Saturday 4th February 2012 - Wyre Forest

As some of you may know I'm a fairly charitable kind of guy and, with that in mind, I thought I would do my bit for care in the community and meet up with fellow local bloggers Mark (Doorstep Birding) and Gert (Wild Stuff) for a walk in the Wyre Forest (just kidding guys). The aim was to catch up with the local Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers.  We didn't but an enjoyable walk with a variety of birds was had all the same.

It was a very cold, wintry morning and the walk we did took us around the Uncllys Farm area of the forest.  At one point we went off the beaten track and deeper into the woods where I suggested to the guys that I had only took them there to show them my non-existent puppies!  You should have seen the worried look on their faces!...anyway I digress, back to the birds.

In one area of the forest we came across a very bird rich area.  Here there was a large mixed flock that not only consited of the usual Blue Tits and Great Tits but also included 1 Marsh Tit, 6 Coal Tits, 8 Goldcrest, 3 Nuthatch, 1 ♀ Great Spotted Woodpecker and a handful of Long-tailed Tits.  Nearby a flock of Redwing, a Song Thrush, a Jay and a Green Woodpecker were all seen feeding amongst the leaf litter.

Also of interest during the walk was a single Raven that flew over kronking and another Song Thrush we encountered which had no tail feathers (although this didn't seem to be causing the bird too many problems).

By the time we returned to the carpark the first few flakes of snow were starting to fall.  So after an enjoyable couple of hours we decided to call it a day and head back home.

Friday 3rd February 2012 - Trimpley

Today I popped out with Tony to do a walk around the Reservoirs and along the River Severn at Trimpley.   It was an absolutely glorious day considering the time of year, the blue sky and sunshine really lifted my spirits.

On the way to the lower car park we checked out the Larches at the edge of Eymore Wood for Crossbills but there was no sign so we continued our walk to the Reservoirs.   In the woods near the Severn Valley Railway line we recorded Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Goldfinch, Mistle Thrush and Redwing. A flock of 30 Fieldfare flew over, as did a Common Buzzard.

The drainage pool was frozen over but still held 72 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a single Herring Gull all stood on the ice.  A ♂ Sparrowhawk was present near the water treatment works. As were 2 more Song Thrushes, a Mistle Thrush and a Redwing.

The walk along the river was very productive, affording us great views of 38 Mandarin and 8 Goosander (4 ♂).  Whilst here we bumped into a couple of birdwatchers who had also been enjoying the Mandarins.  Needless to say we had a good natter and it turned out they were readers of this very blog.  Its always nice to chat to readers of the blog and receive feedback from them (positive or negative)...but I am useless at remembering folk's names...so I do apologise to this couple (I blame the medication!)

Walking back towards the main Reservoir we had cracking views of a ♂ Kestrel perched on a nearby telegraph pole.  Needless to say I took advantage of this photo opportunity and grabbed a bit of video footage.  On the Reservoir itself were c.50 Tufted Ducks, 4 Great Crested Grebes and 2 Cormorants.

On the way back past Eymore wood we stopped again to scan for Crossbills.  Again we drew a blank but there were good numbers of Siskin near the upper Car park feeding in the Larches and kicking up an almighty racket.  Still it was a good way to end an enjoyable walk.

Mistle Thrush

Mandarin Ducks

Cormorant

Kestrel

Tuesday 31st Jan 2012 - Captains Pool & Wyre Forest

There were good numbers of birds on the two thirds frozen Captains Pool today including 112 Black-headed Gulls stood on the ice (TS).  When I arrived at the pool late morning there was also an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and a 2nd winter Herring Gull with them.  A party of 4 Mute Swans (1 adult and 3 1st winter) were also new arrivals.  Other birds noted on the pool were 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Coot, 1 Moorhen, 43 Mallard and 37 Canada Goose.

From Captains Tony and I decided to pop into the Wyre took look for Lesser Spotted woodpecker in the Uncllys Farm area.  We had absolutely no joy on that front and other than large numbers of Robin, a few Blackbirds and Carrion Crows, 3 Redwing, a Song Thrush and a Nuthatch, there was little bird activity going on. 

Last stop on our travels was Sturt Common in the Shropshire side of the Wyre.  Here we had saw 2 Common Crossbils (1♂) feeding in the top of the Larches.  The male was a real stunner.  Also noted at Sturt were 3 Siskin, 7 Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tit, Goldcrest and Common Buzzard.

All in all nothing exceptional but still, not a bad few hours birding all the same.

Saturday 29th January 2012 - Slimbridge WWT

Today I went with Mark (http://doorstepbirding.blogspot.com/) down to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust's Slimbridge reserve in Gloucestershire. Being a Wolves supporter I thought that he may have turned up in his horse and cart...lucky for me he came in his car and we were able to get down there at a reasonable time.

On arrival we meticulously checked out the Rushy Pen to look for the Lesser Scaup that has been present over recent weeks.  There was plenty of other birds of interest though with  good numbers of Bewick's Swan, Pintail, Shelduck, Pochard and Tufted Duck present here.

It was then on to the Martin Smith Hide to view across Tack Piece.  Here there were thousands of Golden Plover, Lapwing, Dunlin and Wigeon.  Large numbers of Teal and more Bewick's Swans were observed here.  Small numbers of Redshank and Curlew were also noted.  At one point all the waders went up allowing us to see that wonderful golden sheen as the huge flock of Golden Plover twisted and turned over the Tack Piece.  There was no sign of the Lesser Scaup in this area either but we did pick up our first couple of White-fronted Geese that were feeding near some Greylag Geese.

From the Alf Garnett hide (sorry I mean Robbie Garnett hide...I can't help myself at times) I picked up on 2 Peregrines that were perched in the large trees opposite.  Ironically enough there were half a dozen Woodpigeon sat above them at the top of the tree...obviously oblivious to the danger below.

From the Holden Tower there were good numbers of White-fronted Geese and Barnacle Geese present on the Dumbles.  15 Great Black-backed Gulls were sat at the near edge of the estuary and a single Oystercatcher was noted near the tower.

Next stop was the Ziess hide, where after about 10 minutes we were lucky enough to see the Bittern.  Although not the best views of this cryptic plumaged heron I have ever seen it was a welcome sight all the same.  Also noted from this hide were 6 Black-tailed Godwits.

From the Zeiss Hide we headed over to the South Lake which was unusually quite in terms of Gulls with only c.60 Black-headed Gulls, 5 Herring Gulls and 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull present.  We did however add Shoveller, Gadwall and Cormorant to the day's tally.

Before we headed off home we spent some time back at the Rushy and the Martin Smith hides looking for the elusive Lesser Scaup...we drew a blank.  I had seen the one that was present last winter but it would have been a lifer for Mark, but this was the only slight disappointment in an otherwise 'away day'.

To give you an indication of the numbers of wader and wildfowl that were present, here

are some of the day's count from the Slimbridge WWT website

Bewick's Swan  196

White-fronted Goose  280

Wigeon  2000

Teal  950

Pintail  89

Pochard 223

Golden Plover  765

Lapwing  3100

Dunlin   2100

Black-tailed Godwit  37

Redshank  25

A view from the Rushy

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Pintail (drake)

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Golden Plover

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Bittern
 


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Thursday 26th January 2012 - Shenstone

I managed to grab an hour or so this afternoon for a quick whistle stop tour of the patch.  I started with a quick view of Captains Pool where the Great Crested Grebe was still present and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen in an oak near the waters edge.

Stanklyn Lane was pretty much a right off due to the agricultural sale being on at the Gallops Field and no self respecting bird would be around whilst that is on.  None were, so I headed up to Heath Lane.

By comparison Heath Lane was absolutely Chuffing with birds.  In the trees between the Islamic School and the paddock there were c.300 Linnets perched.  The sound of them all chattering away was almost deafening!  It Just needed a Merlin to turn up with all this food on tap...ah well another time!

The paddock itself was also full of birds with c.140 Fieldfare, c.80 Redwing, 1 Mistle Thrush, c.60 Starling, 14 Goldfinch and 8 Chaffinch all feeding on the deck.  A single Corn Bunting was singing from the telegraph wires that run over the adjacent field.  A Kestrel was also noted along the lane.

I headed over to Witch Lane next where I was greeted by a covey of 16 Red-legged Partridge waddling leisurely down the middle of the road.  In the trees behind Willow Marsh Fishery were 5 Cormorants.   A Common Buzzard was also present in this area.

Tuesday 24th January 2012 - Local Birds

Today was a messy day due to having a couple of appointments to go to during the day.  But, being a typical birder I did cram in a bit of time here and there.

For my second appointment (late morning) I drove down to Kidderminster town centre and parked on the Weavers Wharf retail park carpark.  A quick glance at the old carpet mill chimney stack and I quickly picked up on what I was hoping for, a stunning ♂ Peregrine was perched on top.  I grabbed my bins from the car and enjoyed the bird for a few minutes before heading off for my appointment.  It was still present and showing well when I returned an hour later.

I then decided to pop a few miles up the road to Eymore Wood to have a look for the Crossbills that have been showing there the past week or so.  I was in luck, on pulling up at the top carpark I got out my car and there they were in the Larches right next to the information board.  In total I counted 9 Common Crossbills (4♂).  The carpark was empty and I spent a good half hour enjoying these glorious finches on my own before heading back.  Also present near the carpark were 6 Siskins and 8 Goldcrests...no Firecrest mind...but you have to check ;-)

Common Crossbills - Eymore Wood

(photos from my archive)

Monday 23rd January 2012 - Wyre Forest

Today Tony and I decided to undertake a walk in the Wyre Forest.  I decided not to lug my scope around today so it will only be photos from my archive again.

We started by walking along Dowles Brook from the bottom of Dry Mill Lane to past Coopers Mill.  on the brook itself we had cracking views of a perched Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail but the real highlight was Dipper.  Dippers breed in the Wyre (although not in great numbers) but what made this special is that this individual got out of the brook, perched on a rock and started singing....fantastic!  This is only the second time I have heard a Dipper sing its rather melancholy song that is reminiscent of a warbler.

During this stretch of walk we saw good numbers of woodland birds including Marsh Tits (at three different locations), Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker.  Also  of interest were a ♂ Sparrowhawk and small numbers of Siskin.

At Lodge Hill farm we had a good natter with John Robinson, retired warden and top wildlife photographer, who lives there.  Shortly afterwards we invited into the Natural England building for a nice hot cup of tea and yet another chinwag (hard work this birding lark)...Thanks to Tabatha for the hospitality.

Anyway, back to the birds.  At the footbridge next to Lodge Hill Farm there were 6 Yellowhammers and another Marsh Tit present.  A Green Woodpecker and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were also noted.  

All in all it was a pleasant few hours out but I was suprised not to see a single Brambling or Lesser Redpoll....ah well theres always next time!

Dipper - Dowles Brook

Grey Wagtail - Dowles Brook

Yellowhammer - Lodge Hill Farm

Sunday 22nd January 2012 - Captains Pool and Spennells Valley NR

This morning I called for Tony and with the intention of checking out the woodland adjacent to Captains Pool that forms part of Spennells Valley Nature Reserve to see if we could locate the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker that had been reported there on the previous 2 days.  Technically this woodland is is just off patch and I tend to use the rule that I only count the birds in the woodland if I can see them from the Dam at Captains Pool.

A quick check of Captains pool was done before checking the woods and we noted that both the drake Shoveller and the Great Crested Grebe were still present.  A 2nd Coot was a new arrival there.

We then headed to the section of Spennells Valley where the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker had been reported and spent the next 1.5 hours walking the perimeter footpaths and scanning the trees & Tit flocks.  There wasn't a sniff of a Lesser although we did get nice views of a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers that were present there.  The only other bird of note was a cracking ♀ Blackcap that must be over-wintering there (I just need it to venture over by Captains at some point).

The other thing that struck me at Spennells Valley was the amount of flowers that were in bloom.  Loads of Lesser Celandine were flowering along the brook.  Daffodil and Crocus were also seen in flower in the wood.  Must be due to this mild winter I guess.

Saturday 21st January 2012 - Shenstone

A party of five 1st winter Mute Swans and a Great Crested Grebe were new arrivals at Captains Pool today (TS)

I decided to do a quick tour of the patch this afternoon.  I started at Witch Lane which seemed unbelievably quiet until I reached the cricket ground at the top of the lane.  At the ground, which never gets mentioned as there is very rarely anything there, there were 31 Redwing and 7 Blackbirds on the deck.  In the adjacent hedgerow were a small number of Goldfinch.  A Common Buzzard was also noted along Witch Lane, as were small numbers of Snowdrops that were coming into flower.

Heath Lane paddock was bird less, as was the model aircraft field, so I decided to head down to Stanklyn Lane.

At Stanklyn Lane paddocks there were 37 Fieldfare, c.60 Starling and 2 Green Woodpeckers present.  I then walked the footpath from Stanklyn to Captains Pool. In the hedgerow at the back of the 'carrot field' were 8 Corn Buntings and a ♂ Linnet.  Further down the footpath a flock of 12 Chaffinch were noted.  

At Captains Pool there were 4 Siskin and 2 Goldfinch in one of the alders near the dam.  On the pool the Great Crested Grebe was still showing but the Mute Swans were no longer present.

♂ Chaffinch - Shenstone
(photo from the archive)

Friday 21st January 2012 - Upton Warren

Today was Bev's day off and she fancied popping to a garden centre.  I suggested Webbs of Wychbold as it is over the road from Upton Warren NR, and with that being the case it would be rude not to visit there.

We duly visited the Moors Pool where good numbers of Teal were present around Amy's Marsh.  Also of note on the Pool were 8 Shoveller.   As there wasn't much to see from the East hide we decided to pop over to the West side of the pool to view the feeding station.  On the walk along the West side we picked up 8 Curlew that were having a good fertile around in the field opposite.

In the hedge next to the feeding station were a stunning pair of Bullfinch.   At (and around) the feeding station good Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song Thrush, Reed Bunting, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-Tailed Tits were observed.

We then decided to walk along the River Salwarpe and look for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker that had been present the previous couple of days.  We had no joy on that front but we did get cracking views of a Kingfisher.  c.20 Siskin and 6 Goldfinch were also noted.

Our final stop was the concrete hide back at the moors pool.  This is one of the best hides for seeing Water Rail and it wasn't long before one was seen skulking about at the edge of the reeds.  Whilst we were sat in the hide we were joined by Upton Warren regular and work party leader John Belsey.  As we were having a natter John picked up on a 1st winter Little Gull that had just flew in.  The bird performed well for us for a few minutes and even rested for a short while on the water near the East side reeds before taking off and flying North.  What fortuitous timing and a welcome year tick.  

All in all it had been an enjoyable visit to Upton and it was good catching up with a few familiar faces (Andy P,  John B and Terry N), all that was left to do was the shopping...Webbs was calling...ah well!

Water Rail - Upton Warren
(photo from the archive)

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