Rare and Scarce Birds in Staffordshire (3 Viewers)

[Periwinkle]

Tom

Any idea of whether we are talking of the main lake ... or the ditches and grassy areas between the rough track and there ?

Many thanks

Andy R.

It was on main pit on right hand (as you look from road) shore below gravel piles.

 

[andyr]

It was on main pit on right hand (as you look from road) shore below gravel piles.

Thanks Tom.

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Berry Hill

Early morning dash before work produced 3 ring ouzels (1m, 2f), 3 redstarts, 68+ wheatears, 5 yellow wagtails and 2 groppers.

Nick

 

[minkstone]

Berryhill this afternoon.
A male and female ring ouzel, a redstart, a whitethroat, and 33 wheatears.
Stu

 

[nutcracker1965]

wood warbler seven springs, left of car park on silver birch covered mound

 

[The Moore-hen]

Nipped down Gailey at lunchtime trying to intercept the Marsh Harrier that flew east thru Belvide but no luck even tho I tried to 'string' all the local Buzzards...:-O

Nice Black Tern tho over the sailing lake with 7 Common Tern but little else of note today.

News for the 30th Apr

Green-winged Teal - Blithfield in Tad bay also 2 Black & 23 Arctic Tern
4 Ring Ouzel - Berry Hill Fields
Osprey - north over Belvide at 15.35 also Marsh Harrier SE at 11.35

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 1st May

Marsh Harrier - ad fem over Belvide at 07.15 also 11 Arctic Tern from 12.30 also 5 Whimbrel thru at 14.00

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Berry Hill

2 whinchat in the Lapland Bunting paddock this morning along with 42+ wheatears and a yellow wagtail. A lot of the wheatears starting to look like Greenlands today - 2 classics and many others showing characteristics (peachy underparts etc).

Also 10 whitethroats singing in the areas I managed to cover - about half the site. Still well down on expected numbers for this time of year. In addition groppers also appear to be way below recent years numbers too - just 3 or 4 territories. It remains to be seen if more arrive late but it's a worrying prospect that two species which have seen good increases in recent years might have had crashes over the winter.

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for 2nd May

2 Ring Ouzel - Berry Hill Fields & 3 Whinchat
Kittiwake - adult Westport at 07.10

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Crane at Tamworth?

I've been told by a colleague who birds in his spare time that he saw a crane right by the railway line "about a mile or two north of Tamworth".

He couldn't be more exact about location but it sounded convincing and is presumably the Stafford bird relocating. Looking at the map it would appear to be somewhere in the Hademore/Hopwas area.....maybe

Nick

 

[Steve Turner]

Uttoxeter Quarry

Little Gull 1 adult summer this afternoon, plus another group of 5 briefly before heading off in the direction of the River Dove.

 

[The Snapper]

Not particularly scarce in regional terms, but certainly rare in Gailey terms, a Ringie stood on one of the jetties this morning. We had 2 last year after an absence of many years so to get another the year after is very welcome.

Also singing Lesser Whitethroat in hedge by fisherman's c'park.

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Nice - is that a site first?

Little Gull 1 adult summer this afternoon, plus another group of 5 briefly before heading off in the direction of the River Dove.

 

[Steve Turner]

Nice - is that a site first?

Nope; I had the only previous record on a WeBS count a couple of years ago!

After nearly 600 visits to Utch, Rockbirder still needs Little Gull :eek!:

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Silverdale Colliery

Male Whinchat and typical looking Greenland Wheatear on The Void lunchtime.

 

[The Moore-hen]

Not particularly scarce in regional terms, but certainly rare in Gailey terms, a Ringie stood on one of the jetties this morning. We had 2 last year after an absence of many years so to get another the year after is very welcome.

Also singing Lesser Whitethroat in hedge by fisherman's c'park.

Yeh thanks for the 'grip text' while I was on the train up to Manchester... good job we had those 2 last year or it would have been hijack time for all those commuters...:-O

News for the 3rd May

Bar-tailed Godwit - thru Belvide at 12.10

Extra News for the 2nd May

5 Black Tern - Whitemore Haye mid anoon
White-fronted Goose - Branston Water Park still

 

[Periwinkle]

This evening Grey Plover (sp) Middleton RSPB (Drayton Bassett Pits) on North Pit and Little Gull New Reedbed Pit (Dean Baker)

 

[The Moore-hen]

Extra News for 3rd May

2 x 1s Little Gull, 3 Arctic Tern & SE Owl - Aqualate
Black Tern - Blithfield
3 Arctic Tern - Belvide

 

[The Snapper]

6 Common Scoter(4drks) first thing this morning Gailey on the Sailing Lake. Also, Lesser Whitethoat still by c'park.

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Berry Hill

Sub-adult male in the white door paddock this morning, plus a whinchat, 40 wheatears, 2 fieldfares and 2 lesser whitethroats. I reckon that's the 15th ring ouzel this spring!!