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
 
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
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!
 
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       Male 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
 
The re-arranged winter bird walk took place on 13 February, a dry but cold day, and with some mud to contend with. Highlights were Common Buzzard using the winter thermals almost above the FC car park, great views of Common Crossbill on the track towards Three Chimneys Farm, a Grey Heron by Marshal’s Lake, and good numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare. Some of the party saw a Kingfisher speeding across the Great Lake. Hawfinches were sadly nowhere to be seen, and their numbers anyhow seem to be generally down this winter. The total bird count was 42, made up thus:
 
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)
 

 

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