November 2006 Bird Report

November is when the winter season really starts and the remaining waterfowl arrive. The number of Great Crested Grebes increased to 13, Little Egrets appeared in the middle of the month and up to 2 were present by the end of the period.  The first Goosanders I saw were on the 3rd with at least 6 by month end and a single male Goldeneye arrived on the 4th.  The numbers of wintering ducks has increased and I noted 52 Pochard on the 23rd and an estimated 300 Wigeon by the month end.

The highlight of the month has to be the female Ring-necked Duck that showed up on Grove Lake for the afternoon of the 19th. It was first identified by John Clark on the Yateley pits the day before and was around there for at least a week. It is the American variety of our Tufted Duck and each year a few make it to Europe. This is the first record for Moor Green Lakes.

As well as the resident Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel, a Red Kite drifted over as the work party slaved away on Long Island on the 21st; surely a good enough reason to join in? On the 25th I saw a juvenile Peregrine Falcon on the new workings – it managed to upset 400 Lapwings and 150 Gulls before coming to rest on one of the gravel banks. It was seen again on the 28th. Raptor of the month was a juvenile Osprey seen flying over the site on the 5th.

Up to 2 Green Sandpipers were present for the first part of the month, but recent flooding of the diggings has made it less favourable for them to feed there lately.

Gulls sleep at night on the water and gather together for safety, I assume. They seem to favour Grove Lake recently, but may also choose Horseshoe or Colebrook North.  More than 600 Gulls arrive a dusk and leave before dawn. These are nearly all adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls with some Herring Gulls, but there are also Common Gulls and a few Yellow-legged Gulls with them. A smaller number of Gulls congregate on the open diggings in the afternoons. On the 14th I found 2 Lesser Black-backs wearing red leg rings that indicated they were hatched in Suffolk, one at Orfordness and the other on roof tops near Ipswich. An adult Great Black-backed Gull was present on 25th. 

There are only a few Redwings and Fieldfares about. Siskins can usually be found feeding in Alders and a few Lesser Redpolls are with them. 

A single Brambling was seen by Noel Silver on the ground feeder near the hide and a Reed Bunting has been present along with the ever present Chaffinches. 

Bruce Archer