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Cookley & Caunsall (1 Viewer)

baggie_dave

Something Witty
Hi All

If all goes according to plan, in just a few weeks’ time I will be moving to Worcestershire!! I will be leaving Bearwood and Birmingham behind and moving to Cookley in the far north of the county.

My previous patch was Woodgate Valley Country Park. I enjoyed birding the area but there is a lot of people traffic and also a distinct lack of birds. With an 11 month old in toe, the last 9 months or so has not enabled me to really do much birding. Moving to Cookley will hopefully mean a fresh start to local patch birding and I can do it all from my doorstep!

I have a nice 5-6 mile walk from the house planned as a regular route which covers a variety of habitats including canal and river (Stour), fields, paddocks, woodland, farmland, a small pool, old farm buildings, factories and residential homes.

We had a walk around the area this morning for 2 hours so only a small section of the full route I have planned and noted the following species:
Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Coot, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Robin, Rook, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Also heard a woodpecker but didn’t see it as well as a flock of small finches, could have been redpoll or siskin but again not certain.

Having looked on Birdguides, there is not a lot of historic info for Cookley, but in neighbouring Caunsall, which my walk goes through, there are records of Little Bunting, Red Kite, Ring Ouzel, Honey Buzzard, Whinchat and Quail (last two both in 2014). Recent entries on Birdtrack also seem to indicate that within a few miles of Cookley have been reports of a Barn Owl, Lapwing, Linnet and Yellowhammer in recent months so I am hopeful I can see a better variety of birds than I did at Woodgate.

Fingers crossed the move goes smoothly and I can report back a lot more regularly.

If anyone has any local knowledge of Cookley and Caunsall and the surrounding area/hotspots that would be great.

Cheers :t:
 
15/3/15

A shirt circuit of the local area, the first since moving in yielded a few new birds over the previous visit:

Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard (new), Carrion Crow, Great Spotted Woodpecker (new), Great Tit, Herring Gull, House Sparrow (new), Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Long tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit (new), Nuthatch (new), Pheasant (new), Pied Wagtail (new), Robin, Rook, Starling, Woodpigeon, Wren.

I also had a Redwing on a short stroll around the area last weekend.

This brings the year total after 2 visits up to 31. Also lucky enough to have seen two Kestrels mating on a fence post, fingers crossed for some juveniles around this spring and summer!

Fingers crossed i can do a full circuit next weekend and see exactly what the potential is.

Cheers :t:
 
Chiffchaff seen feeding along canal ( Caunsall ) plus (singing) Treecreeper noted this morning.
 
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22/3/15

2 and a half hour walk around the majority of the circuit this morning in lovely weather, very much enjoyed it, particularly the 2 Yellowhammer!

40 species were recorded:

Blackbird, Buzzard (several, although a pair were also nest building), Canada Goose (2 on the canal towpath at Caunsall), Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff (3 in total including 1 feeding along the canal by the Cookley tunnel), Collared Dove, Feral Pigeon, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Nuthatch, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Redwing, Robin, Rook, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Treecreeper (also singing), Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer (Male and Female in separate locations), Herring Gull, Dunnock.

All in all a successful day, still with lots of birds to catch up with.

Cheers :t:
 
Dave

I live in Kidderminster and have a route that I take when walking my dog. It's not far from you, if you want to know it, pm me. It includes pools/pond, canal, river, parkland, marginal woodland and marsh.

GH1 - would be interested in any info on the area myself as never had a look around Cookley/Caunsall.

Sean
 
A quick hours stroll with the pram on Sunday didn't reveal a lot, although did catch up again with grey wagtail.

As i was leaving the house for work this morning i spotted a male Sparrowhawk on the drive! Nice surprise and takes my patch list to 45 for the year.

Fingers crossed for a good couple of walks over the Easter break, and some dry/favourable migration conditions.

Cheers :t:
 
Walked the local area this morning for any sign of an early migrant but no show ( bar a number of singing Chiffchaff ) did note though a large number of Greenfinch's around the patch (poss. passing through?)
 
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Walked the local area this morning for any sign of an early migrant but no show ( bar a number of singing Chiffchaff ) did note though a large number of Greenfinch's around the patch (poss. passing through?)

I had a pair of Greenfinch on the garden feeders this morning for the first time since moving, and heard another elsewhere so seems to tie up. Hoping Monday will be the day i get to go out for a patch walk, Wyre Forest tomorrow morning with the little one.

Cheers :t:
 
10 Goosander ( 5 male / 5 female ) seen along the Stour this morning, (but still no sign of any summer migrants on passage yet.)
 
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5/4/15

General update:

4/4 - had a walk around the village and spring felt like it was just around the corner. Nothing too much of note apart from a few Chiffchaffs although i did see a pair of Grey Wagtail opposed to the usual single so hopefully they can breed nearby.

5/4 - A Grey Heron in next doors garden was a patch tick!! Also heard a Green Woodpecker and a Pheasant from home which didn't happen back in Birmingham! Also spent the day at Dudmaston with the boy for an Easter egg trail. A Raven and loads of Chiffchaffs and warm conditions, hopefully tomorrow's morning walk can give me a few more for the list.

Cheers and Happy Easter :t:
 
6/4/15

Moody and foggy this morning, the sun decided to come out just as i got home!! Needless to say i didn't find any more migrants. I thought i may have heard a singing Blackcap but not sure. Loads of Chiffchaff around and the pair of Grey Wagtails were together again.

1 new bird for the patch list in a single male Goosander. Complete fluke as i was looking at a distant Kestrel on a telegraph pole through my bins and it flew straight through my line of sight, would never have seen it otherwise!

I did have to cut short the usual route as a herd of cows seemed to take a dislike to me so rather than risk my life i simply took a different route home.

Today's List: Blackbird, Blue Tit, Crow, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Collared Dove, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Long tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Pheasant, Robin, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yelowhammer.

There are still several standard species i am yet to catch up with including the likes of a Coal Tit, Bullfinch, Mute Swan, Linnet and Fieldfare as well as summer migrants and passage species.

Also noticed that a Red Kite seems to be doing the rounds nearby and an Osprey was seen over Cookley this lunchtime (when i was in Kiddy!!) so will have to keep my eye on the skys i think at this time of year!

Cheers :t:
 
Nice to have connected with my first Butterfly ( Peacock ) for the patch today.
 

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Had a trip your way this morning as I couldn't sleep,pulled into Hurcott woods and watched the sun come up.
As soon as it got light it started to rain arghhhh, water and my dslr don't get on.
Decided to have slow drive home as I was going past Lee Castle had a muntjac cross the road in front of the car typical, been trying to photograph one for weeks.
Will definitely be looking around that area again.
 
12/4/15

A successful day early this morning with the following 6 species new for me on the patch:

Mandarin - A male on the canal at Cookley briefly before heading up and away.
Bullfinch - Not sure how i have missed these so far but two separate groups seen today
Swallow - A bird seen flying north not far from Island Pool, my first of the year anywhere.
Coot - Although Island Pool is not the easiest body of water to see, it was holding a pair of Coot which was i have yet to see on the canal or Stour yet. There may have been more but to many branches in the way to see. I do wonder if there is a sneaky viewpoint somewhere i could see the whole pool...
Blackcap - Several seen, pretty much all along the canal.
Willow Warbler - I thought at first i was looking at another Chiffchaff but it seemed a tad warmer in appearance and once it bursts into song it confirmed my suspicions!

39 species today with 52 for the year.

I don't suppose you guys mind sending one of those Ring Ouzels,Yellow Wagtails, Wheatears or Corn Buntings my way?! They are so agonizingly close to where the patch is but just need them to come a little further south. Despite a lot of searching and scanning of fields and paddocks, there were no Wheatears or Yellow Wags to be seen yet. Maybe Cookley and Caunsall are just not high enough?? Or i'm not very good at finding birds, which to be honest is the more likely option. I've never even seen a Corn Bunting!!

Cheers :t:
 
12/4/15[/B

I don't suppose you guys mind sending one of those Ring Ouzels,Yellow Wagtails, Wheatears or Corn Buntings my way?! They are so agonizingly close to where the patch is but just need them to come a little further south. Despite a lot of searching and scanning of fields and paddocks, there were no Wheatears or Yellow Wags to be seen yet. Maybe Cookley and Caunsall are just not high enough?? Or i'm not very good at finding birds, which to be honest is the more likely option. I've never even seen a Corn Bunting!!

Cheers :t:


Yep that sounds just like me.......
 
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