Had a great day out at Weymouth and Portland. This was a non-birding trip, but I managed to get a few newbees to my 2017 bird list: Brent Geese at the Fleet, Mediterranean Gull at Radipole car park (where else!) and Great Black-backed Gull & Rock Pipit on Chesil Beach. I even managed a pair of Grey Partridges near Stonehenge.
Birds Recorded were: Cormorant, Mute Swan, Mallard, Little Egret, Brent Geese, Buzzard, Kestrel, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling and House Sparrow.
Friday 24 February 2017
Thursday 9 February 2017
Mute Swan - Lotmead Farm 6 Feb 17
As a follow up to my visit to Lotmead Farm on Monday 6 Feb, I sent an email to the Euring Website Here with regards to the Mute Swan with the orange Ring R7R on its left leg. I'm glad to say I have had some feedback from the ringer David Stone who has been studying swan populations in the Hampshire.
Here is David's reply:
"Many thanks for your report of the colour-ringed swan R7R at Lotmead Farm, which has been forwarded to me by WWT. From your Blogspot I can see that the ring is orange and therefore one of mine used in my long-term study of of the swan population in the Hampshire Avon catchment.
R7R was ringed on 23 Jul 2016 as a first year bird (i.e. hatched 2015) in a moulting flock at Great Durnford (in the Woodford valley N of Salisbury, SU132377) and was sexed on cloacal examination as a female.
There were no subsequent sightings until your own. This is an interesting movement, as most of the swan population in the northern end of the Avon remain within the catchment.
Occasionally, however, individuals turn up on the Thames, Cotswold Water Park or Somerset Levels.
If you come across this, or other orange-ringed swans in the Swindon area then do email me direct. It will be interesting to learn if R7R does stay to breed, although the pair are perhaps not quite mature enough. Females usually start to breed at 3 years old and males at 4 years. Regards David"
Here is David's reply:
"Many thanks for your report of the colour-ringed swan R7R at Lotmead Farm, which has been forwarded to me by WWT. From your Blogspot I can see that the ring is orange and therefore one of mine used in my long-term study of of the swan population in the Hampshire Avon catchment.
R7R was ringed on 23 Jul 2016 as a first year bird (i.e. hatched 2015) in a moulting flock at Great Durnford (in the Woodford valley N of Salisbury, SU132377) and was sexed on cloacal examination as a female.
There were no subsequent sightings until your own. This is an interesting movement, as most of the swan population in the northern end of the Avon remain within the catchment.
Occasionally, however, individuals turn up on the Thames, Cotswold Water Park or Somerset Levels.
If you come across this, or other orange-ringed swans in the Swindon area then do email me direct. It will be interesting to learn if R7R does stay to breed, although the pair are perhaps not quite mature enough. Females usually start to breed at 3 years old and males at 4 years. Regards David"
Monday 6 February 2017
Another Cold Morning
There were quite a few surprises on my visit to the Nature Reserve on Lotmead Farm this morning, with the main one being the huge number of Teal on the partially frozen pool. There was quite a hard frost last night with temperatures dropping to -2.1°C, so the Teal were partially hidden behind the island in the only bit of open water.
It took awhile to count them as it was still dark when I arrived and though I could hear them I couldn't see them. Eventually the sun came up and I managed to count 33 drakes and 30 ducks.
Other surprises were 3 Skylarks with two singing above the fields and a Cormorant that landed on the pool and started fishing, but gave up after a couple of minutes and then flew off.
Other water birds were 2 Little Grebes, 3 Gadwall with a pair & a lone drake, and there was also a solitary drake Mallard.
On the Farm Pool the Mute Swans were still present and the pen has an orange plastic ring on its left leg which I hadn't noticed before. So one for me to check.
Some fly-bys this morning were 3 Buzzards, 1 Red Kite and a small flock of winter thrushes with 5 Fieldfare and 12 Redwing.
Here are a few images taken in very low-light and a video from this mornings visit between 6:50am - 8:30am.
Birds recorded were: 2 Little Grebe, 1 Cormorant, 2 Mute Swan, 1 drake Mallard, 3 Gadwall (2m, 1f), 63 Teal (33m, 30f), 1 Red Kite, 3 Buzzard, 5 Pheasant, 1 Moorhen, 1 Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, 10 Collared Dove, 3 Skylark, 5 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 5 Fieldfare, 12 Redwing, 3 Song Thrush, 1 Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, 2 Jay, 5 Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, 2 Bullfinch and 2 Reed Bunting.
It took awhile to count them as it was still dark when I arrived and though I could hear them I couldn't see them. Eventually the sun came up and I managed to count 33 drakes and 30 ducks.
Other surprises were 3 Skylarks with two singing above the fields and a Cormorant that landed on the pool and started fishing, but gave up after a couple of minutes and then flew off.
Other water birds were 2 Little Grebes, 3 Gadwall with a pair & a lone drake, and there was also a solitary drake Mallard.
On the Farm Pool the Mute Swans were still present and the pen has an orange plastic ring on its left leg which I hadn't noticed before. So one for me to check.
Some fly-bys this morning were 3 Buzzards, 1 Red Kite and a small flock of winter thrushes with 5 Fieldfare and 12 Redwing.
Here are a few images taken in very low-light and a video from this mornings visit between 6:50am - 8:30am.
The Orange Ring on the Mute Swan. Hopefully more info on this to come.
A very quick visit by a Cormorant. Not many fish in the Reserve Pool.
Just a few of the Teal here this morning.
They are extremely busy ducks
A quick glimpse of a Jay and then it was gone!
A Redwing in the morning sun.
This Buzzard stopped for a pose and then was off.
A Red Kite passes by
Birds recorded were: 2 Little Grebe, 1 Cormorant, 2 Mute Swan, 1 drake Mallard, 3 Gadwall (2m, 1f), 63 Teal (33m, 30f), 1 Red Kite, 3 Buzzard, 5 Pheasant, 1 Moorhen, 1 Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, 10 Collared Dove, 3 Skylark, 5 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 5 Fieldfare, 12 Redwing, 3 Song Thrush, 1 Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, 2 Jay, 5 Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, 2 Bullfinch and 2 Reed Bunting.
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