Back on my Patch!
It was so nice to get back to my patch today after a long absence. The first visit to Willington in the spring is always a year-tick fest, it's just that normally it doesn't have to wait until June! I got no fewer than 14 year ticks this morning, 7 of which were warblers.
I arrived at Willington GPs at 06:50, feeling like I was up before everyone else. Apparently, though, I wasn't. Another gentleman was leaving as I arrived! Now that's impressive commitment. I was hoping to get to the platforms early to avoid other people, but I only saw 3 other birders in total on my visit from 06:50 to 09:00 and passed them all easily at 2m along the lane. I had originally been avoiding the patch for fear of it being a difficult place to socially distance, but found it no trouble at all.
The hide is closed, of course, but instead I viewed the lake from the small platform past the hide. The view from here was much better than in previous years which was lucky, and I could even see the spit in front of Platform 2.
The lake was typically quiet, being June, however it was nice to see my first Common Terns of the year here - at least one pair are nesting on Dead Goose Island, along with a single Little-Ringed Plover (I am not sure whether they are nesting this year). Lots of Lapwing were present, as was the long-staying Red-Crested Pochard which was roosting on DGI when I was there. This was a full blown patch tick! Of course, I'm not sure of the provenance of this bird but it didn't show any obvious signs of not being legitimate, to my untrained eye.
Other summering ducks included Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler and Tufted Duck. Teal and Wigeon had naturally all disappeared, with no stragglers remaining.
A total of 9 warblers (all the commonly occurring warblers excluding Grasshopper Warbler) were all new for the year apart from Chiffchaff and Cetti's Warbler. It was particularly nice to see Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler, cementing Willington as one of the most reliable sites I know for these species. I went on a long walk around the causeway and finished the morning with a fine total of 56 species - not bad for the time of year.
A quick trip round to High Bridge GPs turned up mostly the same species, with a single Little Ringed Plover being noteworthy, along with 2 Little Egret, Lapwing, Little Grebe and plenty more Gadwall and Mallard. There was a notable increase of hirundines here too. The best sighting here was non-avian however - a Fox running ahead of me along the track gave really good views. I'm seeing them a lot more often here recently. This area is changing all the time (being a very young site) and its looking better by the day.
These 14 additions take my patch year list to 92. Not bad considering the 2 most productive months of the year have been taken away! I missed a White-Winged Black Tern here during lockdown which is quite gutting.
There's always the autumn passage though, and I'm just grateful to be able to visit again now. Who knows what the rest of the year might bring.
I arrived at Willington GPs at 06:50, feeling like I was up before everyone else. Apparently, though, I wasn't. Another gentleman was leaving as I arrived! Now that's impressive commitment. I was hoping to get to the platforms early to avoid other people, but I only saw 3 other birders in total on my visit from 06:50 to 09:00 and passed them all easily at 2m along the lane. I had originally been avoiding the patch for fear of it being a difficult place to socially distance, but found it no trouble at all.
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| The view from platform 1 - the exposed mud here looks good for Common Sandpiper this year |
The lake was typically quiet, being June, however it was nice to see my first Common Terns of the year here - at least one pair are nesting on Dead Goose Island, along with a single Little-Ringed Plover (I am not sure whether they are nesting this year). Lots of Lapwing were present, as was the long-staying Red-Crested Pochard which was roosting on DGI when I was there. This was a full blown patch tick! Of course, I'm not sure of the provenance of this bird but it didn't show any obvious signs of not being legitimate, to my untrained eye.
Other summering ducks included Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler and Tufted Duck. Teal and Wigeon had naturally all disappeared, with no stragglers remaining.
 |
| Poor digi-scoped shot of the Red-Crested Pochard |
A total of 9 warblers (all the commonly occurring warblers excluding Grasshopper Warbler) were all new for the year apart from Chiffchaff and Cetti's Warbler. It was particularly nice to see Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler, cementing Willington as one of the most reliable sites I know for these species. I went on a long walk around the causeway and finished the morning with a fine total of 56 species - not bad for the time of year.
A quick trip round to High Bridge GPs turned up mostly the same species, with a single Little Ringed Plover being noteworthy, along with 2 Little Egret, Lapwing, Little Grebe and plenty more Gadwall and Mallard. There was a notable increase of hirundines here too. The best sighting here was non-avian however - a Fox running ahead of me along the track gave really good views. I'm seeing them a lot more often here recently. This area is changing all the time (being a very young site) and its looking better by the day.
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| High Bridge GPs have changed a lot even in the short time I've been away |
There's always the autumn passage though, and I'm just grateful to be able to visit again now. Who knows what the rest of the year might bring.
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