Weather
January, February and March were mild. April was cold and wet. May had a few warm and sunny days, but was
mainly cool and cloudy. June was cold
and cloudy. July was wet and
cloudy. August was mostly warm with a
few cloudy, wet spells. September was
warm and cloudy with some cool winds and showers. October was mild overall. November was generally mild and dry, with
just two days of heavy rain and one day of snow on the 9th. December started mild with just a handful of
wet days, then in the last quarter, turned very cold and frosty with blue sky.
The last day of the year was a mild 8 degrees, cloudy with a south westerly
breeze.
The
Wintersett Area recorded 166 bird species for 2016
The Top Ten Birds were: -
1.
Kumlien's Gull – 3 birds, an adult, a 3rd W and a juvenile, in the Wintersett Reservoir Roost on 25th and 26th February
2.
Long-tailed Skua 1 adult - 20th June
3.
Hawfinch – 1 flew south 18th October
4.
Firecrest – a male from 18th - 20th March and 1 ringed on 29th October
5.
Great White Egret - 24th September, 14th and 15th October and 23rd
November
6. Hen
Harrier – a male on 5th May
7.
Ring Ouzel - 2nd October
8.
Raven - 10th April and 23rd August
9.
Great Northern Diver - 17th November
10.
Scaup – 9 on 29th October is the biggest flock recorded here.
Other highlights:-
3 Spectacular Gull Roosts.
On
the 25th and 26th of February 9
species of Gull were recorded in the roosts. On the 27th February there
were 10 species of Gull recorded.
The
latest ever Spotted Flycatcher was
seen on 6th October.
The
refilled Sand Martin Box,with 24
holes, had 100% occupancy by 26th June.
The earliest broods had fledged by then with 300 birds counted over Wintersett Reservoir.
Positive news for farmland birds with 400 Linnets on the Pol on 28th August - the
largest number for decades, and 700
Skylarks seen on Cold Hiendley Field is the highest number ever.
Glaring Omissions: Smew, Barnacle Goose, Egyptian Goose, Short-eared Owl, Ruddy Duck, Little Tern,
Whinchat and Twite.
Other Critters
Numbers
of insects were poor due to the cold and wet weather, however
a
Red-eyed Damselfly at Wintersett Res on 9th June, was new for the list.
Moth highlights:
There
was a huge influx of Diamond-back Moths with 282 trapped on the 7th June. A Scarce Silver Y was new for the Wintersett
List.
Coleoptera: A rare
beetle Pyropterus nigroruber
was found in Haw Park
on 19th July
Herptiles: Grass Snake records have increased, with sightings
at Royston Canal, Haw Park Wood, Moorhouse Lane
Pond, and on the road near Crofton.
And finally:
The Wintersett Team wish everyone
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR
and excellent birding in 2017