April Update - Blooming Gorse and More Blooming Rain
The cool, wet weather that started in March continued through much of April, curtailing the opportunities and dampening our enthusiasm to get out on the patch. However, when conditions allowed we were rewarded with the sight of the gorse in full bloom as well as a welcome increase in the numbers and diversity of species across the heath and woodlands.
Arrivals of our summer migrants were all slightly later than
last year, but by the middle of the month we were regularly hearing the sound
of Blackcaps, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat and Cuckoo in
their usual locations. Swallows were the first Hirundines to reappear, on 2nd
April, with a single House Martin passing overhead on the 16th, but
no Sand Martin this year and no Swift so far. A small group of Wheatear
touched down in their favoured area of burned gorse behind the football pitches
on the 17th, enjoying a bit of rest before continuing their journey to
their Northern beeding sites. A single Yellow Wagtail passed overhead two
days later, but there was no sign of the Ring Ouzel or Sedge Warbler which
called in briefly on passage last year.
Male Wheatear on the heath (photo credit Mark Halligan)
On the heathland, good numbers of Stonechats continue
to establish territories in the gorse, but Dartford Warblers have been
more difficult to find than in previous years. Hopefully this just reflects a tendency
to skulk in the cooler morning conditions; we will see what happens as the weather
warms up over the coming weeks. Skylark and Meadow Pipit remain
active, but the Woodlark have fallen silent, as they did at this time last
year.
Our regular pair of Lapwing continue to show some
interest in the heathland near Widden Bottom; sadly once again they appear to have
chosen a spot rather too close to the footpath which may scupper their chances
of breeding success. A male Curlew has been displaying vocally overhead,
suggesting that he may have a mate close by although no clear evidence of
nesting has been identified. Snipe have also been active in this area and
in the reedbeds at Hincheslea Bog, with regular aerial display from up to 3
birds. At least two male Reed Buntings have also been singing in this
area; hopefully they will be joined soon by Water Rail and Reed Warbler which have
been summer visitors for the past two years. Mallard and Canada Geese
continued to be regular fixtures at Setley Pond, and a single Greylag Goose
was the only addition to our Wildfowl list for the year.
Our first Red Kite of the year passed overhead on 2nd
April, followed a week later by a female Marsh Harrier over the reedbeds;
a Peregrine Falcon flew over Widden Bottom on 15th and our
final outing of the month brought a Hobby and a second Red Kite sighting
over The Fillly pub. Buzzards, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk continued
to be seen sporadically throughout the month, but so far there has been no sign
of Goshawk on the patch.
In the woodlands, several Firecrest have continued to
sing enthusiastically, along with plenty of goldcrest; our first singing Redstart
returned on 15th April, although we have so far only identified one
territory. A pair of Lesser Redpoll were an unusual find at Marlpit Copse
on 17th April – previously we have only seen this species during winter
months. Surprisingly we have still not seen a Marsh Tit this year, despite some
concerted efforts in their regular haunts of previous years. We await the results
of the HoS Marsh Tit survey with interest to see whether this is part of a more
general decline in their numbers, or simply reflects a change in their location
away from our usual route.
Male Redstart (photo credit Matt Roseveare)
The arrival of May will, no doubt, bring some more migrants – we will be
listening out for the sounds of Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat as well
as hoping for another visit from the Wood Warbler which sang for one morning
last year. Perhaps, also, some decent weather wouldn’t be too much to ask for?
Comments
Post a Comment