28th & 29th August 2013 - Lower Smite Farm & Shenstone

Wednesday 28th August - Lower Smite Farm:
As some of you may or may not know I volunteer of a Wednesday at the Worcestershire Biological Records Centre (WBRC).  The WBRC is based at The Worcestershire Wildlife Trusts HQ at Lower Smite Farm (LSF) and is an independent charity and company which collects, collates and holds biological information for Worcestershire.

So, if you live in Worcestershire and record something of interest in your garden or find observe something whilst out and about in Worcestershire please do send a record through to the WBRC for addition to the county database.  More information on submitting wildlife sightings and biological records to the WBRC can be found at:  

http://www.wbrc.org.uk/

 On arriving at LSF I bumped into fellow local patch birder and Worcs Trust employee Steve Bloomfield (https://twitter.com/SteveB_esq) or a quick natter.  Whilst we were chatting about this years odd autumn migration I noticed a Little Egret flying over high heading North.  SB was dead chuffed as this was his first for his local patch of the farm.  A good start to the day!

During my lunch time I popped down to by the orchard ponds to look for the Spotted Flycatcher and Redstart that SB had found there previously.  There was no sign at that point but I did pick up a Whinchat on the fence posts of the paddocks on the lower slope of Smite Hill.  In the paddocks were also 3 Northern Wheatears (believe it or not the only ones I have seen so far this autumn). I messaged SB and he came and joined me.  Within minutes the Spotted Flycatcher and the Redstart both putt in an appearance in the same area...an amazing 15 minutes birding!


Wednesday 28th August - Lower Smite Farm:
On my way back home (late afternoon) I dropped by Shenstone to try and relocate the 2 juvenile Whinchats that had been found earlier that day by TMH.  There was no sign and they had most likely moved elswhere due to the farmer harvesting the cereals in the adjacent field on his combine harvester.

I then nipped over to Stanklyn paddocks to see if they had relocated there.  There was of course no sign but I was however rewarded with stunning views of a Hobby that was hawking the large numbers of hirrundines that were present.


Thursday 29th August - Shenstone:
On this morning's visit to the local patch I managed to relocate TMH's 2 Whinchats on the hedgerow of  a paddock along Heath Lane.  Better still, I discovered a 3rd juvenile Whinchat perching up amonst the brassica crop at Heath Lane.  I can't remember 3 Whinchat being on the patch at any one time! 

Also of interest birdwise were 12 Lapwings that were down in one of the fields just off Witch Lane.

Other than the ubiquitous Whites, the only butterflies noted were Common Blue, Small Copper & Speckled Wood.


Whinchat - Butts Lane  (record shots)

Small Copper