Welcome

This website highlights recent sightings within the Cotswold Water Park (CWP) and takes no account of County boundaries.  A map of the CWP Biodiversity Action Plan area can be found here.    Species checklists for the birds, mammals, butterflies and dragonflies of the Cotswold Water Park can be downloaded here.

Sightings are important to understand the biodiversity of CWP and inform other birders.  Without you there wouldn’t be a sightings website so please send us all your sightings.    If possible could you please include breeding codes.   Bob Philpott

(Header Photo: Whimbrel and Bar Tailed Godwit by Neil Cowley)

25 May 2012

Cleveland Lakes near Reed hide:    2x Banded Demoiselle –male, 5 x Four Spot Chaser, 100′s of Common Blue Damselflies,  A few blue tailed Damselflies, Brimstone Butterfly, Orange Tip Butterfly, Reed Warbler Singing, Blackcap Singing, Reed Bunting   Phillipa Sheldrake

CWP 74: 2 drake Garganey on scrape this morning than flew to CWP 95.   Kim Milsom

Shorncote reedbed/gravel pit area:  Adult heron with two young, Egyptian goose, 2 Little Egrets, Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Reed buntings.  Hirundines, mostly sand martins and a few swifts, mixed flock of Linnets and goldfinches, Skylarks singing   Janet Gray.

N.B:  The path beside the two hides at Shorncote is still flooded to about 6 inches.

CWP 43: Cuckoo 1 male, Reed Bunting 5m 1f, Linnet 1m, Common Tern 3, Garden Warbler 4m, Blackcap 3m 1 f, Song Thrush 2m, Sedge Warbler 1m, Bullfinch 2 pairs, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Red Crested Pochard 4m 3f, Nightingale 3 heard,   Keith Perkins

24 May 2012

Cuckoo by Bob Telford

CWP 104: Hobby 3, Cuckoo 1 male, Mistle Thrush 7, Yellowhammer 2, Kestrel 1, Reed Bunting 4m, Heron 1,  Red Crested Pochard 1 pair  Keith Perkins

Long tailed Tit by Bob Telford

Waterhay to Cleveland Lakes:  Cuckoo calling at Waterhay, Reed Bunting, Great Crested Grebes, party of Long Tailed Tits near the hides, blackcap, orange tip butterfly, blue tailed and common blue damselflies. Bob Telford

Reed Bunting by Bob Telford

23 May 2012

CWP 6: @ dawn.  Cuckoo in song flights over lake repeatedly, singing Cetti’s Warbler, 2 pairs of House Martin nest prospecting on hotel, pair of Common Tern, Treecreeper, plus juveniles of Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Great Tit and Blackcap. Four Spotted Chaser emerging up the reeds on lake edge; my first of the year; has anyone else seen one yet? (Gareth Harris)

Waterhay:  2 singing Cuckoos and a singing Whitethroat (Jonathan Adey)

Ashton Keynes:   Red Kite flying low over the house, chased by a Jackdaw.   John Grearson

22 May 2012

CWP 301:   3 pairs Red Crested Pochard   Nigel Pleass

CWP 74: 3 drake and pair of Red Crested Pochard, pair of Pochard, 7 Common Tern, Cettis Warbler singing and Garden Warbler singing from within CWP95.   Nigel Pleass

CWP 43: Cuckoo calling constantly above small reedbed,  3 singing Nightingale (2 birds audible from the spine road), 4+ Garden Warbler singing, pair of Linnet, 2 singing Reed Bunting.    Nigel Pleass

Ashton Keynes STW:  Red Kite and 2 Hobbies   Stephen Edwards

CWP 35/37:  5 Hobbies   Stephen Edwards

21 May 2012

CWP 41 / 57:  At least 11 hobbies  feeding high over lakes.  Kim Milsom

Waterhay to Cleveland Lake:  A pleasant evening walk with lots of sightings including Hobby, Jay, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, at least 3 Cuckoos heard (one seen), Bullfinch and one deer.  Peter Wright

Drake Mackerel Mayfly by John Grearson

Upper Waterhay:  Seasonal insects are starting to appear at the reserve. Two species of Mayflies, Ephemera vulgata (the large, common Drake Mackerel Mayfly) and a small one Cloeon simile (Lake Olive). Damselflies included good numbers of teneral Red-eyed Damselfly.    Garden Warbler, Reed Bunting and Cuckoo were in song with several Sedge Warblers and Blackcaps. 2 Little Egrets over. The Fritillaries are now over but Ragged Robin is just starting to show.  John Grearson

20 May 2012

Black Tern by Bob Philpott

CWP 74: 2 Black Tern , c6 Common Tern, Sedge Warbler and Cetti’s warbler calling, several hundred hirundines mainly swifts.   Bob Philpott; Stephen Edwards

Kent End: Little Grebe. Bob Philpott

Blakehill: 1 cuckoo, 4 Mistle Thrush, 2 Linnet  Bob Philpott

Hobby by Dave Soons

CWP 41:  10 hobbies, 8 common terns, 2 cuckoos, 2 kingfishers, 2 great spotted woodpeckers ,1 green woodpecker, 6 blackcaps and a coot trying to drown a moorhen until the coot saw me   Dave Soons

CWP 29: Male Stonechat  Stephen Edwards

19 May 2012

Kent End:   8 Ringed Plover, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin, 4 Lapwing, Whitethroat, Blackcap.   Malcolm Royal

CWP 74:   2 Common Tern, Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Common Sandpiper, Sedge Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Cuckoo, Green Woodpecker, Little Egret.   2 Whitethroat and Hobby near the access track to 68a/b.  Malcolm Royal.   Richard Williams.

CWP 97:   2 Red Crested Pochard, 2 Grey Wagtail.  Malcolm Royal

18 May 2012

Hobby by Dave Soons

CWP 41:  8 hobbies, 15 common terns, 5 blackcap, 2 goldcrest, 2 willow warbler, 2 sedge warbler and a great spotted woodpecker carrying food.   Dave Soons

Common Tern by Dave Soons