Woodgate Valley CP & Quinton Meadows (1 Viewer)

[baggie_dave]

16/03/14

A first walk around the CP for about 3 weeks with a new baby and wife tagging along too for a lunchtime stroll. VERY busy, she could see why i get there so early for a walkaround!!

Not many birds seen, Redwings seem to have all gone and Pied Wagtail flock had vanished too. On the plus side, 2 year ticks in the form of a Grey Heron and at least 2 singing Chiffchaff. Also had a Stock Dove and Buzzard of note.

Year list now stands at 44 birds (v 59 in 2013.)

Cheers :t:

 

[zomerset]

16/03/14

A first walk around the CP for about 3 weeks with a new baby and wife tagging along too for a lunchtime stroll. VERY busy, she could see why i get there so early for a walkaround!!

Not many birds seen, Redwings seem to have all gone and Pied Wagtail flock had vanished too. On the plus side, 2 year ticks in the form of a Grey Heron and at least 2 singing Chiffchaff. Also had a Stock Dove and Buzzard of note.

Year list now stands at 44 birds (v 59 in 2013.)

Cheers :t:

Congrats again Dave!! And good to hear the heron made a visit. What time do you normally visit then?

 

[baggie_dave]

Congrats again Dave!! And good to hear the heron made a visit. What time do you normally visit then?

Thanks Zomerset, it depends on the time of year, in winter it tends to be sunrise but from now until about September anything from 6am onwards. I might try even earlier on a few occasions in the next few weeks if i can to catch the dawn chorus and see if i can't find something new that way.

Also forgot to mention i saw 4 butterfly there too: Peacock, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma. I'll be keeping a note of these too if i can!

 

[baggie_dave]

22/03/14

Lovely morning this morning with the place seeming like a hive of bird activity.

2 year ticks and a patch list tick in the form a male Wheatear seen in the paddocks around 9:00am. There are regular yearly reports but i have never managed to connect, so pleased to have seen one so early in the year too.

The other year tick was a Pheasant which seemed to have been flushed by a dog-walker.

Species seen: Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Goldcrest, GSW, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jay, LBB Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Wheatear, Woodpigeon, Wren.

There were a pair of grey wagtail on the brook, several pairs of song thrush and mistle thrush, a buzzard mobbed by 3 crows and 5-6 blue tits playing kiss chase! No other migrants than the wheatear and chiffchaff.

Cheers :t:

 

[baggie_dave]

29/3/14

A hazy morning and very muddy so not the nicest conditions to look around in. No new migrants noted with Chiffchaff numbers high but not much else. No sign of any Wheatears this week either. Of note were 2 Canada Geese over but not a great deal else.

Cheers :t:

 

[baggie_dave]

5/4/14

A somewhat overcast visit yesterday morning yielded two year ticks and a patch first for me. A Mute Swan was seen calling overhead heading north east, probably towards Edgbaston Res. I knew it would only be a matter of time before i saw one flying overhead, it is virtually the only chance i have of seeing these types of birds as only 3-4 species would ever be found on the brook. The other year tick was in the form of 2-3 singing Blackcap. No Willow Warblers or other new migrants just yet but expecting to increase the year list to over 50 by the end of April.

Species List: Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfich, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, LBB Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Year List: 48
Patch Life List:61

Cheers :t:

 

[baggie_dave]

15/4/14

A quick after work walk around Quinton Meadows didn't reveal anything out of the ordinary, main highlights were 6 Blue Tits fighting each other!

Also saw a Buzzard, Bullfinch, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, Jackdaw.

Cheers :t:

 

[baggie_dave]

19-04-14

3 new migrants for the year list to bring my year total up to 51. A couple of Whitethroats were at the eastern end in the thick scrub. Heard a couple of Willow Warblers but still think they are coming through whilst 3 Swallows were around the farm buildings.

There is quite a bit of building work going on at the moment, looks like a large building is being built behind the first paddock on the left behind the existing farm buildings. Not sure what it is but means there is a large pile of rubble at the end of the first paddock which may encourage a few different birds to drop in.

Species seen: Blackcap, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, LBB Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Will try and drop in tomorrow morning after the overnight weather and see if anything has dropped in.

There are still 9-10 species seen last year i haven't added to the list yet for 2014 including Siskin, Linnet, Reed Bunting and Peregrine so still several to add and look forward to.

Happy Easter everyone :t:

 

[baggie_dave]

27/4/14

As i could have probably predicted, the rain didn't do a great deal to bring down any new birds for the year so nothing new to add to the list i'm afraid. I am however now putting my records on Birdtrack now that i can put a polygon around the whole park and accurately record what i see. Previously the park was split in two by the 10km and 1km squares and didn't have the time to keep separate records.

Loads of Blackcap and Chiffchaff around but Willow Warblers numbers still seem low to me. A couple more Whitethroat around too compared to last week. Heard at least 2 separate pheasants, had a flock of c.10 Starling and c.30 Jackdaw in the paddocks. The Mistle Thrush is still active in the car park. Grey Heron was again fishing in the brook. The fact it is a regular gives me hope one day the Kingfisher will return!! Also saw a Fox at the Eastern entrance to the park looking a little ragged. Swallow numbers have increased up to about 10 now but still no sign of any House Martins or Swift.

Was also nice to see a Blue Tit nest in a chopped down tree cavity (babies look like they are ready to fledge any day now) and a well hidden Long-tailed tit nest but no idea how that one is doing.

Species Seen in 2.5 hours: Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Dunnock, GSW, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, LBB Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Stock Dove, Swallow, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.

On hols next week to South Wales for a few days and this weekend will probably be helping Middleton Lakes out in the all day birdwatch!! Will try and find time after work for a visit or two in the meantime though.

Cheers :t:

 

[zomerset]

27/4/14

As i could have probably predicted, the rain didn't do a great deal to bring down any new birds for the year so nothing new to add to the list i'm afraid. I am however now putting my records on Birdtrack now that i can put a polygon around the whole park and accurately record what i see. Previously the park was split in two by the 10km and 1km squares and didn't have the time to keep separate records.

Loads of Blackcap and Chiffchaff around but Willow Warblers numbers still seem low to me. A couple more Whitethroat around too compared to last week. Heard at least 2 separate pheasants, had a flock of c.10 Starling and c.30 Jackdaw in the paddocks. The Mistle Thrush is still active in the car park. Grey Heron was again fishing in the brook. The fact it is a regular gives me hope one day the Kingfisher will return!! Also saw a Fox at the Eastern entrance to the park looking a little ragged. Swallow numbers have increased up to about 10 now but still no sign of any House Martins or Swift.

Was also nice to see a Blue Tit nest in a chopped down tree cavity (babies look like they are ready to fledge any day now) and a well hidden Long-tailed tit nest but no idea how that one is doing.

Species Seen in 2.5 hours: Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Dunnock, GSW, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, LBB Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Stock Dove, Swallow, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.

On hols next week to South Wales for a few days and this weekend will probably be helping Middleton Lakes out in the all day birdwatch!! Will try and find time after work for a visit or two in the meantime though.

Cheers :t:

Hi Baggie Dave,
Good to see your reports. Where did you see the LTT? And the Mistle Thrush? Not seen those at WVCP. I'm still making the occasional visit. I'm not an expert but late May and then June we need to keep an eye out for the kingfisher. That's when I saw one from in 2012 and someone saw one last year. Fledglings looking for a home. Good you saw the heron. I saw one on the Bourne, not too far away.

 

[baggie_dave]

Hey

Not many updates on here recently! I have been visiting but more on an evening and the odd weekend but not a lot of note so not much to update you all on.

Had a 2 hour walk this morning and did manage my first ever Lesser Whitethroat on the patch!! Only got a few brief glimpses but nice to see.

The year list stands at 52.

Cheers :t:

 

[zomerset]

KF on WVCP in May

27/4/14

As i could have probably predicted, the rain didn't do a great deal to bring down any new birds for the year so nothing new to add to the list i'm afraid. I am however now putting my records on Birdtrack now that i can put a polygon around the whole park and accurately record what i see. Previously the park was split in two by the 10km and 1km squares and didn't have the time to keep separate records.

Loads of Blackcap and Chiffchaff around but Willow Warblers numbers still seem low to me. A couple more Whitethroat around too compared to last week. Heard at least 2 separate pheasants, had a flock of c.10 Starling and c.30 Jackdaw in the paddocks. The Mistle Thrush is still active in the car park. Grey Heron was again fishing in the brook. The fact it is a regular gives me hope one day the Kingfisher will return!! Also saw a Fox at the Eastern entrance to the park looking a little ragged. Swallow numbers have increased up to about 10 now but still no sign of any House Martins or Swift.

Was also nice to see a Blue Tit nest in a chopped down tree cavity (babies look like they are ready to fledge any day now) and a well hidden Long-tailed tit nest but no idea how that one is doing.

Species Seen in 2.5 hours: Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Dunnock, GSW, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, LBB Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Stock Dove, Swallow, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.

On hols next week to South Wales for a few days and this weekend will probably be helping Middleton Lakes out in the all day birdwatch!! Will try and find time after work for a visit or two in the meantime though.

Cheers :t:

Hi Baggie Dave - I have not made a visit to WVCP for a couple months having moved a bit further down the road (but it has proved trumps on a local Bourn KF) but anyway I must make a few visits soon as my WVCP contact tells me he saw a KF in May at WG!! Not sure when exactly but it would also tie in with a KF that has been visiting the Bourn recently. Good news but a pity we missed it!!

 

[zomerset]

21-06-2014 08:00
Plenty of birdsong and good to see families of Blue, Great & LTT tits. A few of the trees are covered in webs. A buzzard came down very low over the path and was mobbed by gulls and crows and the pigeons flew off. The best sight was a family of bullfinches feeding. No KF but I always doubt the brook has enough fish especially now I can compare it to the fish I see in the R. Cole.

 

[baggie_dave]

21-06-2014 08:00
Plenty of birdsong and good to see families of Blue, Great & LTT tits. A few of the trees are covered in webs. A buzzard came down very low over the path and was mobbed by gulls and crows and the pigeons flew off. The best sight was a family of bullfinches feeding. No KF but I always doubt the brook has enough fish especially now I can compare it to the fish I see in the R. Cole.

Yes those trees covered in webs are a bit creepy looking!! I should be going down tomorrow for a walk around, nice and early. Haven't been for a week or two so will see what is about. Bullfinches in particular seem to be all over the valley, either that or they are very mobile!!

Cheers :t:

 

[zomerset]

25-08-14 10:00 WVCP
I take a run around Woodgate Valley once a week just in case a KF might visit. It was this time a couple years back, I saw one there. Now makes me realise how lucky I was. I did see a couple birds along the brook - a grey wagtail trying to trick me and what I think was a swallow really copying a KF flying off the brook. But there was no KF call. Also LLT in amongst other tits and a Jay.
Went to Brandon Marsh today for a KF fix there and saw a very impressive hovering KF. It hovered 3 times during a frantic 5 minutes where it used 4 perches, one on each side of the pool and caught 5 fish. Stunning!!
Heard a KF as soon as I passed the first fishing lake and after the one above then found another on the main lake/scrape, which battled against the wind, trying to stay on perches before doing a huge circuit and flying off.

 

[zomerset]

05-09-14 17:00 WVCP
A buzzard was present flying overhead from the horse paddocks down to the brook. Around 50 gulls were circling overhead, never seen that many over WV. Saw a few Jays flying around and a moorhen in the brook, not seen one for a while. Plenty of tits feeding in the trees.

 

[zomerset]

26-09-14 17:00 WVCP
Great weather late afternoon for a run down WVCP, plenty of bird song, I then found some commotion on the brook - 2 Grey wagtails chasing each other, then a further 2 flying along the brook, great!!

 

[zomerset]

I was always curious if the Woodgate Bourn Brook still has any fish to attract Kingfisher. I had seen one catch a fish on the brook in 2012. I did some searching and found this website and from three surveys on the brook no fish although plenty of shrimp. Interesting how a kingfisher is present this winter further down the brook although by then it is made up of more brooks and not far from the Rea.
http://www.yourstream.org.uk/bourne-brook-between-hole-farm-and-lapal-weir-woodgate-valley-oct-2014/
http://www.yourstream.org.uk/bourn-brook-black-bridge-woodgate-valley-nov-2014/
http://www.yourstream.org.uk/lapal-brook-bourne-brook-tributary-woodgate-valley-oct-2014/
On the River Rea they found stickleback
http://www.yourstream.org.uk/river-rea-longbridge-town-centre-sept-2014/

 

[zomerset]

Woodgate Valley CP midday
I was curious if there a KF present, didn't see one but did better than that with a pair of buzzards flying out from a tree right in front of me on the path. They called as they flew off. They were disturbed by the trekking ponies on the other path. Great!!

 

[zomerset]

I felt it was time for a run around Woodgate Valley CP. I had done one lap with no luck so I thought a quick half lap to double check. Funny enough the endorphins kicked in, the sun shone and then I saw a Kingfisher take flight from a tree branch over the brook. Great!