Water’s Edge monthly report October 2006

The Indian summer continued throughout the first half of the month with temperatures exceeding those in Southern California over the 12th -14th. Rainfall amounts declined markedly from the September downpours prior to some heavy rainfall in the third week; winds were generally light.

One Great Crested Grebe lingered into the first week of the month and two were present again from the 18th to the 25th while the Little Grebes continued to enjoy good fishing for tiddlers in the northern ponds with 13 birds being noted daily. One of the Mute Swan families departed by the end of September but the four cygnets and parents took to scavenging around the visitor centre pond. The abundant growth of seed rich plants in the channels around the Middle Lagoon produced some good feeding for dabbling Teal and Mallard after the September rains created a respite from the summer drought but Mallard numbers in general were down on recent winters and the daily totals for Teal seldom reached 20 birds. Mid month the first autumnal arrivals of eastern diving ducks made themselves apparent on pond B where there were up to 25 Pochard and a dozen Tufted Ducks but it was the continued presence of a good flock of Shoveler on the New Lagoon which provided most of the wildfowl interest. The drakes started to come into full plumage, following the summer moult, providing a fine sight for careful observers. A party of nine Wigeon on pond B on the 4th were typically brief stayers but one fed on pond A north from the 25th to 28th. The first Goldeneye, an immature bird, arrived on pond A north on the 19th, and was joined by a female on the 25th then a drake on the 28th, but a rarer sight on the same evening was an immature Red-breasted Merganser found fishing on the New Lagoon. Although annual in occurrence on the adjacent estuary during October, Red-breasted Mergansers are rare visitors to the clay pits this was the first on the park since one on October 14th 2004. This bird was catching plenty of small fish from the shallow waters of the New Lagoon and remained in residence there through to the 25th. Several flocks of Pink-footed Geese could be heard and seen on many days during the month as they passed southwards towards wintering grounds in North Norfolk or made more local movements to their favoured fields on the Wolds from the night time roost around Read’s Island.

The New Lagoon was also the key wader spot holding the high tide roost of birds from the adjacent inter-tidal mudflats. Redshank are the staple winter fare, peaking at 140 birds this month, but recent autumns have seen a more regular presence of Black-tailed Godwits in the local area, an increase that is in line with the dramatic rise in the Humber population which has gone from just 63 birds in 1989 to 6000 in 2005. Numbers in the local roost were less spectacular but there were frequently 20-29 birds assembled with the Redshanks and three Bar-tailed Godwits were also noted on the 13th. One or two Snipe and Lapwing were occasionally on the same pool while a small presence of Knot was also recorded during the 1st to the 19th peaking with eleven birds on the latter date. A gathering of 18 Dunlin on the evening tide on the 18th was surprisingly the first occurrence of this species on the park ponds since March and there was a rapid increase in abundance to 62 on the 19th; on the latter date a hunting Sparrowhawk targeted the Dunlin flock causing considerable panic.

Seldom mentioned, as they really are not a bird of interest to most people, Pheasants have clearly taken to the increasing levels of vegetative cover on the park with three males being present in the summer and at least two broods of young fledging. The offspring and adults have become more evident during the autumn particularly in the early mornings when they can be seen foraging for grit on the edges of the tracks.

Kingfishers and Great Spotted Woodpeckers continued their sporadic presence throughout the month with the woodpecker still making alterations to the favoured nesting tree; no doubt spring cleaning ready for the coming breeding season!

Robin song intensified as local birds set about establishing their winter territories as both males and female defend separate territories during this period of the year. With diminishing food supplies individual birds need to hold larger areas of habitat to provide themselves with enough food to see them through the winter months.

The stand of ragwort on the side of Marsh Lane continued to attract feeding finches with four Bullfinches on the 13th comprising a male and three females as opposed to the four males and two females noted in late September. Chaffinches and Dunnocks were also feeding on the seed dropped by the Bullies.

In contrast to their summer abundance Reed Buntings virtually vanish from the park during the autumn; just two birds could be found mid-month. Winter food provision often brings birds back to the area in cold weather but the reed beds and reed edge scrub where they nest provide little winter food for this species which is mainly granivorous outside the breeding season.

 Most of the summer migrants took advantage of the fine weather to depart early revealing a dearth of warblers around the park during the month; a party of eight Swallows heading south-west on the 2nd appeared to be the last of the year until a single juvenile arrived in the very warm weather on the 19th. There were strangely no late House Martin sightings but three lingered around a nest on Castledyke West to the middle of the month. A single Chiffchaff on the 25th was the first for three weeks of what is usually a reliable October warbler.

Winter visitors were slow to arrive but the 25th produced records of Redwing, Fieldfare, Lesser Redpoll and Siskin. Blackbirds increased to 28 on the 28th with the first notable arrival of continental migrants. The female Stonechat which arrived on September 30th stayed around to the 1st and a male passed through the northern meadows on the 4th. Grey Wagtail sightings became more frequent with odd birds typically favouring the AWA treatment works and flying west towards the Viewing area where they tend to forage under the Sycamore trees in the decaying leaf litter. A roving flock of Long-tailed, Great and Blue Tits was often accompanied by one or two Goldcrests and less frequently by a single Willow Tit.

The incredibly warm weather in the first half of the month favoured the late appearance of good numbers of Common Darter, with a swarm of 30+ on the western park on the 19th, and Migrant Hawker dragonflies while Comma, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies were also recorded during the month.

Graham Catley

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