Thursday 27 June 2013

Migratory birds project- CLV

Below is a link to the project I have been helping out with over the last two weeks. Please have a look and see how they have progressed to produce a quality piece of  work. http://migratorybirdsproject.blogspot.co.uk/

Sunday 23 June 2013

Still here. Still busy

I have been quite busy of late hence no posts although I have been getting out to WH a few times a week. Over the last week and over the next week I have been volunteering at Cramlington Learning Village for the third year in a row along with Cain as part of the school’s Project Fortnight.
As previously the project I have been involved with mainly takes part in the classroom but some set birding has taken place around the school grounds and at Arcot Pond, Valley Park and Shasun in Dudley. The aim of this years project is for the students to create a migration map showing the journey of migratory birds journey to Cramlington.
More details of the project can be found on a specially set up blog documenting the student’s progress. I will upload the link later.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much to see on the trips out, as you would expect at this time of year. Young Canada Geese accompanied their parents at Shasun and the pair of returning Common Terns were sitting on the nest. The highlight at Arcot was a singing Reed Warbler

Today I was out doing WEBS with SH and DM at Castle Island. Not much on the bird front apart from a Green Sandpiper but a Fox carrying a young duckling crept along the southern shore whilst being mobbed by Magpies.

East Chevington was quiet but it was a different story at Cresswell Pond with a most unseasonable range of wildfowl. As well as Teal and Wigeon, a female Scaup and a drake Pintail were also on the pond. 12 moulting Teal were also at Castle Island.
Between heavy downpours 2 Little Ringed Plover landed north of the causeway alongside a pair of Ruff. One was a Reeve whilst the other was a stunning ginger and Black male, failed breeders form Holland maybe?
5 young Linnet showed well in front of the hide as did 4 separate Reed Warbler.