Tuesday 2nd April - Shenstone

Early afternoon I decided to spend a few hours working the local patch as there had been a very small number of passage migrants reported in the county the previous day.  the weather was very mild and spring-like and the sunshine was a real spirit-lifter!

Stanklyn Lane was very quiet but for two Yellowhammers that were in one of the paddocks.  There was little else of note with no sign of the large numbers of winter thrushes that had been present. 

Heath Lane was also quiet with the usual ♂ Kestrel being the only bird of interest.

I then decided to head over to Butts Lane to undertake my walk across the fields and back around the lanes.  This provided to be far more productive on the bird front with 12 Skylarks and 9 Linnets flushed.  A Red-legged Partridge, a Common Buzzard and a single Meadow Pipit were also noted.  The invertebrate side of things was poor though with a single Honey Bee being the only one of note.

Witch Lane, Curslow Lane and Back Lane were all devoid of birds and I felt that the day was going down the pan rapidly.  So, I decided to have a break and nip to Hartlebury to get some bits and bobs from Wigley DIY. 

On the way back home I decided to hit the patch again and check out Stanklyn Wood (from the lane) in the hope of a Chiffchaff or the like.  The woodland was partly flooded and on the flood water that had spilled over from Stanklyn Pool there were 2 Teal (1♂, 1♀)...Result!  This was a patch year tick and only the 2nd time I had recorded Teal there.  However things were about to get even better....

On heading back to my car I scanned across the paddock, just past the 90° bend, that looks towards Stone Church.  This has been one of the least productive areas of the patch and your lucky if you get a Carrion Crow or a Magpie in there to be honest...but not today.  On the near slope was a cracking ♂ Ring Ouzel...Get in!  This is the 4th record for the patch and the 2nd that I have self-found.  It's hard to express in words the excitement you get in finding this spring passage migrant on low-level farmland, as they most often tend to drop of on the county's high point's on there way back to their upland breeding territories.  Bird's like this are what patch watching is all about!

♂ Ring Ouzel - 2nd April 2013


Click on image to enlarge

20 comments:

  1. Well done Jase, you deserve it ;) Male Rouzel, truly a thing of beauty and even sweeter when you score it on your patch! Hopefully one will be gracing the hallowed turf of my patch sooner rather than later! For know i'll just have to do with a male Wheatear!

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  2. Nice one Jase, No chance of an Ouzel here, or any other spring migrant - its dumping it down with snow! :-(

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  3. Craig - Cheers mate...I'm sure it's only a matter of time before you get your first patch one of the year.

    Warren - Thanks. It's clear of snow in these parts but still very cold. Hope things pick up for you soon!

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  4. Nice find Jase...and a well deserved one at that.

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  5. Well done with the Ring Ouzel Jason, a great sighting! Well done on the Teals too. Still bitterly cold here with a very strong wind and the odd snow flurry and we still have drifted snow in the hedgerows.

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  6. Had singing Chiffchaff @ Whittington on Sat on 2 Swallows in Stourbridge feeding in a Railway cutting on Wednesday, latter unexpected with the current weather conditions but things should change over the weekend with winds changing to Southerly.

    Laurie -

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  7. Great news, a splendid find Jason!

    I bet you are still smiling and rightly so! I am dead chuffed for you!

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  8. Blimey Jason, I think I need your eyes and luck. Walked that area Sunday and Wednesday, but did not see much.Saw first Chiffchaff in grounds of Kiddy Hospital last week, it must have been on it's way to visit you!Well done Mate, I'm green with envy.

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  9. Great stuff Jason, I totally agree finding those sort of birds on your patch is a great feeling :-)

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  10. get a job u lazy git

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  11. Thanks all...much appreciated

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  12. Anonymous - Why don't you man-up and put your name to your pathetic comment?

    It's very easy to hide behind anonymity and call names like some pre-pubescent fucktard!

    So come on grow some balls and put a name behind the courage of your convitions!

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  13. Anonymous - yeah...both me & Jason will just nip out and pick a job off the job tree. if only it was so fucking easy !!

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  14. Agreed Deano...This person obviously doesn't know my situation...loss of local government job due to cuts, the following battle with depression and the fact that I now do work, all be it on a voluntary basis, at Worcestershire Biological Records Centre.

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  15. Good on you Jase. At least it shows you`re willing to do something whilst a job comes your way. I applied for 3 vacancies last week...and probably won`t hear anything from em (just like all the others i applied for over the last 12 month). Getting a job isn`t as easy as some folk make it out to be.

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  16. There are jobs out there, what pisses me off is the fact that hard working taxpayers like myself are funding your days out birding - if it were up to me you and all others like you would be stripped of your benefits. Depression? Not depressed enough to stop you going out birding though aye?

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  17. Anon - you are really making yourself sound a real prat without knowing any of the facts....

    Point 1) I do not get any benefit because my wife works over 25 hrs a week. We pay the mortgage, bills etc with her money...so no I do not sponge of the state!

    Point 2) depression is a real and debilitating illness...having been on meds and treated by professionals for it, I know...Going out birding, walking outdoors etc has been part of the rehabilitation process and something I have been actively doing under the advice of my GP and Clinical psychologist.

    So please get your facts straight before you make such base less accusations!

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  18. Anon : i`m the same as Jason regards benefits...and i`ll have you know i don`t/can`t claim anything due to my partner working full time.
    And if you want to slag people off for sponging off taxpayers...start at the top with the real parasites aka : the royals, mp`s & the fat cat bankers !!

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  19. Hi Jason,

    Just wondered whether the planning meeting is going ahead this week. Any news my friend.

    Cheers and well done for all your efforts on protecting the area.

    Regards, Chris from Smestow Valley.

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  20. Thanks Chris. Not sure mate been a bit bogged down with other stuff past few days. Will look into it and let you know

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