Upton Warren (41 Viewers)

Janner Falcon! · Feb 27, 2014

Yesterday

Then proceeded to the Flashes.
Two pairs of great-crested grebes had their territorial wars in front of the East hide. Yet another battle which involved attempted drowning. The more-or-less resident pair near the East hide retained superiority and the other pair eventually retreated towards the West hide, where we had good views later in the afternoon.

1. Great-crested grebes warring
2. Great-crested grebes bonding
3. Little grebe in smart winter plumage

Phil Andrews · Feb 27, 2014

timmyjones said:
Has anyone got any pics of this bird? Vern has a few on his flickr but it looks an interesting bird so would be interested in seeing a few more pics of it, could show some features of calidus/tundrius! But need more photos to be sure

Hi Tim - any particular shots on Vern's Flickr site that are arousing your interest?

John Sirrett · Feb 27, 2014

Phil Andrews said:
Many thanks for posting the above John - I thought for a second that a Pacemaker was a new set of bins! :eek!: Hope you're well :t:

A picture says a thousand words - nice sketch :clap:

Many thanks Phil: I'm recovering Ok.

On the subject of the Nordic: The only reason I mentioned 1W in my posting was because when I texted Brian and John from the hide I said it was a IW. The reason I said it was a 1W was because the photograph on Google on my phone that I thought our boy looked like was of a IW bird. You will see that I annotated my note at the time 1W. However when I read up on Nordic Jackdaws which were labeled 1W they were so thought to be 1W because of feather wear and signs which they had retained of juvenile plumage - none of which I was in a position to see on our bird. So my references to IW are rubbish.

I also presumed I was looking at a Nordic Jackdaw having missed the debate which had taken place in the hide before my arrival between the Wednesday crew that it was a "Jackdaw showing characteristics of Nordic race". I wasn't feeling great and it was not until I got home and saw the bird described on the forum as a "Jackdaw showing characteristics of Nordic race" that I read up on Nordic Jackdaw and began to appreciate the problems of race overlap interbreeding etc etc and that I was wrong to call the bird a Nordic Jackdaw on the views and information I had. You might say educational all round for me.

Just posted another of my crap photos, the photo I took of the 'Peregrine' last night. It showed some features of juvenile plumage but some features like the face pattern, the extensive pale throat, the pale unmarked feathering around the thighs and lower belly appear distinctly odd?

JS

Phil Andrews · Feb 27, 2014

Have I lent anyone my copy of Tony Clarke & David Collins "A Birdwatchers Guide to the Canary Islands" (yellow cover with picture of Laurel Dove and Bolle's Pigeon)?

keithr · Feb 27, 2014

Janner Falcon! said:
Arrived at Flashes 6.50am and stayed in the Avocet hide until 10:00am
The ten avocets started out as two groups of five, but nipped about incessantly, mostly peacefully but occasionally breaking into vicious arguments.

1. Buzzard in tree by Hobden Hall Farm
2. Very vocal dunnock
3. Peaceful arrival of avocets
4. One minute later - this fracas involving six avocets resulted in attempted drownings and then an attempted mating

Great pics....
Keith :t:

keithr · Feb 28, 2014

keithr said:
Read that there were Pintail here earlier and made a mad dash this morning. ....with lots of U turns and side roads to get around the M 5 problems.
At the East hide I was watching a pair of Gadwall and vaguely hearx someone say something was now flying off....turned out it was the Pintail. .....and I had missed them .A lifer gone then. ....NO....as they apparantly just flew around and back to the left of the west hide.
Thanks to the chap next to me for finding them and telling everyone.
Fantastic birds...especially the Male.
Just the trip to work to nagotiate....and didnt mind thd hold ups on the M5....M6 and M 54.....even got there early and drove past work and got a Male Kestrel with prey....good day I would say......even saw the Shrike earlier.
Keith

Bit late for the pics from Wednesday but there were such a lot to look through....not up to Kingfisher Kids or Janner Falcons but here goes......

keithr · Feb 28, 2014

...few more....

keithr · Feb 28, 2014

...and the last lot.......I probably wont be down for a long time unless something special turns up (one that I have not seen...which is a lot ).

Keith :t:

upstarts1979 · Feb 28, 2014

Phil Andrews said:
Have I lent anyone my copy of Tony Clarke & David Collins "A Birdwatchers Guide to the Canary Islands" (yellow cover with picture of Laurel Dove and Bolle's Pigeon)?

Yes me. But as u keep avoiding me I couldn't give it you back.8-P

PHW · Feb 28, 2014

upstarts1979 said:
only temporary kid, wish it could be everyday.
Phil W did you say you had 2 pairs of Gadwall.:t: john

No John only the 1 pair. Phil.

Woodchat · Feb 28, 2014

Where Bird said:
Phil,
..............

Please, though, may I ask everybody to read what I write and answer the questions I ask - not what you collectively think I ask. A spade in my book remains a spade.|=)|

Regards
Phil E

You can ask - but you might not get! Nobody on this forum has any obligation whatsoever to read your posts or answer your queries - but they have attempted to answer them and have seemingly bent over backwards to accommodate you. However, it seems that you are not satisfied and appear to be getting increasingly stroppy / petulant for some reason.

When you posted earlier about 1945 aerial photos etc. I thought this is old news - why rehash what has already been discussed? Then I saw that your join date on the forum was 2013 so, accordingly, I thought it was only right to cut you some slack.

Maybe you could do likewise and cut other people some slack.

Rest assured that John and the volunteers will continue doing their utmost and will monitor the cattle situation wrt nesting waders / disturbance issues etc. I am glad that I am no longer a warden as I, personally, am not prepared to put up with all the cr@p that they seem to get at times. It is a thankless task.

Janner Falcon! · Feb 28, 2014

Nice GCG sequence Keith - I missed the beak-on-beak bit (pics 5 & 6). Where did bird no.4 go to during this?

Margaret

Where Bird · Feb 28, 2014

Apology

I apologise unreservedly to John and Phil A for upsetting them. It was never intended.

Yet again my inarticulateness has dropped me in it ; what I wrote and what I meant did not come across as the same thing; one reason for not using Facebook or Twitter. And No I am really not egocentric and I am embarrassed at the way that particular sentence reads in the cold light of day.

Had I put myself out and arranged to meet John to discuss my concerns I am sure this would not have got out of hand.

I evidently misunderstood your post to me - the posts around those you mentioned make very interesting reading.

The 1945 / Arthur Jacobs info was put on to inform and even enthuse those newcomers to the site - forum and UW. The forum is for everyone and
sadly is linear; not always easy to search for specifics. Nerdy as I am, along with being grumpy, I have virtually completed the reading of the UW site pages. Most informative.

Let me repeat I have always posted my appreciation of the work of the volunteers.
Enough said.

Phil E

keithr · Feb 28, 2014

Janner Falcon! said:
Nice GCG sequence Keith - I missed the beak-on-beak bit (pics 5 & 6). Where did bird no.4 go to during this?

Margaret

Thanks Margaret....I think I might have cropped her out to get closer to the action.......but what a thing to witness.....I was hoping just for some "dancing" and "weed offering" so this was spectacular - and scary.I thought one was going to drown.
Looks like I chose the right day to visit.
Keith :t:

Woodchat · Feb 28, 2014

Where Bird said:
I apologise unreservedly to John and Phil A for upsetting them. It was never intended.

Yet again my inarticulateness has dropped me in it ; what I wrote and what I meant did not come across as the same thing; one reason for not using Facebook or Twitter. And No I am really not egocentric and I am embarrassed at the way that particular sentence reads in the cold light of day.

Had I put myself out and arranged to meet John to discuss my concerns I am sure this would not have got out of hand.

I evidently misunderstood your post to me - the posts around those you mentioned make very interesting reading.

The 1945 / Arthur Jacobs info was put on to inform and even enthuse those newcomers to the site - forum and UW. The forum is for everyone and
sadly is linear; not always easy to search for specifics. Nerdy as I am, along with being grumpy, I have virtually completed the reading of the UW site pages. Most informative.

Let me repeat I have always posted my appreciation of the work of the volunteers.
Enough said.

Phil E

Fair enough - onwards and upwards.:t:

BTW you can search for particular subjects using the 'search this thread' tool above the posts on every page - if it helps.

timmyjones · Feb 28, 2014

Phil Andrews said:
Hi Tim - any particular shots on Vern's Flickr site that are arousing your interest?

Hi Phil,

Tricky to link then across but if you look on Vern's flickr it's the first 3 images of a peregrine I believe, all in flight

Janner Falcon! · Feb 28, 2014

keithr said:
Thanks Margaret....I think I might have cropped her out to get closer to the action.......but what a thing to witness.....I was hoping just for some "dancing" and "weed offering" so this was spectacular - and scary.I thought one was going to drown.
Looks like I chose the right day to visit.
Keith :t:

I asked because although I saw 2 pairs initially, in all of my shots of the fray (even long-shots) Mrs 1 was not in the frame. Seems to me to be another bit of 'coot behaviour' - "go on dear - you fight him!" and then retreat to the side-lines to spectate whilst Mrs 2 swims on the side-lines getting anxious. Minutes after everything died down I realised that the interlopers were paired again and swimming to the west.

forgetfulelephant · Feb 28, 2014

11 Avocet 2 Oystercatcher 2 Shelduck 5Curlew on Flashes

wheatearlp · Feb 28, 2014

Where Bird said:
Please re-read my initial post and my final response to John. All I ever asked was how would the cattle be controlled and how might they affect the nesting process.

I think the honest answer to this is that we don't know how the cattle and nesting species will interact in this particular scenario. However, as the only way to keep the grass down to a reasonable level without mowing strimming is to keep cattle in throughout the nesting season, it was deemed worth trying. Many of mangement practices we now use (e.g. caging & tern rafts) were not guaranteed to work, but we tried and found they did, so result. Other things didn't work, so we don't do them any more.

Yes there will be occasional visits from the grazier, although I believe he will access via the sewage works, hence the moving of the feeding trough. It was felt this would be a reasonable compromise to try and keep cover for predators (foxes generally) at a premium.

I'm not sure why the cattle went from the sewage works field to the hide and back again as I wasn't there to witness it, but perhaps they just followed the grazier when he went to collect the trough?

Mike

Woodchat · Feb 28, 2014

A few years ago I was watching Redshank chicks dodging the feet of the grazing cattle near Arnold's Marsh off the east bank of Cley. I wondered at the time if there had been any 'collateral damage', especially during the egg stage. The chicks, however, seemed to be doing well and it was a real pleasure to see them in this setting (one which must have been commonplace a century ago - farming and nature in apparent harmony).

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