Autumn is a time of
transition on the reserve. With several of our breeding birds migrating south,
we review the season. We also celebrate the arrival of our over-wintering
wildfowl and prepare for the upcoming Grey Seal pupping season.
Summary
of the 2017 breeding bird season
The breeding Marsh Harrier population
on Blakeney Freshes is stable. The same number – three females and two males – have
bred for at least the last ten years. As usual, they managed to fledge young; two
broods. The usual pair of Barn Owls nested in the box near Marsh Lane, fledging
two young. Avocet numbers are stable across the reserve, with a minimum 38
pairs nesting. For a third year, Little Ringed Plovers bred successfully on
Blakeney Freshes. Following two years of suspected, but unproven, breeding,
Water Rail breeding was confirmed, with two young observed on Blakeney Freshes:
the first sighting of young on the reserve since 2002.
On Blakeney Point, a record 11 Grey Partridge pairs bred. These gamebirds are the only species resident on the Point throughout the entire year. Family groups are a frequent sight in the sand dunes throughout the winter.
Little Terns nested at four sites on
Blakeney Point. Unlike in 2016, the majority did not nest on the tip of Far
Point, this year favouring the Watch House colony. A mixture of good weather,
good feeding and low disturbance – aided by volunteer presence – led to high
productivity at the Watch House colony. The Point’s nesting Little Terns, as a
whole population, fledged 56 young from 65 pairs; the most fledged since 2011
and highest overall productivity since 1999.
Little Tern fledgling (Richard Porter)
The National Trust team would like to sincerely
thank the residents of Blakeney, Cley, and further afield, including the many
visitors – some of whom come specifically to see terns (and seals) in the unique
setting of Blakeney National Nature Reserve – for their co-operation and
support this summer and in the future.
Low
tide seal counts
This summer’s low tide counts showed
that the number of seals hauling out on Stiffkey West Sands is stable for both
species.
Date
|
Grey Seal
|
Common Seal
|
06/07/2017
|
369
|
202
|
21/07/2017
|
552
|
302
|
06/08/2017
|
114
|
392
|
11/08/2017
|
420
|
312
|
25/08/2017
|
216
|
455
|
10/09/2017
|
290
|
363
|
2017 summer (Mar-Sep) average:
|
225
|
167
|
Ten-year
summer average:
|
308
|
147
|
Annual mean Common Seal numbers were
fractionally above the ten-year summer average, whilst Grey Seals numbers were
slightly below.
Breeding
Grey Seals
From this Wednesday (25th October) the Grey
Seal rookery area on Blakeney Point will be fenced off ready for the imminent pupping
season. As usual, there will be no access to the westerly mile-and-a-half of
beach and northern parts of the dunes. We would like to thank you in advance
for staying out of the restricted areas and ensuring all dogs are on short
leads, for the safety of visitors and dogs as well as vulnerable seals. We will have
volunteers on site at peak times and will keep the blog updated with pup counts throughout November, December and into January.
Bird migration
September migrant bird highlights on Blakeney Point
included: juvenile Montagu’s Harrier on 3rd; Long-tailed Skua on 14th;
Barred Warbler on 15th; Wryneck on 16th; Red-breasted
Flycatcher on 18th – 19th; Yellow-browed Warbler 18th
– 19th. The rarest bird seen on Blakeney Point probably all year was
a Tawny Owl, on 15th September. This is only the second ever record
for this usually sedentary species. As of mid-October, a Peregrine appears to have taken up a winter residence on the Point.
Other
wildlife
Weekly butterfly transects were
conducted on Blakeney Point for a tenth year and on Blakeney Freshes and Friary
Hills for a third year. The most frequently recorded butterflies on the former
were Small Copper and Meadow Brown on the latter. A total 15 species were
recorded on the Point and 17 on the Freshes and Friary Hills. On 18th
June, a peak of 14 Dark Green Fritillary Butterflies was recorded. Early
October saw several dozen Red Admiral butterflies across the reserve. On 21st
and 22nd of July, a bat detector – loaned from the Norfolk Bat
Project – recorded nine species over Blakeney Freshes, the most common being
Noctule, Common and Soprano Pipistrelle.
Reserve
management
Our winter work on Blakeney Point is
centred on monitoring and protecting the Grey Seal rookery, with support from
our dedicated volunteers. On Blakeney Freshes, we will be conducting our annual
ditch-clearance works. This involves clearing the vegetation out of ditches on
a five-year rotation, prevent them from becoming too clogged up and affecting
water flow through the site, but also preventing loss of habitat for aquatic
species as the clearance is spread over a number of years, rather than all at once.
Other winter work on the reserve involves counting Pink-footed and Brent Geese,
as part of a national census, to monitor their populations.
Ajay Tegala,
Ranger
