Carlton Marsh

2 Oystercatchers and 1 LRP were on the wader scrape at 07.00hrs (K. Bannister).

Also of note a Kingfisher hovered over the scrape, a female Great Spotted Woodpecker called and a this year's first Broad -bodied Chaser was on the wing (Phil Bulpin). 

All photos by Phil Bulpin 

                               Broad-bodied Chaser

                               Broad-bodied Chaser

                     Last year's juvenile Blackbird feeding young

 

Great Spotted Woodpecker female

 

Storrs Mill Wood to Ardsley Viaduct via River Dearne 

Kingfisher, Cormorant, Mallard nest with 9 eggs and a female with 4 young.

11 Species of butterfly included my first Red Admiral of the year, 29 Peacock, 22 Speckled Wood, 2 Holly Blue, 10m Brimstone and 65 Orange-tip.

2m & 2f Banded Demoiselles added colour to the scene and a Grass Snake was basking in the sun (Chris Parkin).  

 

Cudworth

2 Swifts were back at Beech Avenue today (Geoff Miller).

 

Holly Blue is enjoying a very good spring. They are turning up in local gardens in good numbers. 2 were seen on Carlton Marsh this morning (CG).

Carlton Marsh

 2 Avocets, 2 LRP's, 2 Oystercatchers and a Little Egret at 06.50hrs (Keith Bannister).

Insects included 18 Peacock, 15 Speckled Wood, 4 Dingy Sipper, 5 Small Copper, 18 Holly Blue, 1m Brimstone, 38m Orange-tip and this year's first Burnet Companion!

Also on the wing 2 Blue-tailed Damselflies, 1 Azure Damselfly, and a Green Shield Bug (Chris Parkin).

Geoff Miller also reported 4 holly Blue's in his upper Cudworth garden, so it looks like a very good year for them.

Photos taken by Harold Heath & Clive Mitchell 

                                       Avocet

                                      Coot family

                                        Fox

Carlton Marsh

Sightings on the wader scrape over the past week or so have included up to 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Avocets, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Common Sandpipers, a Little Egret, Green Sandpiper and 2 Sand Martins.

Also of note Cuckoo, Kingfisher, 2 Grey Partridges, 4 Swallows, Sedge Warbler, 6 Reed Warblers, Wheatear and 30 Redpolls.

A Large Red Damselfly was found on 22nd. 

On the 24th 6 Holly Blue, 29 Peacock, 23 Speckled Wood, 38 Orange-tip were counted.

Mammals included a fresh dead Common Shrew, 2 Foxes and a stoat

My thanks to JP, Phil Bulpin, Simon Cox, Keith Bannister, John Finch, Neil Lunn, Andrew Corrall and Chris Parkin. 

Photographs by Phil Bulpin 

 

 Blackcap 

                                            Little Ringed Plover 

  Cuckoo 

                                         Large Red Damselfly

Carlton Marsh

On the wader scrape first thing 2 LRP, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, 2 Shovelers (K. Bannister).

Later Lapwing, 2 Oystercatchers (mated), 2 Dabchicks at nest.

Elsewhere 2 Red -legged Partridges, 2 Grey Partridges (JP/Steve Grove). 

Also of note Single Redpoll, Greenfinch, 2 singing Mistle Thrush, 10 Blackcaps, 9 Chiffchaffs, 2 Sedge Warblers, 4 Reed Warblers, 4 Cetti's warblers, and a Water Rail sang (CG).

                                        Cuckoo Flower (CG)

                                          Dog Violet CG)

Carlton Marsh

This mornings wildfowl counts 49 Canada Geese, 6 Greylags, 7 Coot, 8 Gadwall, 12 Mallard, 3 Teal, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Shoveler, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Little Ringed Plover and 2 LBB Gulls.

Also 5 singing Cetti's Warblers, 1 Sedge Warbler, 4 Reed Warblers, 5 Blackcaps, 4 Whitethroats.

A Red Kite flew over my garden in Newtown, Cudworth at 15.50hrs drifting west. 

Carlton Marsh

Today's sighting included 2 singing Reed Warblers, Sedge Warbler, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Little Grebes.

On the wader scrape 2 Swallows, 2 Sand Martins, 2 Shovelers and an Oystercatcher (M. White/L & A Corrall). 

Rabbit Ings  

First Cuckoo of the year singing this morning and again at 15.00rs (phone record shot by Sara Finnerty) 

 

Cudworth Common 

At least 4 Whitethroats, several Willow Warblers all singing.

And a profusion of the Green Longhorn micro moth on Birch and Hawthorn.

 

                            Green Longhorn (Adela reaumurella) (CG)

Storrs Mill to Ardsey Viaduct (via River Dearne)

4 Lapwings, Cormorant, 2 Buzzards, 3 Red - legged Partridges, 2 Swallows, 5 House Martins, 8 Sand Martins (nesting in river bank), 2 Grey Wagtails, and 4 singing Blackcaps.

Insects included 46 Peacock, 12 Small Tort., 7 Comma, 44m Orange-tip and 3m Brimstone. also Green and Sloe Shield Bugs. 

And a Grass Snake (Chris Parkin). 

                                    Storrs Mill Wood Bluebells

                                                 Orange -tip

Carlton Marsh

The Avocet, Common Sandpiper and 2 Oystercatchers were all still present on the wader scrape, the latter mated before leaving south at 19.15hrs (et al).

Also present 5 Teal, a pair of Shovelers, 2 Little Grebes, Red-legged Partridge and 3 Swallows.

A Buzzard flew over the wader scrape carrying a small prey item. 4 Cetti's Warblers sang. 

All photos by courtesy of Simon Cox 

                                              Avocet

                                           male Blackcap

                                               female Blackcap

                                                Common Sandpiper

                                                Shoveler pair

Carlton Marsh

On the wader scrape this morning Avocet at 06.30hrs (Neil Lunn), Common Sandpiper, 2 Oystercatchers, and a pair of Shovelers (Keith Bannister).

A little later Snipe, 3 LBB Gulls, 4 Herring Gulls, and this year's first Little ringed Plover (JP).

A Goldcrest sang and towards mid-day 3 Swallows were feeding over the main scrape, and a Red Kite drifted over the Car park (Phil Bulpin).

This afternoon the Common Sand and Avocet were still in situ and an additional Oystercatcher came in and was quickly chased off leaving the original 2 to mate (CG).

                                   Kestrel (Phil Bulpin)

                                   Red Kite (Phil Bulpin)

Dearne Valley Park

Grey Wagtail, 14 Greylag Geese, Mute Swan pair, the female on a nest. 2 Pairs of Moorhen had 2 + 3 young.

Also 3 Holly Blue, 30 Peacock, 1m Brimstone, 14m Orange-tip and loads of Frog tadpoles (Chris Parkin).

Carlton Marsh

A Common Sandpiper was on the wader scrape this morning with an Oystercatcher. 3 Whitethroats sang (JP).

A 'Cream Crown' Marsh Harrier quartered over the reed beds in the marsh for about 30 minutes (Phil Bulpin).

Around mid-day Kingfisher, 2 Treecreepers and a Great Spot Woodpecker.

Insects included 27 Peacock, 2 Comma, 13 Speckled Wood, 1m Brimstone, 29m Orange-tip,  4 Small White, 2 Gren Veined White and a Squash Bug (Chris Parkin).

                                   All photos by Phil Bulpin

Low Cudworth

A drake Mandarin was on Cudworth dike at Ring Farm (CG) 

 

Carlton Marsh

A Whitethroat was singing this morning (JP), and a Common Sandpiper called in to the main scrape this evening (Dave Standish).

Carlton Marsh

2 Oystercatchers, 2 Little Grebes and 5 Teal were on the wader scrape this morning. 

A Tawny Owl sang from  a stand of Hawthorns mid-morning.

This evening 12 Swallows were feeding on the scrape just before a very heavy shower (S. Cox/M. Littlewood).

A Mink dived into the Western Meadow Pond for dead dead Rabbit which was chased by a Canada goose into nearby scrub. (Simon Cox).

The male of a pair of Mute Swans that spent a week here in February and again in March was wearing a red Darvic ring. Tony Devoy photographed the ring number Y686. 

Swan Rescue confirmed it was ringed as an adult male in August 2010 at Rossington, Doncaster.  

Photographs by Simon Cox) 

                                                    Carder Bee 

                                      Mink with Rabbit

Littleworth Park

A male Wheatear was the highlight of this visit (Chris Parkin).

 

Carlton Marsh

8 singing Blackcaps, 2 Reed Warblers, 10 Skylarks, 3 Linnets, 3 Yellow Buntings Greylag Goose with 1 young (Andrew Corrall)

Also 2 Foxes.

               Female Blackcap & Pheasants (Clive Mitchell)

                            Small Tortoiseshell (Jim Finnerty)

Cudworth Common 

Male Wheatear (CG).

Carlton Marsh

Today's sightings included Little Egret, a Mallard with 4 new very small young and 2 Swallows on the wader scrape.

New in today 2 singing Willow Warblers and a very early Reed Warbler singing sporadically in the reed beds out from Ralph Hibbert's seat. 

A pair of Sparrowhawks were displaying over the scrape. (S. Cox/CG)

Our wildlife group were busy this morning sectioning off part of the embankment to help wild flowers recolonise. Hopefully Yellow Rattle, Marjoram, Birds Foot Trefoil, Agrimony etc will return. The shade from the trees saw their demise.

Carlton Marsh

On the wader scrape this morning 4 Lapwings, Oystercatcher, 2 Little Grebes, a Kingfisher and 2 Red-legged Partridges (S. Cox/A Corrall).

This afternoon/evening Grey Partridge and Little Egret.  

Butterflies included 21m Orange-tips, 8m Brimstone, 2 Comma, 43 peacock, Holly Blue, 5 Speckled Wood and 6 S. Tortoiseshell (C. Parkin).

My first ringing session with P.B. Wordsworth began here in the spring of 1976, so this is my 50th year of ringing at Carlton Marsh. It was quality rather than quantity with a Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Redpoll, and 2 Cettis Warblers. One of the latter was ringed as a juvenile male on 23rd of October 2023 in the same net ride (CG)

                               Adult male Cetti's Warbler

                                        Lesser Redpoll
 

Storrs Mill to Ardsley Viaduct

Following the River Dearne - Little Egret, 2 Buzzards, 2 Lapwings, 2 Grey Wagtails, 6 Sand Martins (nesting in the bank), 1 House Martin, 2 Red - legged Partridges and a Mallard nest with 11 eggs.

Also a Bank Vole, 1 Holly Blue, 59 Peacock, 8 Comma, 7 S. Tortoiseshell, 3 Speckled Wood, 17m 1f Brimstone, Orange-tip 23m 1f and 9 White species (Chris. Parkin).

Carlton Marsh

On the wader scrape 5 Teal, Canada and Greylag geese, 2 Little Grebes and an Oystercatcher.

Elsewhere Kingfisher, 6 singing Blackcaps, 2 Yellow Buntings, 3 Mistle Thrushes, single Red-legged Partridge and Redpoll. 

Insects include 2 Dark edged Bee Fly, single Comma, Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell (A. Corrall/M. Littlewood/CG).

                                   Dark-edged Bee Fly (CG)

A Holly Blue was flying in Les Corrall's Low Cudworth garden.

 

Woolley Tip

2 Buzzards, and 2 Grey Partridges.

 

31 Peacocks, 3 Speckled Wood and 4 Orange-tips. 

Also a very early Blue-tailed Damselfly (C. Parkin).

 

                                 Blue-tailed Damselfly (C. Parkin)
 

Carlton Marsh

The first brood of Mallard (12) were on the wader scrape with 5 Teal, 2 Snipe, a Little Egret, 2 Herring Gulls and a Little Grebe. An Oystercatcher flew south.

5 Cetti's Warbler sang and a Greenfinch called (JP/CG).

Carlton Marsh

Yesterday's Sedge Warbler sang briefly this morning. 11 Chiffchaffs, 3 Blackcaps, and 4 Mistle Thrushes also sang. 

2 Snipe, 2 Teal and a Fox were on the wader scrape (R. Laverack/C. Parkin/CG). 

Also 2 Smooth Newts and 4 Dark edged Be Fly.

Several St. George's Mushroom were fruiting and Broom and Bluebell were in flower. 

                                     St George's Mushroom

Carlton Marsh

2 Egrets were on the wader scrape this morning, but the find of the day was a Sedge Warbler singing from the Whin pool. This bird has equalled the earliest ever of 3rd April 1999! (Andrew Corrall)

Littleworth Park - Monk Bretton

8 Smooth Newts, 2 of them in the mating ritual. The male deposited a sperm packet on the pond floor before guiding the female over it to pick it up with her cloaca (Chris Parkin). 

Carlton Marsh

3 Blackcaps were singing, 3 Buzzards were airborne before the female alighted and was mated twice within 10 minutes.

2 Little Egrets and 2 pairs of Little Grebes, one bird collecting nest material, on the wader scrape.

A Grey Partridge on a tilled field is not easy to find these days.

A male Orange-tip was the first this year. Also present at least 6 Peacocks and 2 Small Tortoiseshells (contributors JP/A Corrall/R. Laverack/J Finch/CG).

       Marsh Marigold reintroduced to the northen meadow pond (R.J. Boland).

Dearne Valley Park - Hoyle Mill

2 Grey Wagtails were the only birds of note.

 

Butterflies included 53 Peacock, 7 Small Tort. 16 Comma, 2 Speckled Wood, 3m Brimstone and 2 Orange-tips.

The first Bluebells and Yellow Archangel were in flower (Chris Parkin).

Carlton Marsh

Today's highlights were Little egret, 30 Herring Gulls, Water Rail, 2 Red-legged Partridge, 12 Skylarks, 3 Yellow Buntings and a male Blackcap (A Corrall/JP/R. Laverack).

               Twin Spot Quaker my Cudworth garden (CG)