I have probably made more visits here this year. Birds tend to be closer and more approachable for photos which is an encouragement for me. I have recorded 80 bird species this year (77 in 2023; 72 in 2022; 77 in 2021).
Geese come and go throughout the year with the highest number being present around July when as many as 500 gather while they go through their annual wing moult and become flightless for a few weeks. Canada Geese attempt to breed every year – unsuccessfully. About 20 years ago numbers began to get out of hand with a crèche of over 200 goslings fouling all the grassy areas. The grass is used by the public to let children and dogs exercise. Since then contractors render all the eggs infertile and numbers of these long-lived species have gradually declined. The moulting flocks mostly stay in the water and are less trouble.
A lone Pink-footed Goose present for a few days in January may have been the same bird seen at the end of December. Up to six mainly white feral geese appear from time to time, carried by the Greylag Geese. There are also a number of Canada x Greylag hybrids that appear from time to time.
The resident Mute Swans did better than at the Balancing Lake with three cygnets fledging. Sadly one of these was snagged by fishing line and taken in to care by Cuan Wildlife Rescue. I have no news on what happened next. As at the lake there were "visitors" after the breeding season. The last two of these left at the very end of December.
Mallard and Tufted Ducks are present throughout the year. The former breed regularly: the latter occasionally and not this year. I noted at least twelve broods of Mallard ducklings. Not a single duckling survived. Predators: Coots? Pike? cats? I am not sure.
Moorhens and Coots are more successful. The Coots were particularly prolific this year though this does not explain why there were over 140 birds present in October. Normally I would expect around 60 as a post-breeding maximum.
The good Autumn number and range of duck species seen at the lake was mirrored here. We could do with a Pintail! Late in the year up to 15 Pochard visited and stayed in varying numbers for several weeks. 15 is a high number for here.
One change here is that Goosanders no longer visit daily in Winter. When they do their numbers are much reduced. Possibly the three figure numbers seen about five years ago ate all the small fish. Similarly the number of Cormorants, that peaked at 13 two winters ago, is much reduced.
Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps are the only warblers that breed here. As at the lake double-figure daily counts of Willow Warblers passed in early April. Single Lesser Whitethroat, Garden, Sedge and Reed Warblers were heard as they made their way North. Most birds do not sing during return migration and only Willow Warbler was noted.
There is almost no wader passage here, just occasional Common Sandpipers. This year a paltry two in Spring and none in Autumn.
I did not note much in the way of hirundine passage here with only a few Barn Swallows noted. House Martins bred in the area with some respectable totals hawking insects overhead before they departed to Africa. Swifts were very late arriving on territory (presumably at the older houses in St Georges) and in smaller numbers than usual. The last Swifts were noted 10 days or so later than usual: perhaps their breeding had been delayed by the cold and wet weather – their nestlings can go torpid in cold weather while the adults travel hundreds of miles to collect food in warmer conditions.
Autumn passage of passerines was abysmal. Not a single Meadow Pipit (there were none in Spring either). A few Skylarks on unusually widely scattered dates. And only single groups of Redwings and Fieldfare.
In to the second Winter period I noted Water Rail on several occasions, a highlight being accidentally flushing one and seeing it in flight – as far as I recall the first I have ever seen flying. Normally this species is heard only.
Two new species for my bird list here were what was probably the same Great (White) Egret as seen at the lake: and a Tawny Owl being chased away by Jays, Carrion Crows and Magpies during the day. Another highlight was seeing what was likely my first-ever flying Water Rail. I almost trod on it and it had no time to slip in to cover.
A large bank of Ivy attracts butterflies, hoverflies and many species of fly and kept a few of them active into late December on mild and sunny days. Most of the year the weather has not been permitting. A Buff-tailed Bumblebee at the end of November was unexpected. There have been more Common Wasps here during late-Autumn than at any other time this year and a few were still flying in December.
My moth species total for here this year is 50 [also 50 in 2023; just 33 in 2022]. Every year there are always species I see here but have not seen at the lake.
Bird species recorded this year here in the order I noted them:
01/01/24 Blackbird
01/01/24 Tufted Duck
01/01/24 Mallard
01/01/24 Greylag Goose
01/01/24 Mute Swan
01/01/24 Moorhen
01/01/24 Coot
01/01/24 Goosander
01/01/24 Black-headed Gull
01/01/24 Robin
01/01/24 Great Tit
01/01/24 Magpie
01/01/24 Carrion Crow
01/01/24 Blue Tit
01/01/24 Canada Goose
01/01/24 Great Crested Grebe
01/01/24 Chaffinch
01/01/24 Kingfisher
01/01/24 Wood Pigeon
01/01/24 Jackdaw
01/01/24 Dunnock
01/01/24 Gadwall
01/01/24 Wren
01/01/24 Common Buzzard
01/01/24 Coal Tit
01/01/24 House Sparrow
01/01/24 Herring Gull
01/01/24 Feral Pigeon
01/01/24 Collared Dove
01/01/24 Goldfinch
02/01/24 Grey Heron
02/01/24 Song Thrush
02/01/24 Pochard
03/01/24 Cormorant
03/01/24 Teal
03/01/24 Goldcrest
03/01/24 Long-tailed Tit
03/01/24 Bullfinch
04/01/24 Sparrowhawk
05/01/24 Lesser Black-backed Gull
05/01/24 Great Spotted Woodpecker
05/01/24 Greenfinch
08/01/24 Pink-footed Goose
08/01/24 Lesser Redpoll
10/01/24 Siskin
11/01/24 Jay
23/01/24 Redwing
24/01/24 Nuthatch
27/01/24 Yellow-legged Gull
03/02/24 Raven
11/02/24 Stock Dove
05/03/24 Treecreeper
05/02/24 Starling
14/03/24 Chiffchaff
18/03/24 Grey Wagtail
24/03/24 Blackcap
25/03/24 Willow Warbler
26/03/24 Pheasant
30/03/24 Mistle Thrush
20/04/24 Common Sandpiper
22/04/24 Shoveler
22/04/24 Garden Warbler
26/04/24 Pied Wagtail
26/04/24 Lesser Whitethroat
30/04/24 Sedge Warbler
12/05/24 Swift
13/05/24 House Martin
13/05/24 Skylark
21/05/24 Barn Swallow
24/05/24 Shelduck
16/06/24 Reed Warbler
16/06/24 Oystercatcher
12/08/24 Linnet
22/08/24 Little Grebe
11/09/24 Eurasian Wigeon
21/09/24 Tawny Owl
07/10/24 Water Rail
12/10/24 Great White Egret
29/10/24 Rook
07/11/24 Fieldfare
Bird species recorded by me here in 2024 but not in 2023
Shelduck
Eurasian Wigeon
Oystercatcher
Yellow-legged Gull
**Great (White) Egret
**Tawny Owl
Lesser Whitethroat
Garden Warbler
Linnet
** = species not previously recorded by me at this site.
Bird species recorded by me here in 2023 but not in 2024
Common Gull
Little Egret
Common Tern
Sand Martin
Marsh Tit
Meadow Pipit
Moths
Moth species recorded here in 2024 for the first time, in sighting order (some will have been recorded at the Balancing Lake):
* = a moth new for me in Shropshire
*Seraphim Lobophora halterata
Least Black Arches Nola confusalis
White-pinion Spotted Lomographa bimaculata
Plain Gold Micropterix calthella
Pebble Hook-tip Drepana falcataria
*Gold Swift Phymatopus hecta
Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria
Barred Red Hylaea fasciaria
Foxglove Pug Eupithecia pulchellata
Black Arches Lymantria monacha
Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis
Golden-rod Pug Eupithecia virgaureata
*The Gem Nycterosea obstipata
*Bittersweet Moth Scrobipalpa costella
And leaf-mines only of the rarely seen:
Golden Pigmy Stigmella aurella
(Ed Wilson)