| Eakring Bird news | ||
| April 2011 | ||
| Featuring news and sightings from Eakring | ||
April
2nd
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| An overnight arrival of warblers into the area, with three Blackcap at Eakring Meadows and singles at Hare Hill Wood and High Trees. New Chiffchaffs included two at Eakring Flash (one straight through) with one at Kersall pond and three around Eakring Meadows. Virtually nothing passing through in the breezy conditions, but two Little Grebe were at Eakring Flash and two Shelduck there. | |||
April
3rd
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| Increased signs of migration this morning, but at times, counting was still very slow. Final totals for the morning included 152 Fieldfare, 82 Meadow Pipit and 17 Sand Martin north-west, 14 Goldfinch and 27 Wood Pigeon north and the first Swallow of the year south over Eakring Flash. A male Wheatear was at Tug Bridge Farm briefly, before flying off high to the north and seven Chiffchaff were new in today. | |||
April
6th
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| A lunchtime visit produced the first Yellow Wagtail and Willow Warbler of the year at Eakring Flash. Sand Martin were passing through in small groups, with a total of 29 through north-west and 16 Meadow Pipit also through. Other migrants included 4 Tree Sparrow north and five Swallow through, with a bird arriving back in territory at Eakring village. | |||
April
7th
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| A surpringly good morning for visible migration, despite the developing breeze. Meadow Pipits trickled through all morning with the best Spring movement for years of 238 north-west. Another 37 Sand Martin went north-west, mostly in small groups and often alongside small parties of Meadow Pipit. Other migrants included single Sparrowhawk and Common Buzzard north-west and the continuing arrival of warblers saw three new Willow Warblers, eight Blackcap and a Chiffchaff at various locations in the area. | |||
April
8th
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| An arrival
of at least eight Wheatear at two sites within the area
this morning, with a minimum of six at Tug Bridge Farm
and two in fields north of Penny Pasture Common at
Eakring Meadows. A very early Whitethroat was at Penny Pasture Common, beating the earliest ever here back in 2003 by approximately a week. Three Willow Warbler, three Common Snipe and two Shelduck were also around the Eakring Meadows area. All todays birdnews and Wheatear photograph courtesy of Robin Brace. |
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April
9th
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| Migrants continue to arrive in the area, with a very early Sedge Warbler at Eakring Flash being the earliest ever here by eight days. There was precious little sign of much in the way of overhead migration, with just 37 Meadow Pipit, six Yellow Wagtail north-west and a handful of common migrants. New warblers arriving were a futher two early Whitethroat, seven Blackcap, two Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff. | |||
April
10th
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| Some limited migration today with counts of 12 Linnet, 25 Meadow Pipit, single Yellow Wagtail and four Sand Martin through north-west and four Fieldfare north. Four new Blackcap were at sites across the recording area. | |||
April
11th
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| Still very little in the way of numbers, but migrants continuin to arrive and pass through the area. Best of the visible migration counts this morning were 18 Sand Martin, four Swallow, two Yellow Wagtail and 17 Meadow Pipit north-west. New warblers included three more Whitethroat and two Blackcap. A pair of Teal remain at Eakring Flash. | |||
April
13th
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| Just a short early afternoon visit to the area today, which produced a single Whimbrel north-east at 12:15h and just seven Swallow north-west. | |||
April
14th
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| Still incredibly quiet this morning and with only a handful of migrants going through, three female Wheatear at Tug Bridge Farm were a welcome surprise. | |||
April
16th
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| A Little Ringed Plover was at Eakring Flash briefly this morning, before continuing south-west. However, this was a very welcome record of a species that was once annual here. Small numbers of hirundines and Meadow Pipits trickled through for most of the morning. | |||
April
17th
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| Another generally quiet morning with clear blue skies again and fine weather allowing most birds passing through to be well up and out of sight. This included a very rare record of a Greenshank over Eakring Flash, which called once but could not be located. A trickle of Meadow Pipits north-west and very small numbers of most of the expected species at this time of year, meant that the morning was extremely quiet for most of the time. A Wheatear was surprising, given the conditions, briefly being in the Eakring Flash area, before moving off north-west. | |||
April
18th
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| Small numbers of common migrants continuing to pass through. A Sedge Warbler was about the only bird of note today, moving along the hedges north of Eakring Flash. Of note, a Roe Deer showed well (but distantly) as it went into cover at Eakring Flash. | |||
April
19th
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| Very low
cloud created more or less foggy conditions this morning,
but signs of some migration came in the form of odd
Swallows and a Sand Martin north. With the start of a
clearance there was'nt the expected rush of migrants, but
Eakring's earliest ever Reed Warbler was
typically skulking at Eakring Flash. Other migrants included single Jay and Collared Dove through, four Yellow Wagtail flew north, with five Goldfinch north-west. The rest of the area remained diasappointingly quiet. Four Teal and two Tufted Duck were on Eakring Flash. |
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April
22nd
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| More arrivals this morning, with the first Grasshopper Warbler found along the Kneesall Road, three Lesser Whitethroat were at different sites and there were at least six new Whitethroat all newly arrived. The Reed Warbler was again at Eakring Flash. With almost foggy conditions again this morning, with the lifting of the cloud came a flurry of decent records with a Tree Pipit and Cuckoo both moving north over Eakring Flash. Small numbers of hirundines trickled through and five Yellow Wagtail all headed in varying degrees of north. | |||
April
24th
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| Overall another very quiet morning with virtually no visible migration, but there were several highlights including four Waxwing north over Eakring Flash at 07:20h and a female Wheatear at Kersall. A second early Reed Warbler was occsionally singing from Oil Seed Rape near Eakring Flash, before disappearing mid-morning. | |||
April
29th
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| Another fine and sunny morning, meant there was little in the way of visible migration through the area. A few warblers continue to arrive, with the first Garden Warbler of the year at Eakring Flash briefly and the Reed Warbler was still singing from Oil-seed Rape near Eakring Flash. | |||
April
30th
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| A late night check of the area, revealed the male Grasshopper Warbler still 'reeling' along the Kneesall Road | |||
