Sandwell Valley (1 Viewer)

[steve_zodiac]

Hi Steve,

Where about on the Valley are the Parakeets?

One flew over Forge Mill lake at 3.30pm. Two more were feeding in trees along the path beside Sandwell Park farm (over the M5 footbridge from Swan pool, follow the path then turn left up to the farm. Two birds were feeding in the trees along the main path opposite the farm buildings).

 

[DaveJones]

Thanks Steve:t:

 

[richarddavis30]

you can usually find the parakeets down the side of the train track by the visitors centre. They are usually down at the of the concrete path where it opens up into a wider area.

 

[DaveJones]

you can usually find the parakeets down the side of the train track by the visitors centre. They are usually down at the of the concrete path where it opens up into a wider area.

Cheers for the extra info RichardB

 

[keithr]

No help this time of year but there was a nest a few years ago just off Park Lane in the little wood between the football pitches and the allotments.
Worth a look at the dead tree next year...also GSWoody in same tree.
Keith :t:

 

[steve_zodiac]

The result of the ringed Lesser black backed Gull at Swan pool on Wednesday has been returned from the BTO. It is as follows:


Recapture History
Ring Age/ Capture
number Typ Date Init Details
Lesser Black-backed Gull
FP63569 N 1 27/06/02 FLAT HOLM ISLAND, Cardiff
S 2 Sighted 13/11/03 Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal (1209 km, SSW, 1 yr 139days)
S 10 Sighted 27/11/13 SR SANDWELL VALLEY, West Midlands (151 km, NNE, 11 yrs
153days)

 

[rollingthunder]

10 years between sightings/reportings i wonder where it's been as more birders now record and report visually identifiable rings etc?.....

Laurie:t:

 

[Baggieshep]

The Valley Revisited

Hiya Valley Birders, I had a hour to spare & only being over the road at Charlemont a visit to Forge Mill seemed like to good of a opportunity to miss. Very impressed with the new look island & the marsh area so I could well be making it a regular Sunday morning pilgrimage :t:. Not so impressive was the amount of trees around the pool making viewing & counting of wildfowl difficult:-C very much like Sheepwash. A ca50+ Lapwing was good to see as were double figures of Gadwall & Shoveler. 20+ Goosander & numerous Teal are well worth a mention. Also of note was a single Common Gull & several fly over Redwing. So all in all a good hour was well spent & next time at the Valley I will concentrate on the birding rather than admiring the work carried out Cheers & Happy BirdingB

 

[steve_zodiac]

I haven't been out birding for a couple of weeks because of work so Im waiting to see what improvements (if any) have been made to the RSPB end of FML.

As for the trees around lake, its high time something was done about them, especially along the riverside embankment.

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

Reserve News

At Sandwell Valley we have also enjoyed some input from the big kit and everyone seems to be delighted with how the island and reedbed have been reworked. The new island shape (indeed islands) multiply the edge many times and anyone who has watched waders will know that this is where they spend most of the time feeding. There is still a fair bit of man hours required to get it really in prime shape for the spring passage but it is looking promising for a good year for the birds of 2014. At this point too a very big thank you for all the team who put in extra hours and days to clear the way for the machine in the reedbed. The extra efforts have really paid off and you should all be really proud of yourselves.

Nick Martin

Note this has been copied from an RSPB Newsletter

 

[yamyam]

Hi All,
A Great Northern Diver is on Swan Pool and was still showing well at 16:20, I could still make out the bird in silhouette at 16:35.
Good Birding YAMYAM

 

[benjaminbittern]

Hi All,
A Great Northern Diver is on Swan Pool and was still showing well at 16:20, I could still make out the bird in silhouette at 16:35.
Good Birding YAMYAM

Picked this up about 2.30 with a few other birders, was showing well.

 

[keithr]

Wonder if it's the one from Bartley....I was going to look at Bartley but a young chap said it had gone so have to try here now.

Keith :t:

 

[richarddavis30]

Great northern diver still showing on Swan pool this morning

 

[keithr]

Waited for the rain to stop to visit swan Pool today but the wind was still blowing a gale.
The Diver popped up right by where people feed the Ducks before I could get organised so had to wait for it to come around again.....it kept surfacing/diving and moving around the pool in regular intervals so all should able able to get great views.

Keith :t:

1 and 2...The Diver.
3 A nosey Gull
4 A Crow catching the sunset.
5.....and the female Kestrel caught the sun as well.

 

[yamyam]

Happy new year One and All, Talked my non Birding Brother in to a quick trip to Swan Pool, only there Twenty Minutes if that but he did have a look at the Diver good on him. Birds seen Great Northern Diver, Great Crested Grebe, Pochard, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Canada Geese, Cormorant, Blackbird and Wood Pigeon.
Good Birding YAMYAM

 

[richarddavis30]

I can only add in from forge mill pool


Blue tit, bull finch, chaffinch, dunnock, greatbt it, greenfinch, kingfisher, lapwing, lt tit, magpie, redwing, reedbunting, robin, shoveler, teal, wigeon,wren.

Happy birding today B

 

[Birder Gladys]

real nice day, weather helped,
Priory woods; Fieldfare,Shoveler,Wigeon,Gooseanders,Blackbird,Goldcrest,long tail tits,Treecreeper,Buzzard,wood pigeon.
Swan pool; Great Northern Diver,Mute Swan,coot,canada geese,Morhen,Wren,Cormorant,Magpie,B.H.G,Tufted duck,Mallard,Heron,GCG,Reed Bunting,C.Crow,Blue tit,Great tit,Robin,Goldeneye,Herring Gull,Pochard,
Main Pool ;Chaffinch,Jay,Redwing,Grey wagtail,Jackdaw,Goldfinch,Starlings,Snipe,Lapwing,L.B.B.G,Gadwall,Teal,Dunnuck,Bullfinch,Parrotkeet.
few pics from the day

 

[Birder Gladys]

few more
1 Goldcrest.
2 Swan.
3.Grey Wag
4&5 Parrotkeet

 

[Abbeybirder]

I set off at around 05.15am walking to my nearest bus stop to get the bus into Halesowen changed here to get a bus to West Bromwich and then again to West Bromwich Crematorium then had to walk the rest of the way approx 1.5 miles eventually reaching Swan Pool around 07.45am

What a day decided to start at Swan Pool just for the Juvenile Great Northern Diver though I was a little apprehensive as reports from this area can be to say a little misleading but not this time as I got to the side of the pool a flock of Canada Geese swam across the pool and guess what was just behind them yes the Juvenile Great Northern Diver (LIFER) what a way to tart the year.

It stayed pretty close to the edge of the pool for around 15 minutes and I was thrilled to be able to have watched it so close up (didn’t have my camera due to my injury to my shoulder and neck sustained around 3 weeks ago).

Not a lot more to report from the Swan Pool area as I intended to have a look at the new layout at the Forge Mill Pool (Sandwell RSPB Reserve)

I walked to Forge Mill Lake around 300 metres from Swan Pool and with the overnight rain the water levels were very high but this didn’t stop me having a good hour and half round here, First port of call was the bottom of the ramp by Forge Mill Farm car park from here I managed to see a small flock of Pochard and quite a lot of Tufted ducks but I did manage to see my favourite Sandwell duck again my White and Brown Mallard hybrid glad to see it’s still doing well.

As I walked around the lake towards the Marsh area the main Island in front of the hide as been restructured to 3 or 4 smaller islands this looks great but time will tell if it’s the right decision, the banks to the right of the hide as you look from the bank opposite have been reinforced and must admit they could do with shingle added to them like there used to be.

On to the Marsh Area this needed serious cleaning and it was great to see that they had made a big effort to clear away some of the intruding weed and suckers from the tree’s to the side but again I should say this is an area in progress but it does look great for the wildlife.

Onto the feeding station now this area should have been cleaned up and I think the feeding table moved slightly further away from the top of the bank but no work had been carried out in this area.

The reserve is looking great overall and to everyone who helped well done.

I will be visiting here a bit more regular this year as I think it has potential of having a few rare species this year or next.

I did manage to have some great views of a pair of Ring Necked Parakeet just to the left of the Marsh Screening area they eventually flew off towards the railway line after about 5 minutes.

SPECIES SEEN TODAY –


SWAN POOL –


Great Northern Diver (Lifer), Jackdaw, Wood pigeon, Buzzard, Carrion crow, Magpie, Mute swan, Canada goose, Coot, Pochard, Black headed gull, Cormorant, Water rail, Great crested grebe, Moorhen, Mallard, Lesser black backed gull & Song thrush

SANDWELL VALLEY RSPB –


Magpie, Wood pigeon, Black headed gull, Blackbird, Robin, Coot, Mallard, Mute swan, Tufted duck, Canada goose, Cormorant, Pochard, Goosander, Carrion crow, Lapwing, Shoveler, Teal, Dunnock, Redwing, Ring Necked Parakeet, Great tit, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Greenfinch & Goldfinch