sheepwash urban park (4 Viewers)

[rollingthunder]

For those that might be interested. After 'finding' the road route around to Rattlechain rather than re-enact the First Day of the Somme using the tunnel route i thought i would just post a Google Earth aerial view with appropriate Red arrow.....It's fairly obvious the turning is off the main road, from whichever direction you are coming from and on the left when all the Industrial Estate units finish (there are gates and security so u can't make a wrong turn) and turn down John's Lane rd. A couple of hundred yards on the right is a tarmac road which is closed off by a Yellow security barrier. Park there and you can walk down with the pool on the right and find the big 'un - best of luck

Laurie:t:

 

[Baggieshep]

Gulling

Hi Wash watchers & a warm but wintery welcome to you all. It was good to catch up with Hughie on Sunday & chew the cud & note Laurie counting my empty tinnies that are now building up nicely around my sobering up stone . Enough of my anti social activities lets concentrate on my dread of Gulls that have plagued me not for my 1st winter, 2nd winter or even my 3rd winter but since the first time I came across a hardy & dedicated bunch of Gull enthusiast scanning the roost at Chasewater at sunset one new years day. Every new years day I would go to my brother in laws residence who lived at Chase Terrace for lunch & walk the heavy meal off around Chasewater that would inevitably hold at least one goodie that was not on offer locally ie GND, Smew, Scaup, LTD, LEO & Goldeneye a great way to start the birding calendar not to mention your new years list. One of the group tried to get me on to a Med Gull needless to say after scanning what seemed like 1000s of Gulls I failed miserably but I did manage one last year at the Wash . Just like Sir William Gull I will have a stab at most birds 3. Right enough of my phobias & lets update you on this weeks sightings :smoke: a single G C Grebe as been noted most days, a dead Grey Heron greeted me at the end of the Johns Lane tunnel :-C, only 3 Teal, Pochard have averaged around 17, Goosander have varied between 8 - 20, All the usual raptors have been noted Peregrine, Kestrel, Sprawk & Buzzard, Kingfisher as been observed most days usually on the bend of the river near the Rose Lane area, pairs of both Green & G S Woodie have been active, a dozen or so Redwing have occasionally visited the site, Jay & last but not least a small party of Bullfinch. Great news for Canadian Geese is the fact that Sandwell council will review its stance on the culling of this species due to the efforts of Ian Carroll (voice of the Mute Swan) who managed a petition of over 4000 signatures to stop this slaughter. Cheers & Happy Birding B . ps any books donated to me on Gull identification will be very much appreciated :t:

 

[rollingthunder]

I would donate one but it's already coloured in!

Laurie:t:

 

[Baggieshep]

Gull Colouring

Hi Laurie I have also tried colouring Gulls & its not as black & white as it seems there are a lot of grey areas :t: 50 shades of grey to be honest its like flogging a dead hoss 3

 

[Baggieshep]

1st BUTTERFLY

Hi Wash watchers & a warm welcome to all. My 1st Butterfly was found today but sadly the Peacock seemed to be hanging on to life as struggled in the cold & muddy entrance of the Johns Lane tunnel. Interesting is the google earth picture of the chemical pool, this was obviously took before the pool was capped looking at the differences in colour compared to the PHP on the Wash, it would also be interesting to know how the two pools compare in size I am more than happy to throw this task over to Phil Andrews :t: who I am sure as completed a similar conundrum before :smoke:. On the birding front little as changed & my enthusiasm today mirrored that of the struggling butterfly :-C. Cheers & Happy Birding B .

 

[rollingthunder]

I struggle to get out of my 'chrysalis' every bloody day in the Winter, mate, yes i noticed the colour.....We don't need Phil to measure everything, let's do it 'in-house'

Keep checking those Gulls.....There's been a Med over @ t'Valley:eek!:

Laurie:t:

 

[GusHawk]

ps any books donated to me on Gull identification will be very much appreciated :t:

Just thought I'd have a peak at this thread see what it's about. Looks like a great spot! A great book for Gull ID and almost every other challenging ID is "Birds ID Insights" by Dominic Couzens and illustrated by David Nurney. It's really one of the best for helping with telling this from that. In fact I think it is the best! Unfortunately I cannot donate though as I ned it

 

[rollingthunder]

I have that and it's nicely put together - at present i am using the new Helm guide for 'difficult' spp it's the updated version of the 80's Macmillan Guide by Vinicombe and Laurel Tucker who both kindly autographed it when i bumped into them on the Scillies one Autumn - Laurel, unfortunately, passed away a few years later:C

Laurie:t:

Attached - Something old, something new.

 

[GusHawk]

I've heard good thing about that Helm guide it's tempting to say the least!

 

[Phil Andrews]

Waiting with those measurements if Laurie relents ....

 

[rollingthunder]

It's well worth it Gus, far more expanded than the original which i have been using since the early-80's for 'seasonal' reference...

Measure away Phil - Maths was not a strong point at skool but i put it down to an un-inspiring teacher

Mark - when u saw us a week or so ago we were gazing at your collection of beer tins:eek!:, Justin thought you might have a drink problem but my theory was that you were celebrating a dodgy gull that you had'nt posted?

Laurie:t:

 

[Phil Andrews]

Hi Wash watchers & a warm welcome to all. My 1st Butterfly was found today but sadly the Peacock seemed to be hanging on to life as struggled in the cold & muddy entrance of the Johns Lane tunnel. Interesting is the google earth picture of the chemical pool, this was obviously took before the pool was capped looking at the differences in colour compared to the PHP on the Wash, it would also be interesting to know how the two pools compare in size I am more than happy to throw this task over to Phil Andrews :t: who I am sure as completed a similar conundrum before :smoke:. On the birding front little as changed & my enthusiasm today mirrored that of the struggling butterfly :-C. Cheers & Happy Birding B .

The chemical pool is approx 240m at its longest north to south and 160m at its widest east to west. It has a total area of around 31,000 square metres or 7.66 acres. The secondary pool to the west is 144m by 33m and adds a futher 0.75 acres (give or take).

The main pool at SUP is 277 metres at its longest north to south and 265 metres at its widest east to west (across the two arms of the body of water). Total area - including the islands - is 48,275 square metres or 11.73 acres.

 

[Baggieshep]

Feathers Fly

Hi Wash watchers & a warm welcome to all. Cheers go to Gus & Laurie for pointing me towards a couple of good ID books :t: although I need no help with putting a name to any of the alcohol receptacles in the picture provided including the ones with pull rings from Poland Craig can only manage Med Gulls ringed in Poland in a Wolverhampton park . Peregrines over the last two years or so have proved to be a very interesting species to observe specially due to the fact they spend a great deal of their time on the chemical stack next door to my place of work. Many years ago I couldn't conceal my joy & excitement at seeing my first one at the Wash & now I see them most days, its great to see some successes. Peregrines can now be enjoyed away from the big cities of Brum & Wolvo with sightings in West Brom, Walsall, Dudley, Wednesbury, Oldbury & dare I say it in Great Bridge Tipton which beggars the question to their exact numbers in the West Mids. Recently the pair on the Robinsons chimney stack have taken their prey there on a regular bases a definite behaviour change from last summer when the preference was one of the pylons at the Wash so just for a change its not me that's making the feathers fly at work :smoke:. As up to now thou the Wash as been depressingly quiet with no new species noted for the year. Today saw most of the main pool frozen over but where it was ice free Little Grebes forgot their differences & shared the limited space along with Pochard, Goosander & the usual water birds resident on the site. The chemical pool was only a third frozen over but this managed to attract nothing unusual other than a increase of Herring & LBBGs. The river seemed a good bet the last few days as it provides a ice free feeding area but other than 3 or 4 Kingfishers & 2 Grey Wags it as proved fruitless. Both Woodie species now seemed to be paired off, common species of finches & tits have increased & a couple of Goldcrests are still knocking about. Cheers & Happy Birding B ps can you get me the measurements sorted Phil

 

[Baggieshep]

Genius

Cheers Phil your a gud un :t:B

 

[rollingthunder]

Nice to see something is 'Polish-ringed' down @ the 'wash.....

Wow:eek!: - that is some set of measurements Phil, i'm tempted to ask how you did it but i fear i do not have any smelling salts to hand

Laurie:t:

 

[Phil Andrews]

Nice to see something is 'Polish-ringed' down @ the 'wash.....

Wow:eek!: - that is some set of measurements Phil, i'm tempted to ask how you did it but i fear i do not have any smelling salts to hand

Laurie:t:

We have a clever mapping system at work which, whilst focussing on the city council, does cover Greater Birmingham . Tools include aerial photos, distance measurements and calculation of site areas

 

[rollingthunder]

It's nice to know you manage a bit of work whilst on the premises

Laurie:t:

 

[Baggieshep]

Gull Identification Made Easy

Hi Wash watchers & a warm welcome to all. With no distraction of football today & the weather being birder friendly an afternoon around the Wash was inevitable. The Kingfisher was seen on its usual part of the river & while I observed this beauty a pair of Goldcrests were busy feeding in the background & just for a bonus point a Grey Wagtail on speed worked the river bank. The BHGs were enjoying a feeding frenzy as a guy I have seen many times usually with his wife was throwing many titbits, they always feed the Gulls but not the Ducks. The wife even points & calls one of them by name :smoke:. Strange behaviour I thought until I heard the fact they had nursed one to health or hand reared one. Wanting a clear picture on this story I asked if this was the fact & apparently they reared it from when it was a mere chick after falling from the nest site. The couple are both South Africans & have lived in Tipton for 14yrs but the accent is still noticeable & he found the chick at the Land Rover where he works, I enquired how was the wife so certain as to which Gull she had reared " That's easy" he replied " its the only Herring Gull amongst all these Black Heads" :-O Doh don't call me toopid & that's how easy it is to Gull identification lol. More to follow on todays birding, Cheers & Happy Birding B

 

[Baggieshep]

Part Two

Hiya yet again Wash watchers & as usual a warm welcome to all now that I am fed, bathed & watered :t: A couple of birders have enquired about the Kingfishers favoured part of the river so I hope you have all got pen & paper at the ready . If you enter the park via the school gate entrance or around the corner at the garages you will come across a map of the site with names of the relevant areas. The river enters the park through a tunnel that passes under the railway & canal this is the Rose Lane area & the river bends here & Hughie King & myself see Kingfishers here on a regular bases. Check out the river & the banks vegetation from a distance if possible or the blue flash will send you around the bend as it disappears up or down river :smoke: best of luck & I hope this helps :t:. With large areas of PHP & Johns Lane pool almost completely frozen over it was of no surprise the last few Goosanders have vacated elsewhere :-C & the Pochard numbers have reduced dramatically but good to see 4 Teal were prepared to still tough it out. Cormorants, Little Grebes & a single GC Grebe have also proved to be hardened & determined birds in their relentless search for fish. Mute Swans may well be skating on thin ice but their relationships have definitely not been put on ice as there are now 3 pairs on PHP the most aggressive pair probably being the returning alpha pair from last year in addition to the resident pair on Johns Lane. It may be a little smug of me but I get so pleased when seeing all 4 of the raptors in one day, Peregrine on stack, two sightings of Sparrowhawk & in keeping with the weather never mind Snow Patrol Sheepwash as Crow Patrol with both Kestrel & Buzzard being mobbed ( pats oneself on the back 3) 2 GS Woodies chased each other around the mullburry bush :smoke: not sure if this was courtship or a territorial dispute & the Green species was also noted. 2 Snipe played hide & seek amongst the reeds next to the wader scrape. Good numbers of both Chaffinch & Goldfinch have been noted along with a few Bull & Greenfinch. Shy as ever a couple of Jay were around the school area. A trip around the tip proved very profitable with Woodcock, Pheasant & 2 flocks of Linnet consisting of 12+ & 25+ making it all worthwhile. Cheers & Happy Birding B

 

[rhbirder]

Hi all, is lonesome dove still present at the moment, saw lauries record from last month but wondered if still their after the freeze, cheers simon.