• 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 (19 Viewers)

Peter

As promised. The horizontal lines within the vermiculation are reflections of the water ripples around the bird...
 

Attachments

  • Teal_2_filtered_resized.jpg
    Teal_2_filtered_resized.jpg
    252.7 KB · Views: 128
Last edited:
Peter

As promised. The horizontal lines within the vermiculation are reflections of the water ripples around the bird...

Sy, That's brilliant. It's really magical.

And I thought you could only photograph birds when they were moving ...

Peter
 
I do not understand what alternative you are suggesting.

Alan

Because they're amongst the best shots I've seen of Snipe on the Reserve, I wondered whether you meant the Concrete Hide (where the camera is a lot lower to the ground and photos such as these are more common-place), or if you'd managed to capture the birds on the foreshore whilst going up the steps to the East hide (affording such an apparently low camera angle)... that's all.

Simon
 
Last edited:
Alan

Because they're amongst the best shots I've seen of Snipe on the Reserve, I wondered whether you meant the Concrete Hide (where the camera is a lot lower to the ground and photos such as these are more common-place), or if you'd managed to capture the birds on the foreshore whilst going up the steps to the East hide (affording such an apparently low camera angle)... that's all.

Simon

Simon,

I wondered if you were asking whether the Trust's contractor had modified the east hide overnight to include a lower level. But then I woke up.

They were from the east hide windows. My first reaction was to concentrate on the nearest birds but the angle was, as you suggest, totally crap. I then looked for the Snipe half way to the waters edge which meant that the slope gave an apparrent lower camera angle.

Alan
 
Aah, nice one! Well done you, Alan. B :)
I suppose they also looked strange to me because I'm only ever in the East Hide in the early mornings when you don't get the birds basking on the sun kissed foreshore. I'll have to rethink my tactics... not that I've got any, actually!

Simon
 
Tuesday work party at Moors 17th Jan 2012

Thanks to all the group today I had a great morning its amazing how much we can achieve with such a dedicated group :t:
Nice one Mark
13 of us again today :t:

Mark has already alluded to the continuing great camaraderie and enthusiasm of the Tuesday crew. Today saw us almost complete the project in this section of the reserve. We started on Dec 20th 2011, to manage a woodland that was first planted up in 1991 and has not really been touched since.
It was planted with predominantly ash, willow, alder, a few cherry, hornbeam, rowan, silver birch, maple, holly and a mixture of thorns. It was meant to be a low thick scrubland acting as a screen for the main pool from people walking along the road. Unfortunately for what ever reason we neglected it and only recently did we seriously contemplate redressing the balance. The trees had all reached a climax, especially the ash which had all reached the same height. BUT they were at the 'front', south side nearest to the reeds and water, which meant that the wood was 'inside out'. By this I mean the tall trees were shading out the scrub species, this meant that a productive reed bed was missing its vital link, 'a scrub foraging area' - vital for chick rearing.
This years management will ensure that all the tall productive trees will be at the 'back' next to the road, the scrub will in time emerge at the front. We have kept some areas intact as thickets and a 'dead hedge encircles the front and back.
The pics show 1. before the work today
2 - 4 show the view from the East gate looking west, moving NW and the final one looks north. This is in the southern section of what is known as the Moors NE woodland.

The FINAL phase of this work will take place on Friday 20th Jan, when Andy H from the Trust is bringing his chainsaw to pollard/coppice a couple more of the large ash trees.
 

Attachments

  • Forum B4 work from east gate looking north (2).jpg
    Forum B4 work from east gate looking north (2).jpg
    213.3 KB · Views: 76
  • forum 1 view from east gate ova coppiced NE south section (2).jpg
    forum 1 view from east gate ova coppiced NE south section (2).jpg
    204.5 KB · Views: 73
  • 2. view from east gate ova soth sect of NE wood afta wrk   (3).JPG
    2. view from east gate ova soth sect of NE wood afta wrk (3).JPG
    198.2 KB · Views: 65
  • 3.view from east gate over south section of NE wood (2).JPG
    3.view from east gate over south section of NE wood (2).JPG
    216.1 KB · Views: 78
Last edited:
Hi all, well done to Paul (beyonder) for re-finding this little Gem. A shame that most of our Tuesday crew had gone home, but at least 5 of us saw it.
details later:t:
 

Attachments

  • forum best lessa peka (2).jpg
    forum best lessa peka (2).jpg
    122.5 KB · Views: 122
Well, I didn't know that... you can't attach a picture to a private message!
I hope you don't mind, I had a little play with her, John... if you know what I mean! She's a little beaut, mate!
 

Attachments

  • LSW Fem_filtered_resize.jpg
    LSW Fem_filtered_resize.jpg
    63 KB · Views: 108
Last edited:
After the work party spent a bit of time in east hide where after seeing the lesser pecker we returned to. The pool was 95 % frozen, with an area 50m x 50 m just north of the east island being open water.
Species counts
GCG 3, Shoveler 5, Teal 70, Mallard 205, Tufted 22, Pochard 3 ( 2 males), Coot 120, water rail 3 calling, Snipe 3 , lapwing c100, curlew 16, herring gull 6, LBBG c10, grey heron 4, buzzard , sparrowhawk,
only managed to get great sp woodpecker, ironically there were lots of sightings of green on Sunday. I have only managed to see all 3 on 2 occasions.
A flock of 40+ fieldfare roosted on the east side of the pool.
The Lesser pecker was at the west end of the Salwarp track, either side of the river, also along there were 2 goldcrest and blackcap.
To the NW a large pre-roost gathering of starlings were perched along the power cables.
A couple of redpoll were heard and in the freshly managed area, a lot of birds were foraging.
Another couple of shots of the Leser pecker ( sy your welcome to do as you please with them :t:)
B :)John

Re the lesser pecker, it was very approachable, so if people are careful some good photos could be had. If I can get some with my little 'dinky thing' then I'm sure you bazooka boys will do better. Please don't chase it around. It is such a rare bird that we must try and encourage it to stay, by giving it space.
:t: John
 

Attachments

  • 1next forum best very lessa peka (3).jpg
    1next forum best very lessa peka (3).jpg
    212.7 KB · Views: 92
  • 2 next forumgood ls pekas (2).jpg
    2 next forumgood ls pekas (2).jpg
    210.5 KB · Views: 91
Last edited:
After the work party spent a bit of time in east hide where after seeing the lesser pecker we returned to. The pool was 95 % frozen, with an area 50m x 50 m just north of the east island being open water.
Species counts
GCG 3, Shoveler 5, Teal 70, Mallard 205, Tufted 22, Pochard 3 ( 2 males), Coot 120, water rail 3 calling, Snipe 3 , lapwing c100, curlew 16, herring gull 6, LBBG c10, grey heron 4, buzzard , sparrowhawk,
only managed to get great sp woodpecker, ironically there were lots of sightings of green on Sunday. I have only managed to see all 3 on 2 occasions.
A flock of 40+ fieldfare roosted on the east side of the pool.
The Lesser pecker was at the west end of the Salwarp track, either side of the river, also along there were 2 goldcrest and blackcap.
To the NW a large pre-roost gathering of starlings were perched along the power cables.
A couple of redpoll were heard and in the freshly managed area, a lot of birds were foraging.
Another couple of shots of the Leser pecker ( sy your welcome to do as you please with them :t:)
B :)John

Yet again Mallard numbers increase notably when there is a cold snap (particulary ice on the Moors Pool); does anyone have a clever theory why?
 
Yet again Mallard numbers increase notably when there is a cold snap (particulary ice on the Moors Pool); does anyone have a clever theory why?
Phil
My theory:
On Friday whilst leaving the east hide at dark , I noticed large numbers of mallard dropping on to the Moors to roost or have a nocturnal feed up. From this I deduced that they were coming in from local, small waters and the nearby canal. Today those water bodies would have almost certainly been frozen up, forcing the birds to loaf all day around the Moors.
:t:John
 
Phil
My theory:
On Friday whilst leaving the east hide at dark , I noticed large numbers of mallard dropping on to the Moors to roost or have a nocturnal feed up. From this I deduced that they were coming in from local, small waters and the nearby canal. Today those water bodies would have almost certainly been frozen up, forcing the birds to loaf all day around the Moors.
:t:John

Sounds convincing to me John.
 
The Lesser pecker was at the west end of the Salwarp track, either side of the river, also along there were 2 goldcrest and blackcap.

Re the lesser pecker, it was very approachable, so if people are careful some good photos could be had. If I can get some with my little 'dinky thing' then I'm sure you bazooka boys will do better. Please don't chase it around. It is such a rare bird that we must try and encourage it to stay, by giving it space.
:t: John

Would reiterate John's advice - Lesser Peckers are rare birds on the reserve and prone to disturbance. I suspect a good number of the more recent birders to Upton have yet to see one so if it does hang around please hang back and give it room. Hopefully the Wednesday crew will have a careful scout around tomorrow to see if it was just passing through or may be resident.
 
After the work party spent a bit of time in east hide where after seeing the lesser pecker we returned to. The pool was ........
The Lesser pecker was at the west end of the Salwarp track, either side of the river, ............Another couple of shots of the Leser pecker .....B :)John

Re the lesser pecker, it was very approachable, so if people are careful some good photos could be had. If I can get some with my little 'dinky thing' then I'm sure you bazooka boys will do better. Please don't chase it around. It is such a rare bird that we must try and encourage it to stay, by giving it space.
:t: John

Very nice find - and good advice, John. Could be the same individual that was present early last year (also a female).
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top