Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 1st April 2024

Date: 1st April 2024 

Time: from 8 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy, light wind, 8°C to 11°C

I had another very productive spring visit this morning with a full walk around the site including the northern section, the cemetery and the wooded area in the south of the site on my way home.

During my visit, I recorded 20 bird species, slightly less than on my last visit on 27th March 2024. However, this did include another species added to my 2024 bird site list, namely Jay (I have no idea why it has taken so long to record my first sighting of the year!).

I also recorded my second butterfly species of the year, namely Peacock.

Other than the 2 Jays that I saw, the highlights from my visit were as follows:

Following my first records of the year on 15th March 2024 and 27th March 2024 respectively, both Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps are now well established across the site. I saw 2 singing male Chiffchaffs, saw 2 other non-singing birds and heard 5 other singing males plus I saw 2 singing male Blackcaps and heard 4 other singing males. However, this is probably an under-estimate of the numbers of both species now present.

For the second successive visit, I recorded both Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk, singles of both species seen from the southern section of the site whilst trying to photograph a Chiffchaff and a Blackcap.

My visit included one of my best encounters with woodpecker species at the site. I saw at least 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the wooded area at the eastern end of the cemetery and there was a lot of excitable calling and some “drumming”. I then saw what I assume were 2 other Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the immediate vicinity of the church with one of the birds landing on the wooden spire to “drum”. I initially heard a Green Woodpecker calling in the northern section of the site and eventually had a distant view of a bird as it flew in and landed on a tree. I also heard another calling Green Woodpecker in the cemetery. 

Finally, a single calling but unseen Greenfinch in the horse paddock was notable.

Whilst I was unable to get close to the 8 Peacocks that I saw at Noak Bridge Nature Reserve on 30th March 2024, a sighting of a single Peacock in the southern section of the site was a welcome addition to my 2024 butterfly site list.

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

Chiffchaff

Blackcap

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Robin

Wren

Dunnock

Blackbird

Song Thrush

Greenfinch

Common Buzzard

Sparrowhawk

Green Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Jay

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Woodpigeon

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull 

Peacock

Here are some photos from my visit ….

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: Blue Tit

Photo: Blue Tit

Photo: male Dunnock

Photo: male Dunnock

Photo: Robin

Photo: Great Spotted Woodpecker

Photo: Green Woodpecker

Photo: Sparrowhawk

Photo: Sparrowhawk

Photo: Peacock

Photo: Peacock

Site totals for 2024 to date (2023 totals in brackets):

Birds = 32 (47)

Mammals = 3 (3)

Butterflies = 2 (23)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (12)

Reptiles = 0 (0)

Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site

Birds = 65

Mammals = 7

Butterflies = 25

Dragonflies and damselflies = 13

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

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Visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve – 30th March 2024

Date: 30th March 2024

Time: from 9 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 8°C to 12°C

It was distinctly spring-like this morning for my visit to the reserve and it proved to a very successful one with 18 bird species recorded, including a first record of the year, a new mammal record for the reserve plus the welcome sight of the first butterfly species of the year.

Firstly, I had my first record of Canada Goose of the year with 2 birds flying over the eastern end of the reserve in a southerly direction and doubtless on the their way to the lake at Gloucester Park.

Secondly, I had my first record of Brown Rat for the reserve, my 4th mammal species. Whilst at Meadow Pond, I saw one swim across the pond to the left of the viewing platform before it briefly emerged on to a low-lying tree branch before disappearing. However, some minutes later, I saw presumably the same animal swimming in the corner of the pond on the far side.

Brown Rats have an image problem for most people but this particular animal was in a natural habitat rather than attracted to some of the less desirable areas due to human littering and waste. Having said that, if this Brown Rat is resident rather than just moving through, it may pose a threat to the Mallards and Moorhens if they settle down to breed.

During my visit, the temperature increased and this provided sightings of my first butterfly species of the year. The hedge adjacent to the southern section of the eastern boardwalk and the area along the track to Fox Pond were particularly productive and I saw Peacock (8), Brimstone (2) and Comma (1). I also saw another Brimstone as I returned along the track form the storage shed to the Spanish steps. The Peacocks were easy to photograph since they frequently but I only got a heavily cropped photo of the Comma and the Brimstones were impossible since they never settled.

The warming temperature also brought out several Bee-flies and bumblebee species.

During my last visit to the reserve on 20th March 2024, I recorded my first Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps for the year. Both these species are now well established and I heard males singing across the reserve but particularly in the eastern section of the reserve from the boardwalk and around Meadow Pond.

I saw 4 singing male Chiffchaffs and heard 2 other singing males plus I saw 3 Blackcaps, including 2 singing males plus a female, and heard 2 other singing males. However, this is probably an under-estimate of the numbers present.

With regard to other birds, I saw a male and female Mallard on Meadow Pond. The presumed pair of Moorhens were also again present on Meadow Pond and I again heard another calling bird on Willow Pond which I failed to see.

The only other notable record from my visit, which unfortunately can not be included as a reserve record, was a Common Buzzard which I heard “mewing” somewhere to the north of the path near Puckles Pond but definitely outside the reserve boundary.

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

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Dunnock

Song Thrush

Blackbird

Jay

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Woodpigeon

Canada Goose

Mallard

Moorhen

Black-headed Gull

Brown Rat

Brimstone

Peacock

Comma

Here are some photos from my visit ….

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: Robin

Photo: Robin

Photo: Robin

Photo: Robin

Photo: male and female Mallard

Photo: Peacock

Photo: Peacock

Photo: Peacock

Photo: Peacock

Photo: Comma

Photo: Dark-edged Bee-fly

Photo: Bumblebee species

Photo: Bumblebee species

Photo: Bumblebee species

Site totals for 2024 to date (2023 totals in brackets):

Birds = 23 (36)

Mammals = 2 (2)

Butterflies = 3 (15)  

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (11)

Reptiles = 0 (1)

Amphibians = 0 (2)

Total species list for the site:

Birds = 48

Mammals = 4

Butterflies = 22

Dragonflies and damselflies = 14

Reptiles = 2

Amphibians = 3

Love nature .... act now

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Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Record from my flat - Red Fox

At 9:30 p.m., I had the latest sighting of a Red Fox from my flat with a single animal wandering around in the street.

Fortunately, after the sad sight of a Red Fox suffering from sarcoptic mange during my visit to my St. Nicholas Church local patch site earlier in the day (see here for photos), this particular animal looked very healthy.

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world

Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature