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The year started with some cold weather and ice over the lagoon but a few hardy wildfowl and waterbirds braved the conditions and a variety of birds were recorded on the peanut feeder and around the pheasant hoppers. Late February saw the primroses and lesser celandines in flower and the woodland birdsong increased so it looked as if Spring was only around the corner. By April the Chiffchaffs were in full "song", the swallows and martins had arrived and by the end of the month many of the nest boxes held eggs.
On the lagoon mute swan, mallard, tufted duck, coot, moorhen and little grebe all nested and produced young in varying numbers. In the nest boxes it was a different story with fledged young well down on the previous year which was itself a poor year. This mirrored a disappointing season nationwide where blue tit and great tit productivity was down by 25% and 35% respectively. In fact a variety of bird species, both in nest boxes and open nests, had a very bad year due to the cool wet summer and coming on top of a difficult 2007 could cause serious problems for some populations if 2009 is similar. Let's hope we have a real summer this time around. One pair of blue tits did manage to buck the trend and from a clutch of fifteen eggs twelve young birds were fledged,
It's possible the eggs were the product of more than one- female but the feeding was carried out by a single pair- quite an achievement considering the conditions. Another clutch of nine eggs in a box being incubated by blue tits produced only two fledglings which was about average except that one chick was a blue tit and the other a great tit. The hide which gives visitors a place to sit and enjoy the view also provided a pair of treecreepers with a secure site to build their nest and raise three young.
There was one new bird for the reserve in 2008 and although the was no actual sighting a reeling grasshopper warbler close to the hide in early June was a welcome addition to the reserve list. As the year moved on and came to an end more wildfowl appeared on the lagoon and winter thrushes joined the other birds feeding in the fields alongside the path. ;
For 2009 CAWOS, (Cheshire and Wirral Ornithological Society) has agreed to help with the rent we pay for the Hatton's Hey Reserve so it is likely there will be an increase in visitor numbers in future but I doubt we shall be overrun and that the reserve and the surrounding area will always be somewhere to go for a quiet walk and some birding. Thanks are again due to all those who have entered their sightings in the log book.
The following table lists the average eggs, chicks and birds fledged per nest. These records are returned annually to the Cheshire & Wirral Ornithological Society for inclusion in county records.
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