Shenstone Birder

Saturday 29th January 2012 - Slimbridge WWT

2012-01-29T03:54:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-27T04:18:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

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)

Click on image to enlarge

Thursday 19th January 2012 - Shenstone

2012-01-21T01:52:00.000-08:00

I managed to motivate myself to do a couple of hours around the patch this afternoon. It's really difficult to get enthusiastic on a dull grey January day at the best of times...still each day that passes is a step closer to Spring!

A quick scan of Captains Pool at the start of my visit produced 8 Black-headed Gulls stood on the ice, 6 Canada Geese, 3 Moorhens and the usual shed load of Mallard. The drake Shoveller was still present.

Next stop was Stanklyn Lane where I decided to walk the fields across to Summerfield. The Corn Bunting flock had now moved on and not a single bunting was to be seen. In fact the large numbers of Corvids that I had been encountering had also disappeared. Stanklyn Lane paddocks held small numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing.

After the lack of birds around the Stanklyn Lane area Heath Lane turned out to be very productive. In the large cereal field opposite the Islamic School were c.60 Linnet. The paddock was chuffing with birds with c.50 Fieldfare, 20 Redwing and a handful of Starling. There were 2 Common Buzzards chasing each other over the field at the rear of the paddock.

At Witch Lane there was a covey of 5 Red-legged Partridge present. A single Cormorant and a Grey Heron were at the fishery.

The final stop off was Butts Lane. The walk across the stubble field footpath flushed 51 Skylarks and a Meadow Pipit. A Kestrel was also noted in the area.

No photos today I'm afraid folks, it was just too dull and windy.

Monday 17th January 2012 - Shenstone, Pirton & Grimley

2012-01-17T03:31:00.000-08:00

Today TS and I decided to go out and about in Worcestershire.

We started our rounds at a 3/4 frozen Captains Pool where I picked up a patch year tick in the form of a drake Shoveller. Later in the day, when I dropped Tony back home, I picked up another...a ♀ Wigeon had decided to visit the pool. A Jay was also noted in the trees at the back of the pool.

Also of note on our skirt through the patch were 30 Fieldfare and 2 Grey Herons along Witch Lane. The one Heron was in the middle of a field and the other, rather curiously was stood under a hedgerow.

♀ Wigeon - Captains Pool

From the patch we drove just South of Worcester to Pirton Pool. This is the site where a party of 4 Bewicks Swans stayed for a number of weeks in December and is a very underwatched site.

The pool itself was only about 1/4 frozen and there were good numbers of wildfowl present. Although there was nothing unusual there it was good to see such a variety of birds. These included 3 Shelduck, c.100 Wigeon, c.60 Gadwall, 37 Teal, 1 ♀ Pochard, 46 Mute Swans and 44 Greylag Geese. A Great Spotted Woodpecker could be heard 'drumming' from the nearby woodland.

Click on YouTube logo to enlarge

From Pirton we headed back via Grimley. There was no sign of the Golden Plovers in the fields opposite Top Barn but 40 Lapwing were still present.

At Wagon Wheel Lane we recorded 2♂ Bullfinch, 1♂ Reed Bunting, c.60 Chaffinch, 3 Goldfinch, c.30 Pied Wagtail, 1 Song Thrush, 2 Lapwing and a Sparrowhawk. Wagon Wheel pits were not at all frozen yet were almost devoid of birds but for 1♂ Pochard, 1♀ Tufted Duck, 2 Mute Swans, 20 Black-headed Gulls and 4 Pied Wagtails that were bathing near the inlet.

Camp Lane pits were 1/2 frozen but still held 3 Little Grebe, 2 Shoveller (1♂), c.30 Teal, c.30 Wigeon, c.40 Gadwall, 86 Canada Geese, 8 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 14 Meadow Pipits were flushed from the field on the East.

Common Buzzard, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Green Woodpecker, Reed Bunting and 2 flyover Cormorant were also noted from the causeway.

Shenstone News

2012-01-15T03:05:00.000-08:00

Below is a summary of sightings from around the patch over the last few days:

Thursday 12th January
There were 2 Reed Buntings were perched on the hedgerow at Heath Lane 'model aircraft field' late afternoon (JK)

Saturday 14th January
The flock of 40+ Corn Buntings were still present just off Stanklyn Lane at Summerfield today (Gert Corfield)

At Captains Pool there were 5 Shoveller (3♂) present (TS)

Sunday 15th January
There were 20+ Corn Buntings still present at Summerfield (TS)

Friday 13th January 2011 - Shenstone

2012-01-14T02:21:00.000-08:00

After a spell of early January away days I decided to put in some serious time at the patch today. The weather was fairly settled with blue skies and sunshine throughout my visit.

I started my visit by checking out Captains Pool. Unfortunately, due to the mount of anglers on the pool, it was pretty much devoid of birds. The only birds noted were 6 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Moorhen and 8 Mallard.

I then parked up at Stanklyn Lane near the Gallops field and walked the Lane to Summerfield and the footpaths across the fields back. At the paddocks there were c.60 Fieldfare, 14 Redwing, 1 Mistle Thrush and c.100 Starling all down on the ground feeding. Further along the lane near the entrance to the beet field were another 4 Redwing.

On arriving at Summerfield the first thing that struck me was the large flock of mixed Corvids feeding there. There were c.200 Rooks and c.80 Jackdaws in the large field. I then heard the call of a Corn Bunting and started scanning the low trees at the edge of what I call 'the sheep field'. There was a large winter flock of Corn Bunting here so I started scanning through them with my scope. In total I counted 46 Corn Bunting...a new patch record count! The previous largest winter flock seen consisted of 42 Corn Buntings at Witch Lane on 18th February 2011. Also seen in this area were 20 Linnets and 2 Dunnocks

Walking back across the beet field I flushed 4 Skylarks and 7 Meadow Pipits (one of which broke of from the main group and perched very obligingly in a nearby tree). At the back hedgerow of the small carrot field another 2 Corn Buntings were present. As I didn't record any flying over from Summerfield during the walk I think it is safe to assume that these two individuals were separate from the main flock.

Heath Lane paddock was also chuffing with birds with 73 Fieldfare, 24 Redwing, 4 Starling, 3 ♂ Chaffinch and a Greenfinch all feeding on the deck. In the trees next to the Islamic school there were c.100 Linnet kicking up a racket.

Witch Lane was very quiet although I did pick up a year tick in the shape of 3 Red-legged Partridge. 5 Cormorant were perched in the trees next to Willow Marsh Fishery. A Common Buzzard was also present.

My final stop was Butts Lane where I decided to walk my usual circuit. Whilst walking the footpath next to the stubble field I flushed 43 Skylarks. A Raven flew over 'kronking' heading South West. A ♂ Kestral was present at Eastfields Farm.

All in all a very enjoyable visit to the patch and one that was very productive. I will have to try and visit a little more frequently between 'away days'

Meadow Pipit

Tuesday 10th January 2011 - Chelmarsh Reservoir

2012-01-11T00:31:00.000-08:00

Today, Tony and I decided, to pop to Chelmarsh reservoir to revisit the long staying Red-throated Diver. I've decided that with Shenstone being so quiet at the mo and it being a new year I would pop and see some of the long-staying local scarcities.

On arriving at the causeway we soon picked up the adult Red-throated Diver out in the centre of the Reservoir near the buoys. Also of note on the reservoir were 17 Goosander (9 drakes).

We then popped down to view the scrape. In the alders near the feeding station was a single Lesser Redpoll with a mixed assortment of Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch. The pig-like squeal of a Water Rail and good numbers of Reed Bunting could be seen flitting around by the reeds. The scrape itself was pretty much devoid of birds although I did see a Kingfisher perched in a tree near the rear of the scrape for a few minutes.

After leaving the scrape I suggested to Tony viewing the fields along the Hampton Road as I had seen/scanned through a flock of c.200 Greylag Geese there a couple of weeks before when I visited with Mark P. I have found through experience it is always worth checking geese flocks this time of year as sometimes something more interesting will latch on to them. There was no sign in the fields on the way down but when we viewed from near the sailing club we could see a load of distant geese in a field behind the dam. Tony said he knew a pull in/track that we might get an angle on them from. So we headed back up the lane.

On arriving at the gate (near the junction with the main road) we could see the geese flock very well. I set up my scope and scanned through the c.120 Greylag Geese....bingo, there was a Tundra Bean Goose with them. We walked down the bridleway that was next to the field to get a better view. Halfway down the hedge was low enough to get the scope on it and obtain cracking views of the bird. It was the same Bean Goose that we had seen the week before at Mere Farm Pools in Staffs, which is only about 8 miles East of Chelmarsh if you took a straight line there. The Staffs bird hadn't been seen for about 5 days and now we had relocated it across the boundaries in Shropshire...result. It isn't everyday you find a Bean Goose so needless to say I was chuffed!

Tundra Bean Goose - Chelmarsh, 10th January 2011

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Click on YouTube logo to enlarge

Saturday 7th January 2011 - Shenstone

2012-01-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

After escaping from doing the shopping with my better half this afternoon I managed to get down to the patch to do my first proper visit of the year. I decided to prioritise much of my time on the Stanklyn Lane area.

First up I walked accessible edge of Stanklyn Wood in the hope of catching up with some of the patch's woodland specialities. The walk produced notables in the form of a Nuthatch, 2 Goldcrests, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 16 Chaffinch, a Redwing and a Common Buzzard.

Stanklyn Lane paddocks were absolutely chuffing with birds with 78 Fieldfare, 4 Redwing, c.100 Starling and 2 Green Woodpeckers present.

As a stark contrast Heath Lane paddock was very quiet with only 1 Redwing, 4 Linnets and a Robin recorded.

My final stop was Witch Lane where 12 Cormorants could be seen perched in the trees at the back of Willow Marsh Fishery. Also noted in the Witch Lane area were 2 Kestrels, 17 Fieldfare and 8 Black-headed Gulls.

By the time I had finished the light was going so I decided to leave doing a Butts Lane Walk and visiting Captains Pool to another day. Still a nice mix of everyday birds for the patch year list.

Green Woodpecker - 7th January 2012

Thursday 5th January 2012 - Out and about in Staffordshire

2012-01-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Today I met up with my old mate (and tea maker extraordinaire!) Tony for a spot of birding. We decided to pop a few miles up the road into Staffordshire. Kidderminster is only 3 miles away from the county border near Whittington...so it isn't as far as it sounds!

The first place we visited was a site we know where you can see roosting Tawny Owl in the daytime during the winter months. Although this is a fairly well know site locally I will not be posting any site specifics or answering any questions regarding the location (sorry folks but it isn't worth the possible disturbance). On arriving at the usual spot we soon enjoyed cracking views of the Tawny Owl. The bird was also making a mewing call periodically. Near by we were treated to good close views of 2 Nuthach and 2 Coal Tits feeding on seed that some kind walker had left on a tree stump.

We then decided to visit Mere Farm Pools near Highgate Common where a Tundra Bean Goose has been reported over recent days. On arrival we soon picked up the Bean Goose that was feeding in a Barley field with a flock of 60 Greylag Geese. Result, this is only the second Bean Goose I have seen in the West Midlands area (the other being at Bittell last autumn). Most of my photos of the goose were blurred due to the incredibly strong winds buffeting my scope but I did get off a 'record shot' in the end.

Also of note at Mere Farm pools were 2 Grey Herons and 2 Mute Swans.

Tawny Owl - 5th Jan 2012

Tundra Bean Goose - 5th Jan 2012

Click on image to enlarge

Wed 4th January 2012 - Grimley & Shenstone

2012-01-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

Today Bev and I decided to pop out for a few hours birding at Grimley. Just before reaching Grimley we pulled up at Top Barn to scan the fields opposite to see if any Golden Plover were about. We were in luck in the field were 59 Golden Plover with c.200 Lapwing and c.100 Starlings. At one point something spooked them and everything went up. Even a relatively small flock of Golden Plover is a joy to behold as they are wheeling around.

At Camp Lane pits the water level was incredibly high and I'm sure this was the reason there were some of the regular duck species such as Shoveller and Teal missing. Still we did note 16 Gadwall (8♂), 4 Pochard (1♂), c.40 Tufted Ducks, 5 Little Grebes, 4 Mute Swans, c.100 Canada Geese, 2 Cormorant and a Grey Heron.

Also noted around the pits and in the adjacent field were 8 Meadow Pipits, 3 Skylarks, a Song Thrush, 1 Herring Gull, 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 17 Black-headed Gulls.

On the way back home I managed to blag the other half into making a whistle stop visit to Shenstone. This was my first visit of the year to the patch so I was excited...but even though I only covered Heath Lane and Stanklyn Lane it was good to be back. I didn't see a great deal of birds to be perfectly honest but a Song Thrush & 20 Linnets on Heath Lane, and 17 Fieldfare, 2 Redwing and a Green Woodpecker at Stanklyn Lane paddocks were highlights. I just cant wait till next week when I should have more free time to cover the patch properly.

Pochards & Tufted Ducks - Grimley

Please check out this blog...

2012-01-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

A mate of mine (and occasional Shenstone interloper) Mark P has set up a blog dedicated to his own local birding experiences and the wildlife of his local patch at Blakedown in North Worcestershire.

So I thought I would give him a shout out as he ventures out into the world of blogging. You can check out his blog 'Doorstep Birding' at the below link:

http://doorstepbirding.blogspot.com/

Monday 2nd January 2012 - Eymore Wood & Trimpley Reservoir

2012-01-02T10:16:00.000-08:00

Today, Bev and I, popped out for our first walk of the New Year. After the early morning rain the weather went rather nice with blue skies and sunshine, making the thought of a walk more appealing. I tried to get her to do a walk around Shenstone but that was met with 'the look' ...so instead we headed a few miles up the road to Eymore Wood.

On arriving at the upper parking area we started checking the tops of the Larches for Crossbill. There was no sign but there were a small number of Siskin and Goldfinch feeding in them.

We then took the footpath through the wood down to the Trimpley reservoirs. There were a fair number of birds on the Settling Pool including 65 Tufted Duck, 1 Great-Crested Grebe, 44 Black-Headed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull and many Mallards. Of note on the main Reservoir there were 4 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Cormorant and 27 Coot.

From the Reservoir we then walked along the adjacent River Severn. Here we had the highlight of the day in the shape of 10 Mandarin Duck (5♂) that we watched for a while. This stretch of the river and the reservoirs is a known wintering area for them and there are usually considerably bigger numbers here. Perhaps the lack of a real cold snap has delayed them from flocking together en masse.

The walk back through Eymore Wood past Huntsfield Farm was fairly uneventful with only a Coal Tit, Nuthatch and a Great-spotted Woodpecker of note.

Still it was a pleasant walk even with the bank holiday masses seemingly everywhere.

Mandarin Duck (female)

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Mandarin Ducks

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Friday 30th Dec 2011 - Shenstone snippets

2011-12-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

There were 2 Shoveller (1♂) present at Captains Pool this afternoon (TS).

I briefly popped to Willow Marsh Fishery during this afternoon's downpours, where 16 Cormorant, 2 Grey Herons and 6 Black-headed gulls were present.

At Stanklyn Lane paddocks a Green Woodpecker and a single Jay were the only birds of note.

Thursday 29th Dec 2011 - Out and about in Shropshire

2011-12-29T12:50:00.000-08:00

Today I met up with Mark P (aka BirderWolf, WoodDingle etc) to do a bit of birding a few miles up the road in Southeast Shropshire.

First port of call was Chelmarsh Reservoir near Bridgnorth. Unfortunately the water level at the scrape was so high that the scrape was now a pool with very little on it. There were however good numbers of Reed Bunting present.

After spending a rather un-eventful period of time in the hide at the scrape we walked onto the causeway to view the main reservoir. Within a short period of time we picked up the long staying Red-throated Diver. This is the same bird that was on the River Severn at Bewdley (approx 15 miles down river) back in November. Also of note on the water were 23 Goosander (9 drakes).

On the way back we decided to pop to Sturt Common in the Shropshire side of the Wyre Forest to look for Crossbills. We pulled up on the lane and scanned the tops of the numerous Larches. Eventually we connected with a flock of 8 Common Crossbills (3 ♂) feeding frantically away on the seeds of the Larch cones. I managed to grab about 15 seconds of video of one of the males before the flock flew deeper into the forest.

All in all a good away day's birding...but my patch is beckoning again!

Click on YouTube logo to enlarge video

Tuesday 27th December - Grimley & Shenstone

2011-12-28T05:34:00.000-08:00

Today Bev and I decided to go out for a post Christmas stroll to burn off a little of those excesses. We decided to pop to Grimley for a couple of hours.

Just before arriving a Grimley we decided to check out the field opposite the entrance to top barn. There were no Golden Plover there today but there were still c.150 Lapwing present.

We parked up at the north end of Camp Lane pits and walked the footpaths down to the causeway at the south end. There was very little of note at Camp Lane today other than 20 Gadwall, 5 Pochard (2 ♂), c.200 Canada Geese, 5 Little Grebe and 5 Mute Swans (2 adult & 3 imm.). The only notable passerines were 2 Siskin, 1 Meadow Pipit and 1 Pied Wagtail.

On the way back home I decided to skirt through the patch. On driving down Heath Lane I noticed that the trees next to the paddock was loaded with birds. I pulled over and began to scan. In the tree tops were c.60 Fieldfare and 3 Redwing. With them were c.100 Starling making a tremendous racket. I then began scanning the paddock and adjacent wires. Perched on the wires there were 9 Corn Buntings. Not a bad little collection of birds for a whistlestop visit.

Gadwall (drake) - Grimley

Merry Christmas from Shenstone Birder

2011-12-24T02:12:00.000-08:00

Right, that's it...the birding is over for a few days, let the merriment begin!

But before I go I would like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas....

Thurs 22nd Dec 2011 - Ladies Pool and Brake Mill

2011-12-24T01:02:00.000-08:00

Today was another pre-christmas day with very little time for birding but on my travels I did grab my 'bins' and check out Ladies Pool (Blakedown) and Brake Mill Pool (Hagley).

Ladies Pool was pretty quiet this afternoon with no sign of any Goosander...perhaps due to the 3 fishermen there. The only notables were a Kingfisher and a Little Grebe.

Of note at Brake Mill Pool were c.100 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Tufted Ducks (1♀ and 1 partial-eclipse ♂), a Little Grebe and a Grey Heron.

The highlight of the afternoon came after I had walked under the railway bridge towards my car. I heard a snatch of Corn Bunting singing and then another. I walked along the lane towards the sound and much to my suprise came across a flock of 9 Corn Bunting perched in one of the large trees. It is so unusual to see a flock of them locally away from known breeding areas such as Shenstone. It was heartening to know that there are other pockets of this nationally declining species still about locally.

Wednesday 21st December 2011 - Pirton Pool

2011-12-23T04:48:00.000-08:00

I decided to go 'off patch' today and pop just south of Worcester to Pirton Pool to see the party of 4 Bewick's Swans (3 adult & 1 juv) that have been there the past 5 days.

On arriving at Pirton I walked the public footpath to the pools edge and began scanning. Within a few minutes I had picked up the juvenile Bewick's Swan swimming across the water towards one of the islands. The 3 adults were sat along the edge of the island with there heads tucked in, although one did show fairly well as it gave itself an extensive preening.

I then spent the next hour or so enjoying the birds (and a rare bit of sunshine!). It was far nicer seeing them here than through a glass window at Slimbridge WWT...it just felt more natural.

Bewick's Swans are the smallest of the European swans and, like the much larger Whooper Swan, have obvious yellow in the beak. They migrate from their breeding grounds in Siberia and the Arctic tundra between October-November, to winter in coastal lowlands of northern Europe.

Also of note at Pirton were 48 Mute Swans, c.80 Wigeon, 11 Teal and good numbers of Gadwall.

Bewick's Swan (adult)

Bewick's Swan (juvenile)

Click on YouTube logo to enlarge video

Tuesday 20th Dec 2011 - Shenstone & Grimley/Holt

2011-12-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

I made the decision to 'pop to water' today and check out Grimley gravel pits. But you know me, i still had to pay a fleeting visit to Shenstone on my way out. The only place i stopped was Barrs Lane where on pulling up I was greeted by a huge flock of winter thrushes feeding on the ground either side of the lane. There were at least c.100 Redwing and c.60 Fieldfare. It was difficult to get a more accurate count due to some birds being obscured by the stubble. Also in this same field, but closer to the hedgerow, were 14 Blackbirds. What a good start to the morning....I continued my journey 10 miles down the road to Grimley/Holt.

My first stop off was along the concrete road near Holt Church. In the adjacent stubble field there were 27 Pied Wagtails and c.100 Linnet. Nearby Sling pool was devoid of birds but whilst I was there a flock of Lapwing flew over heading towards Top Barn farm, with them was a single Lapwing...I headed over there. In the field opposite the entrance to Top Barn was c.200 Lapwing and in amongst them were a number of Golden Plover. I panned across with my scope and counted 47 Golden Plover in total....a good count in this part of the county these days.

My final destination was at Camp Lane pits, Grimley. I scanned the recently landscaped North end first and within minutes a Peregrine flew through, landed in a puddle and proceeded to bath. It was there for a good 5 minutes or so before being chased off by the corvids. The main pool at Camp Lane was relatively quiet although I did note 20 Gadwall and 3 Little Grebes.

Click on YouTube logo to view larger version of video

Monday 19th December 2011 - Shenstone

2011-12-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

I managed to get out and about around the patch for short while today between the heavy showers.

I started my visit at one of my favourite haunts...Tony's cafe, where I leisurely drank tea whilst watch 11 Siskin and 20 Goldfinch that were in an Alder at the edge of Captain's Pool....oh the joys of armchair birding. Also of note on the still partially frozen pool were a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 8 Black-headed Gulls.

I then decided to pop from Captains over to At Willow Marsh Fishery at Shenstone. The pools were also fairly iced over here. The only birds of note were a single Grey Heron & 6 Black-headed Gulls on the Ice. In the trees surrounding the fishery were c.30 Fieldfare and c.40 Redwing

On the way back I popped to Butts Lane but only managed a short walk as the weather was taking a turn for the worse. Still it wasn't fruitless as I recorded 2 new species of fungi for the patch: Bay Cap and Velvet Shank

Velvet Shank (Flammulina velutipes)

Bay Cap (Peziza badia)

Saturday 17th December 2011 - Shenstone

2011-12-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

I started my visit to the patch at Captains Pool. The pool was almost completely frozen with a small area of water being kept free by the circling Mallards. 21 Black-headed Gulls were stood on the ice and a Moorhen and a single Canada Goose were also present. Also of note at Captains were 5 Siskin in the Alders, 2 Jays and 2 Redwing.

At Stanklyn Lane paddocks there were 3 Green Woodpeckers feeding on the deck. Opposite, along the hedgerow of the carrot field, there were 6 Yellowhammers present.

Heath Lane paddock was very quiet with only 2 Robins, 2 Blackbirds and a Goldfinch of note.

At Willow Marsh Fishery 9 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron and 5 Black-headed Gulls were recorded. A Common Buzzard was over Witch Lane.

My final stop off was Barrs Lane/Butts Lane where I walked the public footpath a next to the stubble fields. Whilst doing so I put up 70+ Skylark and 2 Meadow Pipits. In the trees at the back of Stone Manor were 25 Fieldfare. Also, a Redwing flew over Butts Lane and a ♀ Kestrel was present near Eastfields Farm. It was also interesting to see that the small drainage pond was starting to fill back up...so perhaps a bit more rain and it may be ok by the Summer for the dragonflies & damselflies.

Mallards on Ice - Captains Pool

Out and About.....

2011-12-16T02:55:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year where there seems to be loads going on and birding opportunities limited. Add to that the fact that my better half has been of this week for a spot of Christmas shopping....I haven't been able to get out as much as I would like. Still, I have grabbed an hour here and there so below is a summary of these outings.

Wednesday 14th December

I had an appointment today at the Worcester Biological Records Centre at Lower Smite Farm near Droitwich. As I was running a bit early I decided to kill twenty minutes by visiting the grounds of the rather posh local hotel/restaurant Chateau Impney to see if there was any sign of the wintering flock of Wigeon. I was in luck and spent a short while enjoying the 25 Wigeon that were on the River Salwarpe there.

Late afternoon, on my way back home, I drove back through Shenstone. Whilst on Witch Lane I noted 7 Cormorants that were just heading off from Willow Marsh Fishery. At Barrs Lane there was a small flock of 20 Linnet wheeling about over the stubble. Also of note were a Common Buzzard and 8 Fieldfare.

Thusrday 15th December

A Peregrine was seen flying high over my back garden in Kidderminster this morning heading towards Weavers Wharf.

At Shenstone there were 20 Cormorant present at Willow Marsh fishery (TMH)

Late afternoon I paid another visit to Ladies Pool at Blakedown. There were an increased number of Goosander here today with a total of 19 Goosander (3 drakes) present. I then headed to the nearby Brake Mill Pool at Hagley, where I normally see wintering Goosander....there were none to be seen. Perhaps there is a correlation between the birds at the two aforementioned sites.

Anyway I've dipped into my archives to post this photo of a ♀ Goosander that I took last winter. They really are stunning looking birds.

Goosander - December 2010

Please sign this petition

2011-12-14T04:39:00.000-08:00

OK, it's time for me to bang my drum again...this is something I feel strongly about and, if you love birds and wildlife, I'm sure you do too.

Please help protect our Birds of Prey. Call for the iintroduction of offence of vicarious liability for raptor persecution in England. So please sign this petition:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23089

Scotland, recognising that those who persecute birds of prey frequently do so at the direction of their employers or others with vested interests, has introduced an offence of vicarious liability, the purpose of which is to bring those parties to justice. This petition calls on the government to introduce an offence of vicarious liability to bring to justice those who direct or turn a blind eye to raptor persecution in England.

As an indication of how bad thing are, in the last year only four pairs of hen harriers successfully reared chicks in England, fourteen peregrine falcon territories failed on grouse moors in Lancs forest of Bowland, and only one successful goshawk nest was recorded in the Derwent Valley, Derbyshire. Current legislation is not enough to deter those who break the law and destroy our heritage; the introduction of vicarious liability would hit those directing the slaughter.

Tuesday 13th Dec 2011 - Shenstone and Ladies Pool

2011-12-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

Today's visit to the patch was one of those which, all though I decent mix of birds, left me feeling a little flat. I started my visit at Captains Pool where the undobted highlight were 3 Siskin that were feeding in the alders next to the dam and the ♀ Sparrowhawk that went through. On the pool itself were 16 Canada Geese, 11 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Moorhens and c.40 Mallard.

I then parked up on Stanklyn Lane and walked the perimeter of Stanklyn Wood. This turned up a light-phase Common Buzzard, 1 Song Thrush, a ♂ Great Spotted Woodpecker, 14 Long-tailed Tits and a Coal Tit. A Goldcrest, a Jay and a Nuhatch were all heard calling.

Stanklyn Lane paddocks were very quiet with the only birds of note being a dark-phase Common Buzzard and a Green Woodpecker. Heath Lane was also dead quiet with only a ♂ Kestrel being seen.

I decided to head over to the South-side of the patch and check out Willow Marsh Fishery. On arrival I was greeted by the sight of 8 Cormorants perched in the trees at the rear of the pools. There was little else of note here, so I decided to call it a day for Shenstone.

I had however managed to add four more species of flora still in flower for my winter count. These were Daisy, Herb Robert, Petty Spurge and Rape. This takes the winter wildflower total up to 27.

From Shenstone I decided to pop a couple of miles up the road to Ladies Pool at Blakedown. This is part of an area that is worked fairly regularly as a local patch by fellow local birder Mark Peacock (http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodwolfuw/). I have been meaning to have a look at this place for a while now and I know Mark had recorded 6 Goosander there over the weekend so I thought I would have a nose.

i must admit I was pleasantly surprised by Ladies Pool. It is larger than Captains Pool with an area of Phragmites Reed along the one side (oh for reeds at Shenstone! and all the possibilities they could bring...ah well). On arrival I quickly picked up the Goosander and there were infact 17 Goosander present (3♂). Also of note here was a ♀ Shoveller, a ♀ Tufted Duck and a Little Grebe.

Cormorant - Willow Marsh Fishery, Shenstone

Click on image to enlarge

Drake Goosander - Ladies Pool

Click on image to enlarge

Saturday 10th December 2011 - Shenstone

2011-12-12T00:42:00.000-08:00

On this morning's visit to the patch I decided to concentrate my efforts on the Barrs Lane/Butts Lane area. Walking the public footpath past the stubble field I flushed 62 Skylarks. Who knows, one of these days I may find a wintering Woodlark in amongst them. Also of note during this walk were a single Meadow Pipit and a Redwing.

On the way back to me car I bumped into Mark P and we decided to go and walk the wooded footpath to see what fungi was about. Much of the fungi here was now going past its best although there were some nice examples of The Prince showing. Also of note were Common Rustgill and Conocybe tenera.

During today's visit I also managed to add a few more winter wildflowers to the list: Common Speedwell, Fat Hen, Hedge Mustard, Prickly Sow-thistle, Red Campion and Small Nettle. This takes the total number of wildflower species seen in bloom this winter around the patch to 23.

The Prince (Agaricus augustus)

Small Nettle (Urtica urens)

Prickly Sow-thistle (Sonchus asper)

Please Note

2011-12-11T03:21:00.000-08:00

The aerial views of the patch have now been put into a gallery in the 'additional pages' section on the right-hand side of the blog.

They can also be viewed by clicking on the below link:

http://shenstonebirder.blogspot.com/p/aerial-views-of-shenstone.html

Jase

Thursday 8th December 2011 - Shenstone

2011-12-09T03:17:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I decided to brave the near gale force winds and undertake a patch walk. I parked on Stanklyn Lane, walked to Captains Pool then across the beet field towards Summerfield before heading back along the lane.

At Captain's Pool a family party of 6 Mute Swans were new in (TS). Also present were 23 Black-headed Gulls. Along the footpath from Captains was a flock of c.40 Chaffinch, but there was no sign of any Brambling with them as yet.

Whilst walking the beet field 7 Meadow Pipits went up. The only other notables were c.60 Starling, a single Skylark and a Redwing.

That was about it in terms of birds today, although I did add a three more species of winter wildflowers to the list in Bristly Ox-tongue, Cats Ear and Charlock (taking the total to 17). I also found some Coral Spot Fungi on some fallen branches.

Mute Swans (family party) - Captains Pool

Click on image to enlarge

Tuesday 6th December 2011 - Captains Pool

2011-12-08T01:51:00.000-08:00

With only a little time to spare today I decided to spend it at Captains Pool. There were no fishermen on the pool this afternoon and I was hopeful of perhaps some interesting wildfowl.....there wasn't. All that there was of note on the pool were 22 Black-headed Gulls, 26 Canada Geese, 3 Moorhen and a pond load of Mallard.

The visit wasn't a complete loss however the trees around the pool were chuffing with birds. The Alders along the dam there were 12 Siskin (5♂) and 10 Goldfinch feeding. Also present were 5 Chaffinch. A large tit flock of c.60 birds went through including a Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tits and many Great Tits & Blue Tits. With them were also a Nuthatch and a Treecreeper. At one point a Common Buzzard landed in the trees along the south edge of the pool to be immediately mobbed by 2 Jays. A highlight though was hearing a Tawny Owl calling from the trees at the farside of the pool

I also managed to add 2 more species to my winter wildflower list - Green Alkanet and Oxeye Daisy. Both of which were growing between the Damn and the water's edge...hence the fencing in the photos. This takes the count up to 14 species of wildflower in flower this winter.

Green Alkanet

Oxeye Daisy

Shenstone - Winter Wildflowers

2011-12-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

I've decided to follow the lead of a fellow blogger, Dean (http://deansdailydiary.blogspot.com/) who is recording all the wildflowers that are still in bloom during the Winter months (Dec, Jan, Feb). So far he is up to 41 species on his patch of Cortonwood in South Yorkshire, so I decided to rise to the challenge and see what wildflowers Shenstone has to offer during the winter months.

Monday 5th December 2011

I decided to concentrate my first flora finding visit at the Gallops field on Stanklyn Lane. In total I recorded 11 species of wildflower still in bloom, these were: Common Ragwort, Dandelion, Hogweed, Nipplewort, Red Clover, Scentless Mayweed, Shepherd's Purse, White Campion, White Dead-nettle, Wild Radish and Yarrow.

I then briefly visited Witch Lane where I added Common Mallow to the list.

All in all it was a good start to a fun challenge...after all it will add a bit more colour to patch visits between the birding. Talking of birds, it was deadly quite on that front today with the only notables being 1 Kestrel, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Mistle Thrush and 5 Fieldfare.

Common Ragwort

Hogweed

Nipplewort

Scentless Mayweed

Shepherd's Purse

Wild Radish

Yarrow

Shenstone - A different view

2011-12-06T04:21:00.000-08:00

First up I would just like to let you know that my blog posts will not be so frequent over the coming week. I have got a number of appointments and other commitments this week, so visits to the patch (or anywhere else for that matter) will be limited. That said I have a couple of odds and ends that I want to post so do check back. Anyway...on with the show.

I've recently been playing around with google maps and some image grabbing software that I downloaded to bring a series of Ariel photos of various parts of the patch allowing those who don't know the area to get a better feel for it. I hope you find this interesting.

Map of the patch

Click on image to enlarge

Captains Pool

Click on image to enlarge

Stanklyn Wood (private, no access)

Click on image to enlarge

Stanklyn Lane Paddocks

Click on image to enlarge

Heath Lane

Click on image to enlarge

Eastfields Farm & WW2 Refugee Camp

Click on image to enlarge

Willow Marsh Fishery

Click on image to enlarge

Saturday 3rd December 2011 - Shenstone News

2011-12-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

There were still 3 Corn Buntings present along Stanklyn Lane today, as well as 7+ Yellowhammers and 4 Lesser Redpolls flew over (Craig Reed).

Thursday 1st December 2011 - Shenstone

2011-12-03T02:16:00.000-08:00

Today I made a quick visit to the patch and spent an hour or so in the Stanklyn Lane area. On arrival, there appeared to be much bird activity at the back of the 'carrot field' (note to self...I will have to do another map with all my saft location names on!)

I walked the public footpath adjacent to the 'carrot field' and noted c.80 Starling, 3 Skylark and a Meadow Pipit in the field itself. Along the footpath were 2 Jays and a good number of Blackbirds (these have notably increased over recent weeks with more arriving from the continent for the winter).

What I was most interested in was all the large mixed Bunting/Finch flock in the trees/hedgerow at the rear of the 'carrot field'. This flock included 17 Corn Buntings, 5 Yellowhammers, 5 Goldfinch, 10 Greenfinch and c.30 Chaffinch. The Corn Bunting flock was fairly mobile, this path is well used by dog walkers and the Buntings would often go up and head over the lane towards the paddocks for a while.

On the way back down the footpath towards the lane I noticed a cracking Shaggy Parasol mushroom....cue photo. I then rounded of my visit by checking the paddocks. They were unusually quiet today with the only notable birds being 5 Fieldfare and 2 Green Woodpeckers.

Yellowhammer

Corn Bunting

Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophyllum rhacodes)

Wednesday 30th Nov - Stubber's Green & other places

2011-12-02T02:01:00.000-08:00

Today I had an 'away day' with Tony and his mate Tricky to Stubber's Green near Walsall. Stubber's is a well known West Midlands gull hotspot and the good thing about it is that the gulls rest up here at that waters edge during the daytime after visiting the local landfill. This enables you to get good close views of gulls in good light, letting you get to grips more easily with i.d. features than say at dusk at a reservoir gull roost. Last time I visited here was in 2010 to see Iceland Gull and 3c/y Caspian Gull.

Today we were visiting in the hope of seeing one of the 2 adult Caspian Gulls that have been present for a while now. We arrived just after 11:30am and it wasn't long before an adult Caspian Gull was picked up along the shore line with the numerous Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls. The bird showed many of the classic features: white pear-shaped head, small dark beady eye, straight bill and long-legged in appearance. I've added some photos at the end of this post.

Also of note at Stubber's were 7 Great Black-backed Gulls and 4 drake Teal.

From Stubber's we popped up the road into Staffordshire and spent an hour or so at WMBC's Belvide Reserve. Here we were treated to c.200 Golden Plover, looking rather resplendunt when they all went up after a Common Buzzard went through. Also of note were 4 Dunlin and a handful of Tree Sparrows.

On the way home we stopped off at Whittington along the A449 to try and see the roosting ♂ Merlin that is present there this Autumn. Whittington is still in Staffordshire but is right on the border with Worcestershire and only about 5 miles from Kidderminster where I live. We parked up at around 3:20 pm and walked the bridleway to the area where it is viewed. On arrival we bumped into fellow local birders Eric Phillips and Kinver Jim who informed us it had just, minutes before, flown in. I quickly set up my scope and enjoyed views of this cracking adult ♂ Merlin as the light diminished.

Not a bad way to end a day but I must get back to Shenstone tomorrow...who knows what I may have missed!

Caspian Gull - Stubber's Green

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Tuesday 29th November 2011 - Shenstone

2011-12-01T03:11:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to concentrate on the patch's accessible bodies of water. There are areas on the patch that are private and un-viewable such as Stanklyn Pool...who knows what gets on there!

I started at Captains pool on the northern edge of the patch. Here I noted 22 Black-headed Gulls and the usual Mallards & Moorhens. Whilst scanning the wooded edges of the pool I just caught a glimpse of a small bird diving. A few seconds later it popped back up, it was a Little Grebe. Result! this is only the second record of Little Grebe on Captains in 2011.

I then headed over to the south side of the patch to check out Willow Marsh Fishery. I usually view the birds dropping in at the fishery from Witch Lane but I have recently discovered that there is a public footpath that runs through it accessible from Curslow Lane. The fishery is only open weekends this time of year, so there is always a chance of something interesting. There was little of excitement here today however but I still recorded 5 Cormorants, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Common Buzzard and 3 Redwing. There was also a nice Shaggy Ink Cap fungi along the footpath.

My final stop was on Witch Lane where I walked the 'fungi footpath'. I know, it's another of my daft names but this semi-wooded footpath is where the highest concentration and variety of fungi are found on the patch. Birdwise I only noted 11 Fieldfare and a single Jay. I did however record another new species of fungi for the patch, Common Rustgill. Also of interest was a small burrow I found with loads of part eaten fruit outside the entrance. It looked like the flesh had been discarded but the seeds eaten, leading me to believe it belongs to a Wood Mouse as opposed to a Bank Vole. I've attached a photo if anyone agrees or disagrees please say.

Common Rustgill (Gymnopilus penetrans)

Shaggy Ink Cap (Coprinus comatus)

Wood Mouse Burrow (and signs of activity)

Sunday 27th November 2011 - Shenstone

2011-11-29T13:51:00.000-08:00

After all the excitement of the Desert Wheatear...I decided it was time to get back to the important business of birding the patch.

I arrived at Stanklyn Lane mid-afternoon and started scanning the paddocks. The paddock to the right of 'redstart hedge' was alive with birds. I counted 38 Redwing, 5 Fieldfare and 2 Green Woodpeckers all feeding on the short grass. In the hedge itself was a flock of 13 Corn Buntings, but they were fairly mobile and flew over the lane towards the rear of the 'gallops field'. This was the first sign this Autumn that the local breeding population of Corn Buntings were starting to flock together.

I then headed up to Heath Lane which was unusually quiet. The only bird of note was a single Mistle Thrush perched on the fence at the paddocks.

At Witch Lane I noted 19 Fieldfares, 3 Redwing, 1 Mistle Thrush, 2 Common Buzzards, 1 Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk. Whilst walking the lane 3 Cormorants flew over heading West. 2 Jays were noted in the trees next to the public footpath.

All in all it was really enjoyable catching a couple of hours...although still no sign of that patch Short-earded Owl I was hoping for...ah well one can dream!

Desert Wheatear update and photos

2011-11-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

It actually transpires that the Desert Wheatear that I found on Friday at Titterstone Clee Hill is the first county record for Shropshire.

To view some fantastic photos of this bird please check out the Shropshire gallery of Dave Barnes's excellent photography website at the below link:

http://www.pbase.com/davebarnes/shropshire_uk

More excellent photos can be seen at at Jim Almond's Shropshire Birder blog at:

http://shropshirebirder.blogspot.com/

Some more great pictures by Chris Cook can be seen on Birding Today at the following link:
http://www.birdingtoday.co.uk/desert_wheatear_titterstone_clee_hill_shropshire_112.html

Desert Wheater

Click on image to enlarge

Friday 25th Nov 2011 - Titterstone Clee Hill .......Rarity Find!!!

2011-11-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

Today, after undertaking my voluntary work for the Dog Rescue, I decided to pop up to Titterstone Clee Hill. I volunteer at Far Forest, so I was already half way there and my way of thinking was that there could possibly be a Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl or perhaps some Snow Buntings around at this Shropshire high point.

I arrived at the summit car park mid-afternoon and waited for the rain to abate before starting my walk. The place was birdless but for the 3 Ravens that were kronking about and half a dozen Carrion Crows. The wind was strong and felt icy cold...perhaps I had made the wrong choice of destination. Then I noticed the multitudes of fungi around me especially Waxcaps...I started snapping away. The visit wouldn't be a complete waste.

As I was walking back towards the car park I noticed a small chat perch on a ridge above the disused quarry buildings. The bird was slightly silhouetted but it gave a grey appearance and was constantly flicking its tail in a Redstart like fashion. It the flew down to the ground by the derelict buildings and I caught a flash of white on its rump...straight away I knew it was a Wheatear. This wasn't one of our normal Northern Wheatears and I could see it was a fairly small bird with a generally grey appearance, a black tail and white in its wing panel. Some scalloping could be seen near the wings and the ear coverts were noticeably darker. I knew I had found something good.

I spent the next 45 minutes trying to get a better view of the bird and decide upon its i.d. I knew it was a vagrant Wheatear...I was tending towards female Pied but couldn't rule out Black-eared or even Desert...having never seen any of these species it was difficult...your Collins birdguide can only take you so far...especially when the bird was constantly flitting , perching for only a few seconds and then off again...and there are so many dips and ridges where the bird would disappear out of site for a while. The bird's lack of settling in one spot and the gale force winds meant that all my digiscoped photos were a blur. I spoke to a couple of fellow birders on the phone at just gone 3pm and decided to put the news out as a possible Pied Wheatear at 3.20 pm and tried again to get more pics...now the dog walkers were pulling up and the bird was even more unsettled. At 4pm the light was starting to go and I watched the bid drop into one of the ruined buildings...possibly to roost. I called it a day and hoped that it would be there in the morning so it could be confirmed.

Forward to the next day...the bird was indeed present and it was confirmed by a number of birders as being a female Desert Wheatear (not Pied as I had initially thought). Phew...a lifer for me and a great self-found bird. I'm so glad I made the effort to go up Clee after all!

Desert Wheatear (the crappiest of record shots!)

Titterstone Clee Hill - 25th Nov 2011

Scarlet Waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea)

Meadow Waxcap (Hygrocybe pratensis)

Yellow Stag's Horn (Calocera viscosa)

Tuesday 22nd November 2011 - Shenstone

2011-11-23T03:40:00.000-08:00

After my recent spell of Autumnal away days I decided to spend some time around the patch today. The weather was dull, grey and oppressive (as you can tell by the lighting or lack of on my photos!), yet it was a very rewarding visit for the sheer variety and numbers of birds.

I started my visit at Stanklyn Lane paddocks where on arrival I picked up 7 Yellowhammers and 2 Skylarks that flew up from the weedy paddock that contains two gnarly old Ewes. A bit further up the lane, 'redstart hedge' was absolutely chuffing with birds including a further 2 Yellowhammers, 1 Corn Bunting, 21 Redwing, 3 Fieldfare, 11 Blackbirds, 1 Goldcrest, a single Linnet and a ♀ Green Woodpecker. 4 Chaffinch and a Robin were also noted in the trees along this stretch of the lane

I then popped up to Heath Lane. The model aircraft field was a right off as half a dozen people were in there flying planes, so I decided to head straight up to the paddock. The trees between the Islamic college and the paddock were chuffing with birds. The large mixed finch flock that I had encountered on my previous visit here was still present with c.200 Linnet, c.100 Greenfinch and 23 Goldfinch noted. On the adjacent telegraph wires there were 5 Corn Buntings perched and whilst scanning the area I had a ♂ Peregrine over heading North East.

Next up was Witch Lane. Here I decided to walk the footpath that runs towards the Droitwich Road as it is the most productive in terms of fungi. It didn't disappoint, with Common Funnel, Field Mushroom, Honey Fungus, Verdigris Agaric and Wood Blewit identified and noted. The walk also produced more birds with 81 Lapwing flying over heading West. A single Jay and 27 Fieldfare were also recorded.

Further down the lane I picked up a covey of 17 Red-legged Partridge and 2 cock Pheasants in the large winter wheat field. 9 Cormorants were perched in the trees behind Willow Marsh Fishery. 2 Mistle Thrush and a Meadow Pipit were also noted.

My final stop was the Barrs Lane/Butts Lane area. Here 15 Skylarks were seen over the stubble field and a flock of 60+ Linnets were perched in the Larches at the back of the Stone Manor grounds.

All in all a very enjoyable visit. The funny thing is next time will probably be the opposite and I will hardly see any birds...but then that's part the fun of local patch birding, you just never know what you may see.

Green Woodpecker

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Corn Bunting

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Verdigris Agaric (Stropharia aeruginosa)

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Monday 21st Nov 2011 - River Severn, Bewdley

2011-11-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

This morning I decided to pop and see the adult Red-throated Diver that had been discovered locally late yesterday afternoon. As it was a Worcestershire lifer for me and the first one in the county since 1997 it was to good an opportunity to pass up on.

On arriving at the River Severn, I walked the public footpath that runs behind Bewdley High School and soon bumped into a handful of familiar faces who were watching the bird. I couldn't believe how close it was and how unfazed it seemed by the people gathered nearby.

The diver was an adult in winter plumage and I spent quite a while enjoying it as it was treading water against the flow of the river. Occasionally it would dive and resurface some distance away.

It was a real privilege to see one so close up and only 3 miles or so from where I live. My usual experiences of this species has been off the coast in autumn/winter bobbing up and down way out to see. Even when they turn up inland it tends to be at the larger reservoirs...something Worcestershire is sadly lacking.

Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)

Thursday 17th November 2011 - Wyre Forest

2011-11-20T12:23:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to pop for a walk around the Wyre with my old mate 'The Goth'. He has got a first name but it as long since been lost in the annals of time and clouds of dry ice. The goth was staying over for a few days and, although not a birder, he shares an enjoyment of the great outdoors...so we decided to do a good walk to justify the copious amounts of ale that would undoubtedly be consumed on the evening.

For the second time in just under a week the sun was shinning and the skies were blue. Along Dowles brook we had cracking views of a Dipper and very little else although 2 Grey Wagtails were seen briefly.

The Lodge Hill Farm area was heaving with bird activity and whilst on the stone bridge we had great views of 11 Lesser Redpoll, 14 Goldfinch & 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker (1♂ & 1♀). 3 Common Buzzards were up soaring and a Raven went over 'kronking'.

I was hoping to see a wide variety of fungi during the walk but only managed to see a small number including Birch Brittlegill, False Chanterelle, Glistening Inkcap, Stag's Horn and White Saddle.

Still, it was a pleasant walk and we did indeed consume much ale that evening...well they sold Batham's Bitter at the pub so it was rude not too!

Lilac Bonnet (Mycena pura)

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False Chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca)

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White Saddle (Helvella crispa)

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Batham's Bitter (Quaffus maximus)

Tuesday 15th November - Shenstone

2011-11-19T03:06:00.000-08:00

I started my visit around the patch today at Captains Pool. This time of year it pays to check out even small bodies of water. There were no fishermen on the pool today and it showed. Whilst scanning from the dam I saw a small duck sat at the edge of the water on the right hand side...it was a drake Teal. This is a patch lifer for me...result! Teal, I here you cry...a patch lifer!!!! Well, Captains Pool is little more than a park pond that is wooded on on side and regularly fished. When there are no fisherman there then it can pay dividends. The last Teal recorded there was some 4 years ago by Tony Smith...so they are not thick on the ground here.

I then headed over to the lanes.

Stanklyn was desperately quiet but Heath Lane paid dividends. The buntings and finches were starting to flock together here and there was a large mixed flock just past the paddock. This flock included 5 Reed Bunting (3♂), c.100 Greenfinch, c.100 Linnet, 11 Goldfinch and 4 Chaffinch.

My final stop was Witch Lane. I decided to walk the public footpath towards the Droitwitch load and photographed an array of fungi...although so far I have only confidently identified Scaly Wood Mushroom (Agaricus langei). During this walk a Little Owl was heard calling, a Common Buzzard was up soaring and 2 Cormorants flew over heading East towards Willow Marsh Fishery.

Teal - Captains Pool

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The Prince (Agaricus augustus)

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Monday 14th November 2011 - Eymore Wood and Trimpley

2011-11-16T02:34:00.000-08:00

Today I ventured out with fellow local birder (and supporter of inferior Black Country football teams) Mark P. Late morning, we headed out a few miles up the road to Eymore Wood.

As with our last visit there was no sign of any Crossbills but ♂ & ♀ Bullfinch, Goldcrests, Coal Tits, Nuthatch and Treecreeper were all noted. We even heard a Tawny Owl calling at one stage.

The reservoirs were fairly quiet, although there was a flock of c. 30 Siskin feeding in the Alders at the edge of the lower reservoir. 40 Tufted Duck and a single Great-crested Grebe were noted on the reservoir its self. The larger upper reservoir was even quieter with the only note worthy birds being a Kingfisher that zipped across and 2 Cormorants.

The walk along the adjacent stretch of the River Severn proved productive though as there were 26 Mandarin Duck here. Some of the males were even getting frisky, chasing females and displaying. OK so I know these are a fairly recent edition to the British list since breeding colonies have established in the wild but I think they are a joy to see!

As you would imagine, the fungi was out in good numbers with Black Bulgar, False Chanterelle, Hairy Curtain Crust, Honey Waxcap and Slippery Jack all noted.

All in all an enjoyable few hours out.

Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum)

Honey Waxcap (Hygrocybe reidii)

Slippery Jack (Suillus luteus)

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Sunday 13th Nov 2011 - Devil's Spittleful & Rifle Range

2011-11-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

Today, as the sun was shinning and there were clear blue skies (I haven't seen one of those for a while!), me and Bev decided to do a fungi walk around the 'Devil's Spittleful & Rifle Range' nature reserve which is just a couple of miles from where we live.

The reserve, between Kidderminster and Bewdley, is jointly managed by the Trust (which owns the Devil’s Spittleful), and Wyre Forest District Council (which owns the Rifle Range), both of which have been designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The site is one of the few extensive areas of lowland heath remaining in Worcestershire. In fact there are two more areas nearby at Burlish Top and Hartlebury Common.

We undertook our foray and had a really interesting array of fungi...although I am yet to name about 50% of them. Ones I did identify included Brown Roll-rim, Common Puffball, Fly Agaric, Sulphur Tuft, Turkey Tail and Velvet Shank.

There were good numbers of woodland birds flitting around the trees near the Spittleful - a sand stone outcrop named after a local legend in which the Devil dumped a spade full (spittleful) of rock there. These birds included Coal Tits, Goldcrests, Nuthatch and Treecreeper.

All in all it was a very enjoyable afternoon out with the better half...and those blue skies really do lift the spirit!

For more info on the reserve please click on the below link:

http://www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/index.php?section=places:reserves&reserveid=381

Rifle Range NR

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Brown Roll-rim (Paxillus involutus)

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Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria)

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Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)

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Velvet Shank (Flammulina velutipes)

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Magazine cover....

2011-11-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

I was dead chuffed recently when I found out that one of my photos had been chosen as the cover for the latest edition of West Midlands Butterfly Conservation's magazine - 'The Comma'.

The photo was one I had taken of a Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the Wyre Forest back in 2010 and was being used to celebrate the recent successful re-introduction of this species into Grafton Wood.

The magazine can be viewed in pdf form by clicking on the below link:

http://westmidlands-butterflies.org.uk/newsletters/Comma%2080%20Autumn%202011.pdf

I have been a member of Butterfly Conservation for about 4 years now and West Midlands branch covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire and part of the West Midlands county. They jointly manage, with the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, a number of local reserves such as Grafton Wood, Monk Wood and Trench Wood...ensuring the protection and survival of colonies of the county's scarce butterflies such as Brown Hairstreak, Wood White and Pearl-bordered Fritillary. If you are not already a member of butterfly conservation please do consider joining as it is important we protect these beautiful creatures.

For further information about Butterfly Conservation click on the following links:

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/

http://westmidlands-butterflies.org.uk/index.html

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

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Thursday 10th November 2011 - Upper Bittell

2011-11-11T04:30:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me will know that I don't bother going around the country to tick rarities...twitching just leaves me feeling a bit cold to be honest. I'm not knocking twitchers...its a case of each to their own...some people do get a lot of pleasure from it. I do occasionally though venture off patch to see a scarce or unusual bird if it is within the locality or a certain radius of here. Today was one such example.

After I had taken the dog to the vets this morning I decided to pop to Upper Bittell Reservoir (about 15 miles from Shenstone) to see the Tundra Bean Goose that had been found the previous day by Pete & Majo Lewis (nice one guys!). Bean Goose, of any race, is a county lifer for me and its been a long time since one had been in Worcestershire...so I headed there to have a butchers.

On arrival I bumped into a couple of birders I knew that informed me that it had flown with the Canadas a couple of fields over. Myself and another birder walked the public footpath across towards the bottom of said field to try and obtain a view. We did and soon managed to pick up this diminutive goose with its orange legs and small band around its bill feeding in amongst the Canadas. Although it was murky and overcast I did manage a little video footage which is at the end of this post.

I then decided to walk across to the Reservoir to spend an hour viewing from the Damn. Initially it seemed that all that was out there was 1000+ Black-headed Gulls and a handful of Lesser Black-backed. But within a short while I picked up a cracking adult Yellow-legged Gull....probably one of the 2 that were recorded by TMH on the previous day. Also of note were 32 Wigeon, 5 Shoveller and c.80 Lapwing.

I then scanned the trees behind the dam and sailing club to see if I could pick up the Hawfinch that has been showing on/off for the past week. I had no joy on that front but I did pick up 7 Siskin. There were also many Fieldfare & Redwing present.

All in all it was an enjoyable away day but I do wonder what I may have missed on my patch...ah well.

Double click on the YouTube logo to enlarge

Wednesday 9th November 2011 - Shenstone

2011-11-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

I decided to pop around Shenstone for an hour this afternoon with Tony. Earlier that morning Tony had seen 9 Golden Plover fly over the A448 towards Butts Lane although there was no sign of the birds on the patch this afternoon.

We started our visit at Stanklyn Lane. The 'redstart hedge' was absolutely chocker with birds busy feeding on the Hawthorn Berries. There were c.50 Fieldfare, 11 Redwing, 2 Corn Bunting and a Yellowhammer. In the surrounding paddocks and on the electricity pylon opposite were c.200 Starling. There were 22 Skylark were seen over the gallops field after being put up by a dog walker. Also seen along the lane were a Common Buzzard and 14 Long-tailed Tits.

Next up was Witch Lane. Walking the public footpath to view the fields provided us with a flock of 40 Fieldfare and a flyover Great Black-backed Gull. This was only my 2nd ever patch record of Great Black-backed...so I was more than pleased!. Two Meadow Pipits and a flyover Cormorant was also noted.

The final stop was Butts Lane, which was deathly quiet but for a small flock of 18 Linnet that was wheeling around over the brassicas.

All in all not a bad little tour of the patch even if it was pretty dull and overcast the whole time!

Redwing - Stanklyn Lane

Herring Gull - 'omissus' type

2011-11-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

In my post for Sunday 9th of October 2011, I reported what I thought was a Yellow-legged Gull on the fresh plough along Witch Lane. Although the bird had mustard yellow legs and a slightly darker mantle than the Herring Gulls it was with...it didn't seem quite right....there was not enough black in the wing tips and the white spots on the primaries were just too large. There bird also had a bit too much grey on its head for this time of year for a Yellow-legged.

I decided to consult fellow Shenstone birder and local gull guru Terry Hinett. Terry is one of those hardcore birders who spends day after day wading through tens of thousands of Gulls at the roost at a local Reservoir during autumn and winter. I sent him my photos and some video footage of the bird and after studying it in detail he gave me his verdict. It was a (yellow-legged) Herring Gull. I had never heard of such a thing but I took his word for it as he had seen a number of them over the years.

In the UK we get two races of Herring Gull occur, the standard British one Larus argentatus argenteus and the less common, slightly bulkier nominate form Larus argentatus. Larus argentatus breeds in Scandinavia and north-west Russia and is often known as a 'Baltic' Herring Gull. Within the Argentatus nominate race a variation called Omissus can occur where the bird will have yellow legs instead of the usual pink. It appears that the bird at Shenstone on the 9th October was one of these Omissus birds or to give it its full title...Herring Gull (Larus argentatus var. 'omissus').

Phew! I'm glad that's off my chest...it's a right load of old argentatus if you ask me!

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus var. 'omissus')

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For comparison I have attached a photo of an adult Yellow-Legged Gull that I took at Stubbers Green in 2010. Note the almost non-exsitant white spots on the bird's primaries

Yellow-legged Gull

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A number of other photos of adult omissus Herring Gulls can be seen by clicking on the below link:

http://www.birdersplayground.co.uk/Herring%20Gull%20-%20omissus.html

Friday 4th November 2011 - Shenstone

2011-11-06T03:38:00.000-08:00

Today I was feeling a lot brighter after my recent bout of the flux...so I decided to grab a couple of hour's fresh air and visit the patch.

I started my visit at Stanklyn Lane where I was greeted by 2 Mistle Thrushes in the paddocks. Whilst scanning the beet field, a flock of 35 Lapwing flew over heading South East. Also of note were 22 Skylarks that were wheeling about over the usually dead field opposite.

Heath Lane was painfully quiet with only a single Meadow Pipit and 2 Greenfinch of note, so I decided to head over to Witch Lane.

I didn't fare any better birdwise at this location with a single Cormorant flying South being the only note worthy individual.

I then decided to walk the tree lined public footpath to scan the back fields...still no birds but it proved fruitful all the same. The recent damp wet weather had helped a number of fungi to shoot up. Along this stretch I encountered six different species fungi, so far I have only managed to i.d. three: Wood Blewit, Verdigris agaric and White Milking Bonnet. So this little walk was quite productive...it just shows that it pays some times to go off the beaten track and take the mycenic route (I know, poor pun!)

Wood Blewit (Lepista Nuda)

White Milking Bonnet (Mycena galopus var. candida)

Public service announcement....

2011-11-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

Click on image to enlarge

Still out of action...

2011-11-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

After the previous week's woes & worries with the dog...I was looking forward to getting out birding more the latter half of this week. Unfortunately, I have now come down with the gastric bug that's doing the rounds...so the patch will have to wait a little longer.

Please do check back as I will definitely be updating the blog in the near future.

Cheers
Jase

Saturday 29th October 2011 - Eymore Wood

2011-10-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

I have always been brought up to think of those less fortunate than myself (the elderly, the disabled, Wolves supporters etc.)...so with him being one of the latter I decided to pop out for a few hours with Mark P.

We decided to pop 3 or 4 miles up the road to Eymore Wood to look for Crossbills. This is one of the best places locally to see wintering flocks of this charismatic finch as they feed at the tops of the numerous Larches. They are present most years...needless to say we didn't have a sniff of any today (perhaps a bit early). There were good numbers of birds flitting around the stands of Larch though with Siskin, Chaffinch, Goldcrest and Coal Tit being of note.

At the large clearing in the middle of the woods was a flock of c.40 Goldfinch and 16 Redwing. A single Jay was also present here.

Also noted during the walk were a flock of 40+ Fieldfare that flew over heading towards Trimpley Reservoir. A Sparrowhawk and a Common Buzzard were also seen.

I thought there may be a few fungi to be seen on the walk but they too were sadly lacking, although I did spot a rather nice Yellow Fieldcap along one of the rides.

Yellow Fieldcap (Bolbitius Titubans)

Friday 28th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

I managed to grab half hour to pop to the patch late afternoon after doing a taxi job for the better half. As I was short on time I decided to spend it at Heath Lane...talk about right decision.

As I pulled up next to the paddock in my motor a sizable flock of small finches landed in the trees at the edge of the adjacent Islamic School grounds. My first thought was 'Linnets' as they tend to be round the patch in good numbers during Autumn/Winter. I got out my car and could here them calling with a metallic chattering song...I realized they were actually Lesser Redpoll. I grabbed my bins to have a better look at them as they frantically flitted around in the tree tops feeding. Scanning through them it looked like at least 80% of them were 1st winter birds. Suddenly, the flock took flight heading West. I counted 42 Lesser Redpoll in total...a new patch record count by a long way!

Also of note was a Fieldfare that was perched on the telegraph wires. A single Cormorant flew over heading South West.

Please Note

2011-10-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

My apologies for the lack of posts at the mo. My elderly German Shepherd dog hasn't been very well, so I have been spending more time with him.

All being well I will be back on patch over the next few days...so please do check back.

Cheers

Jase

Tuesday 25th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's fairly disappointing walks, I decided to cover a couple of different areas around the patch.

I started by walking some of the public footpath's of Witch Lane to view the fields from a different angle. This proved very worthwhile as I picked up 11 Lapwing in one of the fields and had a flock of 9 Golden Plover fly over heading West. Also present were 2 coveys of Red-legged Partridge (one of 18 and another of 7). Also present were 8 Fieldfare, c.30 Skylark, 1 Yellowhammer and a light-phase Common Buzzard.

Next stop was Heath Lane where, shortly after arriving, a Little Owl was calling. Another highlight here was a flock of 13 Siskin that flew over heading South. A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly was also on the wing.

My final walk was along the edge of the private woodland surrounding Stanklyn House (2 sides of which can be viewed from Stanklyn Lane). Initially it seemed pretty quiet except for a single Jay. Then I noticed a single finch perched at the top of a bare tree. I raised my bins and was overjoyed to see my first Brambling of the Autumn. The bird was a female and I spent a few minutes watching it until it flew deeper into the wood. Ironically I hadn't taken my scope with me so I was unable to digiscope any photos...the bird was sat just right too...typical! Also noted were a single Goldcrest and 6 Chaffinch.

As I didn't manage any bird shots, here is a photo of some Red Campion along Stanklyn Lane that was still flowering out of its usual season.

Red Campion

Monday 24th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

I decided to concentrate on two specific areas of the patch today..so I undertook two separate walks.

The first walk was through the beet field, across to Summerfield and back along Stanklyn Lane. Whilst walking the field I flushed 9 Meadow Pipits and 6 Sky Larks. Two flocks of Fieldfare flew over with 30 heading South and 14 heading West. Only a single flyover Redwing was noted. A flock of c.60 Starling were present at Summerfield. The walk back was very quite with very little of note.

The second walk was around the Butts Lane area. Whilst walking the public footpath alongside the stubble I flushed 25 Skylark and a stunning ♀ Yellowhammer. The only other bird of note was a single Pied Wagtail.

All in all a pretty disappointing couple of walks with next to no sign of any Finches or Bunting flocks. I think I will walk another couple of areas next visit and try and locate them.

View across Butts Lane towards Eastfields Farm

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Shenstone Bird Gallery is now online

2011-10-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

I have finally got around to setting up a gallery containing a number of photos of birds seen around the patch. This can be viewed by clicking on the below link:

http://shenstonebirder.blogspot.com/p/bird-gallery.html

Alternately, click on the link in the 'additional pages' section on the right hand side of this blog.

Wednesday 19th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

I managed to get onto the patch at a reasonable time this morning, so I decided to walk the fields along Stanklyn Lane from the 'beet field' to Summerfield. This was quite a productive walk as I was able to relocate some of Corn Bunting population. In total I recorded a flock of 11 Corn Buntings. Also with them were 2 Yellowhammer.

At one point 37 Skylark went up from the large grassy field at Summerfield and 82 Fieldfare, 1 Pied Wagtail and a Meadow Pipit flew over. Also noted during this walk were 3 Jays, 4 Linnet, 6 Greenfinch and 9 Blackbirds.

From Stanklyn Lane I decided to pop and spend some time on Heath Lane. Here I had 48 Skylarks fly over the large cereal field heading South. Also recorded in this field were c.40 Linnet. 2 Meadow Pipits and a Pied Wagtail flew over. At the model aircraft field there was a Yellowhammer perched on the hedgerow. In the trees next to the Islamic school playing fields was a Goldcrest and a Jay. A Kestrel was also noted.

Not much in the way of photos today but I did take a shot of some fungi that was along Stanklyn Lane. If there are any fungi experts out there who can help id them for me, please do!

Fungi sp

Sunday 16th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-17T02:44:00.000-07:00

I was unable to get around the patch until mid-afternoon today due to other commitments and by this time of day things were painfully quite.

I started my visit at Stanklyn where a Kestrel was busy working the paddocks and the gallops. Also of note were flyover singles of Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail.

Heath Lane was completely dead but for a few Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon, so I headed over to Witch Lane.

At Witch Lane a flock of 40+ Linnet were Wheeling around over the plough and a Common Buzzard was also noted.

My final stop today was Butts Lane where I walked my usual circuit. All that the brassica/stubble field provided me with today was 1 Skylark and a Linnet. Eastfields Farm was a little better with 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Jays, a Green Woodpecker, a Mistle Thrush, 2 Robins and 6 Long-tailed Tits recorded.

A handful of invertebrates were also noted today with 2 Red Admiral, 1 Comma, 1 Small White and a Migrant Hawker dragonfly on the wing.

Thursday 13th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

For nearly a week a mate of mine Craig (Lutley Birder blog) has been telling me that I need to get out to the patch on Thursday because it was going to be a good winter thrush day. Although slightly sceptical I set off to visit the patch this morning in the hope of a few winter thrushes.

As I pulled up at Stanklyn Lane I saw a large flock of Thrush size birds drop into the gallops field. I raised my bins and sure enough, scurrying and feeding in the field were c.100 Fieldfare. These were soon joined by c.80 Starlings. They were showing really well for a good 20 minutes until a dog walker went through the middle of the field and put everything up. Only about 20 Fieldfares came back down, the rest went high and flew SW. These were my first Fieldfare of the Autumn and usually I only get small numbers this early on.

Also at the gallops field were 6 Skylark. 3 Redwing, 2 alba Wagtails and a single Meadow Pipit also went over.

The southside of the patch, over at Witch Lane, was equally productive. A flock of c.160 Fieldfare dropped into one of the recently seeded fields whilst I was there. What a thrush day! Also of note along the lane was a flock of c.200 Linnet and a ♀ Kestrel.

My final stop off was Butts Lane, where I waked my usual circuit. Initially this was very quite until a small flock of 4 Meadow Pipits flew over heading West. In the trees by the Barrs Lane pull in were 4 Goldcrest (this constitutes a fall in Shenstone terms!).

Towards the end of the walk I watched the most bizarre thing. A ♀ Kestrel was hovering over Eastfields farm being repeatedly mobbed by a single Meadow Pipit. Either that little bird has balls of steel or more than likely is a youngster with no perception of the danger. Ether way it was entertaining.

Fieldfares

Click on 'YouTube' logo to enlarge

Peregrine Update

2011-10-13T02:18:00.000-07:00

Readers of this blog will be aware that on Saturday 8th October I encountered a dead Peregrine along Stanklyn Lane. The bird was colour ringed with a blue ring with black lettering that read 'BT'. As the wounds were suspicious I contacted the West Mercia police who sent their wildlife officer out to collect the bird and send it to the vets for analysis.

The vets findings from the x-ray showed that there was no shot present in the bird, but it also showed that a bone was broken in one of the it's wings. This would be more consistent with a collision (possibly with the overhead power lines near where it was discovered). The chest wound was most likely caused by something feeding on the carrion post death.

I have since been in contact with Ed Drewitt (http://www.eddrewitt.com/Peregrines.htm) who co-set up a Peregrine colour ringing project down at Avon Gorge where a number of birds had been ringed with the same colour rings as the Shenstone bird. It transpired that this bird was one of the birds from that project and below are a few details that Ed forwarded me:

'BT' was ringed as a chick in the Avon Gorge last year (2010) and was one of a brood of 5 (which is high for peregrines). The brood consisted of 2 males and 3 females.

The ringing and the chicks were featured on the BBC's Springwatch programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Peregrine_Falcon#p00887pq

All 5 chicks fledged successfully and this is BT's second re-sighting. This bird was recorded in April this year at the Malvern Hills (Worcs). There have been no re-sightings of his siblings as of yet.

Below is a record shot that Ed Drewitt kindly forwarded to me that was taken when the bird was sighted by a birder in Malvern.

Sunday 9th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Today I headed over to the patch for a visit with Tony. Both Stanklyn Lane and Heath Lane were near bird less, so we headed of to Witch Lane.

The large freshly ploughed field along the lane was again the patch hot spot. There were c.100 gulls present, a mix of Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. On setting up my scope and panning through them I picked up what I had been hoping for, an adult Yellow-legged Gull. As mentioned before, my patch is only 2-3 miles away from the small landfill site at Hartlebury (which usually holds 400-600 gulls). When fields are being freshly ploughed on my patch a number of them will follow the plough...a bit like there sea faring cousins would follow a trawler. For a couple of days afterwards a varying number of Gulls will visit these fields allowing for the chance of finding something a bit more unusual.

Also present in this field were 100+ Linnets, 12 Greenfinch and 8 Stock Doves. Whilst there a flock of alba Wagtails dropped in. These numbered 3 White Wagtails and 6 Pied Wagtails. Two separate flocks containing 56 & 41 Lapwing flew over heading West. A number of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks were also heard calling as they flew over. A Kestrel, a juv Sparrowhawk and a Common Buzzard were also noted in the Witch Lane area.

From Witch Lane we headed over to Butts Lane to undertake my usual walk. It was nowhere near as productive as some days, only 1 Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipits and 3 Linnets were recorded. A Common Buzzard flew over and a ♀ Sparrowhawk was seen at Eastfields Farm.

Another highlight for me was finding the larvae of a Ruby Tiger Moth near the Butts Lane drainage pond. The hairy caterpillars of some of this family of moths are also known as 'woolly bears' and if you look at my photo you can see why. The only other insect of note today was a single Small White butterfly that was on the wing.

Yellow-legged Gull (poor record shot)

Click on image to enlarge

Ruby Tiger Moth Larvae

Click on image to enlarge

Saturday 8th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

It was a day of mixed emotions on the patch today. What started out a very good patch visit turned rather sad towards the end of my visit. Whilst on Stanklyn Lane a local dog walker that I knew asked me if I would come and have a look at a dead raptor he had found near Stanklyn Lane. The bird was ringed and he was unsure what to do. He thought it was possibly a Kestrel. I walked along with him to see the bird, (which he had already carefully moved out of sight). It was in fact a dead adult male Peregrine. The bird had a large wound at the top of chest/neck...leading me to believe that the bird had either hit an overhead power line during the previous days murky conditions or it had been shot...I just hope it wasn't the latter. The BTO have been contacted with all the recovery details.

Earlier today I had checked out a number of areas around the patch. Most of the patch was quiet with the exception of Witch Lane, where the large stubble field had been freshly ploughed. Present on the fresh plough here were 5 White Wagtails, 26 Pied Wagtails, 5 Meadow Pipits, 78 Lapwing, c.200 Linnets, c.60 Herring Gulls, 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 40 Black-headed Gulls and 9 Stock Dove. Also present along which Lane were a Kestrel, a Common Buzzard and flock of 20 Greenfinch.

A highlight for me though was seeing a Brown Hare in the ploughed field. I only see a handful of Hares each year on the patch and they are usually in early Spring, when at they are at there most obvious. That said this individual was fairly showy and I managed to reel of a few record shots.

Brown Hare

Click on image to enlarge

Friday 7th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-08T02:05:00.000-07:00

I only had time for a brief patch visit today due to other commitments, so I headed straight up to Heath Lane as it had been so productive the previous day.

On arrival at the paddock I walked up to the next gate to view the freshly ploughed field where, suddenly, 11 Golden Plover went up. They circled over the field twice before going high and flying in a straight line (a very goose like formation), heading South West.

There was no sign of any 'alba' Wagtails today although 11 Meadow Pipits and 2 Skylarks flew over. There were 8 Mistle Thrush on the Heath Lane wires and 4 Common Buzzards were up soaring.

A Green Woodpecker was at Stanklyn Lane paddocks.

Thursday 6th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-07T02:32:00.000-07:00

Things were definitely moving on the patch today and this afternoon's visit was fairly productive.

I started by doing my now regular Butts Lane walk. During this walk I had 11 Meadow Pipits flyover heading South. A Raven flew over heading SE and 18 Skylarks were flushed from the stubble field as I walked the public footpath. A ♂ Kestrel and a Common Buzzard were also present

Stanklyn Lane was very quite other than the large flock (100+) of mixed Corvids (Jackdaws & Rooks) present in the Gallops field. A single Jay was also noted along the lane.

Heath Lane was very productive today and there had been a good fall of 'alba' Wagtails in the paddock and the adjacent freshly ploughed field. In total I counted 6 White Wagtails (Motacilla alba) and 20 of our native Pied Wagatails (Motacilla alba yarrellii). Whilst on Heath Lane I also noted 1 Swallow and 3 House Martins all flying SW.

At Witch Lane the Linnet numbers have increased with a flock of c.100 Linnets wheeling about over the ploughed field. There were also 20 Greenfinch, a Common Buzzard, a ♀ Kestrel and a ♂ Sparrowhawk present in this area.

Unfortunately the wind was so strong that I was unable to digiscope any worthwhile bird photos.

Thistle flower - Butts Lane

Tuesday 4th October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

I visited the patch late morning/early afternoon today. I started my visit at Tony's Cafe for a bit of liquid refreshment before heading out over the fields. Captains Pool was quite today with the only birds present being a single Grey Heron, the resident Black-headed Gull, 4 Canada Geese and the ever present Mallards.

My first proper walk was around the Butts Lane/Barrs Lane area. Whilst walking the usual circuit I counted 11 Meadow Pipits, 3 Pied Wagatils and a Skylark over. There were 2 Coal Tits present in the pines by the vicarage.

On walking the footpath next to the brassica field there was a flock of 50+ Linnets present. Shortly after seeing the Linnets I had my undoubted highlight of the day. I continued waking the foot path when a Merlin (fem/imm.) flew up out of the brassicas and dropped back down about 20 metres away. The bird then flew up again going high and heading West towards Stanklyn Lane. The first date for Merlin last autumn was on 11th October 2010 by TMH & AW.

Continuing my walk picked up a Wheatear in the freshly ploughed field next to the Butts Lane/Barrs Lane triangle. Also present on the plough were 23 Herring Gulls & 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I also had a single Migrant Hawker dragonfly along Butts Lane.

Elsewhere on the patch, 5 Common Buzzards drifted over Heath Lane heading SE. At Witch Lane there were 9 Stock Doves, 30+ Greenfinch and a Kestrel of note.

Saturday 2nd October 2011 - Shenstone

2011-10-02T01:58:00.000-07:00

The sun was shining today so I decided to undertake a walk over the fields along Stanklyn Lane, via the footpaths, returning back along the lane to view the paddocks. It was pretty quiet birdwise although I did have 2 Meadow Pipits, 2 Sky Larks and 1 Pied Wagtail over heading South.

I then headed to Eastfields Farm. There were 2 Chiffchaffs flitting about in the hedgerow, a Common Buzzard was perched on a telegraph pole and a Green Woodpecker was also present. Also of note along Butts Lane were 9 Linnets and a ♀ Sparrowhawk.

My final stop was at Witch Lane. A single Lapwing was still present, a ♀ Kestrel and a flock of 13 Linnets were also observed.

It was a good day for butterflies with 2 Small Copper, 2 Red Admiral, 1 Comma, 1 Speckled Wood and 6 Small White recorded around the patch today. A Hornet was also noted.

Speckled Wood

IMPORTANT NOTICE

2011-10-01T01:53:00.000-07:00

It has recently come to my attention that certain individuals saw it fit to climb over the fence into Eastfields Farm and look for/get better views of the long-staying Black Redstart that had been present. I will add that the majority of birders didn't and patiently waited for the bird to show.

I have spent a number of years building up a rapport with a number of the farmers, land-owners and residents around my patch and I don't wish for this to be undone by a few selfish individuals. Not only is it making a mockery of peoples private property it can also disturb/put up the bird thus not enabling the next birders who come along to see it.

If such behaviour happens in future on my patch I will no longer forward the news of any scarce birds I may find to the relevant news services and I will not put any site details on my blog.

I spoke to one individual who said he was thinking of jumping the fence earlier this week. I asked him not to explaining the aforementioned points, only to hear from another fellow birder that this person had said he had climbed in and gone round the back of the buildings.

There is no room for selfish b***rds on my patch and I will tolerate them no longer.

Jase

Friday 30th September 2011 - Shenstone & Grimley

2011-09-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

This morning Tony and I decided to check out the patch and then head over to Grimley.

We checked out Eastfields Farm first and there was again no sign of the Black Redstart this morning, so perhaps he has gone for good this time. Whilst at Eastfields Farm a single Swallow went over, a Chiffchaff was heard singing and a Meadow Pipit was heard calling.

We then proceeded to walk Butts Lane/Barrs Lane and the footpath back across the brassica/cereal field. I undertook this walk yesterday and a Major difference today was the number of Skylarks present. In total 31 Skylarks flew up out of the stubble field as we walked the footpath. A flock of c.60 Linnet were present over the brassicas.

Stanklyn Lane was pretty much a write off due to the Halls agricultural sale going on in the gallops field, so hastily we headed to Heath Lane. Hear we had what I feel was the patch highlight of the day. Whilst scanning the larches opposite the model aircraft field 2 Siskin dropped in. One of which was a stunning male looking rather resplendent with the sunlight catching his bright yellow chest. Its just a pity they didn't stay perched long enough for me to get off any photos....still, they were my first Siskins of the Autumn so I was happy.

Also of note at the aircraft field were 9 Skylarks over the stubble and a Common Buzzard being mobbed by a ♂ Kestrel.

Witch Lane was fairly quiet although there were 4 Lapwing and 2 Stock Doves present 'on the plough'. 20+ Greenfinch were still present feeding in the brassica field.

There were 3 Red Admirals and 1 Small White seen on the wing around the patch today.

From Shenstone we headed over to the gravel pits at Grimley. To be honest things were fairly quiet here but the sun was shining and it was an enjoyable afternoon.

The only notable birds at the Wagon Wheel Lane pits were a single Green Sandpiper and a ♀ Wigeon. Also present were 20 Lapwing, 18 Tufted Duck and a single Little Grebe.

The Camp Lane Pits were also quiet with a single Pochard and a Wigeon being noteworthy. The usual good numbers of Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Little Grebe were also present.

It was fairly good dragonfly weather with decent numbers of Common Darter on the wing and a couple of Migrant Hawker showing well along the causeway. A single Speckled Wood was also seen.

Common Darter (♂)

Click on image to enlarge

Thursday 29th September 2011 - Shenstone

2011-09-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

The weather was lovely around the patch today but the birdlife was sadly lacking.

I started my visit at Eastfields Farm but there was no sign of the Black Redstart today. One visitor to the patch had put in a few hours there today but to no avail. Going by previous experiences of this individual, I won't write the bird of just yet.

I then decided to walk Butts Lane/Barrs Lane and the associated footpaths. A single Skylark flew up and dropped back down in the stubble field and a Meadow Pipit flew over calling. Also of note were 9 Linnets, 2 Common Buzzards and a ♀ Kestrel.

The walk produced both a Migrant Hawker and a ♂ Common Darter dragonfly. A single Red Admiral and a Small White were also noted.

Things were pretty quiet around the rest of the patch with the only birds of note being 30+ Greenfinch and 15 Linnet along Witch Lane. A further 4 Linnets were on the wires at Heath Lane paddocks. Another Migrant Hawker dragonfly was seen near the entrance to Stanklyn Lane beet field.

Interestingly, I didn't see a single hirrundine on/over the patch today.

26th & 27th September 2011 - Shenstone

2011-09-27T03:35:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 27th September
The imm. Black Redstart was again present at Eastfields farm when I checked this morning. Also of note were 15 House Martin and 1 Swallow that flew over Butts Lane heading SE.

There were no birds of note in the Stanklyn Lane paddocks today but 3 Skylarks and 1 Meadow Pipit flew over heading S.

Monday 26th September
On the afternoon, I popped around the patch with Tony. Our first stop was Eastfields Farm to check on the Black Redstart. It was again present and at times showing well. 2 Meadow Pipits were over.

We then did a walk along Butts Lane/Barrs Lane and took the public footpath back through the mixed brassica/cereal field. Along the path was a really nice Wheatear that was quite obliging, allowing for a few photos. 3 Linnets flew out from the brassica crop as we walked past. A single Small White was the only butterfly of note.

Along Heath Lane there were 4 really crisp Red Admirals on the wing. The only birds of note here were a single Meadow Pipit and a flock of 15 Linnets.

Northern Wheatear

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Red Admiral

Click on image to enlarge

Please sign this petition

2011-09-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

I don't usually use this site to bang my drum about things but the illegal trapping of birds in countries such as Cyprus needs to be stopped.

So folks if you are also appalled by this disgusting practice please click on the below link to sign the petition:

Call for action against illegal bird trapping in Cyprus Petition | GoPetition

Shenstone News

2011-09-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

Important Notice:

The local authority has withdrawn from using the proposed site along Butts Lane as one of the permanant gypsy/traveller sites that they are creating in the Kidderminster area. The Butts Lane site next to Eastfields Farm was thrown out during the consultation phase where 7 sites were short-listed from the proposed 15. Had it gone a head it could have been catastrophic for the local wildlife such as the Corn Bunting popoulation.

Sunday 25th September 2011
The Black Redstart was still present at Eastfields Farm this morning and a Hobby was over Barrs Lane (MP)

Friday 23rd September - Shenstone

2011-09-24T06:55:00.000-07:00

Today Bev & I decided to pop to the WMBC reserve at Belvide Reservoir (Staffs). We hadn't heard of anything particular that we were trying to see but its a nice place and you can easily lose half a day or more there.

We checked out the woodland feeding station first where a ♂ Bullfinch, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch and Long-tailed Tits were all noted. They all went up when a Sparrowhawk went over.

We then headed to an empty Andrew Chapell hide where on arrival at mid-day we had great views of a Grey Plover on the mud in front, a new arrival to the reserve that day, which I believe we were the first to pick up. There was also a Greenshank showing well here and 2 Arctic Terns could be seen out over the water.

At the West hide were treated to good views of a Black-tailed Godwit. A juvenile Shellduck was also seen from here. There were good numbers of wildfowl present including Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, and Shoveller. The resident Great Black-backed Gull, Ted Bundy, was again present today.

On the walk back we dropped into the Gazebo hide to check the feeders there. As usual there were good numbers of Tree Sparrow on the feeders there.

The real highlight of the visit though was when we bumped into a couple that Steve Nuttall had put onto the Long-eared Owl. It wasn't long before we were enjoying views of this bird that was fairly well concealed in a Hawthorn bush. This bird has been seen 3 times over on the past 3 weeks...each time on a friday in the same bush on the same branch...mad eh!

All in all a very enjoyable day out...just a pity the car started playing up on the way home.

For more info on Belvide and the West Midlands Bird Club:

http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/

For latest sightings information:

http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/Belvide84/

Grey Plover

Greenshank

Tree Sparrow

Click on video to enlarge

Thursday 22nd September - Shenstone

2011-09-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

The juvenile Black Redstart was still present at Eastfields Farm this morning when I checked. I only had a short amount of time as I had arranged to do other stuff today but it was still nice to find a few minutes to enjoy this bird again.

Whilst at Butts Lane TMH phoned me to let me know he had got 2 Wheatears and a Peregrine in the ploughed field along the A450. I quickly popped up there and saw all 3 birds...the Peregrine being the real treat as I only get 3-4 sightings a year on my patch.

There were also 40+ House Martin and 20 Meadow Pipit over.

Wednesday 21st September 2011- Grimley

2011-09-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today I had planned to go out for the day with my good wife. She is on annual leave this week and we had pencilled in visiting a National Trust property at the Brockhampton estate near Bromyard (Herefordshire). I knew that 2 fairly scarce waders (scarce in Worcestershires that is) had been discovered at Grimley the day before and were still present today. After a little persuasion I talked Bev into letting us pop there on the way out.

We visited Wagon Wheel Lane pits first and soon picked up the Spotted Redshank that was working its way through the vegetation at the edge of the causeway...one down, one to go. Also of note here were 2 Green Sandpipers.

Next stop was Camp Lane pits where we had good views of the Grey Plover there. Believe it or not this was a county tick for me ...although I have seen many on the Norfolk coast over the years. The last one recorded at this site was 11 years ago in 2000...so it gives you an idea of how scarce they are locally.

There were small numbers of hirrundines hawking over the pool including a couple of Sand Martins.

As for the day out, well we did head to Brockhampton and had a look around a lovely medieval manor house. We also walked around part of the estate enjoying the orachards and woodland in particular.

So there you have it two good birds and a nice day out with a third....if you know what I mean ;-)

Spotted Redshank

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Grey Plover

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Click on video to enlarge

Tuesday 20th September 2011 - Shenstone

2011-09-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

I only had time for a whistle stop visit to the patch this morning, so I headed straight to Eastfields Farm to check if there was any sign of the Black Redstart. On arrival, I bumped in to Steve Avery , who had already shot some excellent video footage of the bird (I've uploaded it at the bottom of this post). It wasn't long before I was enjoying good views of the bird too.

A Kestrel, 10 Linnets and 6 Long-tailed Tits were also seen along Butts Lane.

I then popped over to Stanklyn Lane where a Wheatear was present along the track in the gallops field. In the paddocks there were 2 White Wagtails, a Pied Wagtail and 2 Mistle Thrush. There were 2 Chiffchaff present in the adjacent hedgerow, one of which was singing. A Skylark and 2 individual Meadow Pipits flew over calling.

At Heath Lane paddocks there were c.30 Linnets and a single Swallow on the wires.

Black Redstart video by Steve Avery

Click on video to enlarge

Monday 19th September 2011 - Shenstone

2011-09-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

The juv Black Redstart was again present at Eastfields Farm this morning. Also of note whilst I was on Butts Lane were 4 single Meadow Pipits that flew over and a single Goldcrest that was calling from the conifers. A Kestrel was seen hovering over Barrs Lane.

Stanklyn Lane was fairly quite except for the 100+ mixed Corvid flock of Rooks and Jackdaws that were in the sheep fields. A Mistle Thrush, a single Pied Wagtail and a Jay were noted at the paddocks.

There wasn't much to shout about insect-wise today although I did have a Red Admiral fly along Butts Lane. Also at Butts Lane, a huge Red-tailed Bumblebee (possibly a queen?) was scratching around on the sandy soil underneath my tripod for a few minutes before flying off.

Breaking News: The Black Redstart was being observed late afternoon when, at 4:25pm, it was seen to fly off high in a Northerly direction (TS).

Could this be the last we will see of this bird? I will keep you posted.

Black Redstart

Click on image to enlarge

Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

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Sunday 18th September 2011 - Shenstone

2011-09-19T02:11:00.000-07:00

The immature Black Redstart was again showing at Eastfields Farm this morning (Tim Jones) and still present late afternoon (Craig Reed).

There was also an unconfirmed report that 15 Crossbills flew over Butts Lane late afternoon heading towards Heath Lane.

I popped down to the patch just after 5pm to have a look to see if I could locate the Crossbills. First up I checked the Larches next to the Islamic School playing fields. The only birds present were a couple of Greenfinch.

I then headed down to Stanklyn Lane and walked up the side of the gallops field so I could view the Larches and Pines along the edge of Stanklyn Lane...again no joy. There were however 2 Mistle Thrush present, 2 Swallows flew over heading West and a Meadow Pipit was heard calling.

I returned to Eastfields farm where another 2 Meadow Pipits and a Swallow went over. The Black Redstart was still showing but it was starting to get colder the bird actually flew into the slightly open doorway into the small red brick building. It did not show again...leading me to think that it is possibly roosting in said structure.

Saturday 17th September 2011 - Shenstone

2011-09-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

After having a couple of back to back 'off patch' days I thought that I would put some time in around Shenstone.

I started my visit on Witch Lane where a flock of c.80 Greenfinch were present feeding in the brassica field. 4 Swallows flew over heading SE and a single Hornet was also seen.

At Heath Lane paddocks I had 9 Swallow and 1 House Martin over. A Red Admiral and a Comma were also seen in this area.

A Jay, a Green Woodpecker and a single Meadow Pipit were notable along Stanklyn Lane. I decided to walk the path that runs from Stanklyn Lane to Captains Pool and saw a rather tatty Speckled Wood and 2 Migrant Hawker dragonflies. I then walked around the outside edge of the privately owned Stanklyn Wood where 2 Nuthatch and 18 Long-tailed Tits were noted. I also picked up another Comma and a 3rd Migrant Hawker here.

My final stop was Butts Lane. Whilst walking the lane I had another Meadow Pipit flyover. 2 Common Buzzards were up soaring and a juvenile Kestrel was perched in the dead tree along the lane. The highlight of today's visit though was when an 'old friend' put in an appearance. The juvenile Black Redstart was once again showing at Eastfields Farm. This is the first sighting of the bird since Friday 9th September. Although to be honest he has probably been knocking around the derelict buildings behind the farm (a former World War 2 refugee camp). I managed to get some new photos today, so I've attached one below.

Black Redstart

Click on image to enlarge

Red Admiral

Thursday 15th September 2011 - Belvide & Gailey

2011-09-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today I had another 'off patch' day and headed up to Staffs with Mark P to visit Gailey and Belvide. I knew I shouldn't have travelled there with a Wolves supporter as he made a point of driving slowly past that horrible yellow and black ground of theirs...I covered as much of the window as I could with a lens cloth as not to burn my eyes!

On arriving at Gailey we quickly picked up the 2 juv Artcic Terns that were present. Whilst there we had a flock of c.80 Lapwing circle around over the reservoir for a few minutes and in with them was a single Golden Plover. Other than these highlights there was very little else of note there.

At Belvide we had good views of both Black Tern (2 juvs) and Artic Tern (1 adult & 3 Juvs). A juvenile Little Gull was also present out on the water, as was the aptly named 'Ted Bundy'. If you wondered, 'Ted Bundy' (after the famous Serial Killer) is the name that the Belvide regulars have given to the semi-resident Great Black-backed Gull that terrorizes the reservoir's other avian occupants.

In terms of waders we picked up a juvenile Knot, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Little Ringed Plover. A juvenile Shelduck was seen on the water and Tree Sparrows, Marsh Tits and a Willow Tit were all seen near the feeding stations.

All in all another enjoyable away day...it's just a pity about the Shenstone mega that I probably missed

Black Terns

Arctic Tern

Knot

Wednesday 14th September 2011 - Holt & Grimley

2011-09-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

I decided again to go off patch today and pop to Sling Pool at Holt to see the juvenile Grey Phalarope that was discovered there yesterday. There are some birds that I like to see, if I get the chance, when one turns up locally and this is one of those said birds.

I arrived at Sling pool and walked the field edge, as agreed by kind permission of the land owner, to obtain good views of the Grey Phalarope as it was doing its constantly turning and feeding motion in the water. I know that this bird is fairly obliging but I'm a great believer in not getting to close to a bird and potentially putting it up. So I guess my photos won't be as good as some you will see of the said bird, but the views were still great.

From Sling Pool I headed over to the sailing pool at Top Barn where a juvenile Arctic Tern and a bus load of school kids were present.

I headed over to Grimley next and found 4 Wheatear on the bare sandy soil on the NE side of Camp Lane pits. 2 Little Egrets were also present at the North End.

My final stop was Wagon Wheel Lane Pits. Here I was treated to cracking views of a Hobby that was hawking the field next to the pools. The only other birds of note were 2 Green Sandpipers.

All in all another enjoyable day out...I wonder what I missed at Shenstone?

Grey Phalarope

Click on video to enlarge