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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Coney Meadow and Adjoining Areas (8 Viewers)

This evening's highlights:

Grasshopper Warbler reeling, male Cuckoo, Hobby, Kestrel, Gadwall, Reed and Sedge Warblers. A Noctule bat was catching insects over Droitwich Community Woods and several Pipistrelles were around Salwarpe.

The roost contained about 40 Swallows and 10 Sand Martins.
 
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At last!!! - Spotted Flycatcher just west of Salwarpe village. They're very late this year.

also, 3 Cuckoos perched on wires in Coney Meadow (1 male, 2 females), Gadwall (male) over and Kingfisher.
 
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As May draws to a close, the patch year-total increases to 98 bird species.

81 species were recorded during May as follows:

1 Mute Swan 28 Collared Dove 55 Chiffchaff
2 Canada Goose 29 Common Cuckoo 56 Willow Warbler
3 Greylag Goose 30 Green Woodpecker 57 Goldcrest
4 Shelduck 31 Great Spotted Woodpecker 58 Spotted Flycatcher
5 Mallard 32 Common Swift 59 Wren
6 Gadwall 33 Kingfisher 60 Great Tit
7 Shoveler 34 Skylark 61 Coal Tit
8 Tufted Duck 35 Swallow 62 Blue Tit
9 Pheasant 36 House Martin 63 Long-tailed Tit
10 Great Crested Grebe 37 Sand Martin 64 Nuthatch
11 Cormorant 38 Tree Pipit 65 Treecreeper
12 Grey Heron 39 Grey Wagtail 66 Magpie
13 Red Kite 40 Pied Wagtail 67 Jay
14 Common Buzzard 41 Yellow Wagtail 68 Jackdaw
15 Sparrowhawk 42 Dunnock 69 Rook
16 Kestrel 43 Whinchat 70 Carrion Crow
17 Hobby 44 Robin 71 Raven
18 Water Rail 45 Song Thrush 72 Starling
19 Coot 46 Mistle Thrush 73 House Sparrow
20 Moorhen 47 Blackbird 74 Chaffinch
21 Oystercatcher 48 Blackcap 75 Linnet
22 Black-headed Gull 49 Garden Warbler 76 Lesser Redpoll
23 Herring Gull 50 Common Whitethroat 77 Goldfinch
24 Lesser Black-backed Gull 51 Lesser Whitethroat 78 Greenfinch
25 Common Tern 52 Reed Warbler 79 Siskin
26 Stock Dove 53 Sedge Warbler 80 Bullfinch
27 Wood Pigeon 54 Grasshopper Warbler 81 Reed Bunting
 
Spotted Flycatcher (singing) today - same place as yesterday. Also Kingfisher, 3 Grey Wagtails, Grey Heron, Willow Warbler, male Kestrel, several Buzzards, Whitethroats, Reed Warblers, lots of Swifts, House Martin, Coots (pair with chicks), Blackcaps and singing Mistle Thrush.

300+ Starlings near Ladywood (many juveniles).

Lots of insects about - Brimstone, Orange Tips, Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Speckled Woods, Large Whites, Green-veined Whites, lots of Beautiful Demoiselles and Large Red Damselflies, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselflies and one teneral Broad-bodied Chaser.
 
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Four Spotted Chaser??

I think the first photo is a Four-spotted Chaser. I'd be grateful if someone (Des?) could confirm this as it would be a first record for Coney Meadow. Cheers.

The second is a Beautiful Demoiselle (male).
 

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Birding highlights today:

Hobby hunting over Coney Meadow late evening
4+ Cuckoos (3 males)
2+ Grasshopper Warblers reeling - the bright male showed well early evening
Lesser Whitethroat
Garden Warbler
Willow Warbler
2 male Gadwalls
4 Canada Geese
ca. 20 Sand Martins in the roost with ~40 Swallows
Mute Swan - pair plus 7 cygnets
Bullfinch - pair
Kestrel - 3 (2 males, 1 female)
Sparrowhawk (female)
Treecreeper singing
Mistle Thrushes
Skylark
Grey Wagtails (2)
Kingfisher (2)
Sedge Warblers
Reed Warblers
Jay
Linnet
Ravens (3)
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gulls
Swifts
House Martins

63 species recorded so far for June.
 
Yellow Rattle

It's nice to see a few Yellow Rattle plants coming into flower in the meadow - photos below:

This is a typical flowering plant of traditional (unimproved) hay meadows. Not only is this an attractive plant in its own right, but it can also increase the floral diversity within the sward as it is a semi-parasitic annual - it suppresses the the growth of vigorous grasses and allows other flowering plants to get a foothold. Therefore, we are trying to encourage it to spread. So far I've only managed to find about 25 plants.
 

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Woodchat said:
I think the first photo is a Four-spotted Chaser. I'd be grateful if someone (Des?) could confirm this as it would be a first record for Coney Meadow. Cheers.

The second is a Beautiful Demoiselle (male).
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

Definitely Four-spotted Chaser with those dark spots at the nodus of the wings :t:

Brian
 
Highlights this evening:

3 reeling Grasshopper Warblers (one showed reasonably well)
Cuckoo
Gadwall
Nuthatch
Pied Wagtail
Canada Geese
Common Whitethroats
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warblers

~25 Swallows and a few Sand Martins in the roost.

3 Banded Demoiselles
Orange Tips
 
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upstarts1979 said:
Dave. Have you got a stand in while you are away;), it would be good to have some continuity .B :)john have a guden
Click to expand...

Cheers. No official stand in, John - any volunteers welcome. ;) June can be a pretty quiet month (a good time to go away) - but the unexpected could turn up at any time.

Tonight's surprise bird was a singing Yellowhammer around the setaside field.

Other species included 2+ singing Grasshopper Warblers, 2 male Gadwall, 2 Cuckoos, Willow Warbler, Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers, Reed warblers, Mistle Thrushes, Reed Buntings, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, 2 Ravens, Buzzard, Jay, a few Swifts and 30+ Swallows in the roost.

2 Fox cubs also seen plus a few pipistrelles.
 
Phil Andrews said:
When are you off Dave - I'm jetting out to Murcia a week today.
Click to expand...

Fly out to Antalya on Friday, back on the 21st June. Hoping for plenty of good birds and up to 25 lifers in Turkey if all goes to plan.

Murcia - is that a birding trip or family holiday? I guess there should be a few good birding areas in that part of Spain. :t:
 
Woodchat said:
Fly out to Antalya on Friday, back on the 21st June. Hoping for plenty of good birds and up to 25 lifers in Turkey if all goes to plan.

Murcia - is that a birding trip or family holiday? I guess there should be a few good birding areas in that part of Spain. :t:
Click to expand...

Alledgley a family holiday that may just involve Marbled Teal, White-headed Duck, Moustached Warbler, Slender-billed Gull, Red-necked Nightjar, Western Olly Warbler etc etc
 
Nice pictures of the Nuthatch, Gladys.

Another lovely evening produced the following highlights:

Spotted Flycatcher around Salwarpe village - one seen well, another one heard.
Oystercatcher calling (heard only)
Grasshopper Warbler singing
Cuckoo singing
Nuthatch
Common Whitethroats
Common Buzzard
Grey Heron
House Martins

On the way back home a couple of Fox cubs were playing again and I came across this very confiding Common Shrew - I think it was injured or sick as it virtually rolled over and let me tickle its belly!
 

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Woodchat said:
Nice pictures of the Nuthatch, Gladys.

Another lovely evening produced the following highlights:

Spotted Flycatcher around Salwarpe village - one seen well, another one heard.
Oystercatcher calling (heard only)
Grasshopper Warbler singing
Cuckoo singing
Nuthatch
Common Whitethroats
Common Buzzard
Grey Heron
House Martins

On the way back home a couple of Fox cubs were playing again and I came across this very confiding Common Shrew - I think it was injured or sick as it virtually rolled over and let me tickle its belly!
Click to expand...

Is that a puncture wound on its flank?
 
walking in the great mans foot steps,just keeping up records but if anyone thinks I'm going down before work you will have think again,
friday cloudy and coldish birds quiet and saturday sunny warm breeze 19.00 to 21.00 both days
Cuckoos jackdaws
Whitethroat Blackbirds
50+ Canada Geese Collar Doves
Swallows Blue Tit
Sparrowhawk (female) Mallards +4 Ducklings
Mistle Thrushes LBBG x2
Skylark Wrens
Sedge Warblers Chiffchaffs
Reed Warblers Pheasants
Jay C Crows
Ravens (5) Goldfinchs
Grey Herion L T Tits
Rooks Robins
G S woodpecker Water Rail (heard)
reed bunting Greenfinch
Chaffinch Nuthatch

LBBG very interested in duckings,Cuckoos more interested in each other, than flying into your head, Nuthatch had baby outside of hole,NO sound of grasshopper wabler during these times.
 

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