Upton Warren (21 Viewers)

[Phil Andrews]

A good start to the year for Andy P at the Flashes with a Tawny Owl calling from the transmitter field, a Shelduck on the water and a Barn Owl quartering the margins.

 

[Phil Andrews]

The Whooper Swan made it into the New Year! Still present at the Moors Pool as per Dave J; also Shelduck, 22 Pochard and 4 Lesser Redpoll.

 

[upstarts1979]

Work Party January -April 2018

The work Parties will commence from Tuesday 9th January at the MOORS.
The work schedule will be varied and also we will be carrying out tasks at the FLASHES.
The work includes :-
*Clearing around the periphery of the car park where the bramble is encroaching.
*Dead hedging along the North Moors trail at the car park side where the recent snow has collapsed the old hedge.
*Complete the scrub management at the NW and NE corners of the North Moors.
*Repair viewing screens at north end of North Moors
*Install 'gull posts in the open water of the North Moors pool.
*Clear some reed mace in front of the new hide where we will also plant 'juncus' (soft rush) in the shallows - this will provide cover for water rail and snipe once it becomes established.
*Strim and 'open up the Secret Garden and the extension.
*Lay a section of hedge along the west track of Moors.
*Remove willows from within reed beds.
*Remove willows from the SW Marsh islands.
*Strim the west side of the Broadmeadow pool this will improve views of the Lagoon and the newly cut spit in that area.
*Repair the old sluice that is leaking
*Retrieve Tern rafts for Refurbishment and relaunch in late Spring
*Repair stock fencing in SW Marsh.
* Clear around the Sand Martin bank..think about the logistics of moving it to the newly cleared southern bank of the Broadmeadow.
* In late March clear islands and grasslands around Amy's Marsh/ Broadmeadow.
*A fox fence will be placed across the southern end of the recently cleared Lagoon spit.
** If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on other tasks at the MOORS I may have overlooked let me know.

FLASHES
*coppicing willows in and around the Hen Brook Triangle north of 1st Flash. This will minimise the 'enclosed aspect' in this area and maintain the open vista so vital to waders.
*trim the hedgerow to south of avocet hide..this will improve views of this productive passerine habitat. At present a relatively close large clump of bramble is obscuring views of the majority of the hedgerow.
*check and repair the peripheral fox fencing.
*strim the grassland in front of both the main hide and cuckoo hide to improve habitat for waders.
*tweak any of the contractors work that is necessary.
Again anything I may have omitted let me know
John:t:

 

[Rob Williams]

Highlight on Day 1

Well worth visiting this lunchtime. Highlight was undoubtedly was the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker seen in the trees opposite the double-decker bus on the Sailing Pool. Tremendous start to the year.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Well worth visiting this lunchtime. Highlight was undoubtedly was the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker seen in the trees opposite the double-decker bus on the Sailing Pool. Tremendous start to the year.

Well done - always a tricky bird at Upton Warren

 

[Peregrine Trousers]

First visit of the year yielded 47 sp. for #PWC2018, but nothing of note... didn't hear about LSW until 3pm!

Moors...

Cormorant (35)
Pochard (c20)
Kingfisher (1)
Herring Gull (1)
GC Grebe (4 on SP)

Flashes...

Snipe (2)
Lapwing (c550)
Teal (c40)
Stock Dove (6)
Starling (20)

 

[Rob Williams]

First visit of the year yielded 47 sp. for #PWC2018, but nothing of note... didn't hear about LSW until 3pm!

Moors...

Cormorant (35)
Pochard (c20)
Kingfisher (1)
Herring Gull (1)
GC Grebe (4 on SP)

Flashes...

Snipe (2)
Lapwing (c550)
Teal (c40)
Stock Dove (6)
Starling (20)

Unfortunately I didn't see it until 12.55 and didn't see a book in any of the hides.

 

[upstarts1979]

Unfortunately I didn't see it until 12.55 and didn't see a book in any of the hides.

While on the subject new log books have been put in East hide Moors and Avocet hide Flashes. The log books in all The other hides will be replaced asap. Although many people view this forum and our individual Twitter sites ,there are still many people who still totally depend on the Log books. So if you are visiting the reserve could you enter all wetland birds and counts as well as the unusual species.. B john
ps it also helps us collate records for the annual report's.

 

[Phil Andrews]

The first day of the year saw a total of 70 species recorded with a few easy ones (Greylag Goose, Nuthatch, Jay, Collared Dove, House Sparrow, Wigeon, Jack Snipe, Feral Pigeon) yet to be added.

 

[Phil Andrews]

This morning at the Flashes Dave J reports:

Barn Owl, 2 Green Sandpiper, 10 Curlew, 4 Snipe, 484 Lapwing, 12 Redpoll.

Roost was 350 BH Gull and 6 LBBG

 

[Phil Andrews]

This morning at the Flashes Dave J reports:

Barn Owl, 2 Green Sandpiper, 10 Curlew, 4 Snipe, 484 Lapwing, 12 Redpoll.

Roost was 350 BH Gull and 6 LBBG

New for the year - #71 - Green Sandpiper

 

[Phil Andrews]

Whooper Swan still at the Moors Pool as per JTB and Little Gret - also Collared Dove (new for the year #72).

 

[Phil Andrews]

Blackcap on the east side of the Moors Pool as per Lloyd E - #73 for the year.

 

[PeterE]

The work Parties will commence from Tuesday 9th January at the MOORS.
The work schedule will be varied and also we will be carrying out tasks at the FLASHES.
The work includes :-
*Clearing around the periphery of the car park where the bramble is encroaching.
*Dead hedging along the North Moors trail at the car park side where the recent snow has collapsed the old hedge.
*Complete the scrub management at the NW and NE corners of the North Moors.
*Repair viewing screens at north end of North Moors
*Install 'gull posts in the open water of the North Moors pool.
*Clear some reed mace in front of the new hide where we will also plant 'juncus' (soft rush) in the shallows - this will provide cover for water rail and snipe once it becomes established.
*Strim and 'open up the Secret Garden and the extension.
*Lay a section of hedge along the west track of Moors.
*Remove willows from within reed beds.
*Remove willows from the SW Marsh islands.
*Strim the west side of the Broadmeadow pool this will improve views of the Lagoon and the newly cut spit in that area.
*Repair the old sluice that is leaking
*Retrieve Tern rafts for Refurbishment and relaunch in late Spring
*Repair stock fencing in SW Marsh.
* Clear around the Sand Martin bank..think about the logistics of moving it to the newly cleared southern bank of the Broadmeadow.
* In late March clear islands and grasslands around Amy's Marsh/ Broadmeadow.
*A fox fence will be placed across the southern end of the recently cleared Lagoon spit.
** If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on other tasks at the MOORS I may have overlooked let me know.

FLASHES
*coppicing willows in and around the Hen Brook Triangle north of 1st Flash. This will minimise the 'enclosed aspect' in this area and maintain the open vista so vital to waders.
*trim the hedgerow to south of avocet hide..this will improve views of this productive passerine habitat. At present a relatively close large clump of bramble is obscuring views of the majority of the hedgerow.
*check and repair the peripheral fox fencing.
*strim the grassland in front of both the main hide and cuckoo hide to improve habitat for waders.
*tweak any of the contractors work that is necessary.
Again anything I may have omitted let me know
John:t:

No one could accuse you of lacking ambition, John.

My only concern is the placing of posts for gulls in the North Moors Pool as these could threaten the chicks of smaller birds there. I know that Phil thought that the many perching points at the Flashes allowed the buzzard to predate young waders.

Peter

 

[upstarts1979]

No one could accuse you of lacking ambition, John.

My only concern is the placing of posts for gulls in the North Moors Pool as these could threaten the chicks of smaller birds there. I know that Phil thought that the many perching points at the Flashes allowed the buzzard to predate young waders.

Peter

Good point Peter open for discussion 👍👍

 

[upstarts1979]

Today at Reserve

MOORS
Little grebe. Whooper swan. Mute Swan 3. Cormorant 26. Shoveler 11. Teal 35. Gadwall 2. Pochard 23. Tufted 10.
Coot 140. Water rail.
Snipe. Curlew 10.
Great spotted w 2. Stock dove 2. Collared dove 3.
Cetti's 2. Redpoll.

NORTH MOORS
Little egret. Grey heron. Mute Swan. Cormorant. Coot. Kingfisher. Cetti's.

SAILING POOL
GCG 7. Tufted 24. Coot 42.

FLASHES
Teal 35. Grey heron
Snipe 8. Green sand 2. Lapwing 450+
BHG 200 roosted with a single LBBG
Buzzard 2
BARN OWL appeared from the south at 4.28pm
Redwing 2. Fieldfare 15. Starling 3.

 

[Woodchat]

Grey Partidge record

........
2012 - one was in the A38 fields on the 13th April. The annual report stated at the time that there was no captive breeding at Lifestyles and this was therefore recorded as a wild bird....

Sorry Phil - but this has been bugging me since I first read it.

Surely, as far as any official documentation is concerned, the highest status that can be attributed to this record is 'origin uncertain' or similar. To my mind, assuming it was a wild bird suggests a lack of rigour in its assessment.

Did anyone make any wider enquiries at the time?

IMO, the suggestion of any Grey Partridge records at UW in the last 20 years (or more) being of truly wild origin is a bit fanciful - but that's just my opinion.

 

[John Layj]

The first day of the year saw a total of 70 species recorded with a few easy ones (Greylag Goose, Nuthatch, Jay, Collared Dove, House Sparrow, Wigeon, Jack Snipe, Feral Pigeon) yet to be added.

Maybe someone could help me with House Sparrow, which definitely isn't an Upton "easy one" for me. I also think a number of us struggled with Nuthatch for the patch list in 2017.

 

[Phil Andrews]

From the Moors Pool this morning Des reports;

Whooper Swan, 10 Curlew, Shelduck; Little Egret over the North Moors

 

[Spoonbill Finder]

Maybe someone could help me with House Sparrow, which definitely isn't an Upton "easy one" for me. I also think a number of us struggled with Nuthatch for the patch list in 2017.

House Sparrow is not an "easy one" for me either! I haven't seen one on the reserve since June 2015, when I found a bird in the car park at the Sailing Pool. I think most of the sightings last year were of a family party frequenting the Moors Pool feeding station during the summer. Alas, I failed to connect. I have also seen them in the past from the East hide at the Moors Pool, on the wires to the left of the hide.

After seeing and hearing Nuthatch many times during 2017 - all in or near to the garden adjacent to the East track at the Moors Pool - I also failed to connect with that particular species on the reserve last year.

Undoubtedly there will be sightings of both House Sparrow and Nuthatch in 2018. But, then again you would have expected someone to have seen a Goldeneye at Upton Warren last year! :t: