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SEPTEMBER 2005 Diary and News from Chasewater
 and Cuckoo Bank

2005

Sightings/News

Photos

North Shore: 2 Garganey, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Common Snipe (IW).
35 Lapwings (GE)

1 Common Sandpiper (PJ), 1 Grey Wagtail (GE). The Baird’s Sandpiper at Kirkby on Bain Gravel Pits, Lincolnshire not seen today; I wonder if it’s on its way back to us!

1 Black-tailed Godwit (PW), 4Ringed Plovers, 3 Dunlin, 1Common Sandpiper (IW).

Gull Roost: 5000 Black-headed Gulls, 1500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (GE).

Group Meeting at Innovation Centre – 19:30.

1 2^nd winter Mediterranean Gull, 5 Ringed Plovers, 3 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper (PJ).

1 Curlew called at 19:30 over the South Shore (IW)Gull Roost: Similar in size to yesterday (GE).

16 Red Deer at Norton Bog (SB).

Gull Roost: 1 adult Great Black-back, 1000 Lesser Black-backs, 27 Herring Gulls, 4800 Black-headed Gulls (GE).
Cuckoo Bank:  100 Meadow Pipits, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Kestrels, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Common Snipe, several House Martins and Swallows (GE).

Target Point/North Shore: 4 Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin, 9 Common Snipe, 4 Stonechats, 15 Meadow Pipits, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 5 Chiffchaffs .

Swag: 21 Tufted Ducks, 4 Wigeon, 3 Pochard, 2 Ruddies, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Red Admiral.

Slurry Pool: 881 Tufted Ducks (902 total), 3 Pochard, 1 Heron., several Common Darters, 1 Brown Hawker, 2-3 Migrant Hawkers.

Highfield Farm: 1 Wheatear.

4 Ringed Plovers, 1 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Herons, 10 Teal.
Tufted ducks concentrated on the Slurry Pool today, none on the Swag, few on the main lake (N).

4 Ringed Plovers, 3 Common Sandpipers, 1 Water Rail (PJ).

Fly Pool: 6 Red Deer hinds/young, 1 willow Tit, 20 Long-tailed Tits (GE).

5-700 Linnets in the rape fields, 1 juv Hobby, 1 juv Peregrine (PJ) which may explain the gull roost behaviour last night, 3 Wheatears (GR)

Fly Bay and Target Point: 1 female/juv Pied Flycatcher by the steps at Fly Pool, 3 Ringed Plovers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Water Rail, 1 Willow Warbler. Large numbers of Red Admirals, also Peacock, Painted Lady and Speckled Woods. Grass snake basking near feeding station, 8 Red Deer stags on North shore (IW).
4 Ringed Plovers (PW).

The Baird’s Sandpiper has now been relocated at Kirkby on Bain Gravel Pits, Lincolnshire.
4 Ringed Plovers (GE).

 1 Marsh Tit on north-east side of Swag (GE).

Swag: Yet another canoe (man and son) not far out from Norton East Rd but clearly causing major disturbance. Only 33 Tufted Ducks remained along with 5 Ruddies, 4 Pochard and 1 Wigeon . Fortunately  805 Tufties had settled on the Slurry Pool (838 total, 27 down from Sunday). 2-3 Migrant Hawkers.

3 Common Scoters - 2 males, one female flew out during the morning (PJ).

1 Knot was on the North shore today with the Ringed Plovers, first by the Sailing Club and later towards the pylon at the top end by the swag (GR).  5 Ringed Plovers, 6 Little Grebes - 2 adult and 4 juv (GR).

Hundreds of Tufted Ducks were disturbed from the Slurry Pool/Swag by an unknown cause during the mid- morning (PW).

1 adult winter Mediterranean Gull, 1 Dunlin (GE).

I very fearless juvenile Knot on the South Shore. 4 Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper.

1 male Common Scoter appeared at 16:00 and was still present at dusk (GE, NS).

Target Point/Heath: 3 Ringed Plovers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 4 Chiffchaffs, 2 Willow Warblers, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 adult winter Mediterranean Gull (IW).

1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Herons, 1 Snipe, Swallows and House martins, 1 Sparrowhawk (GR)
Wildfowl Count: 65 Mute Swans, 87 Canada Geese, 826 Coot, 27 Moorhens, 361 Mallard, 8 Teal, 3 Wigeon, 865 Tufted Ducks, 2 Pochard, 1 Ruddy Duck, 24 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Little Grebes, 2 Herons, 2 Dunlins, 1 Knot , 37  Lapwings,  1 Common Sandpiper (NS).

1 Water Rail at Fly Pool. 1 Knot, 1 Turnstone flew north at 09:35, 2 Ringed Plovers, 1 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Common Snipe, 1 2^nd winter Yellow-legged Gull, 7 Little Grebes, 3 Herons, 1 Siskin, 2 Grey Wagtails, sev Chiffchaffs.

Swag: 754 Tufted Ducks, 3 Shovelers, 2 Pochard, 1 Teal, 2 Ruddies, 1 Little Grebe.

1 Ringed Plover, 3 Common Sandpipers (PW). Siskins heard near OEC (GE).

I adult Arctic Tern (PJ).

Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Turnstone (BS).
1 Buzzard, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Gadwall, 2 Snipe (GE, PJ).

1 adult Baird’s Sandpiper  a first for Chasewater and only the second record for Staffordshire of this trans-Atlantic vagrant. 1 Bar-tailed Godwit still on the North Shore (PJ, NS).30 Lapwings, 1 Grey Wagtail (GE).

Swag: 11 Wigeon, 8 Pochard including yesterday’s bird with white breast and chin, good numbers of Tufted Ducks (GE).

Gull Roost: Now quite impressive, despite rather late water-skiing disturbance. Too late to study carefully but 1600 Lesser Black-backs and 3700 Black-headed were estimated (GE).

1 Osprey was videoed flying over the causeway at 12:50 and disappearing  over the Sailing Club (GE).

1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Ringed Plover, 5 Common Sandpipers, 6 Snipe, 1 juvenile Little Gull, 1 juv Arctic Tern, 2 juv Common Terns, 1 Buzzard (PJ).

2 Grey Wagtails, 2 Ruddy Ducks, 2 Teal., 6 Little Grebes, several Chiffchaffs, 1-2 Blackcaps and 30 House Martins (GE).

Swag: 477 Tufted Ducks, 8 Pochard (including one with a white upper breast!), 1 Shoveler, 5 Wigeon, 3 Little Grebes (9 total), 3 Ruddies (5 total) and 13 Moorhens (GE).

Slurry Pool: 231 Tufted (709 total), 20 Swallows (GE).

Cuckoo Bank: 2 Reed Warblers, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Blackcaps, 1 Willow Warbler, 10 Chiffchaffs, 13 Redpolls, 1 Tree Creeper (PJ).

1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpipers, 28 Lapwings, 6 Little Grebes, 30 Goldfinches, 400 Starlings, 6 Tufted Ducks, 2 Herons (GE). 4 prob Common Terns (NS, PW).

Swag: 570 Tufted Ducks, 6 Pochard, 6 Wigeon, 1 Ruddy Duck, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Sand Martin (GE).

Slurry Pool: 103 Tufted Ducks (679 total), 2 Herons.

Gull Roost: 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull, 5+ Herring Gulls, 950 Lesser Black-backs, 3300 Black-headed (GE).

1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Common Sandpipers (GE, PJ, PW).

Bar-tailed Godwit still posing for photos on the Sailing Shore (GE, PJ).

1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3-4 Common Sandpipers, (PW, NS, GE).

4 Common Sandpipers, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit on Target Point at dusk (PW).

Swag: 470 Tufted Ducks, 2 Pochard, 1 Wigeon.

5 Cormorants (GE, PW).

2 Little Grebes in north bay. Two men were hunting rabbits with dogs near the Slurry Pool (DG).

A beautiful late summer’s day. Water level now 138 cm off maximum, Target Point is just starting to appear and the Island is now more than just a clump of submerged willows.

1 juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, 425 Canada Geese including 9 Greylag hybrids, 1 Greylag Goose, 1 Common Sandpiper, 28 Lapwings, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Ruddy Duck, 6 Herons on north shore, 2 Jackdaws.

Swag: A Siskin flew over calling (first for the autumn), 333 Tufted Ducks, 1 Pochard, 1 Wigeon.

Slurry Pool: 49 Tufted (382 total), 1 Heron.

Plant Swag: 2 Swans, 10 youths and a boat(GE) – seems like they also visited Fly Pool.

Fly Pool: 14:00, the pool was devoid of any kind of wild life as there was a group of teenage boys in the middle of the pool in a plastic boat (NW).

No Man’s Bank: 1 Stonechat, 2 Buzzards, 1 Kestrel, 1 Common Hawker, Azure Damselfly, several Emerald Damselflies, Common Darters. Abundant Floating Club-rush.