Saturday 2 April 2011

the birds of nottinghamshire 2009

There are few more welcome plops through the letter box than the one that brings the Annual Report of The Birds of Nottinghamshire.
This fine little volume charts the changes in bird populations each year and is a fascinating read. The team who produce it should be warmly praised.


Always keen on beating myself up and adding to my list of things to do, I resolved, on reading Volume 67, to submit my records of birds seen each month.

Quite how useful these records will be we will find out.

The key things this month were to discover how widespread the house sparrow (passer domesticus) is. At our previous home, sparrows had disappeared ten years before and this reflected a national decline. Here, in Hucknall, the picture is very different and the birds are so widespread and numerous it became impossible to record them!!

The second main fact of interest for me was to discover a local population of tree sparrows (passer montanus) that stretched from the Mill Ponds in Bestwood Village right up the Mushroom Farm site.
Tree sparrows are shy and pretty little birds. Both sexes have a chocolate brown crown that marks them out immediately as being different to their urban cousins. Although the report describes them as 'fairly common and widely distributed' I usually have to travel to Rutland Water to get a reliable look at these birds. Hopefuly, not anymore!! I'm hoping to find a way that I can support these birds in the future as their local populations can decline rapidly and unpredictably.
This photo from Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers website by Howard Broughton


NB For dullards only: these are my records for March and if you want this as a spreadsheet, let me know.



Species Site First date Last date Total Notes
Mute Swan Millponds, Bestwood Village Throughout 3
Greylag Goose Millponds, Bestwood Village Throughout 2
Canada Goose Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 6 in flight
Millponds, Bestwood Village
Mallard Millponds, Bestwood Village Throughout 2
Tufted Duck Millponds, Bestwood Village Throughout 5 max
Common Pheasant Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 2
Great Crested Grebe Millponds, Bestwood Village 24.3.11 1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood 14.3.11 1 overhead
Common Buzzard Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood
Kevin Road, Wollaton 13.3.11 3 in flight
Above Beswood Country Park 27.3.11 6 in flight
Common Kestrel A60 N Lakeside Restaurant, Arnold 19.3.11 1
Moorhen River Leen, Bestwood 27.3.11 1
Common Coot Millponds, Bestwood Village Throughout 2
Northern Lapwing Fields Lamins Lane Throughout 3 Displaying
Stock Dove Crimea Plantation, Bestwood 27.3.11 1 calling
Wood Pigeon Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 8
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 3
Fields adjacent to Moor Road Bestwood 27.3.11 61 Feeding
Collared Dove Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 2
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 3
Tawny Owl Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood 20.3.11 2 Calling from pines
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall 22.3.11 2
Green Woodpecker Picus viradis Lamins Plantation, bestwood 27.3.11 1 calling
Greater Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus major Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood
Sky Lark Bestwwod Country Park 27.3.11 1
Meadow Pipit Bestwood Country Park 27.3.11 1
Pied Wagtail Broomhill Park View, Hucknall 25.3.11 1 Overhead
Footpath by NET tram line 27.3.11 1
Bohemian  Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus Lamins Lane, Bestwood 26.3.11 8 in easterly flight
Bales Mill Bestwood 27.3.11 10
Wren Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 1
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 1
Dunnock Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 2
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 2
Leapool Allotments Throughout 2
Robin Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 2
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 2
Leapool Allotments Throughout 2
Blackbird Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 2
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 4
Leapool Allotments Throughout 2
Song Thrush Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 1 Singing
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 1 Singing
Mistle Thrush Oak Tree, Coliers Way bestwood CP 27.3.11 1
Common Chiffchaff Millponds, Bestwood Village 21.3.11 1 Singing
Bales Mill, Beswood 27.3.11 1 Singing
Bestwood Country Park 27.3.11 3 Singing
Willow Warbler
Goldcrest Regulus regulus Broomhill Park View, Hucknall 31.3.11 1 Singing
Coal Tit Parus major Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 1
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall
Blue Tit Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 3
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 2
Great Tit Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 2
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 2
European Nuthatch Bestwood Country Park 27.3.11 1
Crimea Plantation, Bestwood Throughout 1
Eurasian Jay Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 1
Magpie Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 2
Rook Seven Mile, A60, Papplewick Throughout uncounted Rookery
Carrion Crow Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 2
Common Starling Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 2 taking nest material under eaves
House Sparrow Passer domesticus Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 1 In uncut privet hedge with wildacres House sparrows were too widespread to record accurately in Hucknall. Stark contrast with Ravenshead, where populations were extremely local.
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 5 max In ivy clad hawthorn
Footpath by NET tram line 27.3.11 9 in hedge
Mornington Primary School, Nuthall Throughout 5 max In Hedge by footpath
Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Westhouse Farm, Bestwood 27.3.11 1 Hadn't realised that tree sparrows would be as easily seen in Notts until this walk where we saw them from the edge of the Mill Ponds, Bestwood village - up the hill to the fields alongside Lamin's Lane.
Lamins Plantation, Lamins Lane 27.3.11 3 Using nesting boxes
Lamins Lane, Bestwood 27.3.11 10 In hawthorn brash
Old Mill House, Bestwood 27.3.11 3
Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 4
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 2
Greenfinch Carduelis carduelis Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 3
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 2
Goldfinch Carduelis chloris Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 2
Broomhill Park View, Hucknall Throughout 3 Frequently on feeders
Leapool Allotments Throughout 3
Common Bullfinch Cordwood, Lamins Lane, Bestwood Throughout 1

No comments: