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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Upton Warren (19 Viewers)

Winter swans

Hi Mark,

The last record was on December 9th 2002 (which I think was on the deck at the Flashes), so another is well overdue!

Brian
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Birding Today

I can confirm that the last Bewick's record was a single bird on the Sailing Pool on the 9th December 2002, seen by Paul Anstis (not 2001 as stated in opus - apologises!). This species has become very scarce with just two records in the last 15 years. Since the last Bewick's record there have now been four records of Whooper Swan (2007, 2010 and two records in 2011), traditionally the rarest of the swans.

It would be interesting to know how Bewick numbers have varied at Slimbridge over the last 20 years.
 
keep your eyes open for bittern Sy. i was looking in my last years diary this morning and see that i saw one on 22 October at the moors last year. Any time now then. I shall be at Moors early on Monday as i am off to Blacktoft Sands. Happy snapping Dennis
 
Mark/John

I'll be over the East Moors first thing. It's the only place to get the low autumnal sun behind the camera.

Just seen your message, I wondered why you weren't at the Flashes first thing.
The water in the new central channel and extension is holding up well.
Strangely though the large deep pond we dug is now full of water:eek!:
B :)John
 
The Flashes today

Early start at 7.05am on the Flashes barely light. Checked out the mud flats in the hope that a wader may have dropped in but alas not today:-C
So no excuses, VIS MIG it was. Spent an hour out the back of the hide or by the bench. Then the second hour in the hide looking south along the hedges.
The strong SE wind was a bit chilly and this was reflected in the slow start but by 8am birds started appearing.
First were the large Gulls, presumably moving from their northern roosts (Bartley/Bittell),. Of the 400 or so Gulls 120ish were Herring the rest LBB's. Small groups of Meadow pipits totalled no more than 10 ( with most feeding around the Flashes before moving off). Interestingly three groups of linnets paused to drink in the new 'central' pools they totalled 25. Other species were Skylark 5, Redpoll 19, Fieldfare c70, Redwing 6, Yellowhammer 2, Grey Wag, Pied Wag 3, Starling 20 and small numbers of chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, reed bunting. The most numerous species was wood pigeon - it is hard to say for certain if these birds were all migrants but there were some large groups moving south, totalling 400+. By 10.30 the whole thing was over.
Also on the Flashes were Teal 8 flying over, Curlew 26, Lapwing 40+, Green Sand, BHG c200, green and great spotted woodpeckers. Peregrine, Buzzard 3, sparrowhawk, Raven, jay, jackdaw 100+ and goldcrest
The pm session added: Kestrel and stock dove, there was a good total of 1st winter blackbirds (10+), song thrush and a male Kestrel rare at present.
 
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This afternoon was the first time down I had been down at Upton in over 3.5 weeks for one reason or another.

I was really encouraged to see the changes and work put into to the reserve by the work parties (and the Trust) even in this short space of time - the hedge laying by the Moors car park, scrub management by the concrete hide, path improvements to the East Hide, the habitat management by the Moors' over-flow channel and the island creation / channel digging / desilting at the Flashes. Birding-wise:

MOORS POOL
19 Shoveler, 40 Teal, 3 GC Grebe, 1 Little Grebe, 15 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 19 Tufted Duck, 8 Greylag Geese, 217 Coot, 6 Mute Swan, 190 Canada Geese, Grey Wagtail over, 2+ Snipe, 2 Herring Gulls, 3 LBB Gull, Kingfisher, several Buzzards soaring the SE winds.

FLASHES
7 Moorhen, 24 Curlew, flock of 6+ Pied Wagtail over.
 
Just a few things to add to Phil's sightings at the Moors are: - Little Grebe 3,
One very obvious feature about today was the presence of Goldcrests in most of the thick scrubby areas. Also mistle thrush, treecreeper and a water rail in north moors.
Today there were at least 65 species on the reserve
 
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Another tip worth mentioning is to check out the flocks of more common passerines at the moment. I had what for all intents and purposes was a bunch of Goldfinches in the Larches along the track to the East Moors hide. On further inspection though I discovered a Lesser Redpoll and first CY Male Siskin feeding happily in amongst them. Unfortunately, I'd inadvertantly changed some camera settings and the resultant pictures are poor records to say the least.

Here are a couple of photos from the East Hide...
 

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I then left Dave J and Mark (who, as always it was good to see) in the hide and finished off the morning in the concrete hide where, there was little going on bar a couple of fly pasts by the Kingfishers, and an intrusion into the hide by a Wren!
I tried a bit of Gull bashing but only managed to confuse myself completely...

The first, I think is a 2CY Herring Gull.
Numbers 2, 3 and 4 are the same bird. I reckon it's a 1CY bird and I think it's a Herring Gull again (going on its mottled rump and thinking that on a similar aged LBBG the rump would be whiter). But I'm really not sure.
I think number 5 is a (sub adult) 4CY LBBG.

Be gentle with your ridicule, guys!
 

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I then left Dave J and Mark (who, as always it was good to see) in the hide and finished off the morning in the concrete hide where, there was little going on bar a couple of fly pasts by the Kingfishers, and an intrusion into the hide by a Wren!
I tried a bit of Gull bashing but only managed to confuse myself completely...

The first, I think is a 2CY Herring Gull.
Numbers 2, 3 and 4 are the same bird. I reckon it's a 1CY bird and I think it's a Herring Gull again (going on its mottled rump and thinking that on a similar aged LBBG the rump would be whiter). But I'm really not sure.
I think number 5 is a (sub adult) 4CY LBBG.

Be gentle with your ridicule, guys!

Keep snapping away Sy - you'll eventually capture the first Caspian Gull for the reserve that the rest of us have overlooked.

PS Which of the caravans at Lydiate Ash is yours?? :-O
 
T**t! They are about 200metres as the crow flies from my house! Needless to say the field gates are double-chained at the moment!
 
Talking of VIS MIG. this is Steve Nuttall's sightings for yesterday
interesting to note similar species but we have fewer birds.
Belvide:-
A Vis Mig watch off the dam between 0745-0945hrs produced 3216 Wood Pigeon, 8 Stock Dove, 787 Starling, 238 Fieldfare, 64 Redwing, 25 Siskin, 2 Redpoll, 71 Chaffinch, 17 Greenfinch, 12 Linnet, 19 Goldfinch, 1 Bullfinch, 3 Reed Bunting, 18 Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit.
Steves blog can be found here and is one of my top 6 sites, updated daily.' http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/Belvide84/

Upton - yesterday
VIS MIG it was. Spent an hour out the back of the hide or by the bench. Then the second hour in the hide looking south along the hedges.
The strong SE wind was a bit chilly and this was reflected in the slow start but by 8am birds started appearing.
. Of the 400 or so Gulls 120ish were Herring the rest LBB's. Small groups of Meadow pipits 10 in total.
Three groups of linnets totalled 25.
Skylark 5, Redpoll 19, Fieldfare c70, Redwing 6, Yellowhammer 2, Grey Wag, Pied Wag 3, Starling 20 and small numbers of chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, reed bunting. The most numerous species was wood pigeon - groups moving south, totalling 400+. By 10.30 the whole thing was over.
 
Talking of VIS MIG. this is Steve Nuttall's sightings for yesterday
interesting to note similar species but we have fewer birds.
Belvide:-
A Vis Mig watch off the dam between 0745-0945hrs produced 3216 Wood Pigeon, 8 Stock Dove, 787 Starling, 238 Fieldfare, 64 Redwing, 25 Siskin, 2 Redpoll, 71 Chaffinch, 17 Greenfinch, 12 Linnet, 19 Goldfinch, 1 Bullfinch, 3 Reed Bunting, 18 Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit.
Steves blog can be found here and is one of my top 6 sites, updated daily.' http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/Belvide84/

Upton - yesterday
VIS MIG it was. Spent an hour out the back of the hide or by the bench. Then the second hour in the hide looking south along the hedges.
The strong SE wind was a bit chilly and this was reflected in the slow start but by 8am birds started appearing.
. Of the 400 or so Gulls 120ish were Herring the rest LBB's. Small groups of Meadow pipits 10 in total.
Three groups of linnets totalled 25.
Skylark 5, Redpoll 19, Fieldfare c70, Redwing 6, Yellowhammer 2, Grey Wag, Pied Wag 3, Starling 20 and small numbers of chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, reed bunting. The most numerous species was wood pigeon - groups moving south, totalling 400+. By 10.30 the whole thing was over.
Hi John,
Those were todays sightings. At times you need eyes in the back of your head, as birds can be pouring through, especially Wood Pigeons. It's beneficial to have 2-3 birders counting.

Cheers Steve:t:
 
Hi John,
Those were todays sightings. At times you need eyes in the back of your head, as birds can be pouring through, especially Wood Pigeons. It's beneficial to have 2-3 birders counting.

Cheers Steve:t:

Thanks for that Steve:t:..looks like I need a bit of help on the VIS mig if I can't even get the day right8-P
To be fair yesterday Dave J was on the east Moors looking west and I was at the Flashes looking north and east.B :)John
 
Random stuff

Today a female Brambling at the Moors.

non bird news: yesterday comma, red admiral, migrant hawker - still a good few about and this darter sp (any idea Des or anyone else)


Depth marker, We put a depth marker in the North moors last week it shows at 0.4. This equates to 0.4 metres, of this .1 (4 inches or 10cm) is mud and the rest 0.3 ( 1 foot or 30cm is water) Strangely this level is shallower than the reeds in front of the hide.

Feeding station at Moors
The tall feeding table has been moved to the concrete hide. This will enable any disabled birders and photographers get pics of garden birds

B :)John
 

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Any news on when the hide at the Flashes is going to be replaced?

Hopefully we might get some rain today / tomorrow. Everywhere is so dry. At Whitacre Heath, some of the pools are meadows now, and at Marsh Lane, the Car Park Pool has almost dried up too. No wonder there are no waders around - nothing to wade in!
 
When I was at the Trust a week ago, they were awaiting written planning approval, but things may have moved on in the last seven days.
 
Nipped down for a session between 1 and 4. The Flashes was desperate with only redpoll noteworthy
At the Moors
Little grebe 2, GCG 5, Shoveler 22, Teal 46, Pochard 3 - new in.
Snipe 2, Common Gull 2 1st Winters, Kingfisher, Great sp Woodp 2, Green Woodp
still lots of dragonflies
B :)John
 
Nipped down for a session between 1 and 4. The Flashes was desperate with only redpoll noteworthy
At the Moors
Little grebe 2, GCG 5, Shoveler 22, Teal 46, Pochard 3 - new in.
Snipe 2, Common Gull 2 1st Winters, Kingfisher, Great sp Woodp 2, Green Woodp
still lots of dragonflies
B :)John

Spent the morning at The Warren but nothing much to add other than a Yellowhammer and 20 Greylags over at the Flashes. I had a good snooze in the hide though.8-P
 

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