Rare and Scarce Birds in Staffordshire (4 Viewers)

[Charlie Sargent]

That would be great! I know of many great birds there which have slipped through the net in the past.

Regarding the log book, I suspect the person reporting an empty log book was probably looking at this years log book. The 2009 log book will have been removed by Pete in order to produce the annual report.

Cheers, Nick

I can confirm the 2010 log book is in place. I went again today

Charlie

 

[Charlie Sargent]

That's brilliant Neil, any news out of Aqualate would be a real bonus!! That's one of the main reasons i started this thread...to get birders who wouldn't usually contact the pager / information services to report their sightings here while also being able to find out what was about elsewhere.

As for the Bittern i must have spent over 10hrs in that hide until i saw my first one and i have never yet seen one perched there...although with the ice this is the perfect time. Cracking shot of the Water Rail and many more cracking shots on your thread...i'm very jeleous...:t:

No News for the 12th Jan so far today.

The Bittern did not show today spent most of the day in the hide. Only thing of note was a male and female Sparrow Hawk working, Buzzard, Kestral and WaterRail . On the mammal side there was Fox walking across the mere and a Mink popping its head up occasionally around the hide.

Charlie

 

[Rob Swift]

I met a nice chap in the hide at Aqualate today, he said that he does the annual report for the place. I asked him if would submit any records of rare or scarce birds on here, and he said that he would. The Bittern did show......just before we got there......knew we shouldn't have had that cup of coffee. 2 water rails showing very well in front of the hide, at one point they were having a bit of a domestic and sqeeling like little piglets.

Hi Neil,

that Guy at Aqualate you mention, would be Pete Jordan.

Rare bird in the garden today........... 1 x Goldcrest.......only my second sighting this winter anywhere!

cheers
Rob

 

[Steve Turner]

The Bittern did not show today spent most of the day in the hide.

Charlie

Blimey, it must be cold if Bitterns are seeking temporary accommodation :-O

Steve

 

[Neil-T]

That's brilliant Neil, any news out of Aqualate would be a real bonus!! That's one of the main reasons i started this thread...to get birders who wouldn't usually contact the pager / information services to report their sightings here while also being able to find out what was about elsewhere.

As for the Bittern i must have spent over 10hrs in that hide until i saw my first one and i have never yet seen one perched there...although with the ice this is the perfect time. Cracking shot of the Water Rail and many more cracking shots on your thread...i'm very jeleous...:t:

No News for the 12th Jan so far today.

Thanks for the kind words. It would be good if we could get regular reports from there.

 

[McMadd]

Cheers to The Snapper for updating the thread while i have been 'out of action'.

Some hangover there bro' ;0)

Still looking for a GGO for y'all...nowt yet 'fraid...

McMadd (Not a Staffs birder...heaven forefend!...:0)

 

[Neil-T]

Hi Neil,

that Guy at Aqualate you mention, would be Pete Jordan.

Rare bird in the garden today........... 1 x Goldcrest.......only my second sighting this winter anywhere!

cheers
Rob

Hi Rob, I did have his details off him and wrote them down in Charlies little book, which he has still got. I will have to ask him for them as he wants some pictures of flora and fauna from around Aqualate for his annual report.
Thinking back, I am sure you are right, Peter Jordan it is.

 

[Charlie Sargent]

Blimey, it must be cold if Bitterns are seeking temporary accommodation :-O

Steve

Brilliant !!!

Charlie

 

[Rob Jones]

That would be great! I know of many great birds there which have slipped through the net in the past.

Regarding the log book, I suspect the person reporting an empty log book was probably looking at this years log book. The 2009 log book will have been removed by Pete in order to produce the annual report.

Cheers, Nick

No, it was definately last years book that wasn't updated for some weeks. I noticed the new one when I was down there on Saturday.

 

[The Moore-hen]

Some hangover there bro' ;0)

Still looking for a GGO for y'all...nowt yet 'fraid...

McMadd (Not a Staffs birder...heaven forefend!...:0)

Haha thanks Mark...could you send us a GGO down to Staffs rather than all this snow...my it's cold enough here so god knows what it's like in deepest Finland...:eek!:

News for the 12th Jan

Bittern - still at Dosthill NR - Non-permit holders to keep to public footpaths.

This is the only bit of Staffs scarce news i can find for yesterday...but with another Black-throated Thrush in a garden (in Yorks) keep checking those thrushes...:t:

 

[tabs41]

GGO would that be Great Green Octopus??????

 

[Adam M]

little egret still at westport, it was on the little brook around the nature reserve bit today. also present was 2 female goldeneye.

 

[Rob Swift]

Hi All,

had a few hours round the patch this afternoon. Highlight..........

Green Sandpiper x 1 feeding around a concrete lagoon at the Water Works, River Sow Meadows, Stafford.

On the Pager...
Bittern x 1 - Doxey Marsh, early afternoon. Seen flying into Boundary Flash Reed bed.

Rob

 

[upstarts1979]

Bittern - still at Dosthill NR - Non-permit holders to keep to public footpaths.

.:t:

Hi Moore-Hen
Could you tell me who owns Dosthill NR and where it is?. I know of Dosthill from many years ago but not the nature reserve.
cheers John

 

[The Moore-hen]

Hi Moore-Hen
Could you tell me who owns Dosthill NR and where it is?. I know of Dosthill from many years ago but not the nature reserve.
cheers John

Hi John

I'm not sure who owns Dosthill NR and i haven't ever been in there but it is on the far eastern side of the Dosthill / Drayton Bassett Pits complex. If you look from Fisher's Mill Pit it is the area of reed-fringed pools below Dosthill Hill. I know it has a wire fence around but i am not 100% sure where the access point(s) are.

I'm sure some of the Tame Valley birders will post better directions than me on here!

News for the 14th Jan

Bittern - Aqualate Mere - in reeds right of the hide at 14.30 (+Otter)

 

[The Moore-hen]

GGO would that be Great Green Octopus??????

Great Grey Owl...:t: Not very likely in Staffs but we can dream...:smoke:

The only speciality i missed in Finland and missed them in California so a bit of a boggy bird...i'll get it one day if McMadd finds me one in Finland...

 

[upstarts1979]

Hi John

I'm not sure who owns Dosthill NR and i haven't ever been in there but it is on the far eastern side of the Dosthill / Drayton Bassett Pits complex. If you look from Fisher's Mill Pit it is the area of reed-fringed pools below Dosthill Hill. I know it has a wire fence around but i am not 100% sure where the access point(s) are.

I'm sure some of the Tame Valley birders will post better directions than me on here!

(+Otter)

Thanks for that cheers John

 

[Wimpy]

Moor-hen :t: Thanks for reposting the Bittern spot and the otter (spelt correctly this time), I posted the info of my trip to Aqualate on the "Northern Hills and Lowlands" thread.

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1701316&postcount=8873

I wasn't sure where it should go, and I did not know whether it qualified for the "Rare" section .

But it was a great day out.

 

[smyrna]

GGO & Little Egret

Great Grey Owl...:t: Not very likely in Staffs but we can dream...:smoke:

The only speciality i missed in Finland and missed them in California so a bit of a boggy bird...i'll get it one day if McMadd finds me one in Finland...

That was a brilliant holiday we had in Finland did you ever get a copy of Jeds DVD of the trip?

ps the Little Egret seems to have departed Westport now the big thaw is on
heres a pic of it leaving
cheers PJ

 

[Rockbirder]

News for 16/1/10

Ferruginous Duck back at Brookers this morning, female Scaup and c30 Mandarins also.

Four Red-crested Pochards at Utch briefly this mornin' before flying off over the Dove.

Andy.