Sunday 16 August 2015

Old Moor - Sunday 16th August

Visited Old Moor this evening, the Great White Egret was on the Mere, a Peregrine was being mobbed by 2 adult and 3 juvenile Common Terns and 4 Dunlin were on "Death" island. On the Main Marsh were 7 Green Sandpipers with a Barn Owl hunting and a Buzzard flew over.

The roost in the Willows on the Willow Pool contained Cormorant 22, Little Egret 25 and the Great White Egret that came in at 20.03. There were 6 Little Egrets already in when I arrived at 19.45, others then came in as follows:- 4 @ 19.56, 4 @ 20.07, 1 @ 20.24, 3 @ 20.34, 1 @ 20.36, 3 @ 20.44, 2 @ 20.27 and finally 1 @ 20.55. Tonight 17 Egrets came in from up the valley and 2 from down the valley.

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks, the Little Egret roost has been well covered with up to 32 birds roosting (6th August). The Egrets behaviour has changed with fewer visiting Edderthorpe and spending more time at Old Moor. Subsequently they have been arriving earlier to roost and more difficult to count.

A couple of birds have colour rings, a bird with a red ring on left leg K and yellow ring on right leg A has been seen at Old Moor, Adwick and Edderthorpe. The sighting has been sent off but details not known yet. Also our old friend FJ has been seen at Old Moor again. This bird was ringed as a nestling (sex unknown) on 14th May 2011 near the Laurels Farm, Terrington St Clements, Norfolk. Old Moor is 138 km North West of the ringing site. FJ was first seen at Old Moor on 14th March 2012, therefore this winter will be the sixth winter FJ has been with us. It would be interesting to know where he/she goes in the summer but its good to have him/her back.

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