Upton Warren (19 Viewers)

[Where Bird]

Access to open spaces

Kimbo
Hear what you are saying and it is a problem.
I am lucky - I do have a garden albeit a small one and I can get my exercise by running up the steps to it from the back door, along the top, down the side and out through the front gate , along the front and back in through the front door.

From the top I have a panoramic view of the city and I can if I try hard enough even see the perch of a particular bird of prey. Any resulting pic makes a record shot look brill!

Please think of the access to the Moors.There is a community of houses there. One guy uses a self propelled chair to exercise along that causeway . National Parks people have said footpaths go through peoples grounds and for that reason we should stay away.

Also current instructions are not to use our cars to drive to areas like this.
Although the local footpaths are open in places there are many parts where you cannot pass without close contact. The North Moors path - should we form a queue to go round - there isn't room to pass safely.

I'm old and so only allowed out for one daily exercise in my immediate area. Frustrating 'cause I feel fit! In the end I want to stay that way.

So, wishing you all the best and hopefully all this will sort itself out sooner rather than later.

 

[Birder Gladys]

just some old photos.
1 Was showing fixing the old fox fence but then there's the Oak tree.
2 What happen to that man?
3 The day we saved fox cubs...
Didn't want to post any birds it made me home sick

 

[wheatearlp]

just some old photos.
1 Was showing fixing the old fox fence but then there's the Oak tree.
2 What happen to that man?
3 The day we saved fox cubs...
Didn't want to post any birds it made me home sick

Captions please for pic no 1 😉 I know what mine is 😂😂

 

[upstarts1979]

Captions please for pic no 1 😉 I know what mine is 😂😂

I know what mine would be...the picture is so old ladders hadnt been invented 8-P
Cant remember why I did that ...I thought Janettte could have let me get on her shoulders though:-O john

 

[Spoonbill Finder]

Kimbo
Hear what you are saying and it is a problem.
I am lucky - I do have a garden albeit a small one and I can get my exercise by running up the steps to it from the back door, along the top, down the side and out through the front gate , along the front and back in through the front door.

From the top I have a panoramic view of the city and I can if I try hard enough even see the perch of a particular bird of prey. Any resulting pic makes a record shot look brill!

Please think of the access to the Moors.There is a community of houses there. One guy uses a self propelled chair to exercise along that causeway . National Parks people have said footpaths go through peoples grounds and for that reason we should stay away.

Also current instructions are not to use our cars to drive to areas like this.
Although the local footpaths are open in places there are many parts where you cannot pass without close contact. The North Moors path - should we form a queue to go round - there isn't room to pass safely.

I'm old and so only allowed out for one daily exercise in my immediate area. Frustrating 'cause I feel fit! In the end I want to stay that way.

So, wishing you all the best and hopefully all this will sort itself out sooner rather than later.

Hi Phil. Sharing pretty much the same panoramic view of the city as you I too have been able to pick out the perch of that certain bird of prey. Got some half-decent views through my scope, and even saw it in flight yesterday!

Glad you are keeping well and look forward to seeing you and everyone else who reads this message board back at Upton Warren when this is all over.:t:

 

[John Sirrett]

Just putting some of my earlier records onto Birdtrack. On Wednesday 16 April 1986 there was a Little Gull on the Flashes, along with Whimbrel & Yellow Wagtail whilst ducks included a female Ruddy Duck and the Ringed Teal. What has caught my eye is a record involving the Canada Geese, my note does not say how many were present but says that the Canada Geese were accompanied by a Barnacle Goose and a LESSER CANADA GOOSE (which of course is now Cackling Goose). Who was it that first ID'd this bird as a Lesser Canada Goose and did anyone else record it? It is not mentioned in that great tome "The Birds of Upton Warren" nor in the WMBC report for 1986.

 

[wheatearlp]

Just putting some of my earlier records onto Birdtrack. On Wednesday 16 April 1986 there was a Little Gull on the Flashes, along with Whimbrel & Yellow Wagtail whilst ducks included a female Ruddy Duck and the Ringed Teal. What has caught my eye is a record involving the Canada Geese, my note does not say how many were present but says that the Canada Geese were accompanied by a Barnacle Goose and a LESSER CANADA GOOSE (which of course is now Cackling Goose). Who was it that first ID'd this bird as a Lesser Canada Goose and did anyone else record it? It is not mentioned in that great tome "The Birds of Upton Warren" nor in the WMBC report for 1986.

Checked my (rather sparse) notes and it appears I was at Bittell that day/evening, so nothing to comment on. However it appears I life-ticked Little Owl at Upton on 12/4/86 😊

 

[Dick-E-Dipper]

Please abide by the rules

Richard

 

[Bob O.]

Please abide by the rules

Richard

Made me chuckle did that 33
Here's a pic from 2016 of what we would see if we were there now.

 

[Julie50]

Last year’s juvenile kingfishers First time I consciously saw juveniles!

edit: actually they look quite advanced!

 

[Dick-E-Dipper]

A few pics of some of the most memorable moments of the past.
What`s in store for the future?

1 Wilson`s Phalarope Flashes 25.09.2007
2. Red Necked Phal. Flashes 01.06 2011
3. Bittern Moors 09.12.2009
4. Osprey Flashes 09.09 2012
5. Waxwings Sailing Pool to Webbs 09.12 2012
6. Fem. Hen Harrier Moors 30.11.2016

Richard

 

[Dick-E-Dipper]

A few pics of some of the most memorable moments of the past.
What`s in store for the future?


6. Fem. Hen Harrier Moors 30.11.2016

Richard

Forgot it only takes 5 (Space for 6!!!)

 

[Phil Andrews]

Great images Rich :t:

 

[Tomwbhx]

Thought I'd add another one of the Osprey back in 2012

 

[geoffw1946]

As we can't visit Upton Warren at the present time I'm watching the birds at Urdaibai Bird Center in the Basque Country see https://www.birdcenter.org/en/birds/bird-cams-birds-in-the-urdaibai-marsh

I wonder if it would be possible to set up a webcam at UW, it would be good publicity for the WWT and we could watch or listen to the birds 24 hours a day.
I don't know much about webcams but how about putting a mobile phone camera somewhere, would that work?

 

[Kimbo52]

Webcam

What a great idea. Unfortunately I’m not sure the technical capabilities readily exist at the Trust and their are of course access issues at present. Worth asking though. If it was achievable, given the time of year my suggestion would be installation at the Flashes.

 

[geoffw1946]

What a great idea. Unfortunately I’m not sure the technical capabilities readily exist at the Trust and their are of course access issues at present. Worth asking though. If it was achievable, given the time of year my suggestion would be installation at the Flashes.

The Flashes would be best, easier to set up the camera and better security.

 

[Spoonbill Finder]

On this date last year

April 1st 2019 saw the first Osprey sighting of the year on the reserve. Phil Wood, Phil Quiney and myself were fortunate to see the bird flying above us as we walked along the East Track at the Moors back towards the car park just before midday. The bird didn't linger, continuing onwards in a northerly direction.

Later that same day Phil Wood saw an Osprey circle the Moors Pool before heading off in the direction of the Sailing Pool. This may well have been a different bird to the one seen earlier.

Earlier in the morning I had seen my first 2 Swallows of the year among 100+ Sand Martins over the Sailing Pool. The first 2 House Martins of the year were also seen by Gert at The Moors Pool.

I notice that Dave Walker had an Osprey over his patch around Coney Meadow today.:t:

 

[Phil Andrews]

Today is the 15th anniversary of my most significant find at Upton Warren, a showy female Black Redstart at the Sailing Pool, the first confirmed record for the reserve. The bird was found around 9am close to the pontoons of the sailing club but disappeared by the time I returned from the phone box opposite the garage (remember having to do that??). Luckily I refound it on a rubble pile in the overflow car park where it remained all day, providing some compensation for those who had dipped the Belted Kingfisher at Shugborough. There's been just one further record, a male briefly at the Flashes on 8th May 2011.

There were two previous records for the reserve have been subsequently removed - a (good) verbal description from workmen at the Moors residencies which was not submitted to the county recorder and a bird Arthur had in fields way to te east of the Flashes somewhere near the railway line.

Attached is Andy Warr's superb capure of this ever-charasmatic chat.

 

[Spoonbill Finder]

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of my most significant find at Upton Warren. It was a Friday and I'd spent the day at the reserve and had come back over to the Flashes for the gull roost. Scanning through the Black-headed Gulls I saw a bird that I thought initially was a Common Gull. However, on closer inspection I noticed that the bird had a pale rather than dark eye, yellow as opposed to greenish legs and a thick black band around the tip of the bill. I announced to those present that I was pretty sure that I'd got a Ring-billed Gull. I then got the news out in the hope that some of the regulars could get over and see it. If proven it would be a first for Upton Warren.

Unfortunately, given that it was a Friday afternoon/evening, only Phil Wood and Andy Warr managed to get there before the bird took flight. Andy got some excellent photos, one of which can be viewed in the West Midlands Bird Club report for 2017. The images proved categorically that the bird was indeed a Ring-billed Gull which, as mentioned above, was a first for the reserve.