The Derbyshire Ornithological Society

Carsington Water News

March Highlights: Whooper Swans, Egyptian Goose, Common Scoters and Osprey briefly. Long awaited Avocets stay a day, Long-eared Owl shows too well and Swallows and Martins arrive early.

The Great Northern Diver stays another month and is now showing some summer plumage markings on its back. Two Whooper Swans stayed all day on 17th. Last month's Pink-footed Goose and the regular Cackling Goose remained with the local Geese all month and an Egyptian Goose joined the goose circus for a day on the 27th. Twelve Common Scoter, including 8 drakes, were seen from Sheepwash Hide on 26th. Counts this month total 54 Little Grebe on 10th, 33 Great Crested Grebe on 23rd, 31 Cormorant on 23rd, 4 Heron on 10th, 11 Mute Swan on 10th, 3 Greylag on 17th, 85 Canada on 10th, 40 Barnacle on 22nd, 3 Shelduck on 15th, 124 Wigeon on 15th, 2 Gadwall on 20th, 6 Teal on 10th, 89 Mallard on 10th, 1 Pintail on 14th, 7 Shoveler on 16th, 1 Pochard on 28th, 308 Tufted Duck on 10th, 20 Goldeneye on 23rd, 7 Goosander on 2nd, 32 Moorhen on 10th and 284 Coot on 10th. A Water Rail was reported in the stream in Tail Bay on 31st.

An Osprey was seen from Sheepwash Hide at 1330hrs on 26th being mobbed by the local Oystercatchers and was reported again at 1215hrs over Sheepwash Car Park the following day. Ten Buzzards were in the air on 17th and 2 Peregrines noted on 10th.

This month's highlight must be the first formal record of Avocet for this site. Two were present on 15th, viewed from Sheepwash or Paul Stanley Hides, sometimes swimming over deep water or asleep on the spit. Either way, they delighted many birders. Six pairs of Oystercatcher were noted on 8th and another pair was probably on Millfields Island at that time. A Ringed Plover flew over calling on 10th and a Golden Plover was on Horseshoe Island on 15th. Lapwing totalled 82 on 10th and Redshank 7 on 10th and 16th. Thirteen Black-tailed Godwit flew west past Paul Stanley Hide on 8th and 5 Dunlin flew north past there on 19th. Curlew have been on passage and roosting all month, with a maximum count of 47 on Horseshoe Island at dusk on 24th.

An adult Mediterranean Gull in full summer plumage came in to roost on 5th, and a partial summer plumage bird roosted on 6th. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was on Flat Island on 9th and at the Wildlife Centre on 12th. A Kittiwake was noted on 12th and later in the roost that evening. The next sighting of Kittiwake was a series of possibly the same bird on 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th and 28th. The number of Common Gulls roosting built up this month and 590 were counted on 28th.

Owls featured well this month with 2 Barn Owls out hunting on 27th, a pair of Little Owls mating on 28th and an over-obliging Long-eared Owl found among the swarms of visitors on Stones Island on Easter Monday 24th. This owl's daytime roost was obvious and close to the path and it was flushed several times before departing to, hopefully, unharassed roosts on 27th. Sand Martin and Swallow arrived along with the Avocets on 15th. There was 1 Sand Martin and 2 Swallows, these Swallows being 10 days earlier than any other swallow record for Carsington. House Martins followed later, with 1 on 29th and 10 on 30th. Thirty Meadow Pipits were noted on 26th and 19 Pied Wagtails were on Stones Island on 27th, with an early White Wagtail on the same day. The first Wheatear was on Stones Island on 21st and 2 were on site on 23rd. A Redwing was singing on Stones Island on 20th and 47 Redwing were counted in Tail Bay on 26th. Blackcap on 14th and 19th were probably wintering birds as, probably, were single Chiffchaffs between 11-16th. Three Chiffchaff were singing on 17th and 21 were counted singing during a walk round the reservoir on 29th. A Brambling was seen on Stones Island on 30th and Reed Bunting have again been showing well on feeders, with 11 noted on 7th.

105 Species recorded this March compared with 95 in 2007, 100 in 2006, 107 in 2005 and 98 in 2004.

Roger Carrington

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