End of Year roundup for 2019

2019 has been a great year for the number of different species we have managed to see within the Warwick 100 area with a few surprises and some species that we thought were guaranteed but just could not track down (Red-Legged Partridge in particular).

All sightings for the Warwick 100 area or nearby are my own unless specified otherwise.

There were firsts for Lizzy and Jack at the Saxon Mill, being Goosander and Golden Plover and they had a bumper day in November with 3 Woodcocks.  Lizzy’s highlight was being almost scared to death by a calling Barn Owl at the Warwickshire Golf Course and then finding 2 Bewick's Swans this past week.

Bewick's Swans at the Warwickshire Golf Course by Lizzy Bradbury

David found a Stonechat at Warwick Racecourse in November which was the first one we have had on that site for a couple of years (it turned out that there was a pair which I managed to photograph the following day).  Our local wintering Snipe roost had an impressive 26+ birds (and continues to do so currently).  Lizzy and Jack found a pair of breeding Spotted Flycatchers and I found another pair in a location not frequented by any of us normally.

My own Warwick 100 site had a bumper year with the following:-

In winter; I almost fainted when a Bittern flew directly over my head on 14/02/2019.  I had 2 over wintering Green Sandpipers seen together on 28/03/2019, 30/03/2019 and 01/04/2019.  I also had singles from 08/03/2019 to 22/04/2019.  2 Whooper Swans also flew low over my head on 06/01/2019 and singles were seen in other locations on 13/02/2019 and 06/03/2019.  There was a flock of Golden Plover containing about 50 birds and a smattering of Lapwing for a few days mid January.  A Great Egret was seen on 08/03/2019 and then again on 26/03/2019 (as was a Little Egret).  A Goosander flew down river on 15/03/2019 (possibly the same bird that Lizzy saw on a different date) and a drake Mandarin hung around from 30/03/2019 to 02/04/2019.

In Spring,  1 Wheatear on 01/04/2019 and 30+ Sand Martins on 02/04/2019.  Another surprise was a fly over Whimbrel on 21/04/2019 and 1 or possibly 2 Common Sandpipers seen from 17/04/2019 to 26/04/2019.  The rest of spring was relatively quiet with the only notable thing being a count of 40+ Swift on 06/06/2019 over the Stratford Road near to Aylesford School and the Severn Trent Sewage Works.

In Summer, there were maybe up to 3 Hobbys at 3 different locations (with the latest being recorded in the autumn on 30/09/2019) and a returning Wheatear on 21/08/2019.

In Autumn, 1 Common Sandpiper on 03/09/2019 and 04/09/2019, 2 Whinchats from 04/09/2019 to 13/09/2019 (and also 2 at Warwick Racecourse on 03/04/2019 and 04/09/2019) and 1 Stonechat from 27/10/2019 to 29/10/2019.   The drake Mandarin again on 07/09/2019, 1 Yellow Wagtail on 10/09/2019 and then 2 on 17/09/2019, 1 Spotted Flycatcher from the end of August to the end of September and then joined by another on 29/09/2019.  2 Greenshank flew over calling on 15/10/2019, 1 Green Sandpiper from 27/10/2019 to 12/11/2019 then 3 together on 17/11/2019, 1 on 18/11/2019 and 1 on 13/12/2019 and a Woodcock accidently flushed on 20/11/2019. After the prolonged rain, there was a "duckfest" from 30/10/2019 to 23/11/2019 with 2 Wigeon, 1 Pintail, 10+ Teal, 2 Shoveler, 1 Gadwall and 1 possible juvenile Red Crested Pochard. The flooding also attracted large numbers of Gulls with 500+ Black-Headed Gulls recorded on 18/11/2019 and a Yellow-Legged Gull on 30/10/2019 and 31/10/2019.

For a full list of the birds seen in the Warwick 100 area please click here.