[andythomas]

The Christopher Cadbury Wetland Reserve is at Upton Warren, on the A38 between Bromsgrove and Droitwich. It is run by the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust (map reference SO936677).

The reserve is split into two sections. The northern part has two deep pools which are good for ducks and grebes. The surrounding reedbeds have breeding Reed and Sedge Warblers in the summer. The southern part has a shallow pool with islands which is good for waders. There are winter feeding stations in both parts of the reserve which attract finches and tits.

Personally I've seen a total of over 100 species at Upton Warren, and it was the first place that I saw Water Rail, Scaup, Wood Sandpiper, Temmincks Stint, Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull and Jack Snipe.

There are plenty of birds to see all year round. Some people prefer to visit in the winter when there are many different species of duck present. I prefer it in the spring when smaller numbers of duck are still present, but have been joined by the summer visitors such as warblers, or from July to September when passage migrants such as Dunlin and Green Sandpiper appear.

The reserve has an impressive list of rarities that have turned up over the years, partly due to the reserve's position on a migration route running between the Severn estuary and the Wash. Birds seen in 2003 have included Grasshopper Warbler, Black-necked Grebe, Little Egret, Red Kite, Sandwich Tern, Black Tern, Whimbrel and Sanderling.

A regular band of volunteers have worked hard to improve the reserve for wildlife. This has been particularly beneficial for breeding waders. The results of this were seen in 2003 when a pair of Avocets bred and raised four chicks, one of the first pairs ever to breed inland in the UK.

Location: On the A38 two miles north of junction 5, M5.

Access: Open to members of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, or by permit. Permit available from wardens on site or the sailing centre. Adults £1. Trust membership from Lower Smite Farm, Smite Hill, Hindlip, Worcester WR3 8SZ. Telephone 01905 754919.

Resident: Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Lapwing, Grey Heron, Kingfisher, Reed Bunting, Water Rail.

April - September: Cuckoo, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Cettis Warbler, Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Common Tern, Hobby. Passage waders, including Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Greenshank.

October - March: Goldeneye, Snipe, Jack Snipe.

[midlands birder]

little egret still at upton warren today showing well on the moors anybody seen it recently,not much news else really

[Pam_m]

Hi Craig, good to see you have got this show on the road! Bet the other thread goes dead quiet now!

Saw the Little Egret on the Moors Pools last Friday (31st july)! There for just a few minutes after we arrived...good to see!

[midlands birder]

Originally Posted by Pam_m

Hi Craig, good to see you have got this show on the road! Bet the other thread goes dead quiet now!

Saw the Little Egret on the Moors Pools last Friday (31st july)! There for just a few minutes after we arrived...good to see!

half the stuff is upton,but it will struggle through with max's brandon.this weekend i hope the bittern actually comes out for me,it wouldent even be a year tick but still great birds to see.some hot of the press news from upton.it may look a lot like the news reports from birding today but its not
little egret still present late afternoon, plus Bittern preening on bush at 2.30pm and 2 Common Sandpipers. Also Whimbrel flew over the Flashes at 7.15pm, plus 15 Green Sandpipers and 2 Common Sandpipers.
by the way what bush does he mean,there are quite a few at upton

[Pam_m]

Originally Posted by midlands birder

half the stuff is upton,but it will struggle through with max's brandon.this weekend i hope the bittern actually comes out for me,it wouldent even be a year tick but still great birds to see.some hot of the press news from upton.it may look a lot like the news reports from birding today but its not
little egret still present late afternoon, plus Bittern preening on bush at 2.30pm and 2 Common Sandpipers. Also Whimbrel flew over the Flashes at 7.15pm, plus 15 Green Sandpipers and 2 Common Sandpipers.
by the way what bush does he mean,there are quite a few at upton

Come on, Craig! You know which bush, it's the one next to the tree!

[midlands birder]

Originally Posted by Pam_m

Come on, Craig! You know which bush, it's the one next to the tree!

you mean the tree,next to the reed,next to the water,next to the coot,next to the b h gull,next to the egret,which is next to the wilsons phalarope
MB

[Pam_m]

Originally Posted by midlands birder

you mean the tree,next to the reed,next to the water,next to the coot,next to the b h gull,next to the egret,which is next to the wilsons phalarope
MB

You wish!!!

[midlands birder]

Originally Posted by Pam_m

You wish!!!

its happened twice before so why not again,and why not throw in a least sand for all the trouble
MB

[upstarts1979]

For those interested in the habitat at upton warren.

At the Flashes the sluice pipe has been open for two days now and the water level has dropped by 6cm (2.5 inches for us older ones). This is to provide ideal muddy conditions for passage waders and roosting gulls that like to be out of the water at this time. The reason for being a bit cautious with the water levels this year was the predicted hot weather that would have rendered the 2nd flash high and dry.

At the Hen pool an area of reeds has been cut down. this gives the opportunity to see reed, cettis and sedge warbler at close range. When entering the hide be very quiet as the door and flaps are a bit creeky, give it a bit of time and the birds should show. Hopefully water rail will also show. The bittern has been seen and wishful thinking will bring a spotted crake.

At the moors (Amy's Marsh) viewed from the Lapwing hide the nearest large vegetated island will be cut back in the next week or so to provide wader habitat and views of the muddy margins.

I will keep you posted on any other habitat creation or events
cheers John

[upstarts1979]

The Birds of Upton Warren. There has been over 230 species recorded in the last 40 years.

If you visit the Worcester birding site and go into the birders list you will see individuals lists many of which are for upton warren. If you wish to include your list email Brian Stretch for inclusion. Its all good fun and you will be surprised how many species you can accumulate in a couple of years. There are on average 150 species recorded annually.

[Pam_m]

Thanks for all the information, John! Good to read about what is happening/or going to, at Upton Warren!

[Duck_Pond]

Cheers for the info John - good to hear that the hen pool has been cut back a bit, as that again is good for photos from - it was where I got a close shot of a reed warbler a couple of years ago, as seen in the Trust Calendar last year. Are there any records of a spotted crake ever?

[midlands birder]

Originally Posted by upstarts1979

The Birds of Upton Warren. There has been over 230 species recorded in the last 40 years.

If you visit the Worcester birding site and go into the birders list you will see individuals lists many of which are for upton warren. If you wish to include your list email Brian Stretch for inclusion. Its all good fun and you will be surprised how many species you can accumulate in a couple of years. There are on average 150 species recorded annually.

the upton list stands at 235 species as of 1st jan 08 but i thinks there has been another adition to the list recently(hawfinch).i have been birding the site for just over a year(4 days over) and have got 118 species on the list,this includes the little egret and such great county birds as red necked phalarope,sanderling,garganey and white fronted goose and many other lifers for me.joining the list is great fun even though i am at the bottom of the list ,but i have only been birding there for a year while other listers have been watching for years and years

[upstarts1979]

Hi Duck Pond more wishful thinking.
But there are four records for the reserve
Sept 1981 at the north moors
oct 1994 at the sluice area at the moors after the area was cleared
july 1999 at the flashes to right of main hide
aug 2001 in front of the concrete hide again just days after it had been cleared

So anytime from August to October it is worth looking in the quiet reed fringed areas, preferably where there are no moorhens which always chase water rails let alone spotted crake. At the moment the best habitat is in front of the concrete hide (hopefully the kingfisher photographers will come across one) Hen Pool and the reeds around the 2nd Flash and also in front of the 1st Flash hide
Patience is the name of the game and mornings and evenings are best they are pretty rapid when moving in the open. Obvious pitfalls are juveniles water rail which always show a long bill as opposed to the short one of spotted crakes. You usually need several views to be 100% as above the colours are similar apart from white edging to coverts and scapulars. If you do see a water rail type bird with a yellowish short triangular bill make others aware no one will criticise you for that. More pairs of eyes makes it easier.
Good hunting
Cheers John

[midlands birder]

Originally Posted by Duck_Pond

Cheers for the info John - good to hear that the hen pool has been cut back a bit, as that again is good for photos from - it was where I got a close shot of a reed warbler a couple of years ago, as seen in the Trust Calendar last year. Are there any records of a spotted crake ever?

yes 4 records,one presant on the north moors from 1st-19th september 1981,one presant from 8th-13th october 94 near the sluice at the moors,an adult presant on the 13th july 99 to the right of the main flashes hide,and finally one on the 14th august 01 at the moors in front of the concrete hide(water rail).one wonders how many have passed through undetected,at the moment it would be good to look for bittern in the hen pool as its usually to overgrown to see out the hide,so it may lead to a few more bitterns there this winter(they proberbly already go there but you cant see them).
please keep us updated with the work going on at upton john im sure we all would like to know.
MB
looks like you beat me to it john .most of the records show from areas that have been recently cleared so it could happen but it is a long shot.

[Duck_Pond]

Cheers John (and MB). I've found that poor weather conditions seem to encourage the shy birds out, such as bitterns and water rail. Especially fog, but of course that limits photography somewhat!

Hope the bittern stays put for the rest of the year. Would be a great addition to the reserve, hopefully resulting in more memberships per annum.

[midlands birder]

Originally Posted by Duck_Pond

Cheers John (and MB). I've found that poor weather conditions seem to encourage the shy birds out, such as bitterns and water rail. Especially fog, but of course that limits photography somewhat!

Hope the bittern stays put for the rest of the year. Would be a great addition to the reserve, hopefully resulting in more memberships per annum.

of cause it will be there,its been wintering since 2003 (the hen pool bird was the returning pale bird).unless they have a sudden urge to start wintering at ladywalk again .apparently uptons been nicking there bitterns
MB

[upstarts1979]

The first phase of the work at Amy's marsh has been completed. The East island has been cleared ready for passage waders.
At the Flashes the water level is dropping gradually (sluice controlled) and exposing more wet mud at the same time offering more feeding for long billed feeders such as snipe 6 and Dunlin 3 (6th Aug). The shallows are attracting dabbling ducks with increasing numbers of Teal and shoveler amongst the Mallard. The previously muddy areas will dry out and provide food for surface feeders as they are at present for 175 Lapwing(6th Aug) and common sandpiper (5 on 6th Aug). The areas in between are occupied by 14 Green Sandpipers. As the season proggresses more passage waders will appear hopefully appear. The muddy edges of the 2nd Flash in front of the reeds are enticing up to 3 juvenile water rail into the open. The night time roost at the Flashes is building up with 1100 BHGulls and 40 Curlew and a noisey gathering of up to 33 common terns including many of our own bred juveniles.

The next 4 weeks or so are the best for passage birds especially waders so try and make regular visits if you can especially if there is in-clement weather.

Remember to contact Brian Stretch at Worcester Birding if you find something of interset (also keep up to date with midlands birds by subscribing to his site)
Regards John

[midlands birder]

Originally Posted by upstarts1979

The first phase of the work at Amy's marsh has been completed. The East island has been cleared ready for passage waders.
At the Flashes the water level is dropping gradually (sluice controlled) and exposing more wet mud at the same time offering more feeding for long billed feeders such as snipe 6 and Dunlin 3 (6th Aug). The shallows are attracting dabbling ducks with increasing numbers of Teal and shoveler amongst the Mallard. The previously muddy areas will dry out and provide food for surface feeders as they are at present for 175 Lapwing(6th Aug) and common sandpiper (5 on 6th Aug). The areas in between are occupied by 14 Green Sandpipers. As the season proggresses more passage waders will appear hopefully appear. The muddy edges of the 2nd Flash in front of the reeds are enticing up to 3 juvenile water rail into the open. The night time roost at the Flashes is building up with 1100 BHGulls and 40 Curlew and a noisey gathering of up to 33 common terns including many of our own bred juveniles.

The next 4 weeks or so are the best for passage birds especially waders so try and make regular visits if you can especially if there is in-clement weather.

Remember to contact Brian Stretch at Worcester Birding if you find something of interset (also keep up to date with midlands birds by subscribing to his site)
Regards John

thanks for this news,im glad the east islands have been cleared,it will be better to see stuff tomorow when im at upton,hope some good waders are down.how long has the 33 common terns been hanging around.thats how many i counted last saturday.glad to hear the snipe are back,its quite fun trying to count them,i said trying
MB

[Pam_m]

Thanks for the update, John! Interesting developments, especially with the juvenile Water Rails!

Enjoy your day at Upton tomorrow, Craig! Might be there myself on Sunday.

[upstarts1979]

The 33 terns were just those roosting at the flashes since Tuesday . This does not include the freshly hatched chicks and parents from the floating nest and also the chicks and parents of the nearly fledged chicks on the vegetated islands. If you and Pam can count both lots and enter the figures in the log books I would appreciate that. I would guess poss 40+ in total.
cheers John

[POP]

John I hope you are still keeping notes.(remember)
POP

[upstarts1979]

Originally Posted by POP

John I hope you are still keeping notes.(remember)
POP

there is only one person that used to say that to me. and could it be you JOHN from all those years ago in my twitching days. If so you must be a 100 now (only joking lets call it 99)

[POP]

Originally Posted by upstarts1979

there is only one person that used to say that to me. and could it be you JOHN from all those years ago in my twitching days. If so you must be a 100 now (only joking lets call it 99)

Spot on the money John and waiting for the Queens telegram,great to know you are still the "King" of Upton Warren.(john)

POP (nome de plume for an idiot) will have to come and check the notebooks one day.

[upstarts1979]

Originally Posted by POP

Spot on the money John and waiting for the Queens telegram,great to know you are still the "King" of Upton Warren.(john)

POP (nome de plume for an idiot) will have to come and check the notebooks one day.

Hi John your one of my heroes of those days was always nice to have the banter with you. What are you up to these days. Would be nice to get a good bird at Upton for an old time reunion. Do you still Paul Powell etc
John