tern count was then boosted by a build-up of this species on Ladybridge Lake, where a further 22 arrived during the afternoon. The final tally of 24 Black Terns in one day is, for us, one of the highest, if not the highest, count of this species in our recording area.
Black-winged Stilts Photo: Tim Jones
Lastly a ‘thank-you’ to the photographers and also an apology - I have used Topaz AI for some of the shots, which in some cases has transformed them into what look like classy oil paintings and have taken the liberty of publishing them in that format.
Song Thrush Photo: Fozzy
Andrew Hanby on behalf of the Nosterfield Naturalists, 9th June 2023