Rare and Scarce Birds in Staffordshire (3 Viewers)

[NickPomiankowski]

Excellent find Russell. It's only the 2nd county record with an injured bird being picked up near Elford on 27/5/2006 the first. Sod's law I was made to do the school run this morning :-C

Present at least 07:30 to 07:45 and dropped down in the 'Lap Bunt' paddock
and also on the Ouzel Mound but no further sign by 08:30.
Also seen by Pete Dobson

 

[The Moore-hen]

Present at least 07:30 to 07:45 and dropped down in the 'Lap Bunt' paddock
and also on the Ouzel Mound but no further sign by 08:30.
Also seen by Pete Dobson

Yeh cracking record Russell - and well deserved for all the hard graft up there. No sign by the time I left at 11.00. Probably about 10-15 birders looking scattered around so unless it's 'bunkered down' out of sight it's done a 'Spring'...the joys of Spring - great birds but nothing sticks around long...except the Crane!

 

[Adam M]

Yep, no sign of the stone curlew from 10-1. Did hear a grasshopper warbler reeling for a brief period though, had a red kite over the mast at 12.55 too.

Adam

 

[Rob Swift]

[ it's 'bunkered down' out of sight it's done a 'Spring'...the joys of Spring - great birds but nothing sticks around long...except the Crane![/QUOTE]

Talking of the Crane, I was driving home from town (Stafford) at about 11.15am this morn and saw it fly high over the A34 in a north-east direction. I 'followed it out' 2 miles to Staffs Uni' on Beaconside, where it was circling higher & higher...i thought this is it, it's on the move, then it promptly drifted back in a direction that would take it back to Radford! So it will be interesting to see if any reports come on for it later.

As it drifted back, I watched the Crane cross the air space of my local patch...so that's me having it as a patch tick! :-O B

cheers

Rob

 

[kev burrows]

Present at least 07:30 to 07:45 and dropped down in the 'Lap Bunt' paddock
and also on the Ouzel Mound but no further sign by 08:30.
Also seen by Pete Dobson

well done russ i was up berry hill for an hour this afternoon only had a male and female wheatear in the white door paddock of any real note,
just rewards for a man who leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit of berry hill rare birds...
ouch bad joke alert i will get my coat.......
kev.:t:

 

[smyrna]

Yep, no sign of the stone curlew from 10-1. Did hear a grasshopper warbler reeling for a brief period though, had a red kite over the mast at 12.55 too.

Adam

Red Kite aint bad compensation, don't remember one at Berryhill before?
Would that of been a site tick for you Russell?

 

[Steve Turner]

Present at least 07:30 to 07:45 and dropped down in the 'Lap Bunt' paddock
and also on the Ouzel Mound but no further sign by 08:30.
Also seen by Pete Dobson

Nice one Russell - I've only just found out by logging on this evening!!
I drove past Berryhill this morning on my way to Burton at about 08:15...still would have been too late. Ah well.

Good day for the mighty hill :t:

 

[The Moore-hen]

Red Kite aint bad compensation, don't remember one at Berryhill before?
Would that of been a site tick for you Russell?

Yeh interesting! I was only talking with Graham up at Berry Hill this morning and he mentioned the lack of scarce raptor records over the site despite it's fantastic record of rarities and passerine vis mig...then just after we leave a Red Kite goes over!

Extra News for 24th Apr

drake Green-winged Teal - Blithfield under willows in Blithe bay this evening
2 Ring Ouzel - Essington Quarry by entrance gate then flew towards paddock

 

[russell toon]

Red Kite aint bad compensation, don't remember one at Berryhill before?
Would that of been a site tick for you Russell?

Yes Phil it would have been a site tick for me but CS had one over on
20 May 2008

 

[ScottPetrek]

Don't you just love accidental birding? Popped over to Blithfield for my lunch break and was greeted by hundreds of Swallows and 3 Swifts! A text from Roger then put me on to the possibility of a little gull off beechtree point. A quick check produced 2 adults and a first summer along with approximately 30 arctic terns!

Must do that more often!

 

[The Moore-hen]

Large numbers of Arctic Tern & Little Gulls moving this anoon - if you can get to a resv before dark I would - just had 46+ Arctics at Gailey! Will update for other sites later...:t:

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 25th Apr

c320 Arctic Tern, 11 Little Gull & Grey Plover - thru Blithfield
62 Arctic Tern & 8 Little Gull - thru Belvide
Black & 20 Arctic Tern + 15 Little Gull - Aqualate Mere
12 Arctic Tern, 2 Little Gull & 5 Ruff - Branston Pits
2 Black & 1+ Arctic Tern - Whitemore Haye on main pit
2 Bar-tailed Godwit - Uttoxeter Quarry this pm
Arctic Tern - Westport Lake this am

What a day of movement!! It always looked a classic day on weather forecast but until midday nothing much had happened! Unfortunately (unlike yday!) I was stuck in an office until 4pm - even worse tomorrow I'm stuck there without a car!! :C

I just wonder what went thru Gailey earlier undetected...

 

[Periwinkle]

Black Tern at Tamworth Snowdome Lake this evening

 

[alrewasbirder]

Thought I would pop down to Whitemoor Haye lake tonight for and hour mid showers especially with the amount of movement today with Black, Arctic Terns and Little Gulls.
At least 3 Arctic Terns
3 Black Terns
1 Peregrine
2 Little Ringed Plover
a bonus Kingfisher,a rare sighting around Whitemoor Haye
Lots of hirundines on lake with first Swifts of the year for me there tonight as well as Treecreepers and Blackcaps in the wood behind.
Well worth missing the first two goals!!
Was hoping for the odd Little Gull but alas they will have to wait to grace my site list.

 

[Martyn Yapp]

Popped into Gailey this evening. A bit of a change from your earlier sightings.

29 Arctic and 25 Common Tern.

It's possible another 18 Arctic Tern pitched in briefly, however I could not quite prove that at the time as there was a lot going on.

27 Arctic Tern flew out just prior to dusk towards Cannock.

Large numbers of Arctic Tern & Little Gulls moving this anoon - if you can get to a resv before dark I would - just had 46+ Arctics at Gailey! Will update for other sites later...:t:

 

[The Moore-hen]

Popped into Gailey this evening. A bit of a change from your earlier sightings.

29 Arctic and 25 Common Tern.

It's possible another 18 Arctic Tern pitched in briefly, however I could not quite prove that at the time as there was a lot going on.

27 Arctic Tern flew out just prior to dusk towards Cannock.

Nice one Martyn - I'm pretty sure there were 49 terns at 5pm but my first count was 44 - they were spread over both reservoirs and getting behind the islands so difficult to count in the poor weather. I'm pretty sure only 3 were Common at 5pm but I did spend more time trying to count than look in detail so may have got it wrong!

Extra News for today

4 adult Little Gull & 22 Arctic Tern - Westport Lake

 

[smyrna]

News for the 25th Apr

c320 Arctic Tern, 11 Little Gull & Grey Plover - thru Blithfield
62 Arctic Tern & 8 Little Gull - thru Belvide
Black & 20 Arctic Tern + 15 Little Gull - Aqualate Mere
12 Arctic Tern, 2 Little Gull & 5 Ruff - Branston Pits
2 Black & 1+ Arctic Tern - Whitemore Haye on main pit
2 Bar-tailed Godwit - Uttoxeter Quarry this pm
Arctic Tern - Westport Lake this am

4 adult Little Gulls & C 22 Arctic Terns at Westport today

 

[Richard Powell]

Well I'm just grateful for the 2 Barwits at Utch this evening. Which interestingly enough, were feeding in one of the adjacent fields rather than in the gravel pits themselves. Even the weather conditions got Mr Rockbirder out of Cheesedale for the evening! :-O

Not one tern or Little Gull there. Which as Mr Moorehen points out, makes you wonder what passed through during the day. Not a lot you can do about it when you're stuck at work until 5:30.

News for the 25th Apr

c320 Arctic Tern, 11 Little Gull & Grey Plover - thru Blithfield
62 Arctic Tern & 8 Little Gull - thru Belvide
Black & 20 Arctic Tern + 15 Little Gull - Aqualate Mere
12 Arctic Tern, 2 Little Gull & 5 Ruff - Branston Pits
2 Black & 1+ Arctic Tern - Whitemore Haye on main pit
2 Bar-tailed Godwit - Uttoxeter Quarry this pm
Arctic Tern - Westport Lake this am

What a day of movement!! It always looked a classic day on weather forecast but until midday nothing much had happened! Unfortunately (unlike yday!) I was stuck in an office until 4pm - even worse tomorrow I'm stuck there without a car!! :C

I just wonder what went thru Gailey earlier undetected...

 

[smyrna]

Little Tern at Blithfield ( on pager)

 

[The Moore-hen]

Little Tern at Blithfield ( on pager)

Yep north of the causeway also Osprey over at 13.00

Osprey - flew east over Westport at 06.25

Little Tern is the one I want for Gailey - I'm stuck in the office with no car, The Snapper is on Maderia and Richard (the finder of all Gailey Mega's) is away on business...it's there for the taking for some brave soul...:-O