Upton Warren (106 Viewers)

[RGUEST3]

Another first light start at the FLASHES, with rain starting just as I arrived and not stopping until 11am. Throughout the morning a few meadow pipits moved through and some landing in front of the hide. A lone swallow fed over the 1st Flash during heavy rain. But these were the only VIS MIGrants I saw.
All the overnight roosters were hunkered down, with a good number of BHG's.
Only 3 of us (Rob G Matt fuzeare) on site by the time I moved to the Moors, where Gaseous Clay and his MRs were the only people there.
Here things were almost as yesterday , with a slight increase in wigeon. But most passerines, apart from singing Cettis were none existent. The only other passerine of note was a high flying small thrush circling and reluctant to land, which could have been a redwing.
species counts
FLASHES: Little egret, Teal 120, shoveler 49, mallard 150, mute swan, greylag 3, canadas 250 roosted, green sand, snipe 7, curlew 20, lapwing 15, BHG 1600, Herring gull 4, LBBG 7,several 100's of large gulls moved south shortly after first light. coot 10, water rail 2 calling, sparrowhawk, cettis singing, chiffchaff 2, lots of passerines sheltering in bushes right of sewage works - blackbird 12, song thrush 3, starling 10, chaffinch 2, reed bunting 4, plus goldfinches, tits and robins. It is certainly worth scoping this area as passerines regularly gather there. Grey wag 2, pied wag 5,
VIS MIG -meadow pipit 30, swallow,

MOORS: GCG 5, Little grebe 8+, little egret 3, wigeon 13, shoveler c20, teal 30, greylag c15, common sand, snipe 10, lapwing 150, cettis 3 singing. grey wag 2,

A38 FIELD, behind concrete hide. As I was driving out of the reserve I noticed a large flock of birds get up from this field. It has just been rolled and whether as a result of the rain or not it held a good mixed flock including: lapwing 150, BHG 250, stock dove 10, starling 220, pied wags 45 - 50. Unfortunately I couldn't give it more than 5 minutes before I had to leave. So if you are on the reserve tomorrow check it out. B

Can I add to that the hide overlooking the new sluice gate shows great potential with lots of passerines and 2 snipe arriving just as I left. A kingfisher used the new gate as a perch showing for a good few minutes before flying off towards the sailing lake. Well worth having a look.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Can I add to that the hide overlooking the new sluice gate shows great potential with lots of passerines and 2 snipe arriving just as I left. A kingfisher used the new gate as a perch showing for a good few minutes before flying off towards the sailing lake. Well worth having a look.

Work to the channel often attracts Teal, Water Rail and Snipe close into the hide. Hopefully the sluice installation project will have cleared the phragmites that was blocking the channel and reducing any water's edge. The November work party will see the reinstatement of the feeding station whilst the tired scrub will be rejuvinated later in the work party season.

 

[upstarts1979]

Flashes work party weather forecast for tomorrow:
Dry, sunny until mid afternoon, 13C, much lighter SSW wind.

To add to Phil's comments - the cattle will be taken off tomorrow and moved to the Moors.
Light duty jobs will include:- removing the wild hop from the hedgerow behind the hide. The reasoning is that it is smothering the thorn bushes and destroying the berry crop. The blackthorn at the right hand side of the hide is obscuring the views along the western hedgerow. Tomorrow we will cut it down low and pile cuttings in the gap of the hedge to encourage bramble.
The main tasks will be to de-silt some of the channels that were not done last year. The spoil will be piled up on the degraded banks that are rapidly eroding. This will encourage salt marsh plants and provide breeding sites above the high water levels.
I have got choc bars and biscuits and gallons of squash. So enough for any newcomers. Without the work being done we wont reach the full potential of the site, so please try and come along and get involved.
ps Don't forget wellies if you are digging:t:

 

[Abbeybirder]

Just thought I would let everyone know that there is now a bus service that runs directly from Halesowen to Upton warren stopping at Webbs garden centre.

You can get it from Halesowen Bus station the service number is 147 and run by First it run hourly and the last bus returning from Webbs is around 5pm

just a quick couple of uploads to my channel on you tube

I would like a little help with the ID on one of the uploads and the other is of one of the 2 Great White Egrets on the reserve I do have both birds on different footage though

Hope you enjoy and any help with the ID would be gratefully received

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgeCCXQl6lo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i821B_5F7QI

 

[Phil Andrews]

Just thought I would let everyone know that there is now a bus service that runs directly from Halesowen to Upton warren stopping at Webbs garden centre.

You can get it from Halesowen Bus station the service number is 147 and run by First it run hourly and the last bus returning from Webbs is around 5pm

just a quick couple of uploads to my channel on you tube

I would like a little help with the ID on one of the uploads and the other is of one of the 2 Great White Egrets on the reserve I do have both birds on different footage though

Hope you enjoy and any help with the ID would be gratefully received

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgeCCXQl6lo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i821B_5F7QI

First video appears to be a Meadow Pipit although its difficult to rule out other pipit species on these images.

I got excited by the description of the second video, only the find it was Rutland Water :-C

 

[Stone Snapper]

Just thought I would let everyone know that there is now a bus service that runs directly from Halesowen to Upton warren stopping at Webbs garden centre.

You can get it from Halesowen Bus station the service number is 147 and run by First it run hourly and the last bus returning from Webbs is around 5pm

just a quick couple of uploads to my channel on you tube

I would like a little help with the ID on one of the uploads and the other is of one of the 2 Great White Egrets on the reserve I do have both birds on different footage though

Hope you enjoy and any help with the ID would be gratefully received

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgeCCXQl6lo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i821B_5F7QI

But I live near kidderminster:-O:-O:-O

 

[upstarts1979]

Crofty has just had a female type Stonechat at Flashes feeding station. Dave J has had 2 swallows but other wise quiet so far.
Dave has just had 5 yellowhammers going over. seems to be a few moving through over the last few weeks.

 

[binus1963]

But I live near kidderminster:-O:-O:-O

there's a bus from kiddy to halesowen mate.

 

[Abbeybirder]

Just updated my blog with a full review of my visit to Rutland Water 04 - 10 - 2014 with a full list of species seen and from which hide and area - http://www.birding.uk.com/forum/blogs/adrian-k/540-rutland-water-visit-04-10-2014.html

Hope to visit Upton this week and get some footage of some great birds and the reserve with all the work done.

 

[upstarts1979]

Flashes work party today

16 of us worked on de-silting the feeding channels and hedge management.

Tim and Mary (Birder Gladys), Trace (binus63) and Sue, Guy and Si (hairy and not so hairy birder), Phil W, Rich (skeleton man), Des (UW 82), Gazza(biking birder), Dave W (woodchat), Tony H, Graham Lab ,Mike Y, Phil Andrews and me.

Behind the hide the western hedgerow is getting smothered by wild hops, we removed it and with the cuttings, we made a wildlife habitat pile.

The channel in front of the hide, known as Avocet channel, has not been dug out for a couple of years. It has silted up and it dried out very early this year and was lost as a viable feeding source to the Avocets and other waders. The silt was removed to a depth of about 6 inches and then piled up on the eroding shore of Temmincks bay.
The area to the north of the hide is known as the 'archipelago' and it's Islands are rapidly eroding. To reverse this trend and at the same time de-silt its channel (which has never been dug) we piled up the silt on the eroded areas. The channel that has been dry for the last couple of months, is now covered with shallow water.

Thanks for everyone's help today.

Photo's
1 and 2 before work
3 and 4 the same areas after the work.
5. Part of the western hedgerow after hop removal.

 

[upstarts1979]

Birding at the reserve

FLASHES
during and after the work party.
A fair amount of VIS MIG was in progress, Meadow pipits were constantly on the move, as were a few skylarks and greenfinches.
A brief walk around the Flashes, flushed a few snipe and a jack.
A male Stonechat appeared late afternoon in front of the oak tree.
Teal 40, coot 12, water rail 2 calling, snipe 7, jack snipe, curlew 17, lapwing 25,
Raven 2, skylark 6, meadow pipit 35, greenfinch 6, pied wag 6, grey wag, Stonechat male and female, starling 150, chiffchaff,
earlier in the day Crofty had c20 wigeon going over, possibly flushed from the Moors by a low flying air baloon.
MOORS only a brief visit highlights
Little egret 4, Wigeon 8, shoveler 50+, pochard 4 ( 2 male, 2 fems), Cettis 2 singing,

 

[Phil Andrews]

FLASHES
during and after the work party.
A fair amount of VIS MIG was in progress, Meadow pipits were constantly on the move, as were a few skylarks and greenfinches.
A brief walk around the Flashes, flushed a few snipe and a jack.
A male Stonechat appeared late afternoon in front of the oak tree.
Teal 40, coot 12, water rail 2 calling, snipe 7, jack snipe, curlew 17, lapwing 25,
Raven 2, skylark 6, meadow pipit 35, greenfinch 6, pied wag 6, grey wag, Stonechat male and female, starling 150, chiffchaff,
earlier in the day Crofty had c20 wigeon going over, possibly flushed from the Moors by a low flying air baloon.
MOORS only a brief visit highlights
Little egret 4, Wigeon 8, shoveler 50+, pochard 4 ( 2 male, 2 fems), Cettis 2 singing,

Just to add to John's sightings:

FLASHES
66 Moorhen

MOORS POOL
1 Snipe, Pintail, 11 Cormorant, 21 Greylag Geese, Common Sandpiper, 21 Tufted Duck, c45 Pied Wagtail in A38 field, 6 Moorhen (John - were there any around the feeding station that I couldnt see from the East Hide; getting very close to the reserve record again)

PS Does anyone know anything about the report in the Flashes log-book of Mealy Redpoll on 27th September?

 

[Tiptonian]

Rare visit to the site by me which unfortunately from my perspective coincided with the work party. Nevertheless, well done to all those helping out - that silt digging looked like very hard work.

Of note then, raven over, cettis calling and brief view in bushes along path close to hide nearest sailing lake, a swallow from that hide, a singing chiffchaff near to scouts bridge and snipe and pochard at Moors pool. Sparrowhawk over Bromsgrove on the way home.

 

[upstarts1979]

Just to add to John's sightings:

FLASHES
66 Moorhen

MOORS POOL
1 Snipe, Pintail, 11 Cormorant, 21 Greylag Geese, Common Sandpiper, 21 Tufted Duck, c45 Pied Wagtail in A38 field, 6 Moorhen (John - were there any around the feeding station that I couldnt see from the East Hide; getting very close to the reserve record again)

PS Does anyone know anything about the report in the Flashes log-book of Mealy Redpoll on 27th September?

did see 2 but didnt actually look for any. Vern would have seen some in front of concrete hide, also SW marsh had some. Soz didn,t actually count them. Its the one species I never count but I will from now on.Honestly:t:

 

[Spoonbill Finder]

Avocet at Flashes since 1440.

 

[UW82]

Avocet at Flashes since 1440.

That's a pretty old Avocet Andy. I take it it had a walking stick.

 

[Stone Snapper]

Avocet at Flashes since 1440.

Must be world champion at hide and seek :eek!:

 

[Bob O.]

Avocet at Flashes since 1440.

Blimey, one for the record books Phil!
:-O:-O:-O:-O

 

[UW82]

Avocet at Flashes since 1440.

If memory serves me right, there's a record for 1435, but I'm sure Phil will put me right.:-O


Des.

 

[Stone Snapper]

:-OMR BELSEY SORT YA PHONE OUT KID cheers:-O