West Point, Cliffe - Spring Big Sit

4th May 2008

Report by Don Taylor

With a team of four we had high hopes of doing well on this fifth occasion and the weather forecast suggested that it would remain dry for the majority of the day, with a mainly cloudy sky but a more welcome southeasterly wind, though it was a little strong early on.

Bob Davison picked me up at 2.30am and we met Mark Tomlins and Dave Wilson at the usual parking area at 3am and we were settled on the pinnacle at West Point by 3.20am, with a southerly breeze on our backs. As we arrived we were already being almost deafened by the volume of Nightingale song. Both Coot and Moorhen were heard calling from the pools and a Robin sang from the well-lit quarry at our backs, though we'd already decided that we needed to look in both directions for best coverage. A GC Grebe could be heard calling from the pools, as could Greylag Geese , a Jackdaw was seen perched on a crane in the quarry and Herring Gulls called from the river. A Barn Owl screeched and was watched at it flew across the quarry - a welcome bonus, as we'd only noted this species on one earlier occasion. Several Canada Geese called from the pools (10 at 3.38am) and a distant Cuckoo uttered its onomatopoeic call.

A Blackbird called from the quarry and a Pheasant from beyond it a few Shelduck were also heard and the first hoot from a Tawny Owl rang out clearly at 3.47am, when a few spots of rain fell from the now overcast sky - but that fortunately was all the dampness we experienced, apart from a few similar drops in the late afternoon. A Woodpigeon was the next species to be heard and the first Song Thrush sang at 4.15am and a second Tawny Owl was heard hooting and the two - possibly a third later - put on a lengthy performance. A distant Little Owl called from some way to the east - adding a third owl species was an unexpected bonus, as the Little Owl hadn't been noted in spring before. We wondered whether a Long-eared Owl might also perform for us, but it didn't. By 4.45am more birds were joining the dawn chorus but with the songs of Nightingales so dominant other songs were a challenge to separate, however, a Wren could be heard. Gulls were becoming more active but the light was still poor and birds barely visible, though a Little Egret could be seen as it flew over the pools (20 at 4.50am) with several others. A Whitethroat sang from just below us.

As the light began to improve around 5am, a Grey Heron was seen as it flew over the quarry, a few Tufted Duck were visible on the pools and a male Sparrowhawk flew low over the scrub beneath us. A BH Gull and a Carrion Crow flew passed, a drake Gadwall displayed on an island in the pool below us, two Oystercatchers alighted on the strip of land running north across the pool in front of us and a small flock of Cormorants flew NE from behind us. A few Starlings flew over the quarry (30 at 5.14am) and a Great Tit sang from below us. Mute Swan , Mallard and three Pochard were quickly added as we looked over the pools, a Turtle Dove 'purred' from the far side of the quarry behind us and Blue Tits called from below us. A Common Tern was perched on a pool in the Radar Pool and a Chaffinch on the power lines below us, a Green Woodpecker 'yaffled', a lone Swallow flew overhead (40 at 5.45am) and a few Greenfinches flew behind us. A Magpie was perched at the far side of the quarry, two distant Swifts could be seen beyond Manor Farm and two Linnets called as they flew by. Bob heard and saw the first of several Whimbrel and on the ridge of a barn at Manor Farm both Pied Wagtail and Collared Dove could be seen. Dave spotted the first of several LBB Gulls , as it swam on the Alpha Pool, the song of a Chiffchaff could just be heard from the scrub below us, two Lapwings were seen displaying over the field beyond the quarry (50 at 6.15am) and a Kestrel flew over the pools. Bob saw a couple of drake Shoveler before they disappeared on one of the Black Barn pools and it was quite a while before a flock of about five pairs could be seen clearly swimming in the open. Four Avocets were just visible in much the same area, from which a flock of about 12 Golden Plover rose and disappeared over the marshes - another first for a May Big Sit. A Dunnock was eventually heard singing, three Stock Doves flew across the quarry and a cock Blackcap could be seen perched on top of a hawthorn from which it sang.

Time for some breakfast at 7am, under a dark overcast sky, which was responsible for the poor visibility. A Goldfinch flew by and snatches of Willow Warbler song were only just audible, until it moved closer (another first for the May Big Sit list). As the sun tried to break through, the light improved and distant waders could now be seen sufficiently well and a Greenshank (60 at 7.35am) and two Common Sandpipers were quickly identified and a Skylark appeared in the same telescope view as the latter.

Sadly, the quarry workers weren't taking the Bank Holiday weekend off and the noise of chatter, radio and machinery was unfortunate to say the least. To minimise the effect three of us moved from the top of the hill to the lee side. A Lesser Whitethroat sang from the scrub below us, where a Jay was also seen as it flew through and a distant, lone Redshank was eventually identified just before 8am but there was no sign of a Little Grebe anywhere! A few Feral Pigeons flew over - different from the flocks of racing pigeons that had already been seen - and three Teal swam into view at about 8.20am. With knowledge of the feeding movements from Northward Hill we managed to add Rook to the list at 9am and a few minutes later a GS Woodpecker flew passed and a Sand Martin flew below us (70 at 9.20am). Continual scanning brought its rewards, as a female Marsh Harrier was found flying low over the marshes (another addition to the May list) and a short while later a Short-eared Owl flew into view and put on a splendid performance for us to enjoy, flying high while mobbed by Jackdaws at one stage - four owl species on a Big Sit was another first.

Seven Black-tailed Godwits flew in to a roosting area - sadly the wrong side of a bund for us to see them at rest, or feeding - and a near adult GBB Gull could be seen resting with a group of Herring Gulls, shortly before 11am. A phone call from Paul Larkin at Cliffe Fort was instrumental in seeing the next species, a Pomarine Skua - another first for a Big Sit - as it flew down river, alighted and floated back upstream on the tide. David then found a House Sparrow - equally important in building the list - as it perched on a barn roof at Manor Farm, where the Collared Dove and Pied Wagtail had been seen earlier. The Marsh Harrier appeared again, mobbed by a Carrion Crow as it hunted low over the pools but it was scanning inland over Manor Farm that produced a sighting of two House Martins , as well as two more Swifts. Just before noon about 40 Black-tailed Godwits were disturbed from their roosting area and two Curlew flew up with them. Relatively few waders seemed to be coming into roost and the far end of the Flamingo Pool was being favoured, which is about 1,200 metres distant, making identification a real challenge. However, it was possible to identify four Grey Plover , one in splendid breeding plumage, and some summer plumaged Dunlin could just be seen roosting there (80 at 12.20pm). A little later a flock of about 70 Dunlin flew up and circled around the pools for a while but there didn't appear to be any other species with them.

Lunch commenced at various times from about noon and I started mine around 1pm but it was soon interrupted, when Mark spotted a Little Grebe on a small freshwater flood in the Alpha field, where Paul had said a pair might be seen - a pair was seen later. As usual, I endeavoured to make an assessment of progress during lunch and I had noted 77 at this stage, so a total in excess of 80 looked likely, as such species as Kingfisher, Stonechat, Mistle Thrush, LT Tit, Reed and Corn Bunting, and raptors like Hobby and Peregrine might possibly be added.

The quarry workers had packed up and gone home and we enjoyed the comparative peace while looking for difficult to find passerines, mainly because of the distance involved, as species like Stonechat and the buntings were likely to be at least 1,000 metres distant, while for much the same reason Meadow Pipit is yet to appear on the May Big Sit list. There is a field, some 750 metres distant to the east, where a Mistle Thrush had occasionally been recorded and while scanning this area I became curious about a heron species, which appeared to be more sandy brown than grey, and short-necked. When it eventually stretched its neck, it was obviously a recently fledged Grey Heron.

One of the more special moments of the day came at around 2.30pm, when five Black Terns (the sixth addition to the May Big Sit list) flew purposefully across the pools to the E, they are always a joy to see. A drake Pochard flew onto the Radar Pool, which was convenient for those who'd missed the earlier sightings. In mid-afternoon the southerly wind began to increase and cleared some of the haze, but the distance still defeated us in our attempts to find a Stonechat or Corn Bunting. Up to three Whimbrel could still be seen and the roosting Black-tailed Godwit flock was presumably still present but out of sight, though I could now see a few feeding away from the bund, when they all suddenly flew up, as a Peregrine spooked them. It was fascinating to watch the falcon fly up vertically for a short distance, twist and drop down again repeatedly, as though trying to spook something else.

Dave glimpsed a Kingfisher perched in the pool beneath us and we enjoyed watching it fish successfully several times and remain in view. Later, Mark picked up a Reed Bunting in flight, as he scanned with his telescope and followed it for some way, but the rest of us failed to see it. It was quiet at this stage and it seemed unlikely that we would add any more species, apart possibly from a Hobby, and the tide was dropping rapidly, so no additional waders were likely to appear.

At the time I thought we were on 81 species, a creditable total but still three behind our best for the spring, so we decided to call it a day, fourteen hours after we'd started. It wasn't until I checked through the list more carefully at home, that I discovered I'd made an error or two - the principal one being taking the autumn check list rather than the spring one, so my list for the day had a number of species missing. We had in fact set a new record for the Spring Big Sit with a total of 85 species, a splendid result and a great credit to all the team.

It is interesting to compare the figures from year to year for the different families of species. The numbers of ducks using the pools has declined markedly, with 9 during the first three years dropping to just 5 last year and 7 this. Ducks generally have been favouring the North Quarry in recent years. There have invariably been relatively few raptors, with just 2 in two years and 4 in the other three, including this year. Wader numbers do have a significant impact on the overall list, with the mean of 11.6, as few as 9 in one year, contrasting with a peak of 14, and 12 this year. Gull numbers peaked in the first year with 6, followed by 5 for three years and just 4 this year - though the skua is almost a gull! Warbler numbers have also varied, with a mean of 3.6 comprising 4 in the first two years, 2 then 3 and the peak of 5 this year.

If there was time before the event to make a few visits to the area, it might be possible to pinpoint a few territories, which such species as Red-legged Partridge, Stonechat, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting and possibly Yellow Wagtail are using, so that with powerful telescopes there would be a better opportunity for them to be seen on the day.