Weekend Round-up

Dotted Chestnut - Warnham Local Nature Reserve

A busy weekend around all the sites meant that there was lots of fantastic wildlife reported. Starting off with the moth trap at Warnham Local Nature Reserve which has finally started to get some results after the Beast From The East part 2 hit us last week! The best moth of the weekend was the Dotted Chestnut (Conistra rubiginea) which is nationally scarce and always nice to see in the traps. It is one of the few moths that hibernate after first being on the wing in October/November before reappearing in the spring. The second moth of note which we don't trap very regularly at Warnham is the Grey Shoulder-knot (Lithophane ornitopus) which can be seen below. It is quite similar to the more common Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) but the former is generally paler with the dark antler marks at the head end helping with identification. This is also an interesting moth as its larvae have a tendency to be cannibals!

Grey Shoulder-knot - Warnham Local Nature Reserve

The ringing has been very quiet at Warnham lately and there have been very few opportunities to actually get any of the nets up on the Reserve either due to windy conditions or flooding so it was nice to be able to catch a few birds this weekend. The highlight was this Greenfinch which was the first of 2018. They have been very few and far between in recent years which is a theme carried out nationwide sadly as many of the Greenfinches seem to be struggling to beat some of the avian diseases found in the UK.

Greenfinch - Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Meanwhile at Chesworth Farm I added a new fly to the species list when I found the larval mine of Chromatomyia ramosa on Teasel. This is part of the agromizid fly family, all of which mine leaves of various plants. The adults are very difficult to identify and most of them need genitalia examination to be sure of their identity but many of the leaf mines are quite simple to recognise. In the picture below you can see the light coloured markings which are moving away from the central vein. These are caused by the larvae of the fly eating the leaf from within the leaf structure itself.

Chromatomyia ramosa on Teasel - Chesworth Farm

Finally at Southwater Country Park a quick check of the oldest stand of Blackthorn on the site produced a number of the scarce Brown Hairstreak eggs. They are absolutely tiny so I make no apology for how bad the picture is! This is the second site we have found the eggs at this winter after the Friends of Chesworth Farm found some earlier in the month when carrying out a hedgerow survey on the Farm.

Brown Hairstreak Egg - Southwater Quarry

The Beast from the East Round-up!

Warden Life - P. Shergold

Teal - P. Shergold

Ice Skating Coot - P. Shergold

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Flooding at Warnham Local Nature Reserve - P. Shergold

Today's Sightings:

Little Egret 2, Grey Heron 1, Tufted Duck 17, Mallard 40, Shoveler 1, Coot 2, Jay 6, Wren 2, Song Thrush 3, Blackbird 2, Robin 5, Chaffinch 1, Great Tit 3, Blue Tit 5, Dunnock 1, Woodpigeon 100+, Mute Swan 2, Cormorant 1, Lesser Redpoll 2, Grey Wagtail 1, Common Buzzard 2, Treecreeper 1, Greylag Goose 30+, Carrion Crow 4, Coal Tit 2, Goldfinch 10+

Grey Squirrel 1

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Sightings from today:

Little Egret 1, Moorhen 3, Tufted Duck 17, Cormorant 3, Mallard 43, Coot 6, Little Grebe 3, Great Tit 4, Blue Tit 7, Reed Bunting 1, Robin 3, Long-tailed Tit 2, Chaffinch 1, Carrion Crow 1, Sparrowhawk 1, Woodpigeon 150+, Magpie 2, Greylag Goose 30+, Kingfisher 1, Shoveler 1, Teal 1, Grey Heron 1, Siskin 1, Nuthatch 1

Chesworth Farm

Today's Sightings:

Little Egret 1, Robin 5, Magpie 4, Carrion Crow 3, Black-headed Gull 30+

Owlbeech Woods

Mike Ayling carried out a survey at Owlbeech Woods this weekend which produced the following:

Black-headed Gull 3, Blue Tit 4, Common Buzzard 2, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Herring Gull 7, Magpie 2, Robin 1, Tawny Owl 1, Wren 1, Blackbird 2, Bullfinch 2, Carrion Crow 3, Great Tit 2, Jackdaw 1, Nuthatch 1, Song Thrush 3, Woodpigeon 12

Grey Squirrel 2

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Greylag Goose - D. Verrall

A murky day greeted us on the Reserve this morning however it was to be an excellent day for sightings. First of all there was a decent increase in Tufted Duck numbers which was pretty unexpected. Several Redwing were bombing around Mill Meadow eating the bevvy of worms on the damp grass and a flyover Great White Egret at c11.45am was the undoubted highlight but sadly it did not make landfall onto the Reserve turf. The final highlight of the day was a total of 10 Common Snipe feeding on the northern edge of the Swan Island which is best viewed from the Aston Trelford Hide.

Below is a list of the species noted today on the Reserve:

GREAT WHITE EGRET 1, COMMON SNIPE 10, Little Grebe 1, Cormorant 5, Little Egret 2, Grey Heron 1, Greylag Goose 30+, Mallard 40+, Shoveler 1, Tufted Duck 29, Sparrowhawk 1, Pheasant 2, Moorhen 2, Coot 6, Black-headed Gull 100+, Herring Gull 10+, Woodpigeon 150+, Green Woodpecker 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Wren 3, Dunnock 2, Robin 4, Blackbird 7, Song Thrush 2, Redwing 6, Coal Tit 5, Great Tit 20+, Blue Tit 20+, Nuthatch 3, Magpie 15, Jackdaw 20+, Carrion Crow 2, Goldfinch 10+, Lesser Redpoll 1

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Beautiful Day at Warnham Local Nature Reserve

A busy day on the Reserve with plenty of people visiting and lots of bits and pieces to keep everybody entertained. The best sighting of the day was out first butterfly of the year when I stumbled across a Red Admiral basking in Walnut Tree Plantation.

Also of note it appears that the Siskin have finalyl found the feeders and a small group is now mixing in with the Goldfinch flock so keep your eyes peeled as hopefully numbers will stat to build until the end of Feb. David Verrall was again on hand to get a nice picture of this female from the Woodpecker Hide.

Siskin - D. Verrall

A summary of species seen today can be seen below:

Little Grebe 4, Cormorant 3, Little Egret 1, Grey Heron 1, Greylag Goose 30+, Teal 3, Mallard 39, Tufted Duck 19, Common Buzzard 1, Sparrowhawk 1, Pheasant 1, Moorhen 2, Coot 4, Black-headed Gull 100+, Herring Gull 30+, Stock Dove 1, Woodpigeon 40+, Green Woodpecker 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Wren 3, Dunnock 2, Robin 9, Blackbird 5, Song Thrush 3, Redwing 1, Mistle Thrush 1, Goldcrest 1, Long-tailed Tit 1, Coal Tit 7, Blue Tit 20+, Great Tit 20+, Nuthatch 4, Jay 2, Magpie 6, Jackdaw 60+, Carrion Crow 4, Chaffinch 9, Goldfinch 5, Siskin 2

Roe Deer 1, Grey Squirrel 7, Rabbit 1

Red Admiral 1

Chesworth Farm

Surfacing works at Chesworth Farm

31 volunteers joined Ryan at Chesworth Farm as Horsham Green Gym got stuck into the surfacing which we have been planning over the winter. The aim of the task was to not only cut back some of the vegetation such as the ever encroaching Bramble but also to surface with aggregate some of the worst affected gateways which you can see above. It was excellent to see such a good turn-out at what is undoubtedly a tough task with lots of barrowing and digging the order of the day.

Not much was seen on the wildlife front as all of the volunteers had their heads down grafting but Ryan did manage to see a couple of Grey Herons on the wetland fields. David Verrall also managed a nice picture which he took over the weekend of one of a number of Greenfinches seen around the site.

Greenfinch - D. Verrall

Also of note if you are not already aware the Friends of Chesworth Farm are running their next event this coming Saturday which is a guided walk around the Farm. This is a fantastic opportunity to get to know the Farm, see the livestock as well as learn about how the site is used by the wildlife at this time of year. 

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Sightings from today:

Tufted Duck 14, Black-headed Gull 100+, Mallard 41, Coot 5, Moorhen 5, Cormorant 2, Grey Heron 1, Carrion Crow 2, Pheasant 4, Robin 5, Woodpigeon 29, Song Thrush 2, Blue Tit 4, Great Tit 2, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Chaffinch 1, Dunnock 2, Blackbird 3, Magpie 1, Wren 2, Herring Gull 13, Lesser Black-backed Gull 1, Marsh Tit 3, Grey Wagtail 1, Siskin 1, Redwing 12, Goldfinch 13, Jay 2

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Goosander - I Redman

Late on Sunday afternoon visitors may well have had the fortune of seeing the Reserves 11th record of a Goosander. This stunning male Goosander was photographed by Ian Redman as it spent c15 minutes on the millpond in the late afternoon sunshine before departing in a northerly direction. Ian was sat in the Heron Hide when at 2.50pm the bird appeared to fly in from the south when it landed and drifted around on the lake looking nervous until it eventually flew off at 3.05pm.

Goosander - I. Redman

Goosander - I. Redman

The Goosander is a medium-sized duck and part of  the group known as the 'sawbills' after their long, narrow bills with saw-like 'teeth' which are good for gripping fish. The Goosander is perfectly shaped for swimming underwater after fish due to it having a long and streamlined bodyshape. The male Goosander has a dark green head, a black back and a long, red bill with a hook at the tip and white sides and breast which sometimes have a pink glow. The female is grey with a gingery or rufous brown head and a white throat.

Goosander - I. Redman

Other sightings from today included:

GOOSANDER 1 (Male), Grey Heron 2, Coot 3, Cormorant 4, Shoveler 1, Tufted Duck 21, Carrion Crow 7, Red Kite 1, Redwing 7, Little Grebe 1, Wren 2, Treecreeper 2, Sparrowhawk 1, Pheasant 3, Blue Tit 8, Great Tit 5, Egyptian Goose 2, Nuthatch 2, Blackbird 4, Lesser Black-backed Gull 2, Black-headed Gull 40+, Herring Gull 20+, Kingfisher 1, Robin 2, Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Lesser Redpoll - D. Verrall

A nice morning greeted us on the Reserve with the wintery sun doing its best to break through the clouds before it lost its battle in the afternoon and the rain set in for the rest of the day. Not too much different bird-wise seen on the Reserve except a gorgeous male Lesser Redpoll which was photographed by David Verrall from the Woodpecker Hide. We had a good number of Redpoll around in late October but most of them seemed to move on quickly which was a shame. Otherwise there was a good scattering of the usual suspects around. Several birds were ringed this morning including an impressive male Great-spotted Woodpecker which can be seen in the photograph below.

Today's sightings:

Great-spotted Woodpecker 2, Marsh Tit 1, Coal Tit 3, Lesser Redpoll 1, Sparrowhawk 1, Chaffinch 1, Long-tailed Tit 5+, Nuthatch 2, Dunnock 2, Blue Tit 10+, Great Tit 10+, Blackbird 3, Pheasant 2, Black-headed Gull 50+,  Tufted Duck 9, Woodpigeon 50+

Winter Moth 1

Great-spotted Woodpecker 

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Frosty Start

A wonderful freezing cold morning greeted us at Warnham Local Nature Reserve today and high hopes of decent numbers of gulls arriving with the frost did not come to fruition. I was hoping that the juvenile Iceland Gull from Sunday might make another appearance but for some reason gull numbers were low all day with a maximum of 200 or so on the ice. There were still a few Common Gulls mixed in but not many larger gulls around at all.

The feeders were a little busier once again which is to be expected as the cold weather takes a hold and makes the smaller birds more reliant on the regular food source provided at the Woodpecker Hide. All of the resident tit species were recorded at the feeders today including Marsh Tit which was nicely photographed by David Verrall on the Reserve yesterday.

Marsh Tit - D. Verrall

Other species of note seen around the Reserve today included:

Little Grebe 4, Cormorant 7, Grey Heron 3, Mute Swan 2, Greylag Goose 63, Mallard 45+, Tufted Duck 6, Pheasant 2, Water Rail 3, Moorhen 4, Coot 3, BH Gull 150+, Common Gull 3, Herring Gull 50+, Woodpigeon 300+, Kingfisher 1, GS Woodpecker 1, Grey Wagtail 1, Wren 6, Dunnock 3, Robin 11, Blackbird 22, Song Thrush 5, Redwing 14, Long-tailed Tit 10+, Marsh Tit 1, Coal Tit 7, Blue Tit 50+, Great Tit 50+, Nuthatch 2, Jay 1, Magpie 37, Carrion Crow 3, Chaffinch 7, Goldfinch 20+

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

A very cold night with temperatures reaching -5°C meant that three-quarters of the millpond had frozen solid. This meant only one thing...gulls! With last nights influx it was no surprise when I was greeted by over a thousand mixed gulls on my arrival into work. I wandered down to Aston Trelford Hide as this is the best hide to view the gulls from and started to scan through the ever-growing flock. After about an hour I was getting a bit cold and thinking about a cup of tea when I caught a glimpse of a white-winged gull in the flock. Eventually it came into full view and wow!!! It was the Reserve's second record of an ICELAND GULL...after a few quick phone calls to anyone I thought might be interested I set about getting a few photos just in case it decided to depart.

Iceland Gull - 1st Winter

Iceland Gulls breed in the Arctic and then generally move south for the winter but are not usually found this far south. In Sussex we normally have three or four records a year so this was a very welcome sighting. The only other record on the Reserve was in 2008 by previous warden Sam Bayley who had a brief sighting of one on the millpond.
The bird today was much more well behaved and stayed on the ice until about 12.45pm when it flew off towards the tip and sadly had not returned by the end of the day. I would imagine that this bird had been feeding on the tip early morning and then came to the millpond with the rest of the gulls for a brush up on the ice.

The most obvious identifying feature of this bird was it's wonderful white-wings rather than the dark wings of a Herring or Lesser Black-backed. The bird also has a short-stubby beak and very rounded head shape which gives the impression of looking a little dove-like. The bird was slightly smaller than a Herring Gull which rules out the other white-winged gull we see in Britain which is called a Glaucous Gull. 

Iceland Gull - 2nd Record for Warnham LNR

The bird above can be aged as a first-winter.  This means it was definitely born this year, the mottled cream colouration of the bird, the dark eye, pink bill-base and mottled head are all indicators of the birds age. When the wings are closed at rest you can hardly see the extent of the white in the wing but when it flight it is at its most obvious.

Continuing the gull theme there were also several other species of laridae present. These included Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull and the biggest of them all, the Great Black-backed Gull. The latter is an uncommon visitor to us at Warnham and is only ever found during the winter months. This particular species is much more coastal in its habits and has not yet spread inland as the other species have done. Below is a picture of one of the nine Great Black-backed Gulls seen on the Reserve today.

Great Black-backed Gull - Warnham LNR

Lastly on the gull front today, several of the lads who had come to see the Iceland Gull gave me a ring late morning to say they think there might have been a second Iceland Gull out on the lake. So I quickly grabbed my scope and camera and popped out to have a look at the bird. It stuck out like a sore thumb but it did not look right structurally for another Iceland Gull. It was strong-billed and the same size as the Herring Gulls but not big enough to be a Glaucous Gull. It turned out, on closer inspection to be a totally white Herring Gull which is something I have never seen before but it certainly makes you look twice!

Leucistic Herring Gull - Warnham LNR

After all the excitement of the gulls there was little time to count much else but the other highlight was six Water Rails skating around early morning, the male Bullfinch was again showing nicely from Woodpecker Hide and there were still plenty of Redwing around the site.

Redwing - Warnham LNR

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Mixed Gulls - Warnham LNR

A beautiful start to the day on the Reserve was followed by a miserable afternoon but this did not stop the wildlife and there was plenty to see around the site. Redwing seemed to be everywhere from dawn onward and there were plenty of Song Thrush and Blackbird around too particularly on Mill Meadow amongst the sheep.

In Walnut Tree Plantation two Roe Deer played hide and seek as they moved around the woodland mainly browsing on the Hazel coppice. There were also lots of Bank Voles whizzing around feeding station at the moment and they are even appearing around the reflection pool.

Roe Deer - Warnham LNR

 As the weather turned cloudy in the evening there was a huge number of gulls starting to appear and at one point I thought it might be a rare occasion where they actually roost on site but just before dusk they did all leave and head in their normal south easterly direction. I had the nets open from first light and managed to catch quite a few birds which was probably down to the cold start. It is nice to see the Goldfinches starting to make an appearance in the nets now and they always brighten up a ringing session.

Goldfinch - Warnham LNR

Owlbeech Woods

Mike Ayling carried out his regular bird survey on the heathland at Owlbeech which produced the following:

Blackbird 5, Common Buzzard 1, Goldfinch 5, Great Tit 2, Herring Gull 2, Magpie 2, Redwing 1, Song Thrush 1, Blue Tit 2, Carrion Crow 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Green Woodpecker 1, Jay 2, Nuthatch 1, Robin 3, Woodpigeon 7

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Christmas Wreath Making Workshop

Today saw the first of the Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve's Christmas Wreath Making Workshops which, once again, were very well received with everyone making wonderfully festive wares for their houses. There are another two sessions  in the Visitor Centre tomorrow so apologies if you cant get into the cafe for a cup of tea or coffee!

Meanwhile on the Reserve there were plenty of birds around. The male Sparrowhawk was again buzzing around Woodpecker Hide which meant most of the birds in there were very skittish. Still a few moths turning up in the trap despite the overnight wind. A summary of today's sightings can be found below:

Green Woodpecker 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Coal Tit 1, 4 Goldfinch, Black-headed Gull 23, Pochard 1, Herring Gull 150+, Lesser Black-backed Gull 2, Mallard 35, Tufted Duck 5, Cormorant 2, Little Grebe 3, Moorhen 3, Coot 1, Grey Heron 2, Pheasant 5, Great Tit 20+, Long-tailed Tit 3, Woodpigeon 19, Robin 3, Carrion Crow 1, Blue Tit 30+, Dunnock 1, Nuthatch 1, Blackbird 1, Redwing 6

Grey Squirrel 2

Winter Moth - Operophtera brumata

Moth Trap:

Brick 1, Winter Moth 7, December Moth 3

Southwater Country Park

Cormorant 2, Mute Swan 5, Moorhen 2, Mallard 20+, Coot 2, Robin 1, Blackbird 1, Magpie 2, Jay 1, Black-headed Gull 10+

Rabbit 2 (Jo Glossop & Andrew Rodgers)

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Little Grebe - Warnham LNR

Not much coverage on the Reserve today but the four Little Grebes have been showing well from all of the lakeside hides if you can bare the biting cold winds. A summary of the species seen today can be found below:

Little Grebe 4, Grey Heron 1, Mallard 36, Shoveler 1, Moorhen 1, Coot 1, Cormorant 3, Black-headed Gull 92, Herring Gull 12, Blackbird 11, Song Thrush 1, Goldcrest 1, Great Tit 30+, Blue Tit 40+, Bullfinch 1, Tufted Duck 5, Mute Swan 2 (juvs), Treecreeper 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Wren 4, Redwing 10+, Long-tailed Tit 12, Nuthatch 1, Robin 3,

Grey Squirrel 6

Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Redwing - Warnham LNR

The Redwing were the main event at Warnham Local Nature Reserve today with up to ten birds stripping the berry bushes by the Visitor Centre. It is amazing to see these birds so close and this has now become an annual event at the Reserve as they slowly getting lower and lower in the tree as they feast on the bounty of berries. There are not many berries left as the Woodpigeons and Blackbirds also seemed to have sussed how nice they are to eat!

Elsewhere on the Reserve patient observers in the Woodpecker Hide might have noticed it was particularly quiet in there at the moment and this is down to the male Sparrowhawk I blogged about last week seems to have taken up residence in there at the moment. Today he managed to catch himself a Great Tit off one of the feeders so I am sure he will be back again tomorrow.

There were plenty of birds around the ringing area this morning mainly mixed in with the large roving Tit flock which seems to be doing circuits of the site at the moment. Of note was this Nuthacth which is not a common bird to catch on the Reserve despite them being seen on a daily basis around the feeders.

Nuthatch - Warnham LNR