RSPB Middleton Lakes (3 Viewers)

geoffw1946 · Jun 21, 2011

First visit for over a week but water levels were fairly high on the north pit and everything is getting overgrown, however there were still a few Redshank, Oystercatcher, LRP and Ringed Plover including a brood of 3 which were only a few days old, one of which nearly drowned when it fell through the blanket weed it was walking on, after a while and with some encouragement from it's parents it managed to get back to the beach.
Other notes of interest were several small frogs on the move from there breeding ponds and a few Ringlet butterflies on the wing.
On the way out I spoke to Alan Dean who said he'd just had a 2nd calendar year Caspian Gull on the new reed bed pool, a photo is on his excellent web site.

geoffw1946 · Jun 23, 2011

Nothing unusual to report over the last two days but there are plenty of young birds around including 2 broods of Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Dunnock, Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit and Coal Tit. A Jay was on the feeders.

geoffw1946 · Jun 27, 2011

Today things were picking up after the recent lull. There was a Greenshank on the north pit and 2 Green Sandpipers on hall lake, other waders were 3 Redshank, 2 Oystercatcher and 1 LRP. The pair of Ringed Plover and 3 chicks looked much stronger after 6 days.
A Hobby was hunting dragonflies, there was a pair of Greylag geese with 4 goslings and I saw a Barn Owl at last.
Not much to report from the last few days apart from a juvenile Peregrine and Grasshopper Warbler singing again.
It was sad to hear that one of the old Longhorn cattle had been put down.
Geoff

geoffw1946 · Jun 28, 2011

The heatwave didn't last long,today was quite cool and had an autumnal feeling to it especially as passage has started.
A brown ruffed Ruff festooned with many colour rings was on the north pit, two Greenshank were now there and a Curlew called but couldn't be located. There were 5 Green Sandpiper on the hall lake as I left.
Good to see that the Redshank had bred OK with two chicks on Fishers Mill Pool.
Three Shoveler flew in and a Yellow Wagtail landed in the adjacent corn field.

geoffw1946 · Jun 29, 2011

A Wood Sandpiper was new in as was the Ruff, this one had a black ruff and got less rings on it's legs. A Greenshank was still here, there was a total of 5 Green Sandpipers with 4 at Hall Lake and 1 at north pit.
A Hobby checked out the young Swallows by the farm and a Red-legged Partridge was only the second I've seen here in two years.
It was good to see so many juvenile birds,including 4 Kestrels, 2 Barn Owls and a Mediterranean Gull.

geoffw1946 · Jun 30, 2011

It's getting really difficult to see any waders on the north pit at the moment with the weeds so tall, I would have missed 5 Black-tailed Godwit that were out in the middle of the pit if I hadn't gone back for a second look. Apart from them all I saw was 2 Green Sandpipers plus another 3 at Hall Lake.
A Hobby was hunting over Fishers Mill Pool.

rollingthunder · Jul 1, 2011

Sorry to be a stickler Geoff - was the Med Gull a juvenile bird too?

Probably coming up Sunday if i can persuade somebody to drive, petrol being what it is!

All the best -

Laurie -

geoffw1946 · Jul 1, 2011

Hi Laurie, It was a juvenile and it did have an adult with it, but I don't believe it bred on the reserve.
Geoff

upstarts1979 · Jul 1, 2011

rollingthunder said:
Sorry to be a stickler Geoff - was the Med Gull a juvenile bird too?

Probably coming up Sunday if i can persuade somebody to drive, petrol being what it is!

All the best -

Laurie -

Get a bike Laurie8-P I did reply to you on the UK 400 thread but they took off any small talk as they did with your post. A good laugh though cu at Upton soon eh. Oh and keep up the good work Geoff read all your posts any chance of some photos of the habitat, you know me I love wetlands, try and get there myself soon
John

geoffw1946 · Jul 1, 2011

upstarts1979 said:
any chance of some photos of the habitat, you know me I love wetlands, try and get there myself soon
John

Hi John, I'm not into photography and wouldn't know how to put them on the forum if I did. Perhaps someone else could have a go? I wish we had some habitat like the Upton Warren flashes here, we could do with a decent wader scrape, still early days for the reserve yet.
Look forward to seeing you here.
We have seen 147 species so far this year with 91 recorded in June.
Today waders were scarce with just 2 Green Sandpiper and 1 Redshank on the north pit. 3 Redshank juveniles were on Fishers Mill Pool and a few Lapwing and Ringed Plover chicks were still around.

geoffw1946 · Jul 2, 2011

Cormorant and Teal numbers have built up this week with at least 8 Teal and 6 Cormorant, a Little Egret was my first since March, there was a brood of three LRP and a Cetti's Warbler was singing.

rollingthunder · Jul 3, 2011

John - i am on a bike! - wud pop to UW more frequently if it was'nt 18 freakin' miles away! But at least the very active UW forum means not much gets missed - i wondered where a couple of my posts went! The miserable buggers.....even the 'small' talk is sort of relevant i spent a bit of time Photoshopping this photo of Lee 'The Miaster and his Database' but i thiink it got pulled probably like it will do off of this thread - birding IS supposed to be a bit of a laugh after all..........

BTW - i dont suppose you pushbike from Redbitch to the Warren that often............

ATB 4 now -

Laurie -

rollingthunder · Jul 3, 2011

Geoff - the Med has obviously bred somewhere, would love to know whether it was in the Mids.......

Re your photos........

I presume you have digital whether it is a phone or a camera.

Transfer picture(s) you want to post to your computer - the desktop would be the most convenient location.

Access the thread that you want to post on, type whatever dialogue you are blurbing on about (probably Middleton) - do this on the 'Advanced' option, the one with all the smilies etc -

Scroll down to 'Manage Attachments'

Click 'browse' and select 'desktop' - scroll down to the required image click once on the image and the title will appear and then click open and this will be selected and then click 'upload' and hey presto it will be uploaded to the birdform server then finish yr post with submit reply and that's it:eek!:

As an example i have used an image provided by Interpol of John during his Scillies heyday shortly before a high speed Police pursuit along the cobbled streets of St Marys ca1982.

All the best for now - cant make it up to MH tda due to lack of motorised transport and it's nearly twice the distance than UW so will have to make do with a small pool at Amblecote (Reed Warbler this week which is a mega) and some local fields at West Hagley which the other day produced singing Corn Bunting and strangely a fem-type Yellow Wagtail but no Quail.........OH and some 'liberated' potatoes :eat:

Bi for now catch you for a B

sometime -

Laurie -

rollingthunder · Jul 3, 2011

Having said all that i have managed to balls up the attachment - this should do it.........

geoffw1946 · Jul 3, 2011

Hi Laurie, Thanks for the tips on uploading photos, I might give it a try sometime.
Sorry you couldn't get to Midd Lakes today but don't think you missed much, best I saw was a Common Sandpiper and a family of 4 Jay.
Geoff

geoffw1946 · Jul 12, 2011

My first visit for over a week. Now 2 Little Egret and an early returning Pochard. There were 6 broods of Tufted Duck comprising of 22 ducklings.
Waders included 6 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Ringed Plover, 5 Redshank and 4 Green Sandpiper. There were only 4 Common Tern. 2 young Barn Owls were on show, it looks as though they have been rung recently.
At the feeders was a Gt. Spotted Woodpecker and a now scarce (for here) Greenfinch.

geoffw1946 · Jul 14, 2011

After yesterdays quiet wader day with just a Common Sandpiper new in I was going to go woodland birding,however I spoke to one birder who said he'd just had 2 Dunlin and a Ruff on Fishers Mill Pool so it sounded as though there was a bit of movement on. But that was all it was, apart from them and the usuals there was no other waders on any other pool even though the new reed bed pool looks great with plenty of mud now showing.
Highlights were 4 newly fledged Barn Owl watched leaving the nestbox and flying from branch to branch, it would have made a good photo.
There were 3 Green Sandpiper on Hall Pool.

geoffw1946 · Jul 15, 2011

Afternoon visit but too warm for the full route so just did Fishers Mill Pool.
A Greenshank was new in,there were still 2 Dunlin, 4 Redshank including 2 juveniles, 3 LRP and 1 Little Egret.
Saw my first Gatekeeper butterflies of the year.

geoffw1946 · Jul 16, 2011

Highlight this afternoon was hearing a Quail singing from the corn field by Fishers Mill Pool. I did notice that a lot of the local hay fields have been cut today, so maybe that's whats brought it in. I suppose many broods get killed this time of year. It does appear to have been a good Quail year although I've only heard two.
After this mornings rain I was hoping that some waders would have dropped in but all I saw was a Common Sandpiper, the two Dunlin were still on FM Pool as was the Little Egret.

rollingthunder · Jul 17, 2011

I've just seen you post on UW re the hide Geoff - 50Grand! - my God, that's a lot of hide. Whereabouts will it be sited?

Laurie -

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