Withymoor - Amblecote, Stourbridge..... (4 Viewers)

rollingthunder · Feb 11, 2019

Mary Stevens Park held about 250 BHG and an adult LBB yesterday afternoon whilst Withymoor held ca125 BHG and 3 adult LBB...

The weather this week should perk up with high pressure building and winds swinging around to SW and S. It should feel ‘Springlike’ by Wednesday with a fair bit of Sun mixed with light cloud forecast for Central England:t:

The only bird of note yesterday at Withymoor was a female Great Grey Shrike hanging around the garden feeders. It showed plumage characteristics of the little known and only recently described hitherto rare subspecies ‘warrenensis’ - i managed to snap the confiding little sprite as an insurance tick a la Falcated Duck

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Feb 12, 2019

A płeasant hour and a half spent down at Withymoor both in pleasant sunshine and shooting the breeze with Andy ‘Ghillie suit’ Daniels

Ca75 BHG, ad HG and a vocal Green Woodpecker.
A pair of Goosander on the water and a sparring Hawk fending off a Carrion Crow provided some variety. The Sprawk even turned upside down on its tormenter...

All photos by Andy.

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Feb 12, 2019

Working thru the Batumi, Georgia stuff bit by bit.....

This is a smart male Pallid Harrier taken from Station 1 at Sakhalvasho a few kilometres North of Batumi. 3 Harrier days were the norm with many Marsh and quite a few Montys plus Pallids on most days. Sakhalvasho and Watchpoint 2 are the best known places in the Western Palearctic to observe migrating Harriers afaik. In excess of 300 were seen on some days:eek!:

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Feb 13, 2019

An interesting set of photos posted by somebody who was crossing the Baltic recently. I don’t know whether the photos are from last Autumn or another date.
They appear to be mainly Siskins with a few Goldcrests etc. The Sparrowhawk picture is interesting, the Siskin appears to be perched on the birds back - a closer look reveals another in its talons!

I remember several ‘falls’ of passerines when working as Summer Warden on Blakeney Point in North Norfolk - a habitat and site a lot of people will have visited. To venture out at first light in heavy mist and see birds on the ground and in the scrub such as Sueada and Tree Lupin following overnight migration and ‘drift migrants’ making landfall due to poor visibility over the North Sea is quite a spectacle - to have it to yourself with not a soul in site is very humbling.

These Falls consisted of thousands of Phylloscs over the peninsular as a whole and hundreds each of Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts and Wheatears iirc with Goldcrests not far behind. One could very easily pick up these exhausted birds, it’s a good job the Point has little in the way of ground predators. Within a few hours a large % had recovered, fed a little and had continued on their journey South to Winter either side of the Sahara:-C

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Feb 13, 2019

+++Breaking News+++

Having received texts from a couple of mates (yes i do have them) it appears that i have upset the finder of the GGShrike over at the Goldfish Bowl and he has posted to say how disappointed he is in my comments - upsetting or annoying ppl is hardly a ‘First for Britain’ as far as i am concerned...

Other people posted scepticism on the record i just articulated it differently.

It’s called banter.

My formative birding was spent on my own and i made many many mistakes. I still make mistakes and if they are howlers then i have broad shoulders as i must be able to take as well as give. My twitching period during the 80’s was spent with a group of Black Country birders, who are still good friends, they were not slow in coming forward. Whether it was ID issues, claims of potential stringing, your all-important British List and being gripped off.

The banter or ‘constructive criticism’ was merciless and you took it and dished it out whenever the opportunity arose...

The feeders are at UW for the benefit of the birds.
If you can’t identify the species frequenting them then maybe you should try another hobby? Birding can be pursued at any level anytime anywhere but be prepared to make a mistake and have it pointed out - you will benefit in the end.

My post elsewhere was to the point but not designed to hurt.
The one on this thread is a pisstake and that is an end to it:t:

In the words of the late, great Windsor Davies with regard to hurty words & feelings over nothing really.

‘Oh Dear, wot ay pity ‘ow sad’

Good Birding and even better Banter -

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Feb 14, 2019

Withymoor 13th Feb.

50+ BHG and an adult LBB with a 3rdW Herring Gull.
The 2ndW Herring Gull on the raft was a couple of days ago.
A nice surprise was an adult Litte Egret overflying the lake - the year list now moves on to 34:t: This is my 4th record there. A pair of low and loud Apaches over the house made my day:t:

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Feb 15, 2019

Withymoor 14th Feb...

No less than 3 visits ystda. One with the dog and 2 whilst passing up to Fens Pools - which turned out to be a waste of time.

Gull numbers peaked on the 3rd return visit with about 250 BHG, upto 4 ad LBB and a couple of ad HG plus this 3w type flying about. BHG are starting to come into Summer plumage so it's heads up for Med Gull reports

Of note were more singing passerines, 2 Grey Herons, a fly-thru male Sprawk and a pair of Stock Doves flyover. The latter would be no great shakes but it is the first record i have had there in the 8 years of coverage. A check with Paul Legge also confirms no records so a 'first':eek!:

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Feb 18, 2019

Not much change over the last 4 days visits altho Spring appears to be in the air and very early migrants have already been reported e.g. Swallow, Sand Martin and House Martin - the latter as far North as Shetland:eek!:

Had a nice chat with Paul Legge who is off to North Norfolk next Saturday for a week:C

Attached are Saturdays 3 Goosander.
A male Pied Wagtail that could be one of last years as the Brown on the feathering would attest.
Adult LBB and Herring Gull in the strong sunlight.

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Feb 22, 2019

Posted notes by mistake on another thread and can’t be arsed to type it again so screenshot it.....

yamyam · Feb 22, 2019

rollingthunder said:
Posted notes by mistake on another thread and can’t be arsed to type it again so screenshot it.....

Copy and paste :t:

rollingthunder · Feb 24, 2019

Sat 23rd Feb and another glorious day although cool in the shade but hey it's only mid-Feb.....

Little change down at the Golden Puddle with 50-75 BHG's and a couple of LBB's. No report of Water Rail so now assumed has departed for pastures new but 3 months during mixed weather and frozen conditions is not that bad:t:

Of note were no less than 3 Grey Herons ystda 1juv and 2adults.
The juv got chased off when the adults started breaking off twigs in one of the lakeside Willows and calling to each other. The birds then flew around in a synchronised flight before landing on the tallest Birches on the railway embankment and started bill-rattling much like White Storks. This is obviously breeding and courtship behaviour - whether it is precursory to attempting at Withymoor or just pre-nuptial for elsewhere who knows:eek!:

Attached are 4 photos inc all 3 birds (look closely), twig-breaking, synchonised flight and Birch viewpoint. All taken with my new Panasonic Lumix fz330, an upgrade to my fz72 - these are handheld at 600mm f2.8 Leica lens. An impressive bit of kit that will be off to Poland in June and Georgia in September:t:

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

andydan · Feb 24, 2019

Three herons in tall trees on railway embankment this morning, with a lot of calling .

rollingthunder · Feb 25, 2019

Sun 24th Feb - Mary Stevens Park.

ca300 Black-headed Gulls and not only the first Cormorant record for 18 months since the pool was dredged but the first iirc of more than one bird.
Could be a 1w and a 2w as one had a noticebly paler belly.

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Feb 25, 2019

Sun 24th Feb - West Hagley Fields.

My first visit for a few weeks and only my second since the beginning of September but Spring is nearly here and possibly 3 weeks until the first Wheatear.

A very pleasant hour and a half with about a dozen Skylarks singing in various fields and a pair of Meadow Pipits in one of the hedges plus Linnets, Yellowhammers etc but no Corn Bunting.

Attached are images taken with the Lumix fz330 at full optical length of 600mm hand-held and magnified on the PC to about 1500mm equivalent.
I am very impressed with this upgrade to my fz72 but it will complement the new one on trips:t:

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

Allan N · Feb 25, 2019

3 of the 4 Goosander came back to Withymoor pool earlier this morning. The last date I have for the Water rail is Thursday the 21st February 2019 so it could well still be there? Al

rollingthunder · Feb 26, 2019

Cheers for the date Al, it was good to bump into you yesterday and now you have managed to post make sure you stick anything on here if you can:t:
I saw the 3 Redheads return and managed all four on liftoff.

I watched, presumably the male, one of the adult Grey Herons breaking twigs off of the poolside Willow and taking them up to the female in the Pine. When i returned later there was no sign so we shall see if they actually choose the locale to reproduce...

As stated 4 Goosander present plus 2 ad LBB and an ad HG c/w about 50 BHGulls. No sign of the Water Rail and i would have thought that with the run of fine weather even this little skulker would be out and about so i do suspect it has left the building. A marauding male Sprawk also put in an all too brief appearance.....as they do.

Stevens Park held about 300 BHG, an ad LBB but no Cormorants. There was a good deal of flycatching by the BHG as there has been over the last few days due to high pressure.

Another visit to West Hagley fields with the dog yielded nothing of note with no Corn Bunting recorded as yet this year.

Good Birding :t:

Laurie -

rollingthunder · Feb 27, 2019

A pleasant couple of hours to and from Withymoor ystda, i will repeat this afternoon to make the most of the last day of this unseasonal spell of good weather...

4 Redhead Goosander were present as were about 50 BHG's in the usual mix of plumages at this time of year as the attached photo attests. The resident Mute Swans are busy refurbishing the nest with the female sitting and the male gathering nesting material. Lots of stuff singing including this Dunnock en-route. The bright conditions meant reducing the f-stop by 1 to 1 1/3 to underexpose for feather detail.

Off to Fens Pools after breakfast as both LRP and Sand Martin have been reported in Worcs:eek!:

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

Allan N · Feb 27, 2019

Withymoor Pool

I popped to Withymoor pool this morning around 11.00. Still 2 Goosander on the pool and another brief sighting of the Water Rail as it flew weakly from the exposed shore over the water to the other shore. So it is still about, just have to hit the timing right? Bits and dabs of other stuff, 2 LBBG, 19 BHG a Grey Heron up in the Willows and a Common Buzzard circling over the railway embankment. Keep on Birding! Al

rollingthunder · Feb 28, 2019

At least the creature is still there:t:

I have found, over the years, that serendipity is an important part of birding which can be positive when it works and negative when it doesn't but it makes the hobby more interesting because if birding became an exact science it would make it boring imo

Withymoor ystda in glorious sunshine hosted 3 Redhead Goosander, ca50 BHG and a pair of adult LBBG.

Mary Stevens Park - ca225 BHG and the return of one of the Cormorants from the weekend, a 2cy bird by the looks.

West Hagley Fields was quiet and i know i am being a tad optimistic but a Wheatear was recorded in Cheshire ystda:eek!: Yellowhammer, Stock Doves and a perching party of 5 Meadow Pipits was the best i could manage.

The smell of Blackthorn from the Pump Station hedge was a nice diversion.

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:

Allan N · Feb 28, 2019

Another quiet morning at Withymoor pool. Just the 1 Goosander a female at the waters edge with other water birds and gulls. There were 19 BHG and 2 LBBG flying over. No sign of the fruity Grey herons that have been around lately??

Withymoor - Amblecote, Stourbridge..... (4 Viewers)

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Member

Well-known member

Attachments

Member

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread