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

RSPB Middleton Lakes (1 Viewer)

25/8/11 Fisher's mill (WJE) Pre-dusk 4 Greenshank flew up river, 5 Ringed plover New reedbed pool and unidentified wader Wood Sand size rested behind a pebble did not move in 45 mins.
26/8/11 First Autumn flush of Curlew Sand and little Stint (also Blithfield Res) with Curlew Sand and 2 Little Stint New reedbed pool on prime wader feeding habitat(Geoff Williams).

Regards, John
 
27/8/11 Middleton Hall pool Green Sand water levels have arisen here.
Heronry view platform Willow Tit calling and 2 Siskin over.
Fisher's mill Hobby low along the edge of the reeds swooping for Dragonfly.
New Reed Bed pool 2 juv Curlew sand, 2 juv little stint, 3 dunlin, Greenshank common sand, 3 juv LRP, 2 ad and juv ringed plover also Little egret and 5 juv commmon tern.

Regards, John
 
and then came the rain

JHDraytonbassettpits said:
27/8/11 Middleton Hall pool Green Sand water levels have arisen here.
Heronry view platform Willow Tit calling and 2 Siskin over.
Fisher's mill Hobby low along the edge of the reeds swooping for Dragonfly.
New Reed Bed pool 2 juv Curlew sand, 2 juv little stint, 3 dunlin, Greenshank common sand, 3 juv LRP, 2 ad and juv ringed plover also Little egret and 5 juv commmon tern.

Regards, John
Click to expand...

That was a good morning's birding, got me 5 Middleton spots and 2 year ticks, thanks John for the info & chat, nice to put a face to the name. Good to be with a friendly bunch - had some miserable bu***grs recently! If you read this Sean, there was a treecreeper on the oak tree in the 'Courtyard' car-park when I was sheltering from that rain!
Tony

" man is never old enough to know better"
 
30/8/11 Heronry view platform feeders 8 Greenfinch flew off, a difficult bird to find on the May bird race. Yellow Wagtail over heading south, Chiffchaffs on the move with a number of birds some singing from the view platform area and along mill plantation with ''tacing'' warblers from the undergrowth.
Farm paddock Oak full of nice large acorns, 35 Swallow over the silt pool and 150 House Martin near the canal with a few swallows.
Fisher's mill juv Wood Sand still and a Whitethroat appeared briefly from the undergrowth.
New reedbed pool 2 juv curlew sand, Dunlin, greenshank, 6 Ringed plover and juv LRP, 2 Little Egret. Yellow Wagtail and Meadow Pipit over and a Swift with 35 House Martin. Another ringed plover circling and at 10:30 a Black-tailed Godwit through South.

Regards, John
 
1/9/11 New reedbed pool no sign of the small waders 7:45 this moringing only the juv wood sand still present. Little Egret, hobby and siskin over and 2 green sand flew up the river.

Regards, John
 
5/9/11 RSPB staff member Chris Edwards has recently seen Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on Heronry platform feeders.
mill plantation footpath Red Admiral
Fisher's mill 3 Eclipse Wigeon.
New Reedbed pool Greenshank, 2 Dunlin, Little Egret, 49 Lapwing, 52 House Martin, Hobby and Swift over.

Regards, John
 
Hi John - would it be possible to post a map on this thread which sets out which pool is which?

Cheers
Phil
 
RSPB Middleton lakes

upton-till-i-die said:
Hi John - would it be possible to post a map on this thread which sets out which pool is which?

Cheers
Phil
Click to expand...

Hi Phil, The pools have no names only areas depending on which county i.e Drayton Bassett pits, Fisher's mill, Dosthill NR, Middleton Hall.
That's way references like Drayton Basset pits North or South are used.
We calll New Reedbed pool as such, because 50,000 reeds were planted here by the RSPB to form the main reedbed area to attract breeding Bittern, however very few reeds grew.

Regards, John
 
JHDraytonbassettpits said:
Hi Phil, The pools have no names only areas depending on which county i.e Drayton Bassett pits, Fisher's mill, Dosthill NR, Middleton Hall.
That's way references like Drayton Basset pits North or South are used.
We calll New Reedbed pool as such, because 50,000 reeds were planted here by the RSPB to form the main reedbed area to attract breeding Bittern, however very few reeds grew.

Regards, John
Click to expand...

Hi John - attached is the RSPB's map of the reserve: http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/middletonlakes_tcm9-283749.pdf. I assume that Fishers Mill is the pool the one immediately ahead once you have crossed the canal. What are the others?
 
RSPB Middleton lakes

upton-till-i-die said:
Hi John - attached is the RSPB's map of the reserve: http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/middletonlakes_tcm9-283749.pdf. I assume that Fishers Mill is the pool the one immediately ahead once you have crossed the canal. What are the others?
Click to expand...

Hi Phil, You need an O.S map the pool opposite canal bridge is split North/south by the county boundary (was by a stream before gravel excavation). The Staffs side is called Drayton Bassett pits and the Warks side is called Fisher's mill.
New Reed bed pit is not shown as a pool on this map.

Regards, John
 
Sunday's Merlin (M.Whalley) came from from the canal West side, settled in some seeded docks (DBP South) and later flew East over New Reedbed pool flushing waders as it went through.

Regards, John
 
8/9/11 Middleton Hall Heronry view platform reports of photographs taken by someone of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders encouraged head warden Nick Martin out on his dinner break today, but with no luck. Nick did see a Hobby in the air though.
Over the car park was a Siskin and 13 Yellow Wags over the view platform heading north.
Fisher's mill 10 Siskin came off a Willow by the river, Kingfisher up the river and Willow/chiifs with the tit flock along the river bank.
New Reedbed pool no waders (Draycote having the lions share now). Little Egret and juv Common Tern and 3 Meadow pipit over.

Regards, John
 
13/9/11 Middleton Hall pool Green Sand.
Heronry view platform a meadow pipit flew over.
Fisher's mill Little Egret, Siskin over a Kingfisher down the river and 3 Sand Martin above the river.
A silouette of a Commic Tern was seen briefly as it arose above the bund Dosthill lake. There is no bridge accesss over the river at the moment so when I finished the West side of the river, reserve, I drove around to Dosthill lake (hours later) the Tern had moved on, with much Arctic passage at present it woud have probably been Arctic.
New Reedbed pool 4 Dunlin, 5 Ringed Plover and 2 juv LRP.


Regards, John
 
Last edited:
15/9/11 Middleton Hall Heronry view platform 2 Meadow Pipit over, 4 Raven high above.
Fisher's mill 3 Siskin a Meadow Pipit and Grey Wagatil over. New Reedbed pool all the waders have moved off, 2 Little Egret noted.
Returning to Heronry view platform a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was drumming on the dead upper branches of the farm paddock oak.

Regards, John
 
23/9/11 Mill plantation Chiffchaff singing one of a number in the area today, Muntjac barking, new reedbed pool 5 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover and 2 little egret.
Returning to the Heronry view platform a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was on the feeders. Whilst talking to birder Richard Jones I noticed a bird of prey over the tree line heading left to Middleton park the bird was a Ring Tailed Hen Harrier (11:40),Richard also said he saw a Lesser Whitethroat by the steps.
28 Greenfinch came onto the feeders and started to move off when a Sparrow Hawk launched an attack on 2 that remained. The Sparrow Hawk missed flying straight at us and had to break mid air, the Sparrow Hawk is a danger to the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

Regards, John
 
27/9/11 Middleton Hall 20 Swallow and 12 meadow pipit south.
Fisher's mill 3 Wigeon and Grey wagtail over.
New reedbed pool 2 juv Little Stint, 4 Dunlin, 8 Ringed Plover, Snipe over also a Little Egret.
Lesser Redpoll 6,1,1 also 5 Siskin over good meadow pipit pasage between 9-10:40 62 over heading south.
Peregrine at 9.44 disturbed all waders but they quickley settled.

Regards, John
 
30/9/11 Fisher's mill Little Egret, 4 Wigeon, Pectoral Sand found feeding on an island (Norman Hall and seen and photograped by Chris Cook ) early afternoon. Watched for over an hour, however later birders no sign. The bird rested unseen on this island and luckily it got up while I was present at 17:21 and flew North into Staffs seen over the North pit.
New Reedbed pool still 2 juv Little Stint and 7 Ringed Plover.

Regards, John
 
4/10/11 Middleton Hall Lesser Spotted Woodpecker again reported on Feeders.
New reedbed pool juv Little Stint and 7 Ringed plover, also Little Egret. Red Admirals on flowering Ivy.

Regards, John
 

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