March is that month which actually ends up being like spring, unlike April and May which sometimes fail to read the instructions and feel like winter.
The weather was again average with regard to temperature, and had none of the extremes of winds noted last month. For the visible migration enthusiasts, the main feature for some time at the end of the month was the presence of high pressure, with winds frequently from the south-east quarter and often slack, with some frosts overnight. This all culminated in a nice warm spell in the last week, in which tans as well as bird lists, were topped up.
I make no apologies for again having Whooper Swan as the header for this review. In February 2021 there were exactly zero Whooper Swans counted in the recording area, but in February this year 171 were reported. Hopes were therefore high of a bumper crop to get us close to last year’s near 1200 through our patch during the spring. March 2022 however failed to step up to the plate, with only 307 bird days and 260 different birds variously grounded or flying through. April, we are looking to you to do the job!
Regular performers throughout the month included Common Buzzards, which became increasingly visible, with counts of over 30 commonplace, and up to three Sinensis Cormorants as well as Dippers on the River Ure - viewable when looked for.
The modest beginnings to the month manifested in a flyover flock of nine Dunlin over the Reserve and four Song Thrushes heading north on 2nd, in a day of drizzle and south-east winds.
The next day the female Marsh Harrier, first seen at the end of February, put in another appearance. Also on 3rd, two adult Mediterranean Gulls from the end of last month reappeared and were seen on and off throughout the month. The long staying Scaup was still present on 4th, whilst four Avocet, a Black-Tailed Godwit and 42 Siskin flew south.
On 5th winds changed to northerly, which seems to be the wind for visible migration at Nosterfield. Whilst not epic, it was good to see birds on the move, including 40 Skylark, 13 alba Wagtails, two Grey Wagtail, with a Corn Bunting as the bonus bird. The next day the N winds continued, with an aggregate total of 1376 birds through, including most of the above and 149 Golden Plover, 128 Fieldfare and seven Reed Buntings included in the mix.
A big headline day occurred on 7th, with a Starling roost of up to 50,000 ‘murmurating’ around Nosterfield village and the reedbed. This occurred for a few days before dispersing. Two random Starling heads on the causeway at Flasks Lake, spoke of the presence of predators taking advantage of this food source. Also that day, the erratically observed trio of Eurasian White-fronted Geese appeared in the field behind Flasks Lake.
On 8th, 95 Whoopers Swans left roost in the recording area and headed north-west. The next day, a Chiffchaff visibly migrated north across the fields around Langwith, the first of a general build-up of the species in the area, with four present the next day. By 12th, 17 were counted, a day when 79 species were recorded in the area, including the first Wheatear and Sand Martin of the year and also Merlin, the female Marsh Harrier from earlier, as well as an impressive count of 37 Stock Dove behind the main Reserve.
Despite all this worthy stuff, a star bird was needed and on 13th it was delivered in the form of a Black-Necked Grebe on the Reserve, which posed both with its smaller and larger resident cousins. Sadly, it was only a one day wonder, but was nevertheless seen by many.
The next day a glorious male Brimstone butterfly was seen, not a bird I know, but it flies!
Mid-month saw the area within the high pressure south-east wind doldrums and allowed for diligent counting of small birds, such as Dunnock and included 37 Chiffchaffs in the area. These counts also documented the return of Yellowhammers to their breeding territories.
Relentless plodding around also produced the month’s only Woodcock on 16th. Unexpectedly on 19th, a day with weather similar to earlier in the week, 100 Whooper Swans materialised on various lakes in the recording area, only to have largely gone by the next day. However, 20th did reward two lucky observers with a Great White Egret located at the reedbed, with presumably the same individual heading south over Camp Wood two days later.
On 23rd 400 Pink-footed Geese flew over Kiln Lake, and more headed over the next day, with 177 deciding to drop onto the Reserve and feed. On the latter date, two Mandarin Duck were found on the River Ure. A new Marsh Harrier was at Ladybridge on 24th, but the most impressive record that day was a flock of ten Little Gulls photographed on Kiln Lake, easily the largest flock ever documented in the recording area and part of a notable UK-wide inland movement. Sadly, these delightful gulls eluded all the Nosterfield regulars, who could only admire the space they had occupied, the next day.
As the month slowly drew to a close, the glacial arrival of spring migrants continued, with the first Little Ringed Plover flying north over Langwith, just after dawn on 25th. As previously noted, northerly winds are good for visible migration at Nosterfield; this was the wind direction on 26th when a record breaking 1788 Black-headed Gulls flew through the recording area. This species is both a strong diurnal and nocturnal migrant, whose movements are often overlooked. In addition to the continued presence of the adult Mediterranean Gulls on the Reserve, it was nice to have an itinerant first-year bird fly over on 27th.
The first Blackcap of the year also appeared at Lingham Lake and Sand Martin numbers built up to nine. The next day the first real taste of Meadow Pipit aka ‘Mipit’ migration occurred, with 145 moving north in ENE winds, whilst possibly the same, or another, Great White Egret was found by the River Ure.
On 29th the month’s encore occurred.A large nocturnal movement of Common Scoter was noted all over northern England, including Ripon, where one observer documented 18 flocks passing over his house in a one hour period.It was therefore not a surprise that eight were found on various lakes in the recording area (with a further nine on Ripon Racecourse Lake, east of Ripon). The next day they were gone, but a Kittiwake and 17 Whooper Swans were some consolation.The month ended with the first Osprey of the year and 565 Redwing heading north.
All in all, another great finding effort by the Nosterfield team and looking back, not a bad set of records at all.
Andrew Hanby (on behalf of all the Nosterfield Naturalists) 4th April 2022