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

Withymoor - Amblecote, Stourbridge..... (2 Viewers)

Had a cormorant flyover at the bottom of brettell lane at 8.30am roughly on a trajectory from direction of fens pools flying towards Mary Stevens? Regards Dennis
 
Haven't posted on here for quite a long time. So thought I would give you a quick update of some of my birding highlights in 2016 in the Iverley/Whittington/Norton area.

22/02 - Ring-necked Parakeet - 2. Sandy Road, Norton

09/03 - Yellow-legged Gull - adult. Crown Lane

25/03 - Curlew - Sugar Loaf Farm paddocks

01/04 - Common Crossbill - 8. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm

03/04 - Reed Bunting - 2. Handkerchief Barn, Whittington

18/04 - Ring Ouzel - 1. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm

18/04 - Whimbrel - 4. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm

18/04 - Golden Plover - 8. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm

23/08 - BLACK REDSTART - juv. Sugar Loaf Farm paddocks

24/08 - Marsh Harrier - juv. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm

06/11 - WHOOPER SWAN - bird(s) of the year for me. 8 flew high east over Sugar Loaf Farm (seen 2 days later at Upton Warren). Proper migration in action!


Other notable birds seen on more than one occasion:

Grey Partridge - 3 records - Turbine Cottage, Whittington

Hobby - 6 records - Sugar Loaf Farm/Bunkers Hill Wood

Red Kite - 3 records

Peregrine - 7 records

Redstart - 8 records - Turbine Cottage/Handkerchief Barn/Sugar Loaf Farm/ Iverley Park Farm/Fairy Glenn

Whinchat - 4 records - Turbine Cottage/Sugar Loaf Farm

Yellow Wagtail - bred successfully at Handkerchief Barn

Lesser Whitethroat - bred successfully at Iverley Park Farm


So in summary a good year, with 4 new species for the patch! However, it is a shame that I have been away at Uni most of the time, and as such coverage of the patch has been minimal for most of the year. I don't want to think about what birds have been missed whilst I've been away!

Birds seen by others on the patch this year have included:
GREY PLOVER - adult. County Lane

Ring Ouzel - Whittington Common

Redstart - Crown Lane
 
One of the walks I do with doggo is around the football field behind Amblecote allotments there is a good boundary hedgerow and at the top end borders the most urban of farm fields currently empty of cattle. At the other end is the stream that rises as a spring at the top of Collis street/Brettell lane and flows down the boundary of said field before being culverted and empties either into canal or river Stour. Right preamble over. Over the years I have sighted many good birds here, Tawny owl nesting, Mistle Thrushes nesting in Dennis Hall grounds but getting their earthworms on said field and overwintering. Today in bright sunshine but quite cold ( ground frost) I had a good haul so thought I would let you know. Resident flock of house sparrows feeding and sunning themselves. Starlings, great spotted woodpecker, robin, goldfinches (6), buzzard being mobbed by 3 carrion crows he eventually escaped and perched in Scots pine in farmers field. Blackbird, black headed gulls, jay, magpies. 3 mallard in stream. So it just goes to show you don't have to go far to see birds. Regards Dennis
 
Another of my regular walks we do is from my home is round through Richardson estate and turn left at Harrop Way
This takes one over the river stour and is a public footpath. Follow this through to another estate and after about 100 yards turn right through a patch of grassland. You are now off road for as long as wanted. I usually follow path to a fork at which point I go left and out into horse field ( you will have to lift bike over barrier Laurie) this field borders canal. To end of field ( another lift I am afraid) and right over canal bridge. A little kink left and right takes you down some steps and back over river stour. This path takes you to a big wood that stretches right over to lawnswood through which are a few paths. Or turn right and come back out in Bells lane. A little cut through on right
Past school brings you out to playing fields at which point I can walk back over bridge at Wordsley junction and up Stourbridge arm of canal back to start. I do this most mornings and usually bag a good collection of sightings. Yesterday was a great walk with grey wags,buzzards, big groups of crows rooks and magpies in horse field. Worth looking out for a carrion crow with white wings very striking bird. Pair of Bullfinches and best of all 3 male goosander on canal at Wordsley junction. This is the first time I have ever seen them on the cut so well happy just need them to float up Stourbridge arm so I can have them as a garden tick lol. Despite looking I haven't seen a dipper on the Stour this year but rarely fail to see grey wags or kingfisher. Regards Dennis
 
A walk as described in last post done this morning. Very few birds about, perhaps they all hunkering down ready for storm Barbara to arrive. Did a count of water birds on Stourbridge arm of canal between Wordsley junction and Coalbrookdale bridge where I exit. Totals of 64 mallard, 15 moorhen and 16 Canada geese. No sign of resident Muscovy for a few days now, gone for one of his literal walkabouts I guess ( he has been spotted walking down the pavement outside Geoff hills electrical shop and crosses the A491 before now).
 
A walk as described in last post done this morning. Very few birds about, perhaps they all hunkering down ready for storm Barbara to arrive. Did a count of water birds on Stourbridge arm of canal between Wordsley junction and Coalbrookdale bridge where I exit. Totals of 64 mallard, 15 moorhen and 16 Canada geese. No sign of resident Muscovy for a few days now, gone for one of his literal walkabouts I guess ( he has been spotted walking down the pavement outside Geoff hills electrical shop and crosses the A491 before now).

How funny! I wonder where he was heading to, Mary Stevens Park maybe!

2 male Goosanders on Brake Mill Pool yesterday morning. As you say few birds about at present and probably hunkering down in what is now strong gusts of wind and squally showers!
 
Pair of male goosander alternating between river Stour and canal near Wordsley junction. I initially inadvertently flushed them when I looked over bridge to see if Dipper was present (it wasn't). They flew off downstream towards fishing pools and then a few minutes later flew back towards me. They settled on canal until a chap on mountain bike flushed them at which point they flew back on to river. This is the second time I have seen what I assume to be the same birds in the last fortnight. Regards Dennis
 
Sadly I can report that the Muscovy duck that had made the Stourbridge arm of canal its home over the past few years has died. It is lying in state in the little grotto that it favoured, unfortunately it is inaccessible without a boat so can't retrieve it for burial. It gave many people pleasure with its confiding nature often able to feed by hand. It even gave my a terrier a sharp peck on the nose when it got too close. It had its fair share of close shaves in the early days when it would walk across the A481 outside Geoff Hills shop. Sometimes gone missing for weeks it would always return to the same 100 metre stretch. You will be missed.
 
Four Buzzards wheeling and mewing above Amblecote/Wollaston this morning. On local walk this morning had 3 seperate male blackcaps, pair of chiff chaffs with nesting material in beaks. I am busy packing for my annual pilgrimage to Lesvos but must say this weather is very welcome. Dennis
 
Laurie....just below this box is the OLD THREAD WARNING.....think you just tick the box saying you want to reply......



EDIT....yes it worked.....
 
Followed by another one, or the same, the next day overflying Mary Stevens Park, Stourbridge.....

Laurie:t:
 

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This years Spring Wheatear passage over at the West Hagley Fields was notable for a number of reasons.....

1. I recorded my earliest at this site altho not my earliest for the area. Two birds were present feeding in freshly tilled fields on the afternoon of the 9th or 10th of March (i would have to look it up). one of the birds flew from the West Midlands boundary to the next pasture field which is Worcestershire. This appears to be both the first record for the two counties reportes for 2017. Whichever day it was it beat a bird found at Grimley a day after:t:

2. The passage of Wheatears was also the longest i have recorded, the last birds being seen on the 12th of May - a full 2 months which is quite a period.

3. Numbers peaked at 19 individuals in 2 fields at the end of April. My highest count was 24 birds 4/5 years ago.

4. I personally only recorded one ‘Greenland’ type individual - a very bright male in the 2nd week of May.

Laurie:t:
 
Quiet ystda down at Withymoor. Watched a pair of female-type Sprawks, one was repeatedly dive-bombing the other which in turn rolled on its back presenting talons - can’t say i’ve seen that before. They both flew off together so possibly a couple of juveniles still together?

Laurie:t:
 
Nothing much - the odd Redwing over the house.

Ophelia could push some seabirds in with the distinct probability of a Western bias to the odd rarity - it’s about time Spurn and Norfolk had it quiet;)

Laurie:t:
 
A couple of hours mooching at Iverley and West Hagley Fields ystda aftnn...

Iverley was primarily to pick some Potatoes and check on 1 of the 3 set-aside plots (4ha) that i covered last year. This plot was the most productive with upto 400 Linnets and 200 Chaffinch over last Winter Nov > Feb. Unfortunately the management of this and the other 2 plots (a further 4ha and a 2ha) is simply to leave them to self set with seed:C This, as i told the farmer, is not to be relied on as i saw the plots being picked clean and as forecast virtually nothing has regenerated - certainly on the Iverley plot. He admits that it should have been re-sown and will be next year.....

I left birdless and disappointed but with 25 kilos of spuds with the promise of ‘as much as you want’:t:

The WHFields are at present either stubbly/tilled for a Winter crop or still have unlifted Potatoes in 2 of the fields. A mobile flock of ca25 Skylarks were of note as was a smart dapper looking youth of Lithuanian origin standing in the middle of the fields with a bright Red Jacket, pointy street shoes, a sports holdall and what looked like a bulky old mobile phone.

As i guessed - he was looking for his drone which had gotten out of range! I told him there had been a spate of drone sightings over and around local agricultural buildings etc and the farmer would not take kindly to him traipsing about on his land looking for one.

He got the message after saying it was ‘just a toy’ - i told him that it is a British tradition to put Scarecrows in the middle of fields and he obviously was not one and should hop it:eek!:

A dull day brightened up by drone and spuds...

Laurie:t:
 
Didn’t bother locally so just got back from 2 hours @ Chasewater, walking to the Swag and back, in the belated expectations that there might just might be a Leach’s Petrel - not having seen one in the Midlands.....my what a lot of Coot they get there:-C

Laurie:t:
 

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