Rare and Scarce Birds in Staffordshire (3 Viewers)

[NickPomiankowski]

Silverdale Patch Workers Need Rehab

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! I had a lunchtime meeting so couldn't get up there today. Anyway, on the plus side, a site tick at last. Now all we need is a Glaucous (winged) Gull to complete the set.

Yeah I know Stevo I went on Sunday and there wasnt a single Gull present and theres nowt to look at if you hang around to wait

 

[The Moore-hen]

Lets hope this signals a good year for this species!

I completely failed to see one last year, despite giving some of the regular local haunts in the Cannock area a good grilling. :-C

At least there are a few new Staffs goodies around at the moment. Lets hope for a good weekend ahead :t:

Let's hope so Snapper! I'm going to try the South Staffordshire hotspot of Baggeridge CP for Lesser pecker in Feb / Mar when they should be more vocal so i will obviously post on here how i get on...think they are still doing o.k. there at least...:t:

Extra News for the 19th Jan

2 Long-eared Owl - Park Hall CP - in trees c50yards in from the seat

Extra News for the 18th Jan

3w Caspian & 2w Yellow-legged Gull - Stubber's Green
3w Caspian Gull - Chasewater roost
2 ad Yellow-legged Gull - Kingswood
White-fronted Goose - reported at Belvide am but no sign pm

 

[The Moore-hen]

Yeah I know Stevo I went on Sunday and there wasnt a single Gull present and theres nowt to look at if you hang around to wait

Oh yes the joys of daytime gull hunting! There can be none one minute then hundreds the next as i have found out recently at Priorslee (Caspo being present just before then just after i left...:C). Gone are the days of easy access to refuse tips...i remember the days of the late 1980's when me and Mr Nuttall used to cycle up the A5 from Belvide to hunt for white-wingers at the Cannock Tip (these are the days before we had even heard of Caspian Gull...) it was easily viewable from the mound and multiple Glaucs were the norm...now the tip is twice as high as the mound...and Glaucs have been replaced by Caspo as the expected sightings.

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Silverdale Colliery

Adult Iceland Gull and Caspian Gull again present late morning - seen from the building site area. Also an adult YL Gull. All seen by Dave K. and Russell T. too.

Birds fly in from the west early morning so the Iceland is almost certainly the same as the Sandbach bird.
Nick

 

[upstarts1979]

Nothing to do with staffs
but please sign and pass on to your contacts
http://www.birdlifemalta.org/petition/sign/

and this aswell http://www.timesofmalta.com/

cheers John

 

[Martyn Yapp]

My agents on the ground at Baggeridge are suggesting that Lesser Spotted Woodpecker are non existant.

Let's hope so Snapper! I'm going to try the South Staffordshire hotspot of Baggeridge CP for Lesser pecker in Feb / Mar when they should be more vocal so i will obviously post on here how i get on...think they are still doing o.k. there at least...:t:

Extra News for the 19th Jan

2 Long-eared Owl - Park Hall CP - in trees c50yards in from the seat

Extra News for the 18th Jan

3w Caspian & 2w Yellow-legged Gull - Stubber's Green
3w Caspian Gull - Chasewater roost
2 ad Yellow-legged Gull - Kingswood
White-fronted Goose - reported at Belvide am but no sign pm

 

[The Moore-hen]

My agents on the ground at Baggeridge are suggesting that Lesser Spotted Woodpecker are non existant.

Really!? That would be worrying as this has always been 'the' place for Lesser Pecker in South Staffs and i've always connected in Feb / Mar in White's Wood when i've been doing a year list...will still give it a try and see what happens...keep us posted on your agents reports...:t:

Extra News for the 20th Jan

3 Brent Geese - Blithfield in Blithe bay & pair Smew - Tad bay at dusk with 34 Goosander
drake Smew - Chasewater in Fly bay at 17.00
20 Crossbill - Hanchurch Woods in trees opposite Dog (not dogging...:-O) Lane car park

 

[russell toon]

Silverdale Colliery

Adult Caspian Gull still present early afternoon on the Void,also 1st winter YL Gull.
No sign of the Iceland Gull today.

Russell

 

[andyr]

Blithfield today

Hi All

I'm not year-ticking in 2010, but if anyone needs Dark-bellied Brent Geese, then two were still showing at the very top-end of Tad Bay this afternoon, staying close to the white hybrid goose.

If they stay - and because they were grazing with Greylags and Canadas right up against the road leading to the Education Centre entrance - any non-WMBC members could get good views from the road near the new boardwalk area... but real caution needed to avoid 'spooking' !

Cheers

Andy R.

 

[smyrna]

Oh yes the joys of daytime gull hunting! There can be none one minute then hundreds the next as i have found out recently at Priorslee (Caspo being present just before then just after i left...:C). Gone are the days of easy access to refuse tips...i remember the days of the late 1980's when me and Mr Nuttall used to cycle up the A5 from Belvide to hunt for white-wingers at the Cannock Tip (these are the days before we had even heard of Caspian Gull...) it was easily viewable from the mound and multiple Glaucs were the norm...now the tip is twice as high as the mound...and Glaucs have been replaced by Caspo as the expected sightings.

Yeah and them Penny Farthings had no gears either !!!

 

[The Moore-hen]

Yeah and them Penny Farthings had no gears either !!!

Yes cheers for that PJ... If it's Penny Farthings we're talking then thats Eric Clare and Eric Phillips...some of their Gull records from the last Ice Age are truely remarkable...:-O

Extra News for the 21st Jan

2 x 1st winter Glaucous Gull - Chasewater roost & drake Smew - still present (+ Little Egret briefly am)
2 Pink-footed Geese - Blithfield in Tad bay but no further sign of the Brent Geese
Pink-footed Goose - Belvide with 167 Greylag Geese

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 22nd Jan

2 x 1st winter Glaucous Gull - Chasewater until 08.00 when flew south (presumably to the tip / stubbers green area) - sure we will have more news later on the Chasewater Wildlife Group site.

http://www.chasewater.org.uk/diarymonths/2010/January 2010.htm

Long-eared Owl - still at Park Hall CP in pines near the bench.

 

[GlynH]

Little Egret

There is a Little Egret on the river Trent flooding. On the A513 at Wolsley Bridge. Approx 1200 yards from the A51 roundabout/ Wolsley arms junction. Bird was opposite the Shugbrough Shooting grounds entrance. 12.40am.
Regards Glyn

 

[Max Radford]

Blithfield

Juv Glauc and adult Med (partial sum) in the roost tonight. No sign of the 2nd Wint Caspian Gull that roosted on Thursday.

Also 4 Pink Feet with the Lags still.

Max

 

[Neil-T]

Had a look around the Wolsley bridge area for over half an hour 2.15 to 2.45 and there was no sign of the little egret. Scanned all the way up for around a mile and half until you come to right turn for Great haywood (over the cobbled bridge). Plenty of white dots out there, but unfortunately they were all swans.

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 23rd Jan

Caspian Gull - 3w Stubber's Green
drake Smew - Chasewater - still in Fly bay
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - Aqualate
40 Goosander - Uttoxeter Quarry

Extra News for the 22nd Jan

Juv Glaucous Gull - Chasewater roost (+ ad Med Gull). drake Smew - Fly bay
No sign of the Ferruginous Duck - Brookley's Lake (female Scaup still + pair Mandarin)

 

[Topspot]

Crossbills still flocking at Hanchurch one flock 30+ other distanst @60 mobile but easiest to spot them around the Larch plantations in the area,off dog lane SJ830394

 

[Richard Powell]

Chasewater's drake Smew this morning. :t:

Also, whilst at Blithfield today. There was an interesting aythya hybrid duck in Tad bay, with a flock of Pochard. Looking through the Collins field guide, I think it was most closely resembling a Tufted x Pochard hybrid.

Thoughts of Lesser Scaup did occur, but there was too much of a tuft shaping the bird's head, and too much black at the end of the bill. An interesting bird nonetheless, but beware should it decide to move on. :t:

 

[Nick Smith]

Picture of the Blith Glaucous Gull.

The Little Egret along the river from Wolseley Bridge was certainly still present at 12-00ish.

 

[Martyn Yapp]

Incidentally the Smew was close to the Powerboat Club this morning and on the Jefferies Swag this afternoon (Saturday), not always in Fly Bay.

Chasewater's drake Smew this morning. :t:

Also, whilst at Blithfield today. There was an interesting aythya hybrid duck in Tad bay, with a flock of Pochard. Looking through the Collins field guide, I think it was most closely resembling a Tufted x Pochard hybrid.

Thoughts of Lesser Scaup did occur, but there was too much of a tuft shaping the bird's head, and too much black at the end of the bill. An interesting bird nonetheless, but beware should it decide to move on. :t: