Coney Meadow and Adjoining Areas (5 Viewers)

This weekend's round up:

High Park: 2 Woodcock (year tick), Skylark, 2 Ravens, Buzzard, Muntjac deer.
Tapenhall: 3 Coot (year tick), 2 Tufted Ducks (both drakes), Water Rail showed briefly, 3 Mute Swans, Cormorant, Sparrowhawk, Siskins over, 3 Canadas, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, 1 Yellowhammer over.
Jacob's Ladder: 2 Yellowhammers (male singing), 2 plastic Partridges (R-L), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Jay.
Salwarpe: 1 Chiffchaff just west of village along canal, Goldcrests, Sparrowhawk, Buzzards, Coal Tits, Nuthatches, Meadow Pipits over, Collared Doves, Skylark over, Linnet over. Toad along canal towpath.
Coney Meadow: Reed Buntings singing, Water Rail calling, Siskins over, winter thrushes, Mistle Thrushes, Ravens over, 8 Canada Geese over, Cormorant, Goldcrests, Long-tailed Tits, Stock Doves.
Ladywood: 2 Grey Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, Starlings, Redwings, Fieldfares, House Sparrows, Goldcrests, Green Woodpeckers, Skylark singing (Harford Hill).
Droitwich Community Woods: Buzzards, 5 Bullfinches, Goldcrest, Coal Tit.

Patch highlights this weekend:

Tapenhall: 1 Little Grebe, 2 drake Tufted Ducks, 3 Coots, 2 Canada Geese, Mallards, 2 Mute Swans, Meadow Pipit over, Siskin over, Skylarks singing, Stock Doves, Mistle Thrushes.

Mildenhall: Water Rail showing well along canal, singing Reed Bunting, Cormorant over, Skylark, Mistle Thrushes, 3 Grey Herons, Meadow Pipit.

Hawford - Chatley: 2 Coots on small pool, 7 Red-legged Partridges, Goldcrest.

Jacob's Ladder: male Yellowhammer, Skylark.

Porter's Mill: Kingfisher, Jay, House Sparrows, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 1 drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tit.

Coney Meadow: Cetti's Warbler female type call heard from reedbed yesterday, 2 Lesser Redpolls today, Water Rails heard, Reed Buntings, Grey Heron, Skylark.

Salwarpe: Chiffchaff, Goldcrests, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Grey Wagtail, Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Meadow Pipit, 6 Red-legged Partridges, Buzzards, lots of winter thrushes, Siskin.

Copcut: Raven, Redwings and Fieldfares.

Droitwich Woods: Coal Tits, Goldcrests, Buzzard.

Weekend birding highlights:

Jacobs Ladder - Egg Lane: Little Owl showing well (my first this year), Red-legged Partridges (2), Stock Doves, Redwings, Sparrowhawk, Skylarks (3).

Tapenhall - Tufted Duck (male), Coot (2), Canada Geese (10), Mute swans (2), Reed Bunting, Moorhen, Skylarks (5), Mistle Thrushes (2+), House Sparrows, Cormorant, 1 Yellowhammer over, Stock Doves, female Kestrel, Green Woodpecker, Grey Heron.

Hawford - Chatley: Coots (2), Tufted Duck, Canada Geese (2), Skylarks, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Mistle Thrushes (3+), Meadow Pipit, House Sparrows, Bullfinch, singing Treecreeper, Cormorant, male Kestrel.

Porter's Mill: 7 Siskins, Sparrowhawk, 2 Grey wagtails.

Salwarpe: 2 Lesser Redpolls, Goldcrests, Coal Tit, Meadow Pipits (2+), Buzzards, Cormorant, Siskins, Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Coney Meadow: Common Snipe, Water Rail, Reed Buntings, Fieldfares, Redwings, Starlings.

Droitwich Woods: Buzzards (2), Raven, House Sparrow

A Green Sandpiper and a pair of Shelduck on floods between Salwarpe and Ladywood - both year ticks.

Two Shelducks still present on floods between Harford Hill and New Mill farm plus 3 Lapwings and at least 12 Teal (year tick). A Green Sandpiper has just flown in.

Edit: Now 2 Green Sandpipers.

A female Merlin just flew over Tapenhall towards Porter's Mill in pursuit of small passerines - that's a patch tick for me.

Female Marsh Harrier over coney now - currently dropped into reeds

Productive day Dave

Woodchat said:

Female Marsh Harrier over coney now - currently dropped into reeds

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You said that coney should have had one of these by now and you was right , nice one Dave:t:

What a fantastic weekend – I didn’t expect to get 2 patch-lifers and certainly didn’t expect them to be 2 quality raptors in one day:

When I walked into Coney Meadow from the east kissing gate late afternoon I could see there was a large, dark raptor quartering the western part of the reedbed – I immediately knew it was a Marsh Harrier – a long anticipated patch tick. I watched it for about 3 or 4 minutes before finally losing it to view below my line of sight – it seemed to drop into the reeds. I think it was probably an immature female – it was very dark overall with dark underwing coverts, a whitish-yellow head but I didn’t notice any pale edges on the ‘shoulders’. I will try and get up early in the morning but will only be able to stay until 7am due to work.

The high pressure conditions over the weekend brought beautiful weather and, after a fairly stagnant few months, it was great to witness some early spring movements of birds. A round-up of highlights below:

Tapenhall: female Merlin, drake Tufted Duck, Coot, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Yellowhammer over, Meadow Pipit, Skylarks, Mistle Thrushes, Mute Swans, Kingfisher, Grey Heron, Canada Geese, House Sparrows, Buzzard, Grey Wagtails, Siskins over.

Chatley – Hawford: 2+ Yellowhammers (including singing male), 2 Coot, Coal Tit, Grey Heron, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Buzzards, Goldcrests.

Porter’s Mill: 2 Grey Wagtails, Jay, Reed Buntings (pair), House Sparrows, Siskins.

Ladywood: 2 male Blackcaps (1 sub-singing), Reed Buntings, Starlings, Goldcrests, Canada Geese, Linnet over, Chiffchaff.

Between Salwarpe and Ladywood: 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Shelducks, Green Sandpiper, Goldcrests, Treecreeper, Mistle Thrushes, Buzzards, Meadow Pipits, 200 Starlings, Raven.

New Mill area (floods): 2 Shelducks, 3 Lapwings, 2 Green Sandpipers, 12+ Teal, lots of Redwings and Fieldfares.

Salwarpe: 2 Nuthatches, Coal Tit, 4 Linnets, 10+ Siskins, Goldcrests, Grey Wagtail.

Coney Meadow: Marsh Marrier (female ‘type’), Kestrel, Raven, Buzzards, Water Rail, Moorhens, Reed Buntings, Snipe, Grey Heron, 3 Greylag Geese over. Noctule bat at dusk.

Droitwich Woods: Siskins, Coal Tit, Goldcrests, Buzzards.

Also, my first butterfly (Small Tortoiseshell) and Bumblebee (White tailed) of the year.

Marsh Harrier just left its roost at c 06:20 heading roughly towards Westwood. Three Greylags over, Cetti's and RL Partridges calling.

Chawson Lane Housing Proposal Update

Woodchat said:

It seems those naughty developers have re-submitted plans to build 163 houses south of Chawson Lane (case number 15/03199):

http://www.e-wychavon.org.uk/script...&RIPNAME=Root.Pages.PgeDC.PgePlanningRegister

These proposed houses would be in addition to the 700+ already going ahead at Copcut Rise and goodness knows how many at Yew Tree Hill.

I have lodged my objections (as with the original, withdrawn, plan) based on the following:

• Insufficient infrastructure / roads etc.
• Salwarpe will lose its identity as a separate village
• Increase in traffic / pollution / road hazards
• Loss of rural aspect and amenity value
• Impact on local wildlife - particularly Glow worms, Slow worms, Mammals, Cuckoos

, Yellowhammers, Skylarks etc.

If anyone would like to comment on the proposed development, please feel free to follow the link and hit the comment link - I think comments can still be made even though the consultation date has expired.

Thanks...

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It appears that this planning application has been refused on the following grounds:

"In any case, the development overall fails to satisfactorily contribute to the
economic, social and environmental roles of sustainable development by reason of the following:

- Loss of agricultural land and associated harm to rural economy;

- The proposal fails to represent good design;

- The isolation of the development from existing services and facilities, which would reasonably lead to reliance on the private car for the future occupiers of the site;

- The adverse impact upon the rural landscape character;

- The adverse impact on the distinct identity and sense of place of Salwarpe and the associated heritage assets of the village.

Overall, the proposed development fails to represents sustainable development as set out in the Framework and the harm caused by the proposal significantly and demonstrably outweighs any benefits of the scheme."

Thank goodness common sense has prevailed (for now at least) - I just hope this is the end of the matter and the decision is not appealed.

Developers are bound to appeal, unfortunately. Perpetual chipping away at the green boundaries everywhere these days. Development in Redditch at moment in fields opposite Abbey Stadium - commercial rather than resi I believe. Whatever it's for they've removed about 400 yards of hedge, some of questionable quality admittedly - right next to main road - but some of some value. Don't know if re-planting I scheduled once finished.

Woodchat said:

It appears that this planning application has been refused on the following grounds:

"In any case, the development overall fails to satisfactorily contribute to the
economic, social and environmental roles of sustainable development by reason of the following:

- Loss of agricultural land and associated harm to rural economy;

- The proposal fails to represent good design;

- The isolation of the development from existing services and facilities, which would reasonably lead to reliance on the private car for the future occupiers of the site;

- The adverse impact upon the rural landscape character;

- The adverse impact on the distinct identity and sense of place of Salwarpe and the associated heritage assets of the village.

Overall, the proposed development fails to represents sustainable development as set out in the Framework and the harm caused by the proposal significantly and demonstrably outweighs any benefits of the scheme."

Thank goodness common sense has prevailed (for now at least) - I just hope this is the end of the matter and the decision is not appealed.

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It seems that the grounds for refusal could have been applied to a number of planning applications that were successful and the developments have been completed!

Des.

UW82 said:

It seems that the grounds for refusal could have been applied to a number of planning applications that were successful and the developments have been completed!

Des.

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The original proposal was withdrawn and amended over 2015 because the geophysical survey revealed a whacking gas pipeline going straight through the field and the regs mean residential housing can't be within 14 metres of it (or something like that).

One of the objection letters picked up on this and suggested that when the pipeline was put in place it must have been envisaged that the field was unlikely to ever be developed.

Hopefully, all of the costs that would be involved in pushing these (relatively few) 163 houses forward - including a contribution of >half a million quid to upgrade the road infrastructure will dissuade them from appealing. That and the fact that there wasn't a single letter of support from any of the locals.

I guess we'll see...

Triturus said:

I was driving up Chawson Lane at about 6am (it were proper dark) one morning last week and I saw a barn owl sat on a fencepost opposite the big oak about halfway up lane. Nice to see.

Also see attached Owl ID guide - very accurate and easy to use

Triturus.

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Had a great view of a barn owl as I followed it for 50-100m up Copcut Lane on Tuesday evening, it came from field behind Vicarage travelling east towards railway bridge.

Also delighted to advise that the planning application for 163 dwellings on Chawson Lane has been refused with very strong reasons for refusal that provide strong precedent to protect the land around Salwarpe. Hopefully enough to see off any other speculative development.

Triturus said:

Had a great view of a barn owl as I followed it for 50-100m up Copcut Lane on Tuesday evening, it came from field behind Vicarage travelling east towards railway bridge.

Also delighted to advise that the planning application for 163 dwellings on Chawson Lane has been refused with very strong reasons for refusal that provide strong precedent to protect the land around Salwarpe. Hopefully enough to see off any other speculative development.

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Nice one re the Ban owl, Mike - that's a species that has eluded me so far this year, despite someone giving me a tip-off about a roost site - so far I've tried 3 evenings with no luck.

I was wondering whether, somehow, it might be possible to register the fields surrounding Salwarpe as a "village green" - as a way of preventing future speculative developments and maintain a buffer zone between Salwarpe and Droitwich. I think this ploy has been successful elsewhere but I've no idea how anyone might go about it or how much it would cost. It would be great to know the countryside around there was protected for future generations.

Woodchat said:

Nice one re the Ban owl, Mike - that's a species that has eluded me so far this year, despite someone giving me a tip-off about a roost site - so far I've tried 3 evenings with no luck.

I was wondering whether, somehow, it might be possible to register the fields surrounding Salwarpe as a "village green" - as a way of preventing future speculative developments and maintain a buffer zone between Salwarpe and Droitwich. I think this ploy has been successful elsewhere but I've no idea how anyone might go about it or how much it would cost. It would be great to know the countryside around there was protected for future generations.

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Will drop you an email this evening Dave re all things "village green" and the application process

Phil Andrews said:

Will drop you an email this evening Dave re all things "village green" and the application process

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Cheers for that, Phil - will be interesting to see how feasible this approach might be.

Woodchat said:

Cheers for that, Phil - will be interesting to see how feasible this approach might be.

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Nice thoughts but my recollection from a site I was involved in years back was that there was a need to show historic use of the area by the community for things like sports, recreation and events and I think the use had to be seen as an ongoing right rather than something given express permission for by the landowner. Apart from. Public rights of way I cannot envisage there being any form of such community use in these areas that would count.

I suspect the community woods and associated accessed areas would qualify though. These are however not under threat, but they are council owned (?), so who knows about the future.

Still worth looking though, I'd be happy to be proven wrong on this.

Triturus