2015 Summary
So, that’s it for 2015 – quite an unremarkable year bird-wise. Highlights were the pair of Grey Herons Ardea cinerea that bred for the first time in many years at Blagdon, the regular sightings of Great White Egrets Ardea alba which seem to be becoming established as a local breeding species, catching our first juvenile female Nathusius’ Pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii in August, a memorable night in September spent beside the lake photographing the lunar eclipse, and the Temminck’s Stint Calidris teminckii found by Ken Hall in October which led us all such a merry dance.
Bird List
Dates species were added to the year list:
1st January – 57 spp. Carrion Crow, Black-headed Gull, Common Coot, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Common Pochard, Grey Heron, Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Moorhen, Great Crested Grebe, Eurasian Jay, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, European Goldfinch, Coal Tit, Common Goldeneye, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Blackbird, Eurasian Teal, European Robin, Common Woodpigeon, Song Thrush, Great Tit, Winter Wren, Dunnock (Hedge Accentor), Common Starling, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Pheasant, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Great Cormorant, Common Snipe, Northern Shoveler, Mute Swan, Black-necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Barnacle Goose, Pied Wagtail, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Treecreeper, Long-tailed (Bush) Tit, Rook, Eurasian Magpie, Chiffchaff, Western Jackdaw, Collared Dove, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Stock Dove, Common Sandpiper, Redwing with Goldcrest and Fieldfare reported to me.
3rd January – 58 spp. Lesser Redpoll
4th January – 59 spp. Green Woodpecker
5th January – 65 spp. Egyptian Goose, House Sparrow, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Siskin, Northern Lapwing and Nothern Pintail.
6th January – 68 spp. Grey Wagtail, Mediterranean Gull, Common Scoter.
7th January – 69 spp. Northern Raven
9th January – 71 spp. Yellow-legged Gull, Water Rail.
10th January – 72 spp. Common Kingfisher
14th January – 73 spp. Feral Pigeon
15th January – 74 spp.Tawny Owl
17th January -76 spp. Goosander, Common Shelduck.
18th January – 77 spp. Little Egret
19th January – 78 spp. Red-crested Pochard
20th January – 80spp. Mistle Thrush, Common Kestrel.
24th January – 81 spp. Skylark
2nd February – 83 spp. Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting.
11th February – 84 spp. Barn Owl
18th February – 85 spp. Eurasian Stonechat
3rd March – 86 spp. (Dark-bellied) Brent Goose
4th March – 88 spp. Greylag Goose, Greater Scaup.
24th March – 90 spp. Sand Martin, Blackcap.
31st March – 91 spp. Barn Swallow
5th April – 92 spp. Little Gull
7th April – 94 spp. House Martin, Osprey.
10th April – 95 spp. Great White Egret
11th April – 96 spp Green Sandpiper
12th April – 97 spp. Willow Warbler
14th April – 98 spp. European Greenfinch
16th April – 100 spp. Wood Warbler, Reed Warbler.
17th April – 101 spp. Common Swift
18th April – 102 spp. Sedge Warbler
20th April – 105 spp. Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler.
22nd April – 106 spp. Common Tern
24th April – 107 spp. Common Linnet
26th April – 108 spp. Eurasian Hobby
4th May -109 spp. Dunlin
10th May – 110 spp. Northern Wheatear
11th May – 111 spp. Ringed Plover
18th May – 112 spp. Red Kite
21st May – 113 spp. Arctic Tern
22nd May – 114 spp. Spotted Flycatcher
14th June – 115 spp. Eurasian Oystercatcher
21st June – 116 spp. Common Cuckoo
4th July – 118 spp. Black-tailed Godwit, Common Greenshank.
6th July – 119 spp. Common Redshank
12th July – 120 spp. Lesser Scaup
18th July – 121 spp. Little Ringed Plover
25th July – 122 spp. Ruddy Duck
23rd August – 124 spp. Black Tern, Ruff.
24th August – 125 spp. Whinchat
25th August – 126 spp. Litle Stint
3rd September – 127 spp. Spotted Redshank
14th September – 129 spp. Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper.
17th September – 130 spp. Garganey
18th October – 131 spp. Temminck’s Stint
26th October – 132 spp. Merlin
1st November – 133 spp. Bewick’s Swan
6th November – 135 spp. Sanderling, Eurasian Bittern.
22nd November – 136 spp. Brambling
1st December – 137 spp. Water Pipit
16th December – 138 spp. Eurasian Woodcock.
The species reported at Blagdon that I’ve missed so far are (Common Crane & Long-tailed Duck subject to acceptance by the AOG rarities committee), Little Gull, Red Kite, Spotted Redshank & Merlin. So, potentially we have had a total of 140 bird species reported at the lake in 2015.
Date species first noted singing:
1st January – European Robin (winter song), Great Tit.
2nd January – Winter Wren
7th January – Song Thrush
14th January – Common Blackbird
16th January – European Goldfinch
19th January – Great Spotted Woodpecker (drumming)
2nd February – Dunnock
15th February – Coal Tit
20th February – Reed Bunting
24th March – Blackcap
10th April – Eurasian Treecreeper
11th April – Goldcrest
12th April – Willow Warbler
16th April – Wood Warbler, Reed Warbler.
18th April – Sedge Warbler
20th April – Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler.
10th May – Water Rail