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Upton Warren (12 Viewers)

Last night's rain didn't make much impression on the Flashes as a steady stream of optimists found out today... much muttering of "tragic", "such a shame" in the hide for the short while I braved the motion-sickness.

However, the new areas dug on Sunday were holding small amounts of water. Sy's scrape wasn't much more than a puddle. The Gavo-Gert gully was doing slightly better. Neither will last long I suspect but the principle is established nicely. Moorhens were cruising the main channel like a ship canal and stopping to feed on something in the new shallow created along the edge.

The work might be too late for passage but perhaps not for the larder for Spring. Good call Gavo IMO.

Paul
 
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Last night's rain didn't make much impression on the Flashes as a steady stream of optimists found out today... much muttering of "tragic", "such a shame" in the hide for the short while I braved the motion-sickness.

However, the new areas dug on Sunday were holding small amounts of water. Sy's scrape wasn't much more than a puddle. The Gavo-Gert gully was doing slightly better. Neither will last long I suspect but the principle is established nicely. Moorhens were cruising the main channel like a ship canal and stopping to feed on something in the new shallow created along the edge.

The work might be too late for passage but perhaps not for the larder for Spring. Good call Gavo IMO.

Paul

summed up very succinctly Paul
didn't have time to get down there.
B :)John
 
Only 4, although this included Dave, who had only just arrived, and me ... and I'd done very little.

Alas, Yes - piddling about all Saturday in Norfolk meant I had to catch up on a few jobs so I was too late for this week's work party. It also meant I missed out on the Pintails and probably blew my chances of beating the all-time Upton year-list record as well.

I've only got myself to blame but I think I'll weigh up the pros/cons a bit more next time I consider going on another national rarity-hunt. :smoke:
 
Tuesday work party at Moors 18th Oct 2011

I'm getting a bit repetitive now but the work party on Tuesday goes from strength to strength.
Today 13 of us continued the work along the salwarp/swan inn track. (Looking for a more evocative name for this area...any ideas.)
The trunks and brash were either burned or used for dead hedging inn the bramble patch. The very large trunks were randomly left to breakdown naturally.
The previously coppiced willows (several years ago) were also cut back.
This area is now opened up to the sunlight and it will be interesting to see how it evolves. As a result of this 'opening up' a nice feature is the broad ditch that runs from the back of the tool shed to the A38. It is bordered on the field side by a thin line of thorn bushes, mostly hawthorn and a few elder bushes.
The bramble patch and blackthorn thicket at the beginning of the track attract most birds and behind them is the ditch. Today Ray C, Dave H and John C cleared it out, and widened it as well as removing the willow shoots from the large pollards along the border fence.
This area is now like a 'fenland ditch' and looks extremely attractive to a range of species including kingfisher, snipe, water rail and dare I say Bittern.
This area is approached from the feeding station walk south past the steps and onto the bridge spend a bit of time there before moving on, but you need to approach it quietly as birds will probably flush easily.
Pics from today show
1. Finishing the coppicing in the west end of the former willow carr.
2. The whole of the coppicing now completed
3. The view of No 2 from the opposite side looking east ( notice how around the coppiced trunks up to the track, the ground is grey and plant-less, and almost certainly impoverished in insect life and thus no birds.)
4. The freshly cleared ditch looking west towards the Swan inn
 

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Alas, Yes - piddling about all Saturday in Norfolk meant I had to catch up on a few jobs so I was too late for this week's work party. It also meant I missed out on the Pintails and probably blew my chances of beating the all-time Upton year-list record as well.

I've only got myself to blame but I think I'll weigh up the pros/cons a bit more next time I consider going on another national rarity-hunt. :smoke:

Dave if you had stayed at Upton Saturday, not only would you have seen the Pintail, you could have also found that Barred warbler in our scrub before it moved to Grimley:smoke:
 
Birding at the Moors today
GCG 6, Little Grebe 3
cormorant 14, Mute Swan 6
Shoveler 32, Teal 35, Tufted 22,
Common Gull 1st winter, water Rail 2 chasing each other in front of north moors hide.
migrants:- Redpoll, skylark, siskin
also Goldcrests with tit flock
B :)John
 
I will let Des do the account of the Whoopers (Dave have you already seen Whooper swan this year, only JR told me you had said pity its not Bewick's)

Re Whoopers
Timmy Jones texted me to say he had 4 whoopers all adults (the same as our birds) at his Uni in York at 8am, not sure if they were flying SW but it would be romantic to think that they were the same birds:smoke:
 
I will let Des do the account of the Whoopers (Dave have you already seen Whooper swan this year, only JR told me you had said pity its not Bewick's)

..........QUOTE]

Yep, saw the one (Icelandic bird) on the sailing pool / flashes in the spring - hence my comment. 8-P

derrrr, Couldn't remember we had already had one, thought it was last year8-P old age mate you will get there one day:t::-O
Thankfully Jr and Des couldn't remember either.
 
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Birding at the Moors today
GCG 6, Little Grebe 3
cormorant 14, Mute Swan 6
Shoveler 32, Teal 35, Tufted 22,
Common Gull 1st winter, water Rail 2 chasing each other in front of north moors hide.
migrants:- Redpoll, skylark, siskin
also Goldcrests with tit flock
B :)John

Plus: Greylag 2. Kingfisher 2 (Juvenile female + 1 other.)

Rob
 
A couple of shots of the Whooper Swans at the Moors today & well done & thanks to the work party for the new bird table/feeders by the Water Rail hide.

Rob

1. Whoopers at the Moors
2. Whoopers & Escort
3. New Water Rail hide feeders. Long Tailed Tits.
 

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A couple of shots of the Whooper Swans at the Moors today & well done & thanks to the work party for the new bird table/feeders by the Water Rail hide.

Rob

1. Whoopers at the Moors
2. Whoopers & Escort
3. New Water Rail hide feeders. Long Tailed Tits.

That's more like it Rob, They were getting grief of one or two male mute swans
:t:John
 
Today's highlight's:

MOORS:
Ten minutes before the 4 Whooper Swans dropped into the Moors from behind the east hide (c12.10), I had texted JTB to say that "things are quiet.......so far".

Shoveler (16)------------Teal (37)
Kingfisher--------------- G C Grebe(6)
Little Grebe (2)----------Herring Gull (4)
Siskin (7)----------------Greylag Goose (11)

FLASHES:

Meadow Pipit (30+)-----Curlew (19)
Skylark (3)---------------Yellowhammer

ED RES/SAILING POOL:

Redpoll (18)-------------Grey Wagtail


Des.
 

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Hi Des - were they still present when you left?

Good movement of Whoopers at the moment, including several Midlands counties eg Notts, Staffs. The nearest flock of 4 I could find were at Burton Mere, Cheshire last Tuesday but obviously they could have come from a larger herd that has split up.

Phil
 
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Today's highlight's:

MOORS:
Ten minutes before the 4 Whooper Swans dropped into the Moors from behind the east hide (c12.10), I had texted JTB to say that "things are quiet.......so far".

Shoveler (16)------------Teal (37)
Kingfisher--------------- G C Grebe(6)
Little Grebe (2)----------Herring Gull (4)
Siskin (7)----------------Greylag Goose (11)

FLASHES:

Meadow Pipit (30+)-----Curlew (19)
Skylark (3)---------------Yellowhammer

ED RES/SAILING POOL:

Redpoll (18)-------------Grey Wagtail


Des.

Great re the Whoopers. Minsmere only had 3 today!:t:
 

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