It has been much reported that during the Covid lockdown people have been finding nature and the reduction in traffic noise has allowed birdsong to be appreciated by many for the first time. It was coincidental that lockdown began at the time when migrant birds were returning from Africa and they include the Warblers which are the singing superstars of the avian world.

So a walk into Southey Wood would have allowed you to hear Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and, especially, Blackcap. The less common Garden Warbler has a resemblance to Blackcap with regard to its song and they were around this year in good numbers. By crossing over into Castor Hanglands you could have experienced one of nature’s great sounds, the song of the Nightingale. Not to mention the somewhat secretive Grasshopper Warbler. The bird that signals that Spring/summer have arrived is the Cuckoo and there was a very vocal one on the south side of Southey Wood in early/mid-May. Possibly the last migrant to arrive is the Spotted Flycatcher and there were at least two breeding pairs in Southey wood this year and it is always good to see this lovely bird repeatedly flying from a perch to catch insects. The summer visitors that were down in numbers nationally this summer were Swallows and House Martins. The first time I saw them I came across one of each collecting mud in a puddle at the bottom of Lambpit Drift. If they can’t find mud they can’t build their nests and the long dry spell began just after this, probably leading to a reduction in breeding success.

In late July and early August there was an unexpected bonus when up to 40 Crossbills were found feeding on the Western Hemlocks in Southey Wood. Southey has always been the one place in Peterborough where they can be seen but this was an especially good number and attracted a lot of interest.

A pretty special visitor appeared back in June. In my previous Bird Note I talked about re-introductions and specifically mentioned the re-introduction of White-tailed Eagles – the UK’s Largest bird – to the Isle of Wight. Well, on 17 June, one of the wandering juvenile birds moved westwards from the Nene Washes and over Peterborough just to the north of Ferry Meadows,at an altitude of 803 metres, before roosting overnight in Castor Hanglands. It rained the next morning so it stayed until midday when it moved 4km NW to an arable field to the east of Wittering for a couple of hours. From there it flew to a woodland area near Stamford and roosted overnight. Early on the 19th it made the short flight to Burleigh Park. On the same day it headed west to Rutland Water and embarked on a journey which ended in the north of the Peak District.

Finally, talking of the Peak District, you may have seen on TV that another very special raptor, a Lammergeier – also known as Bearded Vulture – has spent several weeks in north Derbyshire. This is only the second ever to have been seen in Britain and is believed to be a young bird from the Alps.

So, whilst we have been unable to travel very far in lockdown, the birds have been on the move as usual.

KEITH LIEVESLEY