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

Upton Warren (22 Viewers)

Just woke up
Knowing that Stu and Gary were on site overnight and Dave W and Dave J would be following up early on, I would be getting a text, because birds 'always' turn up following the 'all-dayer.:smoke: But not today:eek!:
Looked at my phone to realise the battery had run out, started charging and yes here they come text after text...that's why upton has be checked out all the time Black redstart:eek!:i :eek!:
That's why we love the place..see you all in a bit:t:
 
Nice to finally say hello to everyone this afternoon. I shall definitely endeavour to convince our students to come and help out with volunteering once it starts again
 
A solid rather than spectacular All-Dayer with a total of 85 species recorded; the two stand-out birds were the Wood Sand which dropped into the Flashes for 25 mins just before midday and the Red Kite which flew low over the Moors Pool mid afternoon before circling and heading off south-east where it could be seen from both the Sailing Pool and Flashes, producing an Upton tick for several long-standing regulars.

Congratulations to Steve Nuttall and his crew racking up 91 for the day at Belvide; I am sure between the two reserves we will have managed approaching 110 species.

Middleton Lakes first All-Dayer ended up with a total of 86 species. Not too bad considering we have no hides yet and it was no fun in the heavy rain showers.There were 7 of us taking part,starting at 0615 and finishing at 2130.
Highlights were Black Tern, Grey Plover, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank, Sanderling and Med Gull, we missed regular Little Grebe, Sparrowhawk, Barn and Tawny Owl, Nuthatch, Jay and Greenfinch.
Next year we'll swop you one of your Avocet for one of our many Cetti's.
Geoff
 
Species list was as follows:-

1.Mute Swan 2.Canada Goose 3.Greylag Goose 4.Shelduck 5.Mallard 6.Gadwall 7.Tufted Duck 8.GC Grebe 9.Little Grebe 10.Cormorant 11.Grey Heron 12.Pheasant 13.Coot 14.Moorhen 15.Water Rail 16.Buzzard 17.Red Kite 18.Marsh Harrier 19.Sparrowhak 20.Kestrel 21.Hobby 22.Peregrine 23.Avocet 24.Oystercatcher 25.Curlew 26.Lapwing 27.Ringed Plover 28.Little Ringed Plover 29.Wood Sandpiper 30.Common Sandpiper 31.Snipe 32.Black-headed Gull 33.Herring Gull 34.Common Gull 35.Lesser Black-backed Gull 36.Common Tern 37.Tawny Owl 38.Cuckoo 39.Wood Pigeon 40.Stock Dove 41.Collared Dove 42.Feral Pigeon 43.GS Woodpecker 44.Pied Wagtail 45.Yellow Wagtail 46.Skylark 47.Swift 48.Swalllow 49.Sand Martin 50.House Martin 51.Kingfisher 52.Wheatear 53.Blackbird 54.Mistle Thrush 55.Song Thrush 56.Dunnock 57.Robin 58.Wren 59.Blackcap 60.Garden Warbler 61.Lesser Whitethroat 62.Whitethroat 63.Sedge Warbler 64.Reed Warbler 65.Chiffchaff 66.Willow Warbler 67.Goldcrest 68.Blue Tit 69.Great Tit 70.LT Tit 71.Treecreeper 72.Carrion Crow 73.Rook 74.Jay 75.Magpie 76.Raven 77.Jackdaw 78.Chaffinch 79.Greenfinch 80.Bullfinch 81.Goldfinch 82.Linnet 83.Reed Bunting 84.House Sparrow 85.Starling

.

It looks like you guys had a great day Saturday. Its an impressive list with some very good birds: Wood Sandpiper, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier.

Incidently was the Marsh Harrier male or Fem/imm? just wondered if it was possibly the same bird that has been recorded over Shenstone and Crossway Green recently.
 
Quiet at lunch time

It seemed a little quiet for birds this lunchtime but I did see this common blue butterfly. I wondered if they had been seen there before ?
 

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Fleeting Passerines

Frustratingly, all three of today's prize migrant passerines only showed briefly - a male Black Redstart and Whinchat on the flashes this morning and a Spotted Flycatcher along the Salwarpe around midday. For me it's back to work tomorrow but, even though I missed the Black Redstart and Spot Fly today, it's been a pretty spectacular 2 weeks (Spoonbill, Bluethroat, Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Arctic Terns, Black Terns, Wood Sandpipers and Bar-tailed Godwit being the highlights). Let's hope this great run continues. B :)

Attached is a photo of a Cockchafer from yesterday:
 

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Just been through Steve Nuttall's list for Belvide (91 vs Upton's 85). 19 species were recorded just by Belvide and 13 only by Upton Warren, some of them rather surprising:

Belvide only:
Teal, Garganey, Shoveler, Goosander, RL Partridge, Hen Harrier, Redshank, Greenshank, Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Little Owl, Green Woodpecker, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting.

Upton Warren only:
Greylag Goose, Little Grebe, Water Rail, Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Peregrine, Avocet, Wood Sand, Common Gull, Tawny Owl, Mistle Thrush, Wheatear, Lesser Whitethroat.
 
Black Redstart is the 139th species to be recorded at Upton Warren in 2011.

This is only the second record for the reserve, following a female around the Sailing Pool and then on the over-flow car park on the 2nd April 2005.
 
Frustratingly, all three of today's prize migrant passerines only showed briefly - a male Black Redstart and Whinchat on the flashes this morning and a Spotted Flycatcher along the Salwarpe around midday. For me it's back to work tomorrow but, even though I missed the Black Redstart and Spot Fly today, it's been a pretty spectacular 2 weeks (Spoonbill, Bluethroat, Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Arctic Terns, Black Terns, Wood Sandpipers and Bar-tailed Godwit being the highlights). Let's hope this great run continues. B :)

Spotted Flycatcher is the 140th species recorded at Upton Warren in 2011.

Dave - did it show again? Gary initially alerted me at 10:30.
 
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It seemed a little quiet for birds this lunchtime but I did see this common blue butterfly. I wondered if they had been seen there before ?

Common Blue is fairly common at UW.

Thanks for the call yesterday Mike re Red Kite. I was talking to Brian at the Birders Store when you called and it was deja vu all over again. The same situation occured the last time Brian set up camp. I managed to stop TMH from leaving the car park in his car and after locating the bird over the Hobden Hall Farm area, phoned JHWR at the Flashes who also got on the bird.

Relaying information like that would not have been possible some years ago and only the finders would have been lucky.


Des.:t:
 
Frustratingly, all three of today's prize migrant passerines only showed briefly - a male Black Redstart and Whinchat on the flashes this morning and a Spotted Flycatcher along the Salwarpe around midday. For me it's back to work tomorrow but, even though I missed the Black Redstart and Spot Fly today, it's been a pretty spectacular 2 weeks (Spoonbill, Bluethroat, Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Arctic Terns, Black Terns, Wood Sandpipers and Bar-tailed Godwit being the highlights). Let's hope this great run continues. B :)

Attached is a photo of a Cockchafer from yesterday:

Well done with your marathon watch over the last two weeks (I was most jealous!) and thanks for the texts - I wouldn't have seen half of the goodies without them:t:

And here's a pic of the said Maybug causing a bit of a stir:eek!:
 

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Saturday's Wood Sandpiper was the eighth bird recorded this year, equally the previous best year (1987). With birds still moving through and the return passage later this year things are looking promising for further occurrences.
 
Just been through Steve Nuttall's list for Belvide (91 vs Upton's 85). 19 species were recorded just by Belvide and 13 only by Upton Warren, some of them rather surprising:

Belvide only:
Teal, Garganey, Shoveler, Goosander, RL Partridge, Hen Harrier, Redshank, Greenshank, Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Little Owl, Green Woodpecker, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting.

Upton Warren only:
Greylag Goose, Little Grebe, Water Rail, Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Peregrine, Avocet, Wood Sand, Common Gull, Tawny Owl, Mistle Thrush, Wheatear, Lesser Whitethroat.
Thus between us there were 104 species seen.:t:
 
Has anyone got any photos of Saturday's Red Kite to be posted?

Cheers
Phil

Bob Evans took some , I will text him or see him Tuesday and ask him to email meB :)John

Today other than Dave's list there were: Common sand , Dunlin, 50+ swifts and still a few sand martin's hopefully eyeing up the des res.
B :)John
 
As is typical with All-Dayers a number of species not recorded on the day were then seen on the Sunday. This year these include:

Spotted Flycatcher, Black Redstart, Dunlin, Whinchat, Green Woodpecker (Shoveler was also reported by Pru)
 
As a newbie and a mere spectator who missed almost everything of interest on Saturday :-C I have to say the place has still worked its magic and I'll be back -more often than is probably good for me and perhaps in time I shall be able to make some contribution to the success of the place.

Everyone who has worked so hard to make UW so special deserves all the beer and cake and bacon sarnies they can get IMO. Keep up the good work.

Regarding the all-dayer list. I was surprised there were no Marsh or Willow Tit. Are they not resident? Did they take a hammering in the Winter? Or perhaps I'm showing my ignorance?

Paul
 
As a newbie and a mere spectator who missed almost everything of interest on Saturday :-C I have to say the place has still worked its magic and I'll be back -more often than is probably good for me and perhaps in time I shall be able to make some contribution to the success of the place.

Everyone who has worked so hard to make UW so special deserves all the beer and cake and bacon sarnies they can get IMO. Keep up the good work.

Regarding the all-dayer list. I was surprised there were no Marsh or Willow Tit. Are they not resident? Did they take a hammering in the Winter? Or perhaps I'm showing my ignorance?

Paul

Hi Beyonder - many thanks for your kind comments.

Despite being the commoner tit in Worcestershire, there have only been three records of Marsh at Upton W, none wonderfully documented - the last was in 1986.

Willow used to be far more regular, breeding in the 1980s and early 1990s. Since then records have been generally of wintering birds frequenting the feeding stations but the species now appears extinct in the locality; I velieve the last submitted and accepted record was as far back as 2004. A sad loss the the reserve :-C:-C

Phil
 
Here's the Species by Year comparison bar chart, with April complete and May to date... April was quite some month!
 

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Willow used to be far more regular, breeding in the 1980s and early 1990s. Since then records have been generally of wintering birds frequenting the feeding stations but the species now appears extinct in the locality; I velieve the last submitted and accepted record was as far back as 2004. A sad loss the the reserve :-C:-C

Phil

Thanks Phil,

BirdTrack has a Willow Tit in 2009 but wintering birds predominate the recent records as you suggest. Sad but rather intriguing. I've seen them regularly elsewhere this Spring so was sure there would be one or two on Saturday.

Paul
 

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