Cliffe Pools - May 2009

Reporting Your Sightings

To help keep this page as up-to-date and informative as possible, please send your sightings and any pictures taken onsite (please see 'Guidelines for submissions' on the KOS Photo Gallery for details of how to resize your pics etc.) to Gordon Allison by clicking here.

This most beautiful month of the year is the prime time for the breeding season at Cliffe Pools. Breeding ducks and waders, such as mallard, gadwall, redshank and avocet, have now been joined by a range of summer migrants including reed and sedge warbler, whitethroat, nightingale and blackcap - creating a mass of song around the reserve.

May is also the best month for spring passage waders. Look on the reserves pools and lagoons for waders such as ruff, spotted redshank, little stint, green, wood and curlew sandpipers feeding on the muddy edges. It's also worth keeping an eye out both for rarities and for hunting hobbys and barn owls.

Butterflies become more apparent through the month, watch for wall brown, common blue and green hairstreak. Finally, by the middle of the month the spring flowers are at their best, notably the mass of richly scented hawthorn blossom, best appreciated from the Pinnacle Viewpoint in the reserve's S.E edge.

31st: 6 Med gulls, turtle dove, hobby (per C. Gibbard)

21st: 60 avocet, 1 black-tailed godwit, 5+ nightingale, 10 house martin, 1 cuckoo, common tern (per A. Miller)

14th: 1 pair of garganey from 2nd mound (per F. Cackett)

11th: 13 black-tailed godwit, 1 grey plover, 1 dunlin, 1 greenshank, 1 whimbrel, 1 hobby, 1 Med gull, 20 gadwall, 1 kingfisher, 1 willow warbler, turtle dove, nightingale, common tern (per F. Cackett, C. Gibbard)

10th: 2 hobby, 3 greenshank, 2 LRP, 5 whimbrel, 8 grey plover, 1 knot, 19 dunlin, 2 stonechat, 10+ swallow, 2 house martin, 2 little tern (Cliffe Creek), 1 kittiwake E (per Don Taylor's "Cliffe Strollers")

1st: 1 garganey