• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Upton Warren (25 Viewers)

Moors 17:15 - 17:30

This barnacle goose spent a lot of time kipping on the west end of Pool Island, but eventually deigned to follow the masses of Canadas onto the water.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7882a.jpg
    IMG_7882a.jpg
    233.1 KB · Views: 79
  • IMG_7896a.jpg
    IMG_7896a.jpg
    204.2 KB · Views: 68
Moors 17:50 - 16:04

The jack snipe showed itself very briefly when we first arrived and immediately disappeared. As the sun moved around different parts of snipe island became clearer and ....lo and behold....

1 out in the open
2 "I seem to be digging a hole for myself"
3 & 4 are poor but show the head and face pattern well, also the mantle

5 A gentle sunset after a very wet morning
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7927a.jpg
    IMG_7927a.jpg
    205.9 KB · Views: 115
  • IMG_7914a.jpg
    IMG_7914a.jpg
    205.3 KB · Views: 112
  • IMG_7910a.jpg
    IMG_7910a.jpg
    214.1 KB · Views: 102
  • IMG_7911a.jpg
    IMG_7911a.jpg
    193.2 KB · Views: 101
  • IMG_7940a.jpg
    IMG_7940a.jpg
    88.6 KB · Views: 99
Jack and Common Snipe

A picture from Tuesday 15 October of the Jack and Common together, showing size and head marking differences.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_30703cropa.jpg
    IMG_30703cropa.jpg
    710.2 KB · Views: 186
Moors 17:50 - 16:04

The jack snipe showed itself very briefly when we first arrived and immediately disappeared. As the sun moved around different parts of snipe island became clearer and ....lo and behold....

1 out in the open
2 "I seem to be digging a hole for myself"
3 & 4 are poor but show the head and face pattern well, also the mantle

5 A gentle sunset after a very wet morning

Captures the atmosphere brilliantly. I think we can forget that these birds are the skullkiest of all the waders. Is there such a word8-P
 
A picture from Tuesday 15 October of the Jack and Common together, showing size and head marking differences.

A great ID guide. The black central crown on the jack appears narrower than normal. This could be be that the bird is alert and raised its eyes forcing the yellow lateral crown stripe' upwards , which in turn has narrowed the black area.
 
Last edited:
Plenty of birds at the Moors tonight. Lots of snipe milling around plus the Jack was still there. The Barnacle Goose was still among the Canada's and there were two Kingfishers around all evening and also a Water Rail running around in front of the East Hide.
 
Last edited:
Grey Plover

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola

Although this high arctic breeder from western Siberia is often numerous on our coasts in the winter, it remains a scarce and irregular visitor, seen only occasionally in spring and autumn passage in the West Midlands area, to and from its main wintering grounds in west Africa. Upton Warren has had 30 records involving 35 birds, averaging just over one record a year since its first occurrence on the 28th April 1978. The second record occurred the following day but the third took a further seven years. Despite being recorded nearly 30 times, there is only one multiple record of Grey Plover, six birds that arrived near dusk on 7th October 1991 at the Flashes and had departed by first light the following morning, part of a distinct passage of overland birds at the time. The series of six records in 1988 related to mainly fly-over sightings, with the birds rarely settling on the reserve. Autumn 1995 through to autumn 1999 saw an incredible series of records with sightings in five consecutive years, with a total of ten birds recorded.

As with most wader species, Grey Plover shows a distinct spring and autumn passage. Spring movement occurs between April and early June, with peak occurrence in late May. Autumn passage is much more prolonged, lasting between late September and December, with a strong peak of records in October. The earliest record was a bird seen at the Flashes on the 3rd March 1991 whilst the latest was a fly-over record at the Flashes on the 31st December 1995. A number of records have involved adult birds in full breeding plumage, such as the ones seen at the Flashes on the 21st May 1996, between the 7th and 8th August 1997 and on the 18th May 1999. Juveniles have also been recorded – on the 21st September 1996 and again on the 24th September 2004, both also at the Flashes.

Grey Plover have been known to mirror the behaviour of Golden Plover and associate with the reserve’s Lapwing flock. After the series of records in the mid to late 1990s Grey Plover has become scarce again at Upton Warren, with just three sightings in the last eight years. The most recent records were of one bird on the Moors Pool on the 31st October 2002, a juvenile at the Flashes on the 24th September 2004, one bird at the Moors Pool on the 8th December 2006 and one with Lapwings on the 29th and 30th August 2008; Saturday's record was therefore the first for over five years. Overall Upton Warren is the second most regularly frequented site in Worcestershire after Upper / Lower Bittell Reservoir.
 

Attachments

  • Grey Plover distrib.jpg
    Grey Plover distrib.jpg
    42.2 KB · Views: 68
  • Grey Plover records.jpg
    Grey Plover records.jpg
    46.4 KB · Views: 58
Last edited:
Live update.
Moors avocet over from flashes. Shoveler 58. Wigeon 2 females. Teal 15. Gadwall 5. . Snipe 45 min. Jack snipe. Pochard 13.
Vis mig. Skylark. Mipits few. Redwing.
 
Two pics taken in front of the new hide at Moors yesterday.
They show a white spot on either side of the upper mandible - or is this just something it has picked up ie a speck of droppings. Just had a quick look through a few recent pics of this species and only one shows it. It would be interesting to know how many individuals there are on site.B :)

I've just came from over the moors and saw two kingfishers, one did have the same white spot on him as the one spotted above.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top