September 2009 Bird Report

September is a month of change as summer starts the fade into winter.

23 Great Crested Grebe including 10 young (a very good year) and at least 6 Little Grebes.  Up to 27 Mute Swans. An influx of 153 Greylag Geese on the 20th (a new site record) and more than 120 Egyptian Geese, 633 Canada Geese recorded on the 8th. On the 10th I recorded 2 colour ringed Canadas which were ringed on Horseshoe Lake on the 30th June 2003 – so not very mobile. The 19 feral Barnacle Geese + one pure Snow Goose and a Snow Goose hybrid remain in the area. The first 2 winter Little Egrets arrived on the 25th.

Wigeon on Colebrook Lake had increased with 55 on the 22nd, so probably many more in total. 16 Teal on the 16th and a few Shoveler and Pochard present at times.  60 Tufted Ducks, 57 Mallard and 197 Coot recorded on the 20th.

The resident Kestrels and Sparrowhawks with the local Hobbys and Buzzards present all month. Also further sightings of a Marsh Harrier on the 10th and possibly again on the 14th.

Passage juvenile Little Ringed Plovers were seen on the 1st and 5th.  Dunlin seen on 10th, 12th, and 2 on 14th. Common Sandpipers last seen on the 8th and Green Sandpipers present all month with a maximum of 10 on the 14th. Snipe also present all month, with a maximum of 3 reported on the 12th and 20th.

A record Gull roost witnessed on the 20th contained an estimated 1950 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 40 Herring Gulls and 25 Yellow-Legged Gulls on the Hampshire side. The first recorded Common Gull on the autumn was on the 4th.  Two juvenile Common Terns still present on the 7th.

Little Owls and up to 2 Barn Owls seen regularly and Tawny Owls heard on site.

Migrating Swallows and House Martins passing through, with reports of 50 House Martins on the 6th and 13th.  A Spotted Flycatcher was seen on the 8th.

Wheatear on the 2nd and Whinchats on the 2nd, 6th and 12th often with the returning Stonechats.  Song Thrushes and Mistle Thrushes have appeared and a report of 3 Redwing on the 26th.

There were still several Chiffchaffs around at the end of the month, but all the other Warblers seem very scarce. Finch flocks and roving Tit flocks are very active and may include all sorts. Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings still resident.

My unofficial count of species recorded so far in 2009 is 134, including the escaped Snow and Barnacle Geese.

As always, please report your own sightings on the record sheets in Colebrook Hide or send them to Ian Brown, the Moor Green Bird Recorder.

Bruce Archer