Reservoir Logs - March 2025 round-up

 

                                Nuthatch is a genuine Wetlands' rarity  pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

      After a lacklustre start to the year, 2025 sprang into life with an excellent March which saw Nuthatch, Firecrest, Marsh Harrier and Brent Geese among the 19 species added to the year list. The 92 species recorded across the month also included a nice array of waders including Bar-tailed Godwit as well the expected early migrants. It means the year list has now reached 104, five more than last year and three more than in 2023.  

                              Two flocks of Brents passed over the Wetlands pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

      The size of the Barnacle Goose flock dwindled across the month but at least two pairs remained into April around the 4/5 causeway with one or two more birds showing signs of nesting again.on the No 5 islands. SD picked up 21 Brent Geese going north on the 22nd, eleven days later than the first record last year, with four more seen on the 29th. Small numbers of Shoveler and Teal continued into April while two Wigeon were seen on the 11th and a single on the 16th. The only Goosander was on the 21st while the last Goldeneye of the month, and probably the winter, was on the 24th. As recently as 2021, five Goldeneye were still at the Wetlands at the end of March which illustrates how wintering numbers are falling.   

                 Bar-tailed Godwit again turned up before its commoner cousin pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social

           Nine species of wader - three more than last year -  were seen this month including the wintering Common Sandpiper which shows no sign of leaving.  A Lapwing on the 29th was the only record with single Oystercatchers on both the 21st and 26th. As recently as a decade ago, Avocets were very irregular visitors to the reservoirs with records in only two years between 2009 and 2015. But they have now been seen every year but one in the last decade with two separate pairs appearing on the 18th. The first were spotted by LB from his loft window overlooking Lockwood but he had to leave the house to find the only Little Ringed Plover of the month, and the first of the year, later that day. 

                      Avocet and Little Ringed Plover are regular Spring visitors pics @samodonnell25.bsky.social

      

      For the second year running, Bar-tailed Godwit turned up before the usually more regular Black-tailed with CF finding one - as he did last February - on Lockwood on the 17th.  Single Dunlin passed through on the 12th and 20th with the only Redshank on the 11th. Common Snipe continued to be seen occasionally on the East Warwick island until the 23rd at least. 

                             Three Mediterranean Gulls were seen this month pic@samodonnell25.bsky.social

       Mediterranean Gulls are making up for 2024's unusual blank year with singles on the 9th, 17th and 19th to add to the first record last month. Little Gull is also a regular Spring bird with a 2cy spending the afternoon among the feeding Black-heads on West Warwick on the 26th. Grey Herons and Little Egrets are busy nesting while MM picked out the year's first Great Egret going south over High Maynard on the 25th.    

                  The Black-heads on West Warwick attracted an immature Little Gull  pic @ivorh.bsky.social 

  

        The wintering Buzzard continued to be seen until mid-month with two passage birds over on the 29th, the same day two Red Kites were seen. Single Kites were also recorded on the 6th, 9th and 12th. But the best raptor record of the month was the Marsh Harrier picked up going over high by SD on the 8th. March is also traditionally a good month for scarcer covid passage with small numbers of Jackdaw seen while the real reward for checking every crow overhead is the much rarer Rook with two on the 9th and another on the 21st.

                     Distant Rook and much closer - and brighter - Firecrest pics @samodonell25.bsky.social

 

        Nuthatch remain very scarce birds at the Wetlands with records far from annual. But it has now been seen in the middle of March for the last two years. Even more unusually, the bird found by DDL on the 22nd was also seen briefly - and photographed - next day.  While looking for the Nuthatch, CF found the first Firecrest  of the year as a consolation prize. He also had at least one Coal Tit on the 3rd. 

         There was a mixed picture in arrival dates of summer migrants. The first Sand Martin was on the 10th, seven days earlier than last year but passage remained light with with no repeat of the flock of 50 seen last March. Yellow Wagtail was also early with the first on the 28th, again a week before last year's record. In contrast, the first Willow Warbler was not recorded until the 25th, six days later than in 2024 with the first two Wheatears on the 21st, again five days behind last year's earliest arrival. A female Blackcap was seen on the 3rd with the first singing male twelve days later.  

                 The first Wheatear was found by DC and photographed by samodonnell25.bsky.social 

       After the first Siskins at the end of last month, three more were recorded on the 2nd with single Redpoll on the 8th and 23rd. March is a good month for Brambling with EDH finding an cracking male on the 13th. There has been no record of Bullfinch for at a decade - and perhaps far longer - at the Wetlands so it is a shame there are no more details for the pair recorded on an eBird list for the Wetlands on the 20th.    

          This Brambling briefly joined the Chaffinches at south end of No 3 pic @eugenedh.bsky.social  

DB @davidbradshaw1952.bsky.social