Summary

We enjoyed a great day out at Bempton Cliffs, including smooth journeys both ways in a minibus from Slacks in Matlock. We were very lucky with the weather, which was mostly sunny, not too chilly or windy and it didn’t start to rain until we were well on the way back. Despite the crowds we caught several unusual sightings, including a barn owl hunting in broad daylight over the meadow behind the cliff, a peregrine resting on the cliff amongst various seabirds, a yellow wagtail and a fleeting view of a corn bunting. Unfortunately, having split up into small groups not everyone saw all these.

As expected, there were thousands of seabirds, both circling and resting. Gannets, kittiwakes, guillemots and razorbills were prevalent. There were only a few sightings of puffin. It is still quite early in the season, hence the scarcity of puffins. Most of the seabirds appeared to have staked their claims on the cliff ledges but didn’t appear to be actually nesting.

The meadows behind the cliffs were stunning, with broad carpets of red campion in bloom everywhere and a good variety of other wild flowers. Consequently, there were lots of small birds in these open areas and in the bordering hedges and bushes, so we had good sightings of tree sparrows, reed bunting, whitethroat etc and plenty of swallows swooping over. Other fauna seen included Painted Lady and Red Admiral butterflies, field vole and hares, two of which put on quite a long boxing show in an adjacent cornfield.

Being a fine, sunny Saturday, the reserve was very busy; the visitor centre and viewing platforms were thronged with folks. Nevertheless, it was worth waiting a few minutes for a turn at a good viewing spot to enjoy the spectacle.

Members & friends participating:         16

Bird list – 40 species seen including 3 en-route

Kittiwake roost by Martyn Grandy

Kittiwake by Martyn Grandy

Razorbill by Martyn Grandy

Gannet by Martyn Grandy

Gannet by Martyn Grandy

Peregrine resting by Martyn Grandy

Whitethroat by Martyn Grandy

Reed bunting by Martyn Grandy

Tree sparrow by Martyn Grandy

Summary

This was the Group’s first visit to Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve, which is designated as an SSSI because it is a nationally important site for breeding and wintering wildfowl and other wetland birds. It is situated just to the East of Warrington between the Manchester Ship Canal to the South and meanders of the River Mersey to the North. It comprises four large lagoons which are used in rotation for depositing canal dredgings. Recently used lagoons contain large expanses of open water and mud, whilst others are dry and at various stages of colonisation by vegetation. Overall they offer a wide variety of wildlife habitats which was reflected in the large number of species we spotted during our visit.

Entry is free but access is via high-security gates requiring a key to be borrowed from the Woolston Eyes Conservation Group which runs the site, so this imposed some unusual logistics which nevertheless worked very smoothly.

It proved to be a great day out for all concerned. The weather was almost ideal for birdwatching and photography, being dry and relatively warm, but mostly overcast so no harsh shadows to contend with. After a smooth journey in Stewart’s minibus we arrived in good time to pick up the key and were escorted to the car park at the end of the lane adjacent to No 3 Bed, where we began our visit, later moving to No 4 bed.

Highlights of the trip were great views of 10 to 12 Black-necked Grebes, mostly seen at No 4 bed, a marsh harrier and two pairs of Mediterranean Gulls. There were also lots of swifts swooping over the lagoons at No 4 Bed. The total species count was 47 seen and a further 3 only heard, including a cuckoo, making this a location that we should definitely visit again.

Members participating:    6

Bird list (47 species seen and 3 heard only)

Lagoon at No 4 Bed – Martyn Grandy – if you zoom in you may be able to make out at least 7 Black-crested Grebes in the centre-left, below and to the right of the Mute Swan.

Male Black-necked Grebe – Martyn Grandy

Male Black-necked Grebe – Martyn Grandy

Oystercatcher, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Black-headed Gulls, Pochard, Greylag Goose – Martyn Grandy

Nesting Black-headed Gulls – Chris Byrne

Two Mediterranean Gulls on the island and two in the water to the right, distinguishable by their very black heads and red bills – Martyn Grandy

Great Crested Grebe – Martyn Grandy

Gadwall, Coot, Mute Swan – Martyn Grandy

Whitethroat – Martyn Grandy

Azure Damselfly – Martyn Grandy

Summary

A bright warm sunny day with no breeze. Several of us discarded layers of clothing before we set off.  Part of the reserve was closed as the footbridge needed repair but we completed the Valley Woodland Loop.  A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen from the car park but then, for the early part of the walk, we heard more species than we saw.  Sightings improved though with good views of Pied Flycatchers in various locations – all males as far as we could tell.  Birds of prey were in evidence including Buzzard, a Red Kite and a Kestrel; we were unable to confirm one high overhead sighting however but the conclusion was either a Sparrowhawk or Goshawk.

Bluebells were showing well and a few butterflies were around, including Orange Tip, Speckled Wood and Peacock.  One member who had visited the reserve the previous Tuesday had seen a pair of Red-legged Partridge but there was no sign of them on our group visit.  After a very enjoyable walk in the sunshine, ice creams seemed to be the order of the day once we returned to the Visitor Centre.

Members participating:    10

Bird list (30 species seen and/or heard)

Valley Woodland Loop – Chris Byrne

Bluebells – Kathleen Rigg

Nuthatch – Kathleen Rigg

Blue Tit – Chris Byrne

Long-tailed Tit – Chris Byrne

Pied Flycatcher – Kathleen Rigg

Wren – Chris Byrne

Buzzard – Kathleen Rigg

Speckled Wood – Chris Byrne

Summary

It was three years since we last visited this RSPB wetland reserve on the Dee estuary. The weather was cloudy with rain threatening.  A guided group headed west from the visitor centre so we initially went in the opposite direction – to the Bunker Hide; we didn’t linger as, with no windows, it was distinctly draughty. There was plenty to see from the Visitor Centre and the two main hides, with particularly good numbers of Shoveler, Avocet and Black-tailed Godwit.  Among the highlights were two Spotted Redshank, some Mediterranean Gulls and a Ruff.  It was also good to see both Cetti’s Warblers and Chiffchaff, more often than not just heard. Blackcap were easy to spot too. The rain came late morning but was never heavy and we were able to take shelter from it in the Border Hide.  Up to 4 Marsh Harriers were seen over the reeds.

Some members sampled the ‘new’ café; a stand-alone building delivered but not erected on our previous visit.

Members participating:    13

Bird list (54 species seen and/or heard)

Gadwall – Martyn Grandy

Black-tailed Godwit – Yvonne Hofer

Avocet – Martyn Grandy

Avocets – Yvonne Hofer

Shoveler – Martyn Grandy

Little Egret – Chris Byrne

Blackcap – Yvonne Hofer

Cetti’s Warbler – Yvonne Hofer

Summary

It was our second visit to this wetland site in little over six months.  The sun shone and the late autumn sun cast a delightful glow over the reserve.  The reserve is managed by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and sits to the north of the Humber on the site of former sand and gravel workings.  It was a distinct advantage having Stewart Abbott (of Derbyshire Bird Tours) leading us, spotting birds we would have missed and being quick to train his scope on birds of particular interest.

Not surprisingly, we missed the array of bird song of our April visit but we soon heard the unmistakeable call of a Cetti’s Warbler.  We had good views of at least two Marsh Harriers from two or three different locations.  It was good to see a range of other raptors too, including a Peregrine and a Red Kite. Stewart picked out a lone Common Gull for us among a small group of Black-headed Gulls.  There was a brief view of a Bittern before it flew out of sight but later Stewart picked one out, standing in front of reeds and duly lined up his scope for us.

Members participating:    7

Bird list (51 species seen and/or heard)

Main Lake from South Hide – Chris Byrne

Cormorants – Chris Byrne

Lapwing – Martyn Grandy

Mallard and Red-crested Pochard – Martyn Grandy

Wigeon (mostly) – Martyn Grandy

Marsh Harrier fending off Crow – Chris Byrne

Whooper Swans – Martyn Grandy

Bittern – Martyn Grandy

Tree Sparrow – Chris Byrne

Summary

This reserve in the Dearne Valley is a haven for wetland birds with a good number of hides.  Up until the 1980s it was a coal mining area and had become heavily polluted.  The reserve was created by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and then taken over by the RSPB in 2003 and developed further.  There are several hides which we made good use of, as did one or two adventurous Robins that entered hides to spy on us.

It was a rather grey day and not great for photography but there was a considerable range of birds to see.  Almost everywhere we looked were flocks of Lapwing; a few Black-tailed Godwit and some Golden Plover were also around.  Among the ducks were good numbers of Shoveler.  The Marsh Harrier was a little distance away but with the help of bins, scopes and zoom lenses we all got reasonable views.  The Little Egret was busy shuffling a foot to stir up the mud, though without much success in finding food.  Similarly a Grey Heron was patrolling one of the lagoons at a slow but purposeful pace, apparently to no avail.

None of us suffered such a fruitless search for food however: Some had come prepared with their own supply while others made use of the on-site café.

Members participating:    8

Bird list (47 species seen and/or heard)

Shoveler – Martyn Grandy

Marsh Harrier – Chris Byrne

Little Egret – Martyn Grandy

Pied Wagtail – Chris Byrne

Robin – Chris Byrne

Robin – Martyn Grandy

Greylag Goose – Chris Byrne

Summary
Attenborough Nature Reserve is extensive, situated on the northern bank of the River Trent and is managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. The list grew steadily through the morning until a rumble of thunder heralded the rain that soon followed. The rest of the time we were focused on sheltering from the heaviest showers and heading back to the Visitor Centre to dry out and have lunch.
Early on we had good views of a fox loitering with intent in an area of grassland. Some of the group had a brief sighting of a hobby in flight. Shoveler were initially difficult to spot, being in a state of moult and the Egyptian Geese were at quite a distance on a small island. The reported Glossy Ibis didn’t show for us but three of the group got close up views of a Grey Heron, fishing by a weir.

Members participating: 9

Bird list (42 species seen and/or heard)

Fox – Martyn Grandy

Long-tailed Tit – Martyn Grandy

Grey Heron – Martyn Grandy

Grey Heron – Chris Byrne

Wettenborough Weatherfoul! – Beverley Howson

Summary

Our first visit to this RSPB reserve and former open-cast coal mine.  It lies to the south east of Leeds, north of the M62.  The day started cool and cloudy but the sun broke through around lunchtime.  Those arriving early missed the Little Owl, sitting on the railings behind “Oddball”, the huge remaining piece of mining machinery, but they did spot a Kestrel in that area.  For much of our visit, one or more Bittern were booming and then we were delighted to see one flying off, presumably in search of food.  A number of RSPB volunteers were dotted around the reserve perched on raised platforms, surveying bittern movements.

Our search for Black-necked Grebe proved fruitless but we had good views of both Common and Black Terns.  Black-headed Gulls were abundant and there were also good numbers of Greylag Geese, Tufted Duck, Coot, Reed Bunting and Reed Warbler.

Members participating:    5

Bird list (40 species seen and/or heard)

St Aidan’s RSPB reserve – Chris Byrne

Kestrel – Martyn Grandy

Little Owl – Chris Byrne

“Oddball” a relic from St Aidan’s mining days – Martyn Grandy

Reed Warbler – Yvonne Hofer

Goldfinch – Martyn Grandy

Reed Bunting – Martyn Grandy

Shoveler, male and female – Chris Byrne

Coot chick – Chris Byrne

Greylag Goose family – Martyn Grandy

Common Tern nest – Martyn Grandy

A chilly day but the intrepid few enjoyed the challenge of differentiating a Garden Warbler from a Blackcap in the first part of the walk.  Merlin was widely in use. The early Spring had encouraged the foliage so it was tricky picking out birds in the tree canopy so we had to rely mainly on calls. Pied Flycatchers were singing all round us and eventually we had some good views and Martyn took a lovely photo. After lunch in the usual spot with the benches by the stream, from which we saw Pied Flycatcher, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Blackcap, but no Tree Creeper, we ventured around the long loop known as the Woodcock Trail which was delightful but no new birds.  Coombes Valley is a superb mature woodland with lots of bluebells but it might be easier to spot birds at the end of April before the leaves are fully out. We were told that the Pied Flycatchers were ousting the Redstarts. We certainly didn’t see or hear one.

Members participating:       5

Bird list (25 species seen and/or heard) in the order we saw them:

Pied Flycatcher – Martyn grandy

Coombes Valley woodland – Martyn Grandy

Coombes Valley woodland – Martyn Grandy

Summary

It was the group’s first ever visit to this wetland reserve and we were rewarded with a wide range of species.  The sky was largely overcast but the sun did break through in the afternoon.  The reserve is managed by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and sits to the north of the Humber.  Previously, sand and gravel were extracted from the site and that activity continues on adjacent land.  There are a good number of hides and screens overlooking various lagoons.

From the car park we headed north on the perimeter path, alongside Island Lake,  stopping at the various hides, screens and other viewing areas.  It was another opportunity to test our memory on bird song, particularly following our last indoor meeting of the season with sound recordist, David Williams.  The Cetti’s warbler was unmistakable, as was the squeal of a Water Rail.  One of the highlights was watching the Sand Martins at the sand bank where the burrows were the result of Sand Martin DIY, rather than man-made pipes.

We found the tree where a Little Owl likes to perch when it’s sunny but, sadly, no sun nor Little Owl!

Members participating:    15

Bird list (54 species seen and/or heard)

North Cave YWT reserve – Martyn Grandy

Sand Martins – Martyn Grandy

Sand Martins – Chris Byrne

Large White – Chris Byrne

Greylag Goose with goslings – Martyn Grandy

Mute Swan and Black-headed Gulls – Martyn Grandy

Little Grebe – Chris Byrne

Linnet – Martyn Grandy

Reed Bunting (female) – Chris Byrne

Blackcap (male) – Martyn Grandy