Bird Records For Thorne Moors 1985

No report was originally written for this year, the following has been constructed by Bryan P. Wainwright (2003) from, most notably Limbert, (1990) A Supplement to Thorne Moors Birds and Man. Nature Conservancy Council: Wakefield. Additional records came from other sources. Some fairly common species that were present however, went unrecorded.

 


English and scientific names, and sequence of birds, follows the List of Birds of the Western Palearctic (British Birds Ltd, 1997). The RSPB species of conservation concern cannot be used retrospectively, and so has not been used. Exceptional records such as earliest dates refer to the period up to 1985 only.

 

Bittern Botaurus stellaris
One was flushed from the moor edge near Thorne Colliery on 8th December.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
One was seen on 9th November.

Swan spp. Cygnus
On 19th December 10 were seen.

Mute Swan C. olor                
Three flew over Inkle Moor on 6th November and one flew over Crowle Moor on 8th December.

Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus 
Three skeins were seen this year.

Common Teal Anas crecca 
Resident, c.135 were seen on 3rd November. 

Mallard A. platyrhynchos
Resident.

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
Seen only in April, with two pairs at Inkle Moor Pond on 7th, and a pair at the Paraffin Cuttings on 9th.

 

Bittern Botaurus stellaris
One was flushed from the moor edge near Thorne Colliery on 8th December.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
One was seen on 9th November.

Swan spp. Cygnus
On 19th December 10 were seen.

Mute Swan C. olor                
Three flew over Inkle Moor on 6th November and one flew over Crowle Moor on 8th December.

Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus 
Three skeins were seen this year.

Common Teal Anas crecca 
Resident, c.135 were seen on 3rd November. 

Mallard A. platyrhynchos
Resident.

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
Seen only in April, with two pairs at Inkle Moor Pond on 7th, and a pair at the Paraffin Cuttings on 9th.

Birds of prey
Sites given for raptors are general. Usually only the first area of observation is stated, except where sites were very far apart. A comma between records of the same date means separate records. Depending on views the same bird of prey may be recorded differently by different observers. For example with Marsh Harrier; recorded as a female by one observer or a cream-crown by another, therefore with the following records this is taken into account and only the minimum number of birds per day is taken. Totals are the minimum possible numbers, calculated for all areas, plumages and observers for that day. All are adult birds, unless otherwise stated. Some birds are not aged and sexed due to distance or poor views.

 

Marsh Harrier Circus cyaneus 
Generally cream-crowns were seen between May and September.

Hen Harrier C. cyaneus 
A ringtail was seen being mobbed by a Sparrowhawk between Elmhirst Wood and Woodpecker Corner on 15th December (SH, BPW). A ringtail was seen flying from the east end of Jones Cable to the Southern Canals area on 25th December (BPW, SH).

 

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus       
No more than three pairs bred and the maximum outside the breeding season was no more than four.

 

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
One was flushed on 3rd November.

 

Osprey Pandion haliaetus
One was seen flying over the Paraffin Cuttings on 26th August.

 

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 
Resident.

 

Merlin F. columbarius 
Two records. A juvenile female was found as a road victim along Marshland Road, on 30th August.

 

Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa
Two were seen on 19th May, in the colliery area, for example.

 

Grey Partridge Perdix perdix 
Two were seen at Woodpecker Corner on 15th December for example.

 

Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus
Resident.

 

Moorhen Gallinula chloropus   
Resident.

 

Common Coot Fulica atra
Resident, not as common as Moorhen.

 

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 
One or two recorded this year.

 

Great Ringed Plover C. hiaticula 
A pair was present at the colliery from 7th April, and bred; two young were seen on 11th June. 

 

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus 
Six were seen on 12th May for example.

 

Woodcock Scolopax rusticola
One was seen at Collis’s Tram on 19th May.

 

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago 
One was seen at Collis’s Tram on 12th May for example.

 

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata
One pair was reported to have bred.

 

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
One was seen along Thorne Waste Drain, on 1st August. 

 

Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
Bred successfully at the Paraffin Cuttings; counts of adults reached c.350 on 19th and 27th May and 2nd July, with 200+ juveniles present on the latter date. 

 

Lesser Black-backed Gull L. fuscus 
Infrequently seen, one was seen on 28th April.

 

Herring Gull L. argentatus 
Infrequently seen, no dates.

 

Great Black-backed Gull L. marinus
Infrequently seen, two flew over the Canals on 9th November.

 

Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus 
Resident.

 

Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
One was seen on 12th May at Woodpecker Corner. A brown morph female was observed on 26th June.

 

European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus 
No counts.     

 

Common Swift Apus apus
Seven were seen over Jones Cable and Collis’s Tram on 19th May. One was seen on 16th June. 

 

Green Woodpecker Picus viridis 
Resident.

 

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
Resident.

 

Sky Lark Alauda arvensis 
Resident, one on 12th May for example.

 

Swallow Hirundo rustica
One was seen on 12th May, with 20 over Collis’s Tram on 19th May.

 

House Martin Delichon urbica
One on 27th April equalled the previous earliest record. Around 20 were seen on 19th May.

 

Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis
One was seen at Collis’s Tram on 12th May, with two there, on 19th May.

 

Meadow Pipit A. pratensis
On 15th September c.120 were counted.

 

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
One flew over on 29th September.

 

Pied Wagtail M. alba
Resident.

 

Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
Resident.

 

Hedge Accentor Prunella modularis 
Resident.

 

Robin Erithacus rubecula
Resident.

 

Rufous Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos 
Five territorial males were recorded.

 

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra    
One was seen on 12th May at Collis’s Tram. One was seen at the Eastern Boundary of the Southern Canals on 16th June.

 

Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
Eight were counted on 26th August.

 

Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus
An unsexed bird overflew the moors on 27th April.

 

Blackbird T. merula 
Resident, 10+ on 24th February for example.

 

Song Thrush T. philomelos 
Resident.

 

Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia
One was noted reeling at Will Pits on the early date of 19th April.

 

Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
One was seen at the Canal Tow Path on 16th June for example.

 

Reed Warbler A. scirpaceus
One on 21st April equalled the previous earliest record.

 

Whitethroat Sylvia communis
Two were recorded on 12th May.

 

Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
One ringed in August this year, at Thorne Moors was later controlled at Gamston Wood near Retford, Nottinghamshire, in July 1986.

 

Willow Warbler P. trochilus
Present in good numbers.

 

Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus
Three pairs occurred in a reedbed near Thorne Colliery on 21st October.

 

Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus
Resident.

 

Willow Tit Parus montanus 
Resident.

 

Coal Tit P. ater
Seen infrequently, a single was seen at the colliery end of Jones Cable on 25th December. 

 

Blue Tit P. caeruleus 
Resident.

 

Great Tit P. major
Resident.

 

Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
A single was seen at Will Pits on 17th March.

 

Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor
One was present on 24th November.

 

Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius
Two were in the colliery area on 19th May for example. 

 

Magpie Pica pica
Resident.

 

Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula
Two were noted on 6th October followed by four on 26th October and one on 8th December.

 

Rook C. frugilegus
Two were recorded on 6th May.

 

Carrion Crow C. corone
Resident.

 

Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
Resident.

 

Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
Resident.

 

Greenfinch Carduelis chloris
Resident, 20 were seen on 12th March.

 

Goldfinch C. carduelis 
Resident.

 

Siskin C. spinus
Two were recorded on 27th September, these were followed by 10+ by 29th of that month, with smaller numbers subsequently. They fed on Alder Alnus glutinosa and Thistle Onopordon acanthium heads.

 

Linnet C. cannabina 
Resident.

 

Common Redpoll C. flammea
Resident, c.160 were seen on 9th April.

 

Common Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula 
Resident, six were seen in the colliery area on 25th December.

 

Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella
Resident.

 

Reed Bunting E. schoeniclus 
Resident.

 

 

List of Observers 1984-1989

R. Armstrong, C. Auld, H. Avery, David Beaumont, M. Betts, R. Bridson, A. Craig, Trevor A. Ede, Brian C. Eversham, A.R. Farrar, Clive Featherstone, G. Featherstone, R.A. Frost, Adrian Handley, Steve Hiner, John Hornbuckle, David Hursthouse, T. Isherwood, M.F. Jackson, Steve L. James, Martin Limbert, Alan Marshall, Claud Marshall, R.A. Marshall, T.M. Melling, Andrew Middleton, D. Page, William H. Priestley, S. Reed, Colin Rook, Peter C. Roworth, Adrian Scutt, C. Straw, P. Sutton, W.A. Taylor, N. Thoresby, Bryan P. Wainwright, Colin Wall, Terry J. Wells, K. Whiteley, D. Wozencroft, John Wozencroft.