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Upton Warren (18 Viewers)

Last chance saloon

The next 48 hours seems to be the last opportunity this autumn for some interesting passage.

Winds have been easterly overnight and remain so throughout the day; the forecast rain has disappeared but heavy cloud cover will remain. The winds turn southerly overnight before light rain and S>SE winds in daylight hours during Thursday. Thereafter the winds turn westerly (again).

There remains a strong passage of Hawfinch both nationally and locally (still missing from the reserve list) whilst other birds of interest in the region include Firecrest, Little Gull, Little Stint and Rock Pipit.
 
Today's highlights:

SAILING POOL:
Sandwich Tern (ad+imm).Returning to the S Pool via the Ed Res, Mike Inskip and myself were alerted by Paul A that two Sandwich Terns were feeding well. Paul also saw an unidentified third tern arrive with the Sandwich Terns, but it soon left. Paul thought it was probably a Common Tern. The terns remained all afternoon and I saw them at 17.00 pre-roost. Not sure if they were there at dark.
G C Grebe (4)------------Little Egret (3)

FLASHES:
Yellow Legged Gull (3ad). In the roost, although an adult was present in the morning.
Stonechat (f/1w).. Frequented the first flash reed-bed.
Shelduck------------------Shoveler (43)
Teal (32)------------------Lapwing (243)
Redpoll (9)----------------Siskin (2)
Goldcrest------------------Blackcap (f)
Curlew (13)---------------Common Gull (2ad)
L B B Gull (c1000)--------Herring Gull (c1000)
B H Gull (c1500)----------Blackbird (20) in a small area.

MOORS/ED RES*/RIVER SALWARPE**
Ruff (2)---------------------Shoveler (15
Gadwall (2 pr)--------------Wigeon (4)
Pochard (m)----------------Mute Swan (23)
Coal Tit---------------------Meadow Pipit (3)
Redwing (12)---------------Greylags (45)
Kestrel----------------------Grey Wagtail
Cormorant (11)------------Goldcrest (3) (1)*(1)**
 
Good to see the favourable weather conditions producing the goods yesterday. With the winds from the south east today combined with rain there is a good chance of something else of interest - hope someone can make it down the reserve and report back.

Birds turning up yesterday regionally included Firecrest, Hawfinch, Common Scoter, Scaup, Greenshank, Cattle Egret and Rock Pipit whilst overnight east coast watchers report a big push of thrushes and crests.
 
No sign of the Sandwich Tern so far thia morning but 13 Curlew, 2 Wigeon and 5 Snipe at the Moors Pool and 2 Ruff in the A38 fields, all as per Andy A.
 
What started off at 6am as looking promising weather wise deteriorated by 7 am into a misty and then quite wet morning. Best of bunch were 11 curlew that flew in to bathe then flew back towards A38, a green sandpiper, and 2 Ruff that also disappeared. Thanks guys for your efforts on broad meadow,looks much improved. Dennis
 
Yellow-legged Gull

As (belatedly) promised, here are two simple charts showing the astronomical rise in Yellow-legged Gull sightings in the last two years - the first showing the number of days the species has been recorded on the reserve and the second the cumulative daily totals. The overall trend is clear (the 2010 figures were slightly skewed by the reserve record count of ten) and with birds last year being noted in the Flashes roost up until the first week of November there is potential for the increase to be even more dramatic by the end of the year.
 

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Phil Andrews said:
As (belatedly) promised, here are two simple charts showing the astronomical rise in Yellow-legged Gull sightings in the last two years - the first showing the number of days the species has been recorded on the reserve and the second the cumulative daily totals. The overall trend is clear (the 2010 figures were slightly skewed by the reserve record count of ten) and with birds last year being noted in the Flashes roost up until the first week of November there is potential for the increase to be even more dramatic by the end of the year.
Click to expand...

Oh frabjous joy! Worth waiting for.

Peter
 
Birding at Reserve today

A late start 8.30am at the SAILING pool
Little egret 4. GCG 7. Common gull 1st winter. Cetti's w

FLASHES:
The cold SW provided a little bit of Vis-mig and passerine influx.
But NO Hawfinch:-C
One aspect of the day was a constant trickle of SW low flying groups of Starlings. I have witnessed this type of migrant in Norfolk on a massive scale. And there's no reason to think that our birds are not Migrants. There was nothing unusual today or at least I didn't see anything of that ilk. Other migrants were :-
Skylark 5. Redwing 60. Meadow pipit 6. Mistle thrush 5. Starling 200+. Greenfinch 5. Chaffinch 10. Grey wag.
Other notable passerines were the continued presence of 3 chiffchaff and a blackcap. But most impressive was the flock of 45 redpoll along the hen brook. There were also 2 stonechat.
Stock dove gather around the Flashes at this time of year usually prior to a winter exodus. Today a flock of 80+ birds flew out of the transmitter buildings.
FLASHES:-
Teal 40. Shoveler 65. Shelduck. Little grebe. Lapwing 258. Black tailed godwit. Ruff 2. Snipe 4. Stock dove 100+. Collared dove 2. Green woodpecker. Skylark 5. Cetti's. Chiffchaff 3. Goldcrest 3. Starling 200 . Blackbird 15. Song thrush 5. Redwing 100. Mistle Thrush 5. Grey wag 2. Pied wag 5. Stonechat 2. Meadow pipit 6. Chaffinch 10. Bullfinch 3. Greenfinch 10. Linnet. Goldfinch 20. Lesser redpoll 45.

MOORS:-
Teal 37. Shoveler 17. PINTAIL male +3 Imms. Wigeon 6. Gadwall 4. Pochard 6 m. Tufted 15. MUTE SWAN 22.
Black tailed godwit. Snipe 6.
 
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Phil Andrews said:
2 Sandwich Tern at the Sailing Pool as per Des / Mike Inskip
Click to expand...

Having checked the records this is the latest record for the reserve and the county and the second latest record ever for the West Midland Bird Club region, only exceeded by an extraordinary sighting of one at Edgbaston Reservoir during early November in 1877.
 
upstarts1979 said:
A late start 8.30am at the SAILING pool
Little egret 4. GCG 7. Common gull 1st winter. Cetti's w

FLASHES:
The cold SW provided a little bit of Vis-mig and passerine influx.
But NO Hawfinch:-C
One aspect of the day was a constant trickle of SW low flying groups of Starlings. I have witnessed this type of migrant in Norfolk on a massive scale. And there's no reason to think that our birds are not Migrants. There was nothing unusual today or at least I didn't see anything of that ilk. Other migrants were :-
Skylark 5. Redwing 60. Meadow pipit 6. Mistle thrush 5. Starling 200+. Greenfinch 5. Chaffinch 10. Grey wag.
Other notable passerines were the continued presence of 3 chiffchaff and a blackcap. But most impressive was the flock of 45 redpoll along the hen brook. There were also 2 stonechat.
Stock dove gather around the Flashes at this time of year usually prior to a winter exodus. Today a flock of 80+ birds flew out of the transmitter buildings.
FLASHES:-
Teal 40. Shoveler 65. Shelduck. Little grebe. Lapwing 258. Black tailed godwit. Ruff 2. Snipe 4. Stock dove 100+. Collared dove 2. Green woodpecker. Skylark 5. Cetti's. Chiffchaff 3. Goldcrest 3. Starling 200 . Blackbird 15. Song thrush 5. Redwing 100. Mistle Thrush 5. Grey wag 2. Pied wag 5. Stonechat 2. Meadow pipit 6. Chaffinch 10. Bullfinch 3. Greenfinch 10. Linnet. Goldfinch 20. Lesser redpoll 45.

MOORS:-
Teal 37. Shoveler 17. PINTAIL male +3 Imms. Wigeon 6. Gadwall 4. Pochard 6 m. Tufted 15. MUTE SWAN 22.
Black tailed godwit. Snipe 6.
Click to expand...

As I mentioned at the time the Ruff I saw early morning was a different individual to either of the two that flew in later. They both looked like juv males, having a peach-coloured wash to the breast. The earlier bird was much whiter about the breast and face, with more red on the bill. I'd say it was a winter adult male.
 
From the Moors Pool Mike W reports:

Wigeon 2, Gadwall 4, Pochard 7, Mute Swan 22 (including 3 juveniles), Shoveler 24, Teal 26, Tufted Duck 12, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackcap along the causeway

Little Egret at the Sailing Pool as per Sue Hyde
 
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The earliest and latest dates at Upton Warren for the five most frequently encountered tern species are as follows:

Common
Earliest - 2nd April (2011)
Latest - 8th November (1997)

Arctic
Earliest - 13th April (2013)
Latest - 10th October (2014)

Little
Earliest - 18th April (2002)
Latest - 26th September (1976)

Sandwich
Earliest - 2nd April (2016)
Latest - 18th October (2017)

Black
Earliest - 16th April (2015)
Latest - 30th October (1990)
 
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