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Upton Warren (23 Viewers)
- Thread starter andythomas
- Start date
Sy V
Well-known member
Gert Corfield
Well-known member
1st w, Little Gull still and Cuckoo flew over East Hide and settled on dead tree by causeway this morning. No Yellow Wagtails - yet.
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Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
Tuesday 8th May
MOORS POOL
Little Gull (first summer). 6 Common Tern, 27 Tufted Duck (19 males, 8 females), 27 Coot, 6 GC Grebe, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Greylag Geese, 2 Cormorant, 4 Moorhen, 2 Jay, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel (been very visible in recent days), 4 Oystercatcher
SAILING POOL
4 GC Grebe, 2 Coot
FLASHES
10 Avocet, 6 LRP, 4 Lapwing, 2 Shelduck, 2 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 10 Coot, 4 Moorhen, 1 Grey Heron, 3 LBB Gull, Rook over, 2 Yellow Wagtail over, Greylag Goose over, Common Gull (seems to have an infection in/around its right eye).
Many Buzzards in the air today with the warmer temperatures and sunshine.
MOORS POOL
Little Gull (first summer). 6 Common Tern, 27 Tufted Duck (19 males, 8 females), 27 Coot, 6 GC Grebe, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Greylag Geese, 2 Cormorant, 4 Moorhen, 2 Jay, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel (been very visible in recent days), 4 Oystercatcher
SAILING POOL
4 GC Grebe, 2 Coot
FLASHES
10 Avocet, 6 LRP, 4 Lapwing, 2 Shelduck, 2 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 10 Coot, 4 Moorhen, 1 Grey Heron, 3 LBB Gull, Rook over, 2 Yellow Wagtail over, Greylag Goose over, Common Gull (seems to have an infection in/around its right eye).
Many Buzzards in the air today with the warmer temperatures and sunshine.
Gert Corfield
Well-known member
Pic of this early mornings Cuckoo at the Moors and a Swift. Strangely the Cuckoo wasn't calling at all. This evening saw about 200 Sand Martins over the Moors and only a few Swallows and Swift.:t:
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upstarts1979
Well-known member
Add to Phil's sighting:
Flashes:Common Tern 2, Herring gull, Rook, mistle thrush
Hen Pool:The cut reed channels in front of the hide, seem to have served two purposes. Not only do they provide good viewing, but they have also created physical divisions between reed warbler territories. Although it is early day's yet, there are definitely more singing birds than last year.
Also from the hide I saw, Coot plus 2 half grown chicks, Moorhen plus 4 very small chicks. Reed warbler 7 singing plus females in tow. Sedge warbler, chiffchaff, blackcap 2 singing, reed bunting pr.
Moors : Whitethroat, garden warbler
Sailing pool lesser whitethroat
Flashes:Common Tern 2, Herring gull, Rook, mistle thrush
Hen Pool:The cut reed channels in front of the hide, seem to have served two purposes. Not only do they provide good viewing, but they have also created physical divisions between reed warbler territories. Although it is early day's yet, there are definitely more singing birds than last year.
Also from the hide I saw, Coot plus 2 half grown chicks, Moorhen plus 4 very small chicks. Reed warbler 7 singing plus females in tow. Sedge warbler, chiffchaff, blackcap 2 singing, reed bunting pr.
Moors : Whitethroat, garden warbler
Sailing pool lesser whitethroat
timmyjones
Well-known member
I'd change my mind on seeing those photos and go with Blue-headed, variation amongst these birds is always going to be huge so assigning them to a specific sub-species is always going to be tricky but given the other features that this bird shows, if I had to put it into a box it would be flava just a bit on the pale side head colour wise.
Also Jason's bird looks pretty dark headed and flava like...
Woodchat
Cogito ergo sum
Hi Tim,
I'm still undecided on this bird. like you say the features are good for flava but the apparent paleness of the head means it's always likely to be controversial. I remember seeing similar-looking birds in Lesvos (amongst a full spectrum of different wagtail races) which, at the time, I assigned to flava, assuming there to be this level of variation amongst the nominate form. I guess it is possible that 'channel' intergrades could migrate through the eastern mediterranean, however.
A difficult one to be 100% sure about. Thanks (to everyone) for the feedback.
forgetfulelephant
Well-known member
Also to add: Hobby at the Moors
forgetfulelephant
Well-known member
Contrary to what you said Gert, I don't see much wrong with the Cuckoo shot. I'd be happy to have shot that (photographically speaking of course
) & the swift's pretty smart too.Rob
Reader
Well-known member
I have only just read this.
Sadly I don't go to UW as often as I would like now I have moved away from Birmingham but I used to go there most weekends and also, when light enough, most weekday nights and fondly remember having many converstaions with Arthur.
A lovely man. He will most definitely be missed.
R.I.P Arthur
John
Sadly I don't go to UW as often as I would like now I have moved away from Birmingham but I used to go there most weekends and also, when light enough, most weekday nights and fondly remember having many converstaions with Arthur.
A lovely man. He will most definitely be missed.
R.I.P Arthur
John
rollingthunder
Well-known member
I am no expert with regard to the Yellow Wag 'complex' - there are plenty of people who are and who have seen endless groups of migrant birds in places like Eilat etc - I have seen the usuals that occur on passage here such as Grey/Blue/Ashy headed types as well as 'resident' birds also 'feldegg' and more recently 'iberiae' types and always exercise caution due to the possiblity of 'hybrids'. I do'nt think anybody really knows that much about hybridisation in the field and i would be more inclined to accept that there will be variation in the plumage and colour tone within a population rather than trying to place every abberant individual. I have just seen a party of over 50 'iberiae' YWags (not here) and there were half a dozen individuals that were paler on the heads but apart from that the other plumage features matched the others. Does this make them 'hybrids'? There has to be a degree of variation and not hybridisation i would have thought. The same could be said for the possible Atlas Flicker altho the feather sent off for DNA will or should reveal all but i ca'nt help thinking that it will take a bit of the magic out of the record to have it clinched (or not) by men in White coats!
My recent trip involved a couple of days in the Middle Atlas and i appeared to be a bit early for Atlas as all i saw were migrant Pieds altho there were calling birds i could'nt nail altho i have seen Iberian Pied in Portugal.
It all leaves me a bit confused - i am still happy to put in my field notes 'a bird showing the characteristics of...........'
Just my thoughts -
Laurie -:t:
My recent trip involved a couple of days in the Middle Atlas and i appeared to be a bit early for Atlas as all i saw were migrant Pieds altho there were calling birds i could'nt nail altho i have seen Iberian Pied in Portugal.
It all leaves me a bit confused - i am still happy to put in my field notes 'a bird showing the characteristics of...........'
Just my thoughts -
Laurie -:t:
Gert Corfield
Well-known member
Contrary to what you said Gert, I don't see much wrong with the Cuckoo shot. I'd be happy to have shot that (photographically speaking of course
Rob
Thanks Rob. I'm loving the 'second birdwatch' when I get home and look at the photos I've taken. Certainly adds another dimension to birding. Thanks for your advice the other evening:t:
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
Just a quick reminder that Arthur Jacobs' funeral will be held at Redditch Crematorium this Friday at 1:15pm.
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
No news of anything today??
Brian Stretch
Well-known member
Hi Phil,
The Little Gull was still on the Moors Pool yesterday per MJI
Brian
___________
Birding Today
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
Thanks Brian - that was its 7th day.
Brian Stretch
Well-known member
upstarts1979
Well-known member
Gavo had a cuckoo at the Moors this morning
