Winter at Priory CP

It's been a strange winter so far, generally mild and dry until the recent cold snap. Bird species that we expect to see in numbers have not materialised although with the colder weather a few more Pochard have arrived. We still have a good selection of wildfowl in the park just in smaller numbers than we might expect.

We also expect to have good numbers of Corn Buntings and Reed Buntings roosting in the Crescent Reed bed but just a handful have made the reed bed their home this winter.

Female Reed Bunting

Things are starting to liven up around the park with Rooks inspecting the south side rookery, a pair of Herons already nest building and the main lake Mute Swans staking their claim for territory.

Mute Swans

Lots of birds are starting to sing now with new voices joining the dawn chorus every week. Best of all dawn isn't at stupid o'clock so everyone can get out and enjoy the concert! You might even spot displaying Sparrowhawks and Kestrels over the meadows.

Over on 100 Acre the cattle have departed but the number of Lapwings and Golden Plover is far short of the those we had last winter.

Male Muntjac

The Sunday vols have been busy around the park with a return visit to Riverside Pond, a session in the Rough, plantation thinning on Riverside and coppicing in the Sheep Pen. Meanwhile the weekday crew have been all over the place with a number of sessions in Clapham Park Wood, several sessions on Fenlake meadows and several days clearing one of the spits on the Finger lakes.

There was also a recent hedge laying training weekend up at Browns Wood. (Thanks to Tom Williams for the following photo's):

If you are interested in joining a week day volunteer session these are held on Mondays and Thursdays. Please contact to Priory Rangers to let them know you want to come along and discuss the tasks.

Saturday 8th June

One or possibly 2 Jays today, 2 sightings but may have been the same bird, was really nice for a change. Otherwise pretty steady stuff this morning. Common Terns are taking fish back to the main lake island now so we may have hatched out young, or could be the males feeding the females sitting on the eggs. Black-headed Gulls are still hanging around the island but difficult to tell if they are nesting or not yet. It looks like the Sand Martins have flattered to deceive again and are not using the island nest block after all. There were a handful over the main lake this morning but no sign of any visiting the nest block. At least 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were on the main lake as well.

Plenty of activity in and the Crescent Reed bed with Reed Warblers singing and one bringing in food. Some good reed growth this week so the south east corner of the reed bed is now looking quite green, still plenty of room for improvement though. Also a pair of Reed Buntings bringing in food which seemed to consist of a lot of Banded Demoiselles!

Female Reed Bunting with a healthy breakfast for the young!

 The Cuckoo was around early on, doing a big circuit of the park. And those were the highlights of a disappointingly overcast and cool morning. For those late risers, believe it or not, it was clear when I got up, not a cloud to be seen. Half an hour later, having lured me out of the house with the promise of some nice light for photography, the cloud had piled in. Hopefully better tomorrow, but it doesn't look too promising.

Good Friday, not so bad Saturday!

Met up with DK at the park on a cold Good Friday morning (-1°C). Willow Warblers are fresh in this week and it didn't take long for me to get my first of the year down by the Rough. They are not all singing strongly yet but you are almost certain to find one around Fingers. Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs are also pretty abundant in the park although the peak counts of last week have declined a little showing that some of the birds were just passing through. 6 Gadwalls and a couple of Teal were on west Fingers.

Having already seen TP once we met up again by the Woodland Walk, he'd already been up at the STW Bridge and had seen a Sedge Warbler, the first of the year. I headed up there with DK and it wasn't long before we heard the song and tracked the bird down to the west side of the river, north of the bridge on Riverside. We crossed the New Cut and went down to the river to get a little closer. Again we soon picked up the song but the bird was staying down in the bottom of the reeds and was hard to see but our patience was rewarded as DK spotted the bird move and then we had decent views for a few minutes.

There were also 40+ Sand Martins further along the river and we noticed that many of them were perching up on the overhead lines so we walked over to see if we could get some shots. Unfortunately most of them were facing away from the rising sun so lighting wasn't ideal but I managed to get this shot as one flew in to perch up. From the other side of the river a little later, DK spotted a single House Martin in the mix.

Sand Martin

Back up at the STW bridge there was another Teal on the back river. We cut down the track to the east side of the river and followed the trail along the river. We failed to locate any more Sedge Warblers but there were plenty more Chiffies and Blackcaps all along the west side of the river. A party of 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls spent over an hour, at least, circling over the island on the 100 Acre big lake.

Lesser Black-Backed Gull

We failed to find the hoped for Wheatear as we covered most of 100 Acre but Redshanks were heard and seen around the big lake and DK picked up a Ringed Plover as it passed over. A Snipe was also seen over the big lake and it came to rest back on the island. A Reed Bunting gave good views along the east side of the big lake.

Reed Bunting

Cutting back across the 100 Acre to the main path I spotted a Common Buzzard over the STW and it obliged by flying directly over our heads.

Common Buzzard

I looked down for a moment and next minute there were a further 2 Buzzards overhead with some lovely interaction between the three and even one of the LBB Gulls got in on the act.

Common Buzzards and LBB Gull

Common Buzzards

Back in the park we had 2 Jays and a further 4 Common Buzzards (2,1 and 1). We also had a possible second Sedge Warbler, I picked it up on a snatch of song near Wolk Holm as we stood at the south side of the main lake. This proved to be a very frustrating bird as it continuously started to sing, just 2 or 3 phrases, but never got into it's stride. We tracked it down to a thick piece of scrub and despite hanging around for half an hour we never did see the bird so it remain a mystery. We did get a Kingfisher while we waited and as we crossed the Cardington Spillway and turned into Press Mead a Goldcrest flitted across in front of us and showed well in a nearby Willow.

Numbers for the morning as follows (thanks to DK):

100 Acre Mute Swan 7 Canada Goose 15 Teal 2 Pochard 1 Pheasant 1 Great Crested Grebe 2 Little Egret 1 Kestrel 1 Coot 3 Lapwing 2 Redshank 3 Common Gull 4 Stock Dove 1 Green Woodpecker 2 Skylark 14 House Martin 1 Pied Wagtail (yarrellii) 1 Dunnock 2 Blackbird 2 Song Thrush 1 Chiffchaff 2 Blue Tit 1 Jackdaw 1 Starling 9 Reed Bunting 5 Greylag Goose 13 Gadwall 3 Mallard 4 Tufted Duck 26 Little Grebe 7 Cormorant 4 Buzzard 3 Moorhen 1 Ringed Plover 1 Snipe 3 Black-headed Gull 35 Lesser Black-backed Gull 8 Woodpigeon 5 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Sand Martin 38 Meadow Pipit 2 Wren 1 Robin 1 Fieldfare 7 Blackcap 2 Willow Warbler 1 Magpie 2 Carrion Crow 16 Greenfinch 1 Total number of species 49

Priory Country Park Mute Swan 8 Canada Goose 19 Teal 3 Tufted Duck 2 Cormorant 3 Grey Heron 2 Moorhen 2 Oystercatcher 1 Common Gull 1 Herring Gull 1 Stock Dove 2 Collared Dove 3 Green Woodpecker 1 Meadow Pipit 1 Dunnock 9 Blackbird 13 Sedge Warbler 1 Chiffchaff 19 Goldcrest 1 Blue Tit 9 Treecreeper 1 Magpie 7 Rook 6 Starling 2 Greenfinch 1 Bullfinch 2 Greylag Goose 2 Gadwall 5 Mallard 47 Great Crested Grebe 14 Little Egret 1 Buzzard 7 Coot 24 Black-headed Gull 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull 8 Feral Pigeon 5 Woodpigeon 19 Kingfisher 2 Sand Martin 38 Wren 8 Robin 8 Song Thrush 4 Blackcap 20 Willow Warbler 3 Long-tailed Tit 3 Great Tit 7 Jay 2 Jackdaw 1 Carrion Crow 8 Chaffinch 13 Goldfinch 2 Reed Bunting 1 Total number of species 52

Saturday dawned overcast and drizzly but surprisingly no Hirundines over the main lake first thing. ONce again I joined DK by the main lake and Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff were all heard/seen by the time we met up with EG, who was ringing in the Crescent. JA joined us shortly after. There were 2 Little Egrets on the fallen Willow at the north end of west Fingers, 4 Gadwalls were also present. Heading back to the Steps, along the main path, and DK spotted a Herring Gull accompanied by 2 Kittiwakes over the main lake. I managed to get a shot of one of the Kittiwakes as both departed north east shortly after. Great spot by DK.

Kittiwake

Around the back of Fingers there was a pair of Teal by the Sedgewick Seat. Up at the STW bridge we could not find any Sedge Warblers today but there were ~40 Sand Martins over the big lake on 100 Acre. JA spotted a Swallow over 100 Acre which I relocated as it flew up river and past us over the bridge. There were 2 Oystercatchers on 100 Acre. A walk up to Meadow Lane GP added a few Skylarks, 4 Fieldfares, 5 Redwings and a single Lapwing in the crop field.

Back in the park, DK had a message from EG, that 4 Sand Martins had passed over. Just as we reached EG back at the Crescent, at least another 10 passed over north.

That was it as far as note worthy birds was concerned. Continuing around the main lake we had several more Chiffies, Blackcaps and Willow Warblers. A stop a the mystery bird location from yesterday failed to add anything to the mystery but the Goldcrest flitted across in front of us again as we rounded the same corner into Press Mead. The Priory Rookery remains at 3 nests although there were 8 birds today and the thin nest at the back was being added to.

Two great mornings to kick off the Easter bank holiday weekend and up to 88 species for the year so far.

A very foggy morning.

It was very foggy this morning, the main lake island was just peeking through the gloom as we left the park mid morning. I was first to arrive today, not a single car in the car park, but JA and DK arrived a little later. I managed to glimpse the main lake swans mating, followed by their post mating dance, through the fog, always beautiful to see.

Mute Swans mating dance

While watching a female Reed Bunting in the Crescent I heard the groaning and squealing of a Water Rail in the reed bed.

Reed bunting (f)

5 Gadwalls were on Fingers and the pair of Great Crested Grebes were nest building.Chiffchaffs were singing in the Rough and at the end of the Spit.

Having met up with JA and DK we headed to Kramer hide where we managed to make out at least 3 Teal through the fog. The Mute Swans were at the nest doing a bit of maintenance. Next stop was the STW bridge where we had at least one Kingfisher and a pair of Grey Wagtails.

Back in the Rough we had a Blackcap singing over on the west side and at the Canoe Slalom we found another? Grey Wagtail.

A few more singing Chiffchaffs as we made our way around the park and we were back at the car park. Not a great deal to see in the fog, it was all about using your ears today. Forecast looks similar for the guided walk tomorrow. Meet outside the visitor centre at 9am BST. (Don't forget the clocks go forward tonight).

After Priory I headed up to Mowsbury Hillfort NR where I had at least 2 Chiffchaffs singing, 3 Mistle Thrushes, Yellowhammer and displaying Lapwings and this obliging Green Woodpecker.

Green Woodpecker