digi-birder
Well-known member
Well, slight exaggeration - it turned out not too bad in the end.
On the recommendation of Tom McKinney, following my request for any recent info on Coombes Valley RSPB reserve, we had a little tour around Staffordshire - an area unfamiliar to us. The weather didn't look too promising and we almost didn't go, but we thought that maybe it would be better at our destination..... WRONG! At least I gave my new BF cap a good christening.
First stop was Dane Bower Quarry where the first bird we saw on stepping out of the car in the layby was a Ring Ouzel. A very fleeting glimpse, but there all the same. The sky looked a very unattractive shade of black, so we donned the waterproofs and headed down the path to the grassy knoll area where it was a bit more sheltered from the wind. We stuck it out for 15 minutes or so, seeing only a Meadow Pipit, and then headed back to the car. On the way back a couple of Wheatear came to guide us on our way, showing very well. Unfortunately, it was blowing like the clappers and would have been impossible to get a photo. We just arrived back at the car, and made a cup of coffee (to warm our hands, principally) when the heavens opened.
Site two was The Roaches, a rocky outcrop favoured by climbers. Here we were supposed to see Spotted Flycatchers and a Little Owl and possible Red Kite. Unfortunately, we couldn't see a yard in front of the car due to the stair-rods that were coming from the sky.
So, on to site three - Tittesworth Reservoir. We decided to try out the cafe (as you do) while we waited for the rain to stop and had a lovely piece of carrot cake and cup of tea. When we emerged, the rain had abated so we had a walk over to the nature reserve area. Nothing from the first hide, but we had a good view of a couple of juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers at the feeding station at the second hide. No Pied Flycatchers around, though.
Rain coming on again, we decided to move on to site four - Deep Hayes Country Park, south west of Leek. It wasn't raining when we arrived and we saw a lovely Nuthatch on the feeder behind the visitor centre. The warden said that the Pied Flycatchers hadn't bred this year and were not very numerous. We started on the walk to try and find one or two, but the weather changed again, so we headed back to the car, only spotting a Grey Wagtail on the weir and a noisy family of Blue Tits in the car park.
We were going to give up at this point and come home, but we decided to give Coombes Valley a shot. We arrived about 2pm and slowly wandered round, seeing a Chiffchaff and lots of Chaffinches, a Robin and a Blackbird. At the hide we thought we saw some Pied Flycatchers, but couldn't be certain. In the visitor centre it said that they'd had a good year, fledging over 100 young, but they were all in hiding yesterday. As we were about to leave the hide a Common Buzzard flew overhead. We carried on back to the car park and set off home, but at least we got round without any rain.
Now it was time for home, stopping off at a nice tea room in Hartington in the Peak District for a light meal.
On the recommendation of Tom McKinney, following my request for any recent info on Coombes Valley RSPB reserve, we had a little tour around Staffordshire - an area unfamiliar to us. The weather didn't look too promising and we almost didn't go, but we thought that maybe it would be better at our destination..... WRONG! At least I gave my new BF cap a good christening.
First stop was Dane Bower Quarry where the first bird we saw on stepping out of the car in the layby was a Ring Ouzel. A very fleeting glimpse, but there all the same. The sky looked a very unattractive shade of black, so we donned the waterproofs and headed down the path to the grassy knoll area where it was a bit more sheltered from the wind. We stuck it out for 15 minutes or so, seeing only a Meadow Pipit, and then headed back to the car. On the way back a couple of Wheatear came to guide us on our way, showing very well. Unfortunately, it was blowing like the clappers and would have been impossible to get a photo. We just arrived back at the car, and made a cup of coffee (to warm our hands, principally) when the heavens opened.
Site two was The Roaches, a rocky outcrop favoured by climbers. Here we were supposed to see Spotted Flycatchers and a Little Owl and possible Red Kite. Unfortunately, we couldn't see a yard in front of the car due to the stair-rods that were coming from the sky.
So, on to site three - Tittesworth Reservoir. We decided to try out the cafe (as you do) while we waited for the rain to stop and had a lovely piece of carrot cake and cup of tea. When we emerged, the rain had abated so we had a walk over to the nature reserve area. Nothing from the first hide, but we had a good view of a couple of juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers at the feeding station at the second hide. No Pied Flycatchers around, though.
Rain coming on again, we decided to move on to site four - Deep Hayes Country Park, south west of Leek. It wasn't raining when we arrived and we saw a lovely Nuthatch on the feeder behind the visitor centre. The warden said that the Pied Flycatchers hadn't bred this year and were not very numerous. We started on the walk to try and find one or two, but the weather changed again, so we headed back to the car, only spotting a Grey Wagtail on the weir and a noisy family of Blue Tits in the car park.
We were going to give up at this point and come home, but we decided to give Coombes Valley a shot. We arrived about 2pm and slowly wandered round, seeing a Chiffchaff and lots of Chaffinches, a Robin and a Blackbird. At the hide we thought we saw some Pied Flycatchers, but couldn't be certain. In the visitor centre it said that they'd had a good year, fledging over 100 young, but they were all in hiding yesterday. As we were about to leave the hide a Common Buzzard flew overhead. We carried on back to the car park and set off home, but at least we got round without any rain.
Now it was time for home, stopping off at a nice tea room in Hartington in the Peak District for a light meal.
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