• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Upton Warren (14 Viewers)

For me its something that turns up every year and that was a Sedge Warbler that seem to like spending its time in front of the now dismantled hide on the flashes its seem to be posing.

......

Yes that Sedge was very obliging and was one of my faves too. I love the little brown jobs. One of my photos of that bird attached.:t:

Can't wait till the spring!
 

Attachments

  • Sdge Flshs May11.jpg
    Sdge Flshs May11.jpg
    71 KB · Views: 68
I am just putting the photographs together for the 2011 Annual Report - does anyone have any good shots of the two phalaropes together or any of the Redstarts?

My only photos of the RNP's together are very poor - it was chucking it down most of that day and the light was poor. Attached efforts are the best I could muster I'm afraid.
 

Attachments

  • Red-necked Phalaropes UW 300511.jpg
    Red-necked Phalaropes UW 300511.jpg
    162 KB · Views: 69
  • RNP's Flashes 300511.jpg
    RNP's Flashes 300511.jpg
    118.5 KB · Views: 48
  • RNP's UW 300511.jpg
    RNP's UW 300511.jpg
    99 KB · Views: 56
Last edited:
My only photos of the RNP's together are very poor - it was chucking it down most of that day and the light was poor. Attached efforts are the best I could muster I'm afraid.

All I can see is a Ptarmigan in a blizzard 8-P

Damm that edit function! Thanks Dave; may include some more photos than the usual 16 in this year's report as there are more and more to choose from.
 
Last edited:
sorry to dampen the Christmas spirit but take a couple of minutes to read and hopefully react to the links below.:-C

http://www.komitee.de/en/actions-and-projects/italy/massacre-colle-san-zeno
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=2314591#post2314591

:eek!:john

Utterly disgusting, but not for one minute does it surprise me, I have signed the petition but will not be holding my breath :C

On a more positive note, I've just spent a lovely couple of hours at the moors, wher I saw a kingfisher on three occassions ;)

Best moment was watching a Fieldfare preening itself in the horse chestnut by the secret garden through my binoculars for a couple of minutes. Only for it to leave my field of view and be replaced a second later by a male sprawk, if I had blinked it would of transformed before me. I then watched the sprawk for fully five minutes. A wonderful birding moment, it just shows that you don't need to observe exotic species, all birds are beautiful. :t:

Was joined by Mark (Woodwolf) we tried in vain for a coal tit but no luck, plenty of finch and tit flocks foraging though.
 
Spent the afternoon in the east hide at the Moors. The moors was 90% frozen and only the east side and parts of Amy's marsh scrape were ice free.By the time I had left another 10% had thawed, with the help of the ice breaking team made up of 200 coot.
Most activity was centred on and around the east island.
Species counts
GCG, Little Grebe 2, Shoveler 6 (3 prs), Teal 60+, Mallard 40, Tufted 9, Cormorant 4 overhead, Coot 200+, water rail heard, Snipe 15, Lapwing 200+, curlew 6, Herring Gull 2, LBBG 6, Bhg 200, Buzzard, Fieldfare 10, redwing 20, Reed Bunting, pied wagtail, jay.
B :)John
 
Well Peter; what a jolly good idea for a topic of conversation.
I agree, the Redstart was illusive and getting a semi-decent shot of the little blighter on 3rd August certainly made my Summer. Until then my attempts had looked something like the attached image.
I also concur with Woodchat that the Bluethroat was a highlight albeit a "four hours getting very sunburnt in the car park-type" of highlight!
However, for me the bird that tested my ornithological skills to the limit and took the most fieldcraft and patience to spot (given it's superb camouflage and diminutive stature) would have to be the GWE! - Well you started it! :-O
Joking apart, the sight of Woodchat sprinting down the path to the East Hide to secure the Reserve's highest calendar year species count was a joy to behold and an image that I will take to my grave. Here's to next year's highlights...
not a bad picture what is it!!:-O
 
Bird Of The Year

Upton delivered twenty something birds that were either lifers this year or birds I count as lifers not having seen them since my previous birding life in my early teens.

Some of the birds I was most thrilled to see/ see again after 30 years

Avocet
Cuckoo
Stonechat
Terns ( all varients )
Red Neck Phal's
Spotted Redshank
Med Gull
Sand Martin
Blackwit
Wood Sandpiper
Great White Egret

Obviously the Bluethroat was nice, although it reinforces why I have no real interest in twitching, the unsavoury scrum and knobhead behaviour of a few individuals who frequent the birding world. Well done to the crew for minimising that :t: Prefer to try and find a half decent bird to be honest

Missing the Spoonbill, at the time, seemed a big deal, but there will be more.

Finally the discovery of the pleasure that can be had enjoying all the diversity of the reserve, especially the Odonata and Lepidoptera, and trying to learn, study and capture an image of.

More of the same next year !!
 
Upton delivered twenty something birds that were either lifers this year or birds I count as lifers not having seen them since my previous birding life in my early teens.

Some of the birds I was most thrilled to see/ see again after 30 years

Avocet
Cuckoo
Stonechat
Terns ( all varients )
Red Neck Phal's
Spotted Redshank
Med Gull
Sand Martin
Blackwit
Wood Sandpiper
Great White Egret

Obviously the Bluethroat was nice, although it reinforces why I have no real interest in twitching, the unsavoury scrum and knobhead behaviour of a few individuals who frequent the birding world. Well done to the crew for minimising that :t: Prefer to try and find a half decent bird to be honest

Missing the Spoonbill, at the time, seemed a big deal, but there will be more.

Finally the discovery of the pleasure that can be had enjoying all the diversity of the reserve, especially the Odonata and Lepidoptera, and trying to learn, study and capture an image of.

More of the same next year !!

Seeing your face Mark when you came out of the east hide, having just missed the GW egret was a sad sight. But then 20 minutes later, after you caught up with it, was brilliant and is what birding is all about.:t:
 
Sunday 18th December

WEBS count day produced the following sightings:-

MOORS POOL
2 Mute Swan, 1 Canada Goose (+ 66 over), 19 Greylag Geese, 1 Cormorant, 3 Mute Swans, 3 Grey Heron, 162 Coot, 17 Moorhen, 198 Mallard, 4 Shoveler, 27 Teal, 1 Tufted Duck, 15 Curlew, 58 Lapwing, 19 Snipe, 2 LBB Gull, 2 Herring Gulls, 119 BH Gull, 2 Kingfisher, 3+ Water Rails calling, Skylark over the North Moors car park, 2 female Pheasants on islands in Amy's Marsh, Buzzard perched up in the Education Reserve.

SAILING POOL
1 Grey Heron, 44 Mallard, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Mute Swan

FLASHES
10 Snipe, 78 Lapwing, 1 Moorhen, 2 Mallard, c35 Redpolls in silver birches at the rear of the Hen Pool, Meadow Pipit over, 5 Cormorant over, steady stream of large gulls heading south.

In addition there were good numbers of thrushes; not necessarily in large flocks but scattered right across the reserve.

Walking around today made me realise just what an impact the work parties are having on rejuvinating some over-looked areas of the reserve - the North Moors, the plantation opposite Lifestyles (nice apple hoard; just waiting for the Dusky Thrush!), the hedges along the Moors' eastern boundary and the hedgeline at the Flashes - a great effort from all those who volunteer their time.

All Kingfisher perches present and correct ;)
 
Last edited:
Hi Phil
Who is claiming that?
How much ice was there today.
B :)john

Dont think it was initials / handwriting that I recognised - its in the West Hide logbook if you want to double-check.

The Moors Pool was approx 95% frozen this morning; the Greylags which dropped in about 10am may have assisted in breaking it up.

I have left my "surrendered" Trust items in the Moors toolshed.
 
Hi Everyone :)
Just found out that the Adult Med Gull from the 30/07 this year was ringed in Poland in 2006 (news via another blog), was seen on the Axe Estury in 2007, and was again seen at the Axe Today!
Nice to see its moving around a fair bit!
Attached is a Photo of 'Red 5P5'
SDC17139.JPG
MB
 
Just back from a meeting with Andy from the Trust.
Birded at the Moors for a couple of hours.
Again a 90% frozen pool. The only open area was from the north of the east island for 80mtrs or so square.
Species counts.
Mute swan pr, Canada goose 1, Shoveler 3 (2 males), Teal 71, Mallard 170, Tufted 6 (5 fems), Pochard male, Coot 196, water rail feeding along west side of scrape. Cormorant 1 overhaed, Snipe c10, Lapwing 120, Curlew 1 in field behind east hide, Herring gull 1, LBBG 1, BHG 100+, Fieldfare 25, redwing 15, Stock dove 10 in field behind east hide.
B :)John
ps The sailing pool was 95% frozen. and the flashes100%
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top