Reservoir Logs - September 2025 round-up

 

                                    A juvenile Honey Buzzard battling strong winds pic @eugenedh.bsky.social 

          The first Honey Buzzard since 2022 and the first Grasshopper Warbler for four years were the month's highlights. September also saw a smart summer-plumaged Grey Plover make a brief rest stop and a pair of Ravens make two long-awaited visits. Add in late second records of both Osprey and Great White Egret and September finished more strongly than it started.

                         The Grasshopper Warbler resting after release pic @samodonnell25.bskyb.social 

           Across the month, 98 species were seen which compares favourably to 91 last year. The annual total at 141 is also four ahead of 2024.  Among the species still unrecorded but nearly annual are Mandarin, Scaup, Common Scoter, Woodcock, Short-eared Owl and Ring Ouzel so there is plenty of scope for additions before the year ends. 

                                   The Garganey stayed on No 4 for 10 days pic @chris-farthing.bskyb.social                  

                                                  

         August's Garganey remained until the 4th. Shoveler numbers, as expected, built up during the month but the peak count of around 50 is half the number seen in some years. The first two Wigeon of the Autumn arrived on the 23rd - over two weeks later than last year - with four next day and different single birds on the 29th and 30th. The post-breeding flock of Tufted Duck which still numbered 1385 on the 1st steadily dispersed across the month while it was a struggle to see more than a handful of  Pochard. 

 

                                                                Wigeon were late arriving pic @ivorh.skysb.social

          It was an excellent month for birds of prey. As well as frequent sightings of Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel, RE found the second Osprey of the year going north over West Warwick on the 24th. This was beaten in the rarity stakes by the juvenile Honey Buzzard found and photographed (below) by @eugenedh.bsky.social going low in the gale-force southerlies on the 15th. This is the first since September 2022 with the previous record ten years before. 

                 

            Red Kites were seen on four days with Common Buzzards slightly commoner than recently with records on the 7th, two on the 25th and singles again on the 26th and 30th. Hobby continued to make typically brief appearances with sightings on seven days with the last record on the 17th.  

                 This fine summer-plumaged Grey Plover make a brief stop pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social

            Wader of a month in which nine species were recorded was a stunning summer-plumaged Grey Plover on the 3rd which flew past CF and DB on Lockwood before resting at the north end for a few minutes. Grey Plover are just about annual but are usually not in their breeding finery. Three Lapwing also made a brief stop on the 29th on East Warwick. 

                         Three juvenile Ringed Plover turned up on Lockwood @samodonnell25.bsky.social

           Two Common Ringed Plover were seen on the 5th with a single on the 28th, a pair of fly-over Curlew on the 7th with another reported on the 19th. Two very tame Dunlin spent the 3rd & 4th on Lockwood ignoring the passers-by just yards away with another making a much briefer appearance on the 27th. Common Snipe were more infrequent than some years with sightings only on the 19th & 20th and perhaps two on the 27th.

                The pair of Dunlin spent two days right next to the public path @chris-farthing.bsky.social  

           The good Autumn for Common Sandpiper continued with a second pulse of passage mid-month with a peak count of 16 on the 13th and still at least two on the 30th. Green Sandpipers were seen on the 20th, 27th & 28th while what is presumed were the same two Greenshank from August fed in the flood relief channel until the 13th. A single bird remained until the 21st when the sudden drop in temperature presumably persuaded it to end its month-long stay.  

                         Green Sand @samodonnell25bsky.social and Greenshank & Common Sand @YLD          

              The young Caspian Gull was seen again on the 1st and 7th but August's adult Yellow-legged Gull stayed throughout the month rarely leaving the warehouse roof overlooking High Maynard. Terns also found it hard to leave the Wetlands with August's Black Tern remaining until the 4th - a stay of over a week. The juvenile and adult Common Terns continued touring the reservoirs until the 17th when they were joined by a dozen more passage birds. It was again the arrival of colder weather during the 21st which encouraged the young bird finally to leave. This was 18 days later than the last tern left in 2024 which itself was a late date. 

                 The Yellow-legged Gull making a rare foray off its roof  pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social

         Two Great White Egrets passed high west over Lockwood early on the 24th - only the second record of the year. Raven has been a genuine rarity at the Wetlands despite a pair nesting successfully for several years only a few miles up the valley. So the pair, first found by RE, on the pylon just outside the southern boundary of the reserve on 7th and then tracked north across the site, delighted those lucky enough to see them. Even better, they put on exactly the same performance two days later to fill a gap in (almost) all the most regular patch birders' Walthamstow life lists.  

                          Ravens made a long-awaited visit to the Wetlands pics@samodonnell25.bsky.social

           It was while watching the Ravens flying north on the 7th that the last Swift of the year was seen going in the other direction - a week later than the last bird in 2024. The final Sand Martin of September was on the 27th and two House Martins were still present on the 30th. The strongest passage of Swallows this year, which have been scarce in both Spring and Autumn, was in the final few days of September with over 20 on both the 17th and 28th. 

        It often takes the regular ringing sessions to confirm how many birds move through the Wetlands. The morning session around the No 1 reedbed on the 6th saw 55 Blackcaps caught along with 12 Willow, six Sedge and nine Reed Warblers but the stand-out bird was the first Grasshopper Warbler since the team trapped one back in August 2021. 

              Only the third Grasshopper Warbler in the last decade  pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

         There were still two Willow Warblers on the 21st with Sedge Warblers present until at least the 14th. This was the same date as the final Common Whitethroat with a late Lesser Whitethroat on the 20th. Reed Warblers lingered in the West Warwick reed bed into October.  

                                                Spotted Flycatchers passed through in small numbers pic @YLD

        Spotted Flycatchers continued in small numbers with  a peak count of four early on the 6th, and singles on the 2nd, 12th and 19th. Wheatears, again usually singles, were seen across the month with records on nine days with a peak count of four on the 27th. The disappointing year for Whinchat continued with no records at all in September compared to ten bird days last year. Stonechats were late arriving with the first returning bird not seen until two on the 22nd - a week behind than last year. Numbers built to six on the 24th and still at least five on the 30th. 

                                 
                      This Yellow Wagtail was both late and approachable pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social

           Late Yellow Wagtails included three on the 27th of which two very approachable birds stayed around on No 5 until the 29th. SD found the first two Rock Pipits of the autumn on the same reservoir on the 27th with another heard next day. Meadow Pipits passed over in good numbers with a peak count of 97 on the 20th, the same day that the first Siskins were recorded. CF had the first two Redpoll of the autumn on the 26th.           

             Meadow Pipit passage included a few which dropped down to feed pic @ivorh.bsky.social                     

DB @davidbradshaw1952.bsky.social