Andrew (Andy) M Hanby
Well Bend reflections Andy Hanby
Traditionally, after the joyous peaks of Christmas and the New Year, January sees many of us in the dysphoric troughs of excess withdrawal, boosted by grim weather. Whilst I guess many of us have had some of this, birding in the Nosterfield recording area has certainly kept our heads above water (just about, given the rainfall). This is reflected by an impressive 103 bird species being recorded, excluding hybrids and escapes. Additionally, literally a road’s width outside the recording area, both Bean and Barnacle Geese have been seen in a flock of, at times, nearly 2,500 Pink-footed Geese that occasionally land in a field 4000m north of the Langwith Gate.
As I write this, rain still falls and the Reserve and the North Lake have finally fused into one mega lake, in the manner that it used to do. This combined with flooding and sporadic spells of cold and frozen water, have affected the dynamics of wildfowl in general, both here and in flooded areas to the north of us. Consequently, we have had some good counts of duck during the month. Most notable has been Gadwall, with a staggering total of 254 on 18th, 81 Shelduck on 19th and regular counts of over 1000 Wigeon, peaking at 1487 on 17th. Also very respectable was 750 Teal on 17th, 15 Pintail on 18th and 18 Pochard on 31st. That undervalued ball of aggression, the Coot, was also present in good numbers, with 158 on 19th.
Dunlin were still about, with rapid fluctuations in numbers as they commuted to and fro with flooded areas to the north. Numbers peaked at 45 on 5th, whereas Green Sandpiper were steady, with one or two seen sporadically throughout the month.
This year, a national BTO Gull survey is being organised, which generated some reflection on the days of yore. When the landfill site operated, gulls were present in abundance of variety and numbers. On 10th after a previous stormy night, 475 Black-headed Gulls flew south. In general, however, daily movements were not so purposeful and reflected foraging movements. The first roost count of the survey on 20th saw 1100 Black-headed Gulls, 180 Common Gulls and 21 Herring Gulls come in to Langwith Lake - very modest by historic comparisons.
The main passerine themes included a flock of up to 60 Siskin and 16 Lesser Redpoll roving between the trees by the reedbed, near the plant nursery and in the Langwith Lake area. The stubble field by Green Lane and also either side of the South Henge were rewarding, with up to 35 Yellowhammer and 181 Skylark. By 28th flocks of the latter were breaking up and several singing birds were aloft on one of the days when a rarity, the sun, was visible.
Skylarks Andy Hanby
On the visible migration front, Pink-footed Goose was the main performer, with 949 heading north on 7th January. This species is generally the first to start moving around at the start of the year. Whilst there is a now a big population just to the north of us, these movements seem to occur when birds are also observed moving in other parts of Yorkshire, presumably as part of a relatively short distance shuffle from Norfolk and also the Humber region.
On a day-to-day basis there were plentiful additional observations of note. The 3rd was an interesting day with 66 species, including six Great- blacked Gulls and ten Goldcrest. The latter count represents, for us, a very high number outside the autumn. Interestingly, on the same day, other observers on social media also noted Goldcrest where they do not normally see them. Additionally, on 3rd, there were nine Little Egrets together on flooded fields just north of Flasks Lake and a Great White Egret put in the first of several appearances in various locations in the Lingham/Flasks Lakes area. The 5th saw the first of two sightings of Black-tailed Godwit in the Reserve area. A very mobile Stonechat which moved past an observer down Flasks Lane and later along the fence line by the Well road to the north and appeared to be a genuine migrant, unlike the 1-2 birds seen respectively at the Silt Lagoons and Langwith Lake, which have been around on and off since the autumn.
Stonechat (top), Great White Egret (bottom) Andy Hanby
On 9th a Chiffchaff was present by the Silt Lagoons, one of two observations of presumably the same wintering individual, in that area. The next day saw 67 species recorded in the area, with a total of 25 Grey Partridge being notable. The 12th provided top quality birdwatching, with three Bewick’s Swans discovered in the flooded field on the opposite side of the road from the Reserve and a flock of 30 Waxwing heading south. The next day was also outstanding, with the Bewick's Swans seen again, a Woodcock down Green Lane and a flock of 28 Twite in the Yorwaste mountain area.
Bewick’s Swans Gareth Jones
On 14th, the first Jack Snipe of the year was seen in the plant nursery area. This bird was also seen later in the month, with another in the Reserve area. Six Whoopers Swans were on Flasks Lake on 18th and on 20th a Bar-tailed Godwit was found amongst the many Curlew in the area.
The dog-leg in the minor road to Well, north of Flasks Lake, the ‘Well Bend’, has been an interesting place to watch this month, with several adjoining fields containing root crops and sheep really attracting in birds, most notably Pied Wagtail, of which a count of 37 on 25th was a January record for us. Redwing have also enjoyed feeding in these fields, peaking at 258 on 27th.
For one lucky observer, a walk through Nosterfield village on 26th was well worth the effort, spotting two Waxwing sitting on a television aerial. These two swiftly headed off south-west, joining 30 more!
Waxwing Nathan Beer
On 27th we conducted our first ‘birding tour’, which for me was great fun. Somehow Marsh Tit evaded us, especially irking as three of these were seen by other birders.
As the month drew to a close, our first Tree Sparrow of the year was found in Thornborough village and numbers of Oystercatcher escalated, reaching 62 by the end of the month. A very early Ringed Plover joined the year list on 30th and, on the last day of the month, a rather forlorn, lone Whooper Swan was found standing in a flooded field by the Well Bend.
Whooper Swan, Well Bend Andy Hanby
Andrew Hanby 3/2/24