Hi guys. I'm a young, local birder. My patch is the Iverley and Whittington area which possibly just extends into your guys territory (my self-set boundary is the River Stour). Just thought I'd put a post with some of my sightings from 2016 for your interest so you know what else has been in the Stour Valley and surrounding area.
22/02 - Ring-necked Parakeet - 2. Sandy Road, Norton
09/03 - Yellow-legged Gull - adult. Crown Lane, Churchill
25/03 - Curlew - Sugar Loaf Farm (Iverley) paddocks
01/04 - Common Crossbill - 8. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm
18/04 - Ring Ouzel - 1. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm
18/04 - Whimbrel - 4. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm
18/04 - Golden Plover - 8. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm
23/08 - BLACK REDSTART - juv. Sugar Loaf Farm paddocks
24/08 - Marsh Harrier - juv. flew over Sugar Loaf Farm
06/11 - WHOOPER SWAN - bird(s) of the year for me. 8 flew high east over Sugar Loaf Farm (seen 2 days later at Upton Warren). These birds would have flown over your patch area
21/12 - YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER, Whittington Sewage Works
21/12 - 2 Kingfisher on the Stour by the Sewage Works
22/12 - WAXWING, flew over Sugar Loaf Farm
24/12 - male. Merlin at Turbine Cottage
Other notable birds seen on more than one occasion:
Grey Partridge - seen regularly at Turbine Cottage, Whittington
Hobby - 7 records - Bunkers Hill Wood (they have bred here in the past)
Red Kite - 3 records - Stour Valley
Peregrine - 7 records
Little Owl - these can be seen almost every day by the big oak tree at Turbine Cottage
Redstart - 10 records - Turbine Cottage/Handkerchief Barn/Sugar Loaf Farm/ Iverley Park Farm/Fairy Glenn
Whinchat - 4 records - Turbine Cottage (possibly bred in the area - 3 juvs with adults seen in June)/Sugar Loaf Farm
Yellow Wagtail - bred successfully at Handkerchief Barn, Whittington
Lesser Whitethroat - bred successfully at Iverley Park Farm
Corn Bunting - just a couple singing in spring in the Whittington area (drop in numbers from recent years), small numbers (5-10) winter in the Iverley area (a few years ago we had a peak winter count of 30!)
Reed Bunting - a couple winter near Handkerchief Barn
Birds seen by others on the patch this year have included:
GREY PLOVER - adult. in field during thunderstorm County Lane, Iverley
Ring Ouzel - Whittington Common
Redstart - Crown Lane
SHORT-EARED OWL - seen in early December at Turbine Cottage
Snipe - flushed from field near Turbine Cottage in December
Cuckoo - 2 juvs on the fence at Handkerchief Barn in June
Unfortunately only had a few days in 2017 to bird the patch before back to university. Highlights: Yellow-browed Warbler, 6 Goosander flying along the Stour Valley, Red Kite in the Stour Valley, 5 Corn Buntings at Sugar Loaf Farm, Grey Wagtail and 4 Chiffchaff at the Sewage Works, 4 Stonechats at Handkerchief Barn (have been there all winter). No sign of the male Merlin but I'm sure its still around, it roosts in the hedge viewable from Turbine Cottage)
Will let you know if I see anything and hear of anything else
BW James