Tuesday 10th January 2011 - Chelmarsh Reservoir

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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