Water’s Edge monthly report June 2006

The spring rains ceased in May but June was far from unbroken sunshine although there was a very hot spell in the first two weeks. An un-seasonal deep depression brought strong westerly winds to the area during the 19th -22nd but it was generally a reasonable month for breeding birds and this was reflected in the large number of fledged juveniles which started to appear in the last week.

Both of the broods of Mute Swan cygnets survived without loss and the remaining goslings all look set to fledge. Ducks have not been so fortunate with few broods of most species and low numbers of young surviving. One threat to small chicks has been predation by Lesser Black-backed Gulls. This large gull has typically occurred as a spring and autumn passage migrant around the clay pits and adjacent Humber with a few immatures summering but in 2006 two pairs of adults have shown signs of nesting and they have taken to predating duck and Coot chicks from the pits. On the park there have been just two Pochard broods of two and seven, the latter being reduced to four quite quickly while Tufted Ducks have also produced two broods of seven and six but this species may yet reveal more broods as young can hatch as late as early August. The first brood of six young Ruddy Ducks appeared on the 21st but there were again no broods of Gadwall or Shoveler although a pair of Shoveler were still around at the month’s end. Moulting drake Gadwall built up to 38 birds on Pond B as they fed on the developing pond week and algae. The Gadwall flock was joined by two drake Wigeon on the 24th, a strange date for this autumn migrant and winter visitor. Coots have had a better season with 24 nests being started and 20 broods hatching 66 young. The first Teal returned to the ponds on the 14th with three drakes present by the 24th. One of the two Great Crested Grebe chicks survived to the month end with its loud begging calls attracting attention on pond B where the only brood of Little Grebes to date, has been seen.

On the raft the Common Terns hatched three young which have grown quickly and were taking their first short flights by the 30th. The terns were sharing the raft with a pair of Moorhens which had a nest under the green bin placed there to provide shelter for the tern chicks! The adult terns being very defensive of their brood could often be seen attacking the adult Moorhens as they leave the raft after feeding the young. Passing large gulls and the local Kestrel also come in for some severe attacks, a sign of a good set of parents.

Late June sees the first waders of the ‘autumn’ on the move and this month produced the first records of the year for Little Ringed Plover, with two on the Middle Lagoon on the 22nd and Green Sandpiper feeding in the same area on the 24th.

The pair of Skylarks were still nesting on the northern meadows along with a pair of Meadow Pipits. The abundant weed seeds and invertebrates on the meadows produced a bumper crop of food for finches and sparrows along with the resident broods of Pied Wagtails. House Sparrows, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Linnets and Starlings all brought their broods of young to feed at the Water’s Edge take away. The tangles of rape and thistles were brimming over with young warblers by the end of the month with good numbers of Sedge and Reed Warblers along with Whitethroats and a few Willow Warblers. Reed Bunting broods were also in evidence with the first broods of Blackcaps already fledged in the woodland blocks where parties of tits wandered around.

Up to three juvenile Grey Herons were cleaning up the pickings left as the Middle Lagoon evaporated to a puddle. A Bittern dropped in on the 25th, the first sighting of the year. The build up of Collared Doves in the trees at the south end of the Middle Lagoon was joined by a Turtle Dove on the 19th and what was presumed to be this bird was feeding on the weed crop by the visitor centre the same evening and was singing from near the AWA works from the 24th to the end of the month.

Large Skipper, Common Blue and Meadow Brown butterflies were all added to the annual tally on the 19th but there was a general dearth of butterflies reflecting the increasing loss of open space within the park as hedges and trees have taken over sunny spots favoured by these sun loving insects.

It is not very often that a new species of dragonfly is added to the area list but 2006 produced a major prize in the form of several Red-veined Darters which appeared on new lagoons at the western end of Far Ings road on the 24th. Keeping a close eye on the Water’s Edge pools produced a sighting of a male on the 29th but it did not linger and was soon lots to view flying south across pond C. This richly coloured dragonfly is a scarce migrant to the UK with periodic large movements taking place every few years but vagrants being confined mostly to southern Britain. There has been an increase in the number of northerly movements since 1990 and it seems likely that global warming is producing the impetus for northward colonisation. Unlike most dragonflies which take at least one year and up to three years to produce young from egg laying to adult emergence, Red-veined Darters lay eggs and adults emerge three months later so they can quickly colonise an area far from their birthplace.

Graham Catley

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