Lower Ure Conservation Trust
Nosterfield Bird Review November 2024
by Andrew (Andy) M Hanby
Winter Morning Simon Warwick
The month opened with 22 Whooper Swans through and more excitingly, four Short-eared Owls around the Henges, all on 1st. Sadly, the number of Short-eared Owls then dwindled, with the last sighting on 11th. Throughout the month Bittern, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and Great White Egret made sporadic appearances.
Short-eared Owl Dave Ward
The 2nd was a very nice day, with Little Gull again on Flasks Lake and a Red-breasted Merganser on Langwith Lake. Amazingly, the next day, the ‘merganser’ was now ‘Mergansers’ with a total of five now on Langwith. The next few days saw a minor celebrity appearance in the form of a male Mandarin Duck on 4th, a day which also saw 300 Pink-footed Geese through, heading north.
Red-breasted Merganser Tim Jones
The recording area’s ‘year list’ hit the bonus button on 7th when a Red-throated Diver flew east over Flasks Lake towards Lingham Lake, but sadly, could not be re-located. The Little Gull re-emerged on 8th, a day when two Stonechat were again seen and the local Linnet flock peaked at 170.
The 9th was a good day for armchair birdwatchers. A visible migration watch from Well bend yielded an impressive 760 Fieldfare moving south-west, counted from the comfort of a deckchair! Even more comfortable, from the warmth of the observer’s home, a Bar-tailed Godwit was discovered in a video he had taken of Curlew moving over the South Henge. For the more ambulatory, a flock of six Brambling down Green Lane was a great find.
Bar-tailed Godwit Tim Scott
On 10th, the local gull expert was strategically deployed to Langwith Lake and was rewarded by good numbers of gulls, including three first calendar-year Caspian Gulls, as well as a Green Sandpiper. The next day two Caspian Gulls came into roost. Additionally, a Ruddy Shelduck accompanied the Greylag flock, which, during the month, proved to be a magnet for itinerant wildfowl.
Be like Nathan and Tim - check the Greylag Goose flocks!
Nathan Beer: Barnacle Goose and Whooper Swan
Tim Jones: Ruddy Shelduck
A veritable herd of 438 Pink-footed Geese chose to feed in the recording area on 12th and 530 headed north over the area the next day. Meanwhile, Bittern continued to be seen intermittently. A Raven flew north on 16th; despite raven country being not too far away, this is a hard species to get to grips with in the recording area. Chiffchaff and two Dippers were recorded on 17th. It is worth noting that a productive stretch of the River Ure, from the bridge in West Tanfield, to a little downstream of Sleningford Lock, is in our recording area and is a regular haunt of Dipper, which breed (possibly two pairs), as well as Grey Wagtail and Goosander.
The finale of the month was provided on 29th, with a Tundra Bean Goose flying north over the South Henge, five Bramblingat the dipping pond and a female Red-crested Pochard on Ladybridge Lake.
Red-crested Pochard Tim Jones
Brambling Nathan Beer
Evening Flight David Saunders