Sand Martin News

I may just have blogged about autumn, but now for a reminder of summer, to be precise sand martins. All gone now, but they will be back in just over four months.

The reason for posting on sand martins now is news of one of the birds caught at Blashford earlier this year. We knew it was an interesting one as it carried a Spanish ring, but it proved even more surprising now that the details have come back. An edited version of the details are copied below.

Ringing date: 10-Dec-2010
Reg code: --- Place code: --- Site name: Sant Louis, Djoudj Park
Biological Station, Senegal
County code: NU00 Grid ref: Co-ords: 16deg 25min N 16deg
18min W
Hab1: -- Hab2:

Biometrics: Wing: 104 mm. Weight: 10.6 g. Time: 0000hrs

Finding date: 09-Jun-2011
Reg code: --- Place code: BLASH Site name: Blashford, Ringwood,
Hampshire
County code: GBHAM Grid ref: SU1508 Co-ords: 50deg 52min
N 1deg 47min W
Hab1: A3 Hab2: G5

Biometrics: Wing: 110 mm. Weight: 13.2 g. Time: 0400hrs

Duration: 181 days Distance: 4044 km Direction: 19deg
(NNE)
Finder: Mr K Sayer, 4821

It was nesting at Blashford, in our sand martin bank, having been ringed on the wintering grounds almost six months to the day earlier.

More Martins

Bird News: Ibsley Water - sand martin 3000+, house martin 500-1000, swift 1, arctic tern 1 juv.

Ivy Lake - green sandpiper 4.

Centre - hobby 1

I did not see much today as I was chasing around for much of it. I have a contractor doing a bit of reprofiling on the shore of Ibsley Water, which so far seems to be going well. We should end up with a couple of extra islands and some more shallow water habitat. Hopefully we will also be able to get some work done over on Ivy Lake as well.

In the afternoon I finally got over to see the ponies on Mockbeggar Lake for the first time in a while, thankfully they were all fine, although I will probably move them again soon. I was on Mockbeggar for a visit by possibly funders for a project on the WWII heritage of the New Forest, if all goes well it will include a restoration of the old control tower. This building has historical interest and houses a bat roost, but it has also had a history of vandalism and general decay so to see it restored would be a great relief to all concerned. I really hope this proposal goes well as there is a great story to be told. Whilst there I heard ravens flying over, my first for a couple of weeks, I was also pretty sure I heard yellow wagtail, but could not be certain.

I should have some more news tomorrow as I am leading a walk in the morning so I should get a look around the reserve.

Martins, Martins, Martins

Bird News: Ibsley Water - thousands of sand martin again, 500+ house martin, 1 swift (2 reported), 2 knot, 2 ringed plover, 1 redshank.

A moderate catch of moths last night included a late ruby tiger, a dark swordgrass, otherwise pretty much as expected for the time of year, but including 3 autumnal rustic (pictured below) a sign of the changing season.

There were also a couple each of hedge rustic and the rather beautifully marked feathered gothic.

Although the day was much better than yesterday the number of martins over Ibsley Water may actually have increased, there were certainly thousands, but how many I could not really estimate. There were more house martin, but I failed to see a swallow at all. The swallows have not all gone, in fact this evening I heard that further down the valley there are a pair still incubating their third clutch of eggs! I have seen house martin with young in the nest at the start of October, but never swallows so late.

A visitor to the reserve today found a second raft spider on the Centre pond. This prompted me to look up their life history. I confess I had not appreciated they usually live for three years, so these two should be full grown nest spring, if they survive the winter. Something to look out for next year.

Who Would be a Sand Martin?

Bird News: Two common sandpiper, one adult and a juvenile were by the Tern hide first thing and an oystercatcher was on the long shingle spit, Just east of the hide the little ringed plover pair still have their two chicks. The chicks are like miniature cartoon versions of the adults. From Ivy South hide an adult hobby got the common terns in a lather. However this was nothing to what it did at the Goosander hide where it reportedly took a sand martin (I believe there may be pictures too).

Reports Received: 19 Egyptian geese were seen on Ibsley Water today and there are two more with their three goslings on Rockford Lake, so it looks like their numbers are picking up.

Other Wildlife: The grass snake was just below the window at the left hand end of the Ivy South hide again, it had a distinct bulge half way along so I suspect we are a common frog down. The moth trap contained a chocolate-tip a species I don't see that often. I also had a report of three or four silver-washed fritillary on the path to the Lapwing hide.

Other Stuff: The Lower Test volunteer team were in again and cleared the rest of the bank on the western shore of Ibsley Water. I got out in the boat to take some soundings off the long spit on the western shore with a view to reducing the height and increasing the width to make it more use to wildlife. We should be able to get some more shallows and improve the view.

The Bizarre: A couple of days ago a visitor popped in to say he had seen a mallard eating a sand martin that had fallen into the water at the Goosander hide, in fact it had eaten two. It was not clear if the martin was already dead or had been drowned by the duck. It is not uncommon for young martins to fall into the water when making early flights, especially if startled by a predator. However I have never heard of them being eaten by a duck. Today a sketch of the incident arrived along with a mobile phone picture of the event, sadly not very clear.

Run, Run as Fast as You Can

Highlight in the moth trap this morning was a Rannock looper moth, a male, which flew off before I could get a picture. This moth is only resident in central Scotland in the UK, but occurs as a rare migrant elsewhere. Actually this year it is not so rare, with a few hundred already recorded in southern England and this follows a slightly smaller invasion two years ago. Other moths included eyed hawk moth, buff tip and lots of heart and dart.

Once again it was volunteer Thursday, unfortunately we were clearing ragwort yet again, although we have made significant progress so I am planning something else for next week, perhaps a bit of Himalayan balsam pulling....

I finally managed to retrieve the failed raft from Mockbeggar Lake today, although I had a hard job getting the mooring weights free of the mud and up into the boat. I am hoping to reuse the floats on a new raft to see if we can get terns to nest in a second location on the reserve.

At the end of the day when I went to lock up the Tern hide I was a little surprised to see a summer plumaged sanderling, I know they are late migrants but this one must almost have left it too late even for nesting in the very far north. However the most enthralling sight was the little ringed plover chicks away to the east of the hide. There are least three still and they were whizzing about in their usual hyper-active way. Then a young grey heron wandered down the shore, it spotted the nearest chick and started towards it, surely the chick stood no chance. The chick ran, then crouched in the stones, but the heron's eyesight was too good and it stalked up and fixed on the chick from about a metre, looking ready to strike, this had to be it for the chick. The heron hesitated, the chick got up and zipped off up the bank and out of sight, at least to the heron, circling round the chick rejoined the female and was brooded. It seemed incredible but the plover had got away and perhaps learnt a lesson in survival as well. The heron probably learnt that when you have a meal for the taking it pays not to hesitate, so the chick may not be so lucky next time.

Finally a little late news from this morning. The ringers were in catching some of the nesting sand martin, included in the catch was one bird ringed elsewhere in the UK and even more interesting a bird ringed in Spain.

Martins

No sign of the lesser spotted woodpecker this morning when I opened up the hides, however the bittern was lurking in the reeds near the Ivy North hide, the picture shows a "typical" view.
From the Ivy South hide the female smew was just off to the left of the hide, although it now seems to be alone as I could see no sign of the young drake and I don't think it has been seen for three or four days. The ringers were in this morning, not many birds were caught, although they did get the lesser redpoll in the picture. It is an adult male and has a very fine red poll, it was actually a recapture and had originally been ringed at Blashford last winter.

At lunchtime I went over to the Tern hide, the Centre being busy with a school group. It was well worth it, a flock of at least 9 sand martin appeared over the lake, the first of the year, we finished the bank just in time! The 2 black-necked grebe were also in view, although about as far apart as possible, one by the western shore and the other by the eastern. A pair of Mediterranean gull were on the gull island and the oystercatchers were making a great noise. At the end of the day the gull roost was being spooked by the same peregrine as yesterday and at least 54 goosander gathered to roost, although I left quite early so there will have been more later.

The moth trap had a lot of individuals, but only one new species for the year, a grey shoulder knot, which is another one of the species that hibernate as an adult.