Wind and the willows

 Peregrine (Dennis Stinton)

                     Willow growth on north bank and below on east bank

                                                     East bank

                                                Purple Hairstreak

                                             3 Common Sandpiper

                                              Nightingale scenes

                              Summer storms approaching (Mark Clarke)

Last week was a funny week at the pits. Sadly the tern passage we were hoping for didn't happen except a single Common Tern and then all hell broke loose over the weekend with a succession of year ticks.

Weekday sightings were restricted to 2 returning Snipe, 200 Starling, Little Egret, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, Whinchat & 400 Black-headed Gull. However late of Friday when hoping for Terns I found our first Purple Hairstreak of the year. 

I had a late night on Friday so Squire took the early shift (15/8)and produced a female Mandarin & the second site record for a Nightingale on the edge of the old workings. I headed down to try and get some video or photo but I only got one brief view. There was no sign by late afternoon. Marion & Dennis had great views of local Peregrines from the top of the service road. 

On Sunday I'd headed east to leave Jon to do the monthly count. Francis was also on site and recorded our first Golden Plover of the year. This was not a Sunday to be missed given the weather but I've also been there in similar forecast which has produced very little. The full count was as follows:-

My count included: 46 Little Grebe, 5 Cormorant, 2 Grey Heron, 17 Mute Swan, 460 Greylag Geese, 370 Canada Geese, 1 female Mandarin Duck again, 5 Gadwall, 9 Teal, 740 Mallard (site record!), 5 Shoveler, 33 Tufted Duck, 95 Coot, 1 Ringed Plover on main pit, 1 Golden Plover (adult in breeding plumage) went through, 1 Dunlin (on old works pool), 2 Ruff (circled main pit), 3 Snipe, 1 Redshank (circled main pit), 2 Green Sandpiper, 4 Common Sandpiper, 1 Swift, 40 Sand Martin, 40 Swallow, 200 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit through, 12 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Common Redstart, 5 Sedge Warbler, 20 Reed Warbler, 11 Lesser Whitethroat, 9 Common Whitethroat, a few Blackcaps, 1 Wood Warbler in willows by main pit early on with large tit/warbler flock - giving brief views before moving into plantation - not located later in morning but probably still there - 2nd for site, 80 (!) Chiffchaff at least but just three Willow Warbler, 28 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Treecreeper, family of Jays in plantation, 150 Starling and 40 Linnets at Marsh Farm etc including all the regulars.

The weekend produced two second records for site in Nightingale & Wood Warbler. Then five year ticks in the way of Nightingale, Wood Warbler, Golden Plover, Ruff & a Tree Pipit. Well done to all the team who contributed to an excellent week. 

On the downside, the willows around the main pits are growing at an alarming rate. The rapid growth is a genuine danger to this as a conservation area. We are very much stuck at the moment as the current lease holder wouldn't have any interest in managing the growth and Ragley still don't have the site back.