There are currently over 100 Sandwich Terns roosting on the end of Blakeney Point. These are late arrivals having turned up at Blakeney over the last few days. Most probably failed breeders from elsewhere - anywhere in the North Sea population - we are pretty sure some of them are on eggs and hope that more will lay over the next few days. If all goes well, there should be just enough time for them to fledge young before the need to begin their return migration to Africa.
Sandwich Terns roosting on the tip of the Point (Ajay Tegala)
We are leaving them undisturbed, but hope to conduct a nest count once they are settled. We are keeping our fingers crossed for them, and also for the 52-60 pairs of Little Terns on the main shingle ridge; a number of them have chicks now and feeding is looking very good.
Blakeney Point on the Summer Solstice (Ajay Tegala)
May has been a joyous month with the
discovery of numerous nests and chicks across the reserve
Breeding birds
May has been fantastic for
hatching wader chicks on Blakeney
Freshes: Lapwing chicks were present by 6th, Redshank by 17th,
Avocet by 27th and the Little Ringed Plovers by the coast path
hatched on 28th. It has been a good season for Lapwings, with
several well-grown chick sightings. Mallard ducklings abound. From 14th
May, a Bittern has been heard booming intermittently, which we are very excited
about. Around 700 Black-headed Gulls were present on the saltmarsh at Stiffkey in early May, with numbers
reducing to nearer 300 by 23rd when 41 nests were recorded on the
Meals along with a pair of Common Terns. On our new land at Salthouse – east of Beach Road and
north of the A149 – we have four pairs of Black-headed Gulls, six pairs of
Avocets and a pair of Lapwings. On Blakeney
Point, the first Oystercatcher egg was spotted on 3rd May, the
same day that Blakeney Primary School visited to put out their Little Tern
decoys. A week later, numbers in excess of 100 Little Terns were counted above
the Watch House colony. The first Oystercatcher chick was seen on 3rd
June. Numerous Meadow Pipit chicks have been observed in the dunes throughout
May and Linnet chicks are about to fledge.
Little Tern presenting a fish to its partner (Greg Cooper) .
Migrant birds
Numerous migrant Wheatears
have been observed on Blakeney Freshes. By 16th May, Swifts,
Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins were present together feeding on and
above the Freshes. Blakeney Point May migrant highlights included Glaucous Gull
(2nd), Osprey (4th, 12th), Short-toed Lark (5th–6th,
26th), Hobby (11th, 12th), Red-throated Pipit
(12th), Red-breasted Flycatcher (15th), Icterine Warbler
(two on 26th, one singing), Nightjar (26th), singing
Black Redstart (26th), male Pied Flycatcher (30th) and
Marsh Warbler (30th–31st). The most notable migrant of
the year, so far, was a Moltoni’s Subalpine Warbler on 2nd–3rd
June, which attracted around 600 visitors. This was the second record for the
Point, the previous being 11th May 2015.
Footage of the 2015 Moltoni's Subalpine Warbler on Blakeney Point:
Seals
Low tide seal counts have
remained low this month. We are now entering the Common Seal breeding season;
pups are born on tidal sandbars in the Wash and start to show up at Blakeney
later in the summer.
Date
Grey
Seal
Common
Seal
14th
April 2018
28
75
16th
May 2018
20
46
Other wildlife
A Green
Hairstreak, Britain’s only green-coloured butterfly, landed on the wall of our
office on 6th May; nearby Friary Hills is a good place to see them.
Common Blues began appearing later in the month. Cinnabar moth sightings were
made on Blakeney Freshes on 22nd and at Morston Quay on 29th.
A Water Vole was observed on the Freshes on 16th; it is always a
delight to see these most appealing small mammals.
