August 2008 Bird News

These reports are unchecked. Please note that for obvious reasons we do not publish sightings of rare breeders such as Little Ringed Plover during the breeding season (unless obvious migrants)

For more reports please see Rod Key's Page

31 August 2008
  • Willington GP (SK2827) Whinchat
  • Knowle Hill Farm (SK3425) Whinchat
  • Ticknall (SK3424) 4 Yellow Wagtails on cricket ground, Hobby
  • Heath Wood (SK3425) Hobby
  • Drakelow NR (SK2220) 25 Shoveler, 6 Pochard, 1 Golden Plover SW, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 3 Common Sandpiper, 4 Kingfisher, 3 Grey Wagtail, 4 Reed Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 28 Greenfinch at roost site.
30 August 2008
  • Bennerley Marsh (SK4743) 48 Lapwing, 11 Grey Partridge, 5 Grey Wagtail, 2 Green Woodpecker, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, 2 Kestrel
29 August 2008
  • Willington GP (SK2827) Greenshank, 3 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Teal, 3 Grey Heron, 4 Common Tern,
  • Avenue Washlands (SK3986) Hobby
  • Mickleover Golf Club (SK3134) Ring-necked Parakeet
28 August 2008
  • Marston-on-Dove (SK2329) 12 juv Buzzards moving west over 4 hour period
26 August 2008
  • Willington GP (SK2827) 4 Little Egret late evening, 2 Goosander, 3 Shelduck, eclipse male Mandarin, 18 Gadwall, 28 Teal, eclipse male Garganey, 25 Shoveler, 3 Dunlin, 2 Greenshank, 6 Green Sandpiper, 5 Common Sandpiper, 13 Common Tern, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 50 Linnet
  • Cubley Common (SK1639) 2 Raven
25 August 2008
  • Kirk Dale (SK1868) Female Peregrine over
  • Long Eaton GP (SK5032) Little Egret, Common Sandpiper, 155 Greylag Goose, 9 Mute Swan, 6 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Little Grebe, Green Woodpecker, 25 Tufted Duck, 6 Cormorant
  • Alvaston (SK3832) Hobby
24 August 2008
  • Moorway Lane Pond (SK3232) 8 Liitle Grebe, 2 Swan, 12 Canada Goose, 8 Moorhen, 5 Coot, 6 Tufted Duck
  • Bennerley Marsh (SK4743) 5 Grey Wagtail
  • Aldercar (SK4447) Buzzard, 2 Little Grebe, 3 Teal, Raven, 27 Swallow, 17 Meadow Pipit
23 August 2008
  • Dove Valley Lake (SK2031) Raven, 7 Swan, 12 Lapwing, 8 Greylag Goose, 8 Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, 48 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 220 Black Headed Gull, 3 Common Tern, Buzzard
22 August 2008
  • Willington GP (SK2827) 22 Gadwall, 17 Teal, 210 Mallard, 4 Shoveler, 6 Little Grebe, Little Egret, 4 Greenshank, 5 Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpiper, 6 Common Tern, 2 Kingfisher, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Willow Tit
  • Cotmanhay (SK4643) Swift, 27 House Martin
  • Bennerley Marsh (SK4743) 3 Kestrel, Kingfisher, Hobby, 3 Buzzard
20 August 2008
  • Carsington Water (SK2552) Black Tern
  • Wyver Lane (SK3449) 3 Cape Shelduck (escapes)
19 August 2008
  • Alvaston (SK3833) Hobby
  • Press Reservoir (SK3565) Kingfisher, Sparrowhawk, Whitethroat
  • Bennerley Marsh (SK4743) Buzzard, 3 Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Jay, 2 Kingfisher, 7 Meadow Pipit, 5 Skylark, 23 House Martin, Chiffchaff
18 August 2008
  • Willington GP (SK2827) Eclipse male Gargany still present (see Rod Key's page for more details)
16 August 2008
  • DOS Wood (SK3065) Spotted Flycatcher, Raven
  • Willington GP (SK2827) - mostly Canal Scrape Red Kite for 30 mins mobbed by Buzzards, 3 Little Egret, 95 Canada Goose, 4 Shelduck, 8 Shoveler, Pochard, 40 Tufted Duck, Hobby, 600 Lapwing, 2 Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 65 Black Headed Gulls, 6 Common Tern, 2 Kingfisher, 2 Green Woodpecker
  • Wyver Lane (SK3449) 3 Little Egret flying north at 11:15
  • Swarkestone (SK3728) 15 Swift
15 August 2008
  • Willington GP (SK2827) 3 Little Egret
  • Alvaston (SK3833) 6 Swift
14 August 2008
  • Mickleover (SK3035) 3 Swift moving south at 19:00
  • Drakelow NR (SK2220) 2 Peregrine, 4 Buzzard, 3 Greenshank, Oystercatcher, 4 Kingfisher, 2 Swift, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, 8 Blackcap, 4 Willow Warbler, 8 Chiffchaff
13 August 2008
  • Willington GP (SK2827) 2 Goosander, Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, 5 Buzzard
  • Little Eaton, A38 (SK3641) Raven
12 August 2008
  • Willington GP (SK2827) Greylag Goose, 2 Wigeon, 12 Gadwall, 9 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 28 Great Crested Grebe, Oystercatcher, 2 Snipe, Grenshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, Kingfisher, 3 Green Woodpecker, 100 Swallow, 7 Yellow Wagtail
10 August 2008
  • Bakewell (SK2168) Hobby over town centre at 11:00
  • Aldercar (SK4447) Buzzard, 2 Teal, Herring Gull
  • Langley Mill (SK4447) Osprey reported
  • Drakelow NR (SK2220) 13 Shoveler, 3 Mandarin, 39 Gadwall, 3 Peregrine, 8 Buzzard, 3 Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, 19 Swift, 10 Swallow, c100 Sand Martin, c150 House Martin, 3 Meadow Pipit, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler, 6 Blackcap, 3 Willow Warbler, 7 Chiffchaff
9 August 2008
  • Bennerley Marsh (SK4743) 90 House Martin, 40 Swallow, 42 Black-headed Gull, 2 Grey Wagtail, 7 Grey Partridge, 3 Green Woodpecker, Blackcap
8 August 2008
  • Westhouses Engine Shed (SK4257) 4 Whitethroat, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Jays, 2 Linnets & 14 Long-Tailed Tits. Also ten Butterfly species including Small Copper & Ringlet with Gatekeeper the most numerous
  • Bennerley Marsh (SK4743) 50 Black-headed Gull, Redshank, 3 Green Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, 10 Tufted Duck, 4 Reed Bunting, 3 Chiffchaff, 4 Whitethroat, 7 Swallow, 9 House Martin
7 August 2008
  • Wolfie's Pond, North Wingfield (SK4166) A Red Kite circled for 5 mins before flying off west at 1705 hrs
  • Willington GP (SK2827) 2 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 2 Little Egret, Sparrowhawk, 2 Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Common Gull, 12 CommonTern and 3 Green Woodpecker
  • Locko Park (SK4038) 2 Crossbill reported plus Hobby, 2 Little Owl, 3 Goldcrest, 2 Green Wodopecker, 500 Wood Pigeon and a Sparrowhawk
6 August 2008
  • Bennerley Marsh (SK4743) 50 Black-headed Gull, 5 Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 8 Lapwing, 5 Pied Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail, 3 Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff
3 August 2008
  • Willington GP (SK2827) 2 Little Egret at 08:00
  • Ticknall (SK3523) 12 Black-tailed Godwit flying over the village at 11:30
  • Bennerley Marsh (SK4743) 5 Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler, 2 Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 15 Tufted Duck
  • Hardwick Hall (SK4663) Hobby
2 August 2008
  • Etwall Farm (SK2729) Hobby

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Previous months
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
All of 2007
June/July 2008 highlights

June/July is usually a quiet period with birds busy raising young etc, with just a trickle of non-breeding waders etc moving back through the country; but not this year.

The top birds were two Great White Egrets at Ogston Res and over Harewood Moor, a White Stork over Glapwell, the Red-footed Falcon relocating to Willington GP, a claim of a Rough-legged Buzzard near Brailsford and two Honey Buzzards in the Trent Valley. Here Black-necked Grebes were seen and Marsh Harrier, Osprey and about 20+ Red Kites were also noted. Waders were exceptional with a total of 22 species reported amongst Knot, Sanderling, Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper and Turnstone made the period more like May than June/July.

As well as these, the number of Black-tailed Godwits moving through was exceptional with good flocks on July 6. Both Caspian Gull and Yellow-legged Gull were very noticeable although the former was normally “off limits” at Aston-on-Trent GP where a total of 29 bird-days were accumulated. Arctic, Little and Black Tern added to the more usual Common Tern sightings. Passerines were very quiet, as to be expected, although single records of Fieldfare, Redwing and Hawfinch were totally unexpected.

Unfortunately the pair of Common Gulls at Carsington Water lost there eggs, but good numbers of Twite were found in the NW. However, breeding waders seemed to have suffered with very few broods seen. All-in-all a very interesting two months.

Rod Key