Wheatears at Maxey

Both images are digiscoped using Kowa TSN-883 x30 scope with a Canon A640 Powershot camera.

copyright J.H.P.Saunders
Visit my blog @ hedgelandtales.blogspot.com

These two male Wheatears have been hanging Maxey gravel pits for the past few days and seem to be quite nonchalant when it comes to my presence.

Cornucopia of birdsong at Ailsworth Heath

Sunday – I enjoyed a long walk from Southey Woods past Upton Church almost to the Ailsworth Road, then back into Ailsworth Heath and The Hanglands along the main North-South track. - sorry to Chris Gardiner that at around midday, it was just a little later than the Natural England Dawn Chorus walk…...


The Bluebells and Cowslips are magnificent, the Wood Anemones have peaked, and the Wild Garlic is in flower (but has gone over for foraging) and I did not spot any St George’s mushrooms.

 

However in this zany year for weather, I heard a remarkable set of birdsong around the trackway from the Ranger’s Yard through to the east of North Heath. Around midday and within a few minutes I heard

• a Tawny Owl in the pine plantation,
• a cuckoo (my first of the year) and a chiffchaff - both in the coppice.
• then a Nightingale in the scrubland on the west of North Heath. It churred and stuttered song phrases – but for some minutes rather than a full-on song.

There were other chiffchaffs about and an earlier Nightingale in the scrub north of the Middle Heath.
Maybe it is not just humans who are confused by the weather!

 

Nene Washes & Hills & Holes Weds 2nd May

A trip to Nene Washes Eldernell Lane revealed  an exceptional close sighting of great white egret approx 3/4 of a mile to the west of the car park on the flood plain.

Walking further west i saw 3 pairs of marsh harriers and several yellow wagtails.

After the recent rains the pasque flowers are looking magnificient at Hills & Holes Barnack. Worth a trip to see.

Improved water levels at Swaddywell

Swaddywell 30/04/2012

A visit to Swaddywell pit today revealed 3 male wheatears. They were grubbing around on the field above the south side of the pit. Also a number of linnets feeding in the same area.
What a difference a month has made. There is more water in the pit now  than i have seen for 3 or 4 years.Infact the water is virtually back up to the raised walk way and the far end of the reserve with lots of surface water on the limestone plateau as well. Can only be good for invertebrates, insects birds and wild flowers this year.
Cuckoo now singing at Maxey pits and several nightingales at Bainton Heath.
The Maxey Cut in full flood is quite dramatic and what a difference to last month when it had nearly dried up.

Dunlin at Maxey

copyright J.H.P.Saunders

More photos at http://hedgelandtales.blogspot.com

One of six Dunlin present at Maxey GP on Wednesday 14th March. This site is now starting to reveal some nice wader habitat with the pump now being continuously on. As well as the Dunlin, there were 6 Redshank, 2 Oystercatcher, 3 Common Snipe and numerous Lapwing.

Roll on wader passage!

22 January - Work Party at Etton

Sixteen adults and two children turned up on Sunday for our first work party of the year, focusing on removing willow from the southern end of the reserve, which we want to remain a wet area, suitable for wintering snipe and good in the summer for hares and skylarks.

Hard work it has to be said, lots of digging and pulling and swinging mattocks! David and Tim instead worked on creating the anchors for the new tern raft and Frieda and Emily were busy mapping water levels around the site.

And we even had a visit from Nick Watts OBE of Vine House Farm, who was visiting the reserve for the first time and offering thoughts on how we can best manage it for wildlife!

Langdyke Walk - 1 January 2012

A busy start to the New Year with over 60 adults and 12 children joining us for the annual Langdyke New Year's Day walk, led by Frieda and Martin.

We walked across Swaddywell and over to Open Coppy Wood and back around along the footpath to the Brick pits and King Street.