Monthly Birding Reports
May 2012
1/05/2012
Grey Wagtails (a pair) – Marshalls lake
Buzzard (five) – Forest plots
Raven – Forest plots
6 + 7/05
Garden Warbler
Turtle Dove
Willow Warbler
Swallow (20+)
House Martin
Lesser-spotted Woodpecker - female on oaks in Thuja collection
Firecrest (3 - a pair and a third male)
Mistle Thrush (a pair)
18/05
Cuckoo (heard)
22/05
Red Kite (two drifting over east)
Coal tit nest found low to ground in mud embankment
24/05
Another Firecrest male found holding territory in Gloryhole area
27/05
Nightjar (Two reported from Forest)
(on the 29th a Great White Egret was seen at Bewl Water reservoir!)
30/05
Crossbill heard in the Pinetum
4/06
Tree Pipit (pair seen feeding young)
Other wildlife seen over last couple of months: Stoat, Frog, Toad, Brimstone butterfly, Banded demoiselle, White-legged damselfly.
November 2011
A common Buzzard was seen over the Visitor Centre area on both 5 and 6 November. On the latter day, a solitary Pied Wagtail was seen on the field near to the main entrance to the Pinetum
Two pairs of Common Crossbill were seen on both 8 and 10 November. The last-mentioned came from a visiting birder who also reported 7 Hawfinches, the first such sighting of the season, and a mixed flock of 20 Siskin and Brambling
On 8 November, there was a visit from a group hailing from Kelsey Park, Beckenham, on what appears to be an annual trip. In addition to the crossbills, mentioned above, they recorded the following:
|
Little grebe
|
Mallard
|
Tufted duck
|
Kestrel
|
Pheasant
|
Moorhen
|
|
Coot
|
Black-headed gull
|
Woodpigeon
|
Green woodpckr
|
Gt spot’ woodpckr
|
Pied wagtail**
|
|
Wren
|
Dunnock
|
Robin
|
Song thrush
|
Redwing
|
Mistle thrush
|
|
Blackbird
|
Goldcrest
|
Great tit
|
Coal tit
|
Blue tit
|
Long-tailed tit
|
|
Nuthatch
|
Treecreeper
|
Magpie
|
Jay
|
Jackdaw
|
Rook #
|
|
Carrion crow
|
Goldfinch
|
Greenfinch
|
Chaffinch
|
|
|
** flock of 20 # heard only
October 2011
There was a sighting of a Common Crossbill written on the white board at the Visitor Centre, around mid October. There seems to be something of an irruption of crossbills this autumn so it is quite likely that more are, or have been, out there, ready to be spotted ...
There have sadly been no reports to me of anything seen in the past two months. I saw a small flock of Siskin as well as small numbers of Goldcrest on the top level of the Pinetum, along the southern boundary, during visits on 22 and 23 October
February 2011
On 3 Feb, a small group of us had 3 sightings of Hawfinch in the usual spot in the Pinetum, as well as Great-spotted woodpecker, Pied wagtail, Coal tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Siskin. 8 Hawfinches were seen on 9 Feb, again a very good number. These were seen at around 2.30pm
The September highlight was Little Egret, a first for Bedgebury, seen on the lake by the Visitor Centre (VC) on 9 Sept. It circled and then landed on the edge of the lake, seemed quite happy for a short time but then departed when the noise levels increased!
During the morning of 12 Feb, a Great Grey Shrike was spotted by a visitor high in a tree near Marshal’s Lake – this is a “first”, as far as I am concerned, and will therefore be added to the bird list on the next issue. Despite other people specifically looking, I have no further reports of this bird being seen
Another visitor, during the afternoon of that same day, just saw a single Hawfinch as well as sighting a Nuthatch. Two days later, someone reported good views of a Green Woodpecker in the “Hawfinch area”. On 15 Feb, a member of this Group saw, on a short visit:
|
Little grebe
|
Mallard
|
Moorhen
|
Coot
|
|
Gt spotted woodp’r
|
Pied wagtail
|
Robins
|
Blackbird
|
|
Great tit
|
Hawfinch
|
Blue tit
|
Marsh tit
|
|
Carrion crow
|
Chaffinch
|
Woodpigeon
|
Goldcrest
|
|
Siskin
|
|
|
|
By 18 Feb, a pair of Tufted Ducks had been seen on the Visitor Centre lake on a daily basis for a little while. Around 20 Pied Wagtails flew on to the rocks by the VC lake in late afternoon, the same as the previous day, this being repeated the following day
September October 2010
A member spotted around 40 species on a walk on 14 October, the highlight being a Raven on the Scots Pines in the Pinetum. Also, two Mute Swans on the Great Lake near the School, a first sighting thereof for eight years. There were large numbers of Redpoll and Siskin, and still then a few Swallows prior to their migration south.
Slightly pre-empting the November report, the first Hawfinch sighting was made today (4/11/10).
August 2010
A group from The Friends of Kelsey Park, Beckenham visited on 3 August and saw the following birds:
Little grebe Canada goose Mallard Pheasant Moorhen
Coot Black-headed gull Woodpigeon House martin Green woodpecker
Gr spotted woodp’r Wren Robin Blackbird
Willow warbler Goldcrest Spotted flycatcher Great tit Blue tit
Coal tit Nuthatch Treecreeper Carrion crow Chaffinch
Goldfinch Greenfinch Siskin Bullfinch
and also several dragonflies and damselflies, including male and female Ruddy Darter and White Legged Damselfly.
See photo of ruddy darter 
This Group’s August walk took place on a beautiful clear Saturday morning, the 28th, particularly welcome as it followed on from several rainy and cloudy days. The following bird species were recorded:
Little grebe Gt crested grebe Cormorant Mallard Common buzzard
Red-leg’ partridge Pheasant Moorhen Coot Herring gull
Stock dove Woodpigeon Collared dove Gr woodpecker* Gt spotted woodpecker
Barn swallow Sand martin Pied wagtail Wren* Robin
Mistle thrush Blackbird Garden warbler Blackcap Willow warbler
Goldcrest Great tit Coal tit Blue tit Marsh tit
Long-tailed tit* Nuthatch Magpie Jay* Jackdaw
Carrion crow Chaffinch Linnet* Goldfinch Siskin
Bullfinch* Common crossbill
* = heard only Total 41
as well as a few butterflies, such as:
Peacock Speckled wood Small white Large white Meadow brown
Gatekeeper Common blue Small copper
July 2010
Some sightings from June, not included in my last report. A Merlin was seen over Bedgebury in early June. A Cormorant was seen trying to land on the Visitor Centre lake on 11 June but there was a large school party close by as well as some music playing, such that the bird thought better of it! There are Cormorants on the Great Lake in front of the nearby Bell Bedgebury School, and it could easily have been one of those. And a Common Whitethroat was also recorded, on the Visitor Centre white board, during last month.
A pair of Red Kites was seen flying above Lady Oak Lane in the corner towards the A21 on 19 July
June 2010
A pair of Egyptian Geese were on the lake in front of the Visitor Centre on 3 June, a “first” for Bedgebury. They were there again certainly towards the end of the month. There had been a couple on Bewl Water a year or so ago, just possibly the same birds
Turtle doves are almost certainly nesting in the area of Bedgebury close to the A21 as they were visiting feeders pretty much every day, in the first half of June at least, on a property on Lady Oak Lane
A Crested Tit, a most unusual but nonetheless welcome visitor, was spotted on the property next to the Pinetum, on bird feeders, a couple of times around 19-21 June. That will also have to be noted as a “first” for Bedgebury!
Two Nightjars were being heard calling on the Plots in the evenings, but once during late afternoon, in the last week of June
May 2010
One report received after the April report was distributed concerned a Cuckoo which was heard in the forest, in the direction of the Flimwell entrance, on 27 April.
A Turtle Dove was first heard on 6 May, just behind the FC offices, and it’s been heard quite consistently since then.
On 15 May, a small group of birders from Hertfordshire spent not much more than an hour in the Pinetum and the forest, and recorded the following 29 species:
Mandarin duck Tufted duck Hobby Moorhen Turtle dove
Green woodpecker Gt sp woodpecker Barn swallow House martin Tree pipit
Wren Robin Mistle thrush Garden warbler Blackcap
Chiffchaff Goldcrest Great tit Coal tit Blue tit
Long tailed tit Nuthatch Treecreeper Magpie Jay
Chaffinch Redpoll Goldfinch Siskin
On 17 May in the early evening I saw a Lapwing fly just over the entrance to the Visitor Centre, and it landed in the field on the opposite side of Lady Oak Lane
On 27 May, the following were noticed on the feeders by the Visitor Centre:
Gt sp woodpecker Great tit Blue tit Chaffinch Goldfinch
Greenfinch Siskin
and, on the same day, a pair of Tufted Ducks was being chased off the lake in front of the Centre by some Coots!
February 2010
Great crested grebe Cormorant Grey heron Greylag goose
Canada goose Mallard Common buzzard Sparrowhawk
Kestrel Pheasant Moorhen Black-headed gull
Common gull Stock dove Woodpigeon Collared dove
Kingfisher Green woodpecker Pied wagtail Wren**
Robin Song thrush Redwing Mistle thrush
Fieldfare Goldcrest Great tit Coal tit
Blue tit Marsh tit Long-tailed tit Nuthatch
Treecreeper Magpie Jay Carrion crow
House sparrow Chaffinch Goldfinch Greenfinch
Siskin Common crossbill ** heard only
The day previous, the walk leader had taken virtually the same route and saw, in addition, Red-legged partridge, Woodcock and Bullfinch.
The Wetland Trust, a small charitable trust based at Icklesham in East Sussex and whose activities include bird research there and elsewhere, carried out a bird ringing exercise at Bedgebury on 15 Feb. At a location just behind the FC offices, they ringed 51 birds (1 Great spotted woodpecker, 1 Robin, 3 Blackbird, 12 Great tit, 8 Coal tit, 19 Blue tit, 1 Marsh tit, 1 Long-tailed tit, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Chaffinch and 3 Siskin)
