SS15 wildlife watching: Visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve

Date: 22nd April 2024

Time: from 8:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 5°C to 8°C

I had another successful visit to the reserve this morning with 5 more first records of the year: Red Fox, Collared Dove, House Sparrow, Starling and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

I had a very brief and largely obscured view of a Red Fox at the back of Meadow Pond and its presence undoubtedly explained the alarm calling Moorhens. Red Fox is a mammal that I have very rarely seen at the reserve, unlike my other local patch site around St. Nicholas Church where I see at least one on the majority of my visits. This morning’s sighting of a Red Fox was my first since 2021.

With regard to birds, I heard a calling Collared Dove in the wooded area at the bottom of the Spanish Steps but failed to locate it. As I retraced my steps to return home, I saw a Collared Dove on the track between Prewer’s Pond and the Spanish Steps.

I saw a male House Sparrow in the bushes adjacent to the track opposite Thorny Wood and a single Starling flew over here too. A single Lesser Black-backed Gull flew over Meadow Pond heading south towards Pipps Hill where several of these birds can usually be seen with Herring Gulls on or around the shops and warehouses.

After my first Lesser Whitethroat record of the year on my last visit on 17th April 2024, this morning’s visit produced 2 singing males. The first singing male, as on my last visit, was frequenting the bushes around Meadow Pond. It was presumably the same bird although on this occasion I failed to see it. The second singing male which I did eventually see was in the bushes adjacent to the track between Prewer’s Pond and the storage shed.

Again, I recorded both Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps during my visit: I saw 4 singing male Chiffchaffs and heard 3 other singing males plus I heard 6 singing male Blackcaps and heard another alarm calling bird.

As I arrived at Willow Pond, I had the surprising sighting of a female Mallard with 4 very young ducklings although the male was nowhere to be seen! I also saw a male and female Mallard again on Meadow Pond.

The presumed pair of Moorhens were again present on Meadow Pond and I heard another calling bird on Willow Pond which I failed to see.

The cold temperature meant that I again failed to record any butterfly species.

Finally, I saw a single Grey Squirrel in the bushes around Meadow Pond.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Lesser Whitethroat

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren