Wednesday, 16 April 2008

The first of many sighting posts, I hope

I spent about 6 hours at Earlswood today! Saw a lot of birds, so the following are just the most notable that I saw:

New Fallings Coppice: 1 Treecreeper, 1 Buzzard soaring above trees.

Terry's Pool: 2 Greylag Geese (1st for me, and seemed wild), 1 male Shoveler, 1 immature Cormorant. 2 Treecreepers, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Chiffchaff, 2+ Willow Warblers (my 1st definite ID) and 1+ male Reed Bunting seen/heard around edges. A few Swallows over water.
During late evening when I was coming home, the Shoveler was still present but there was no sign of the Greylags.

Engine Pool: Mute Swan pair.

Windmill Pool: 4 Tufted Duck (none on other pools!), 1 juvenile Mute Swan, a female Mallard with 10 ducklings (1st for year). 2 Long-tailed Tits, 1 male Blackcap, 1 Treecreeper and 1 Song Thrush around edges. 50+ hirundines over water (Swallows, Sand Martins and 1+ House Martin).

Land south of WM Pool: 1 male Bullfinch. 2 Chiffchaffs and 1 Common Pheasant heard.

I also visited Earlswood Moathouse NR for the first time, and shall describe what I saw there more completely as this site is possibly less well known/watched than the lakes and SSSI. The site is pretty much deciduous woodland with 2 or 3 ponds. Most of the paths were muddy (no different to the rest of Earlswood!), and I was not pleased to see a bag containing dog poo just left on the ground in there. I also felt that the presence of 3+ non-native Laurels in this nature reserve was inappropriate. However, the site looks very good for breeding birds (anyone visiting will see what I mean), so I shall return.
Birds seen: Wood Pigeons, 1 Goldcrest, 3+ Robins, 3+ male Blackbirds, 2+ Blue Tits, 1 Great Tit, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Treecreeper and 1+ Nuthatch. A large woodpecker hole was noted.
Also, saw what I believe were deer tracks (probably Muntjac) in some mud.

M.P. Griffiths

P.S. as can be seen, there are a lot of Treecreepers at Earlswood at the moment. When I was birding there on the 13th of this month, I counted 4.

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