Piccalilli
Steve Pick
Looks like it's been a good day at Middleton today. unfortunately my 4 hours tonight only returned 1 Green Sandpiper, single Pintail and 3 GWE in the roost again.
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RSPB Middleton Lakes (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter JHDraytonbassettpits
- Start date
geoffw1946
Well-known member
Yes, I see two year ticks reported per Twitter, Redstart and Curlew Sandpiper takes list to 158.
geoffw1946
Well-known member
This afternoon was my first visit for October and managed 59 species highlights being 1 Great White Egret, 8 Egyptian Geese, 2 Shelduck, 1 hybrid Ruddy Shelduck, 1 Pintail, 1 Peregrine, 1 Golden Plover flew into JWs, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flew out of tree in farm paddock, 18 Swallow, 2 House Martin and 2 Cetti's Warbler singing.
Yesterday I checked out the new hide at Upton Warren, they now have 7 on their small reserve, this one paid for by Tesco and 5p plastic bag charges I believe. Why can't we have at least one hide overlooking Jubilee Wetlands?
Yesterday I checked out the new hide at Upton Warren, they now have 7 on their small reserve, this one paid for by Tesco and 5p plastic bag charges I believe. Why can't we have at least one hide overlooking Jubilee Wetlands?
geoffw1946
Well-known member
Not much change today, best being 1 Great White Egret, 1 Pintail, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Green Sandpiper and 2 Stonechat at north end of JWs.
geoffw1946
Well-known member
2 Great White Egret briefly today on JWs but one seen off by the regular. 1 Water Rail by the feeders and 4 Coal Tit on feeders, 1 Stonechat, 4 Raven together.
8 Egyptian Geese, 1 Mandarin Duck NP and a Snipe were reported.
8 Egyptian Geese, 1 Mandarin Duck NP and a Snipe were reported.
Piccalilli
Steve Pick
Tonight. Cracking drake Mandarin on the river - completely out of eclipse. About 500 yards upstream of the bridge viewed from the waterski side. Wouldn't come out the trees for a photo though. On JW Pintail and 4 Stonechat (2m, 2f) between the screens. Just the 2 GWE in the roost with 22 Little Egret. Not a wader on the reserve not even a Lapwing.
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geoffw1946
Well-known member
The 2 Great White Egret were still around (1 JWs and 1 NP), 7 Egyptian Geese between JWs and NP (SA had 15 later), on JWs were 1 Dunlin and 1 Greenshank. Other highlights were 1 Snipe, 1 Swallow, 3 Stonechat, 1 Redwing, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Tit between FMP and canal and 1 Redpoll.
SteveAtkinson
Well-known member
The Egyptian Geese flew south towards KWP about 3pm in two flocks of 7 & 8. Two of them were Juveniles. I don't recall seeing that many on Middleton before, what are previous numbers like Geoff? Also a lone female Goosander on the river.
geoffw1946
Well-known member
I don't recall any large numbers, the most I've seen were 2.
Not much change today best being 2 Great White Egret, 12+ Egyptian Geese, 1 Pintail, 2 Snipe and 1 Kingfisher HL, a passage of Skylarks in groups of 2s and 3s and 6 Stonechat around JWs.
geoffw1946
Well-known member
Not much happening, 1 Great White Egret, 15 Egyptian Geese and 6 Stonechat still.
geoffw1946
Well-known member
A flyover Hawfinch per KT puts the year list up to 159.
All I managed today were a Great White Egret and a Stonechat.
All I managed today were a Great White Egret and a Stonechat.
SteveAtkinson
Well-known member
There's a new blog covering Middleton Lakes and the other Tame Valley sites. It's called Mercian Birding. Here's a link http://mercianbirding.blogspot.co.uk/
Got to say a big thank you to Tom Perrins for his Tame Valley Birding blog that's kept so many of us informed for so long though.
Got to say a big thank you to Tom Perrins for his Tame Valley Birding blog that's kept so many of us informed for so long though.
Some very poor photos of a raptor which was sat on top of a pile of recently-cut vegetation outside the hide around 11am this morning. It stayed put for some time, even when much of the other birdlife was flushed by the arrival of a work party.
A couple who were in the hide with me said they'd seen it on other visits and thought it was a Sparrowhawk, but it looked too small to me. I thought it was possibly a juvenile Kestrel, but looking at photos online suggests it's more likely to be a female Merlin? If it is, that's the second one I've seen in three days, after a male at Earlswood on Wednesday.
Perhaps not obvious that the tail was strongly barred. No obvious yellow eye either.
Help appreciated. Apologies for the quality of the photos - the camera on my phone is crap and I don't have an adaptor for my scope.
A couple who were in the hide with me said they'd seen it on other visits and thought it was a Sparrowhawk, but it looked too small to me. I thought it was possibly a juvenile Kestrel, but looking at photos online suggests it's more likely to be a female Merlin? If it is, that's the second one I've seen in three days, after a male at Earlswood on Wednesday.
Perhaps not obvious that the tail was strongly barred. No obvious yellow eye either.
Help appreciated. Apologies for the quality of the photos - the camera on my phone is crap and I don't have an adaptor for my scope.
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In addition to the raptor above:
Great White Egret x 2 (one on North Pit, one on JW)
Before the work party arrived, there was a GWE, a Little Egret and a Grey Heron stood next to each other on one of the islands.
Egyptian Goose x 2 on Dosthill
Large numbers of Wigeon, Teal and Gadwall, sprinkled with Pochard and Shoveler
By mid-morning, there were 20+ Cormorant dotted around JW
Water Rail x 2 along the reedbed by the feeders as I arrived, and then another along the river bank.
Snipe x 2 on JW with a small flock of Lapwing. Further Snipe flushed by the work party on North Pit.
Conservatively 4 pairs of Stonechat at various points around JW.
Several Redwing and two Green Woodpeckers along the canal south of Fishers Mill.
Sparrowhawk over Fishers Mill around 9am.
Several large groups of Woodpigeon flew over heading south. The largest was 100+ birds.
Great White Egret x 2 (one on North Pit, one on JW)
Before the work party arrived, there was a GWE, a Little Egret and a Grey Heron stood next to each other on one of the islands.
Egyptian Goose x 2 on Dosthill
Large numbers of Wigeon, Teal and Gadwall, sprinkled with Pochard and Shoveler
By mid-morning, there were 20+ Cormorant dotted around JW
Water Rail x 2 along the reedbed by the feeders as I arrived, and then another along the river bank.
Snipe x 2 on JW with a small flock of Lapwing. Further Snipe flushed by the work party on North Pit.
Conservatively 4 pairs of Stonechat at various points around JW.
Several Redwing and two Green Woodpeckers along the canal south of Fishers Mill.
Sparrowhawk over Fishers Mill around 9am.
Several large groups of Woodpigeon flew over heading south. The largest was 100+ birds.
paulthomas
Well-known member
I've often seen a Kestrel sitting on one those piles. Often it's down one side keeping out of the wind. I saw the same behaviour last year which makes me wonder if it's the same bird.
Thanks Paul.
There was little wind this morning, so it was sat on the top of the pile.
The more I look at photos online, the more sure I am that it was a female Merlin. I can't find any photos of female or juvenile Kestrels with plumage as dark as this bird, nor with a white band around the neck as extensive as this bird. On the other hand, I can find plenty of photos of similar-looking female Merlins.
For example:
http://www.gobirding.eu/Images/Raptors/Falcons/Merlin/Merlin, Colliford Lake, 23-Nov-13 (3) L.JPG
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/falconiformes/faucon-emerillon/faucon-emerillon-female-aa2.jpg
http://www.ianandhelen.co.uk/Female-Merlin.jpg
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
I could live with that being a Merlin although it looks more like a male?
geoffw1946
Well-known member
I agree it does look a bit like a Merlin.
I haven't visited Midd Lakes since Monday as I've rejoined the WMBC and been checking out Belvide, it seems much better than my last visit 15 years ago, plenty of hides too.
The Midd Lakes year list is now on 160 with the addition of 11 Whooper Swan on the 18/10 per RSPB.
Thanks Phil.
Not obvious from my photos, but the wing feathers are a dark brown (rather than the greyer tones of the male?) and what I could see of the front of the bird was lacking the orange wash.
rollingthunder
Well-known member
It looks like a young male Merlin to my eyes - the proportions and delicate beak/head/eye are distinct enough:t:
Laurie -
Laurie -
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