Recent weeks

Things have been bumbling along nicely at Priory over recent weeks with definite signs that migration is picking up in the last couple of weeks.

On Tuesday the 9th of September I accepted an invitation to join the bat group at Priory for a trapping session and was fortunate to be there when a Nathusius Pipistrelle was captured. More details here: http://www.bedsbatgroup.org.uk/wordpress/?p=8949

I spent a little time photographing dragonflies before the bat group arrived and managed a couple of nice shots of Migrant Hawkers.

Migrant Hawker

Migrant Hawker

In the last couple of weeks there have been more signs that migration is under way with the arrival of good numbers of Lapwings on 100 Acre, Golden Plovers in small numbers and the first autumn Wheatear. 

Wheatear (100 Acre)

Snipe numbers have also increased and the last of the Yellow Wagtails seem to have moved on along with the House Martins and Sand Martins. A few Swallows can usually be seen, either feeding around the park or passing through. Also listen out for Meadow Pipits and Skylarks which are trickling through in small numbers at present.

On the duck front Teals and the occasional Shovelers are beginning to show up fairly regularly and Little Grebes are moving back into the park after their "summer break". Gadwall numbers are variable but usually around the 30 mark. A Pintail has also been recorded on the main lake this week per DK.

Continue to look out for the roving Tit flocks and associated Warblers, Goldcrests and Treecreepers. We picked up a couple of Willow Warblers in one of these flocks at the weekend which is getting quite late for this species.

There have also been a couple of Otter sightings in recent weeks. These have both been from the STW bridge looking up stream on the back river in the morning between about 8 and 9am.

At the neighbouring Willington Gravel Pits the annual Starling roost has kicked with reasonable numbers of birds present but expected to increase as continental birds come into the country for the winter. Let's hope our continental neighbours have a hard winter so we get really big numbers of Starlings into roost this winter.  

The next guided bird walk is this Sunday (28th) meet at 9am outside the visitor centre. Please note we are back to a 9am start now we are into the Autumn/Winter period, ideal for those of you who like a lay in!

Upcoming events

Friends of Browns Wood Events

Rivercare Event

Saturday 23/08/2014

On the birding front it remains quiet in the park although the autumn/winter ducks are beginning to gather with increasing numbers of Gadwall and the first Teal of the autumn this week. Other species are on the move south so we are seeing Willow Warblers regularly at the moment. These are often associating with the roaming Tit flocks that can be found as you walk around the park. If you come across one of these, Treecreeper, Goldcrest and Chiffchaff can often be found in the flock with a little patience. Listen for the high pitched contact calls of the Long-tailed Tits which usually give away the location of a flock. A handful of Common Terns remain and can be seen over the main lake, youngsters can be identified by their browner plumage. Another couple of weeks and they'll all be gone on their way back to central and southern Africa.

100 Acre continues to evolve with the introduction of new fences and the cutting of large areas. This area is still managed by the gravel extraction company so we have little control over what gets done when. Although disappointing that some areas have been cut it was good to see that the wader area at the Castle Mill end had been, we just need a bit more water now to attract some passing waders this autumn. Hopefully in future we will be able to leave some areas uncut to support flocks of Goldfinches and Linnets through the winter months. In the short term, at least, it is likely that cattle will be introduced on some areas to keep the vegetation in check. Despite the disturbance on the site this week we still managed to find a single Green Sandpiper and good numbers of Swallows were skimming over the cut sections hoovering up the insects. Of note also was the large number of Little Grebes on the site with 14 counted at the south end of the big lake alone and 20+ altogether. Looks like they had a good year. A couple of Common Gulls were loafing on the earth works, with a bunch of Black-headed Gulls. We also had a single Yellow Wagtail

Other good news from the week was that DK spotted an Otter on the back river at the Sewage Works bridge, the first sighting for a while.

Next weekend it's time for the monthly guided bird walk so come and join me on the hunt for autumn migrants. Meet outside the visitor centre on Sunday 31st August at 8am.