upstarts1979
Well-known member
Soz Trevor just noticed your post
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Upton Warren (17 Viewers)
- Thread starter andythomas
- Start date
Soz Trevor just noticed your post
upstarts1979
Well-known member
Common Terns
On what was an otherwise good days birding, it is sad to report a tragic accident. At present all 5 rafts are currently being occupied by a pair in each. Three of the rafts have chicks and two others had sitting birds. This afternoon I noticed that the sitting bird on one of the new rafts was not present. Later I went to the west track and noticed a bird in front of the 'escape ' box which I couldn't see from the East hide. Getting my scope on to it revealed a very sad sight
An adult bird had got it's head stuck in the mesh. It's wings were almost in an upright position , probably in the struggle to free itself. Obviously we will be replacing that mesh. On a positive note the other 4 rafts chicks and sitting bird are fine. :-C
On what was an otherwise good days birding, it is sad to report a tragic accident. At present all 5 rafts are currently being occupied by a pair in each. Three of the rafts have chicks and two others had sitting birds. This afternoon I noticed that the sitting bird on one of the new rafts was not present. Later I went to the west track and noticed a bird in front of the 'escape ' box which I couldn't see from the East hide. Getting my scope on to it revealed a very sad sight
An adult bird had got it's head stuck in the mesh. It's wings were almost in an upright position , probably in the struggle to free itself. Obviously we will be replacing that mesh. On a positive note the other 4 rafts chicks and sitting bird are fine. :-C
upstarts1979
Well-known member
The Flashes Today
The whimbrel stayed overnight at on the meadow amongst the roosting curlew and flew off 9.25am. The curlews remained sleeping all morning. A 3rd brood of tufted appeared on the 1st Flash and the family of greylags bred on the sailing pool dropped in to graze. A cetti's warbler trilled in the hawthorn behind the main hide, well away from its normal haunts. A female blackbird flew up out of the blackthorn thicket and attacked a low flying buzzard - risky!
Species counts FLASHES:
Teal male, NO SHELDUCK the successful family of 7 juvs have departed after 63 days. Mallard another fresh brood of 9 chicks. Tufted 12 fresh chicks and female. greylag 2 ads + 4 juvs, Avocet 31 ad/juvs + 7 chicks 3 (23 days) 4 (14 days). Oystercatcher 2 ad + juv, LRP 4 ads, 2 juvs + 1x 8 day old chick, lapwing 50+, ruff, dunlin juv, green sand 6, common sand, curlew 18, whimbrel, ( plus greenshank later = 11 species of wader), common tern, BHG 200, kestrel, swift 35, sand martin 2, cetti's warbler, linnet 6,
The whimbrel stayed overnight at on the meadow amongst the roosting curlew and flew off 9.25am. The curlews remained sleeping all morning. A 3rd brood of tufted appeared on the 1st Flash and the family of greylags bred on the sailing pool dropped in to graze. A cetti's warbler trilled in the hawthorn behind the main hide, well away from its normal haunts. A female blackbird flew up out of the blackthorn thicket and attacked a low flying buzzard - risky!
Species counts FLASHES:
Teal male, NO SHELDUCK the successful family of 7 juvs have departed after 63 days. Mallard another fresh brood of 9 chicks. Tufted 12 fresh chicks and female. greylag 2 ads + 4 juvs, Avocet 31 ad/juvs + 7 chicks 3 (23 days) 4 (14 days). Oystercatcher 2 ad + juv, LRP 4 ads, 2 juvs + 1x 8 day old chick, lapwing 50+, ruff, dunlin juv, green sand 6, common sand, curlew 18, whimbrel, ( plus greenshank later = 11 species of wader), common tern, BHG 200, kestrel, swift 35, sand martin 2, cetti's warbler, linnet 6,
upstarts1979
Well-known member
Moors this afternoon
The Tufted duck numbers have exploded with several more large broods appearing today. One brood of 12 at the north end of the pool, the gadwall brood of 5 rested close to 2 wing moulted adults. I won't mention the common terns again, so a positive note was that of a juvenile Little grebe in the SW marsh along with its parent . This is the first fully grown chick this year.
Species count MOORS:
GCG 2 + juv, little grebe 8 + juv ( 5 ads on emergent bistort), greylag 2, teal moulted female, gadwall 3 ads + 5 chicks, mallard 220 + several broods, Tufted 13 broods min, beware the black mallard type duck and its ducklings which are very tufted like. Greenshank briefly in Amy's marsh scrape, it flew out and attempted to land on the emergent amphibious bistort before flying off to the Flashes, lapwing 2, common tern 10 + 2 juvs (ours) + 3 chicks. water rail calling, swift 30, cettis w 2, reed w few all warblers now very quiet.
NORTH MOORS: shoveler fem + 6 poss 7 chicks 23 days old. teal
of Note : the new Bittern ditch is full of fish I think roach
The Tufted duck numbers have exploded with several more large broods appearing today. One brood of 12 at the north end of the pool, the gadwall brood of 5 rested close to 2 wing moulted adults. I won't mention the common terns again, so a positive note was that of a juvenile Little grebe in the SW marsh along with its parent . This is the first fully grown chick this year.
Species count MOORS:
GCG 2 + juv, little grebe 8 + juv ( 5 ads on emergent bistort), greylag 2, teal moulted female, gadwall 3 ads + 5 chicks, mallard 220 + several broods, Tufted 13 broods min, beware the black mallard type duck and its ducklings which are very tufted like. Greenshank briefly in Amy's marsh scrape, it flew out and attempted to land on the emergent amphibious bistort before flying off to the Flashes, lapwing 2, common tern 10 + 2 juvs (ours) + 3 chicks. water rail calling, swift 30, cettis w 2, reed w few all warblers now very quiet.
NORTH MOORS: shoveler fem + 6 poss 7 chicks 23 days old. teal
of Note : the new Bittern ditch is full of fish I think roach
upstarts1979
Well-known member
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
What's the current water level at the Flashes John?
upstarts1979
Well-known member
0.37 mate the late August level. Also the NM seasonal pool has dried up. But strangely the seasonal pool at Amy's marsh is fullish
UW82
Well-known member
I noticed the water levels John. For some reason the NM seasonal pool isn't holding any recent rain, whereas Amy's is very wet when it should be dry.
Des.
binus1963
Well-known member
Mike T photographed this at the Moors on Tuesday. Any ideasB
looks like a scorpion fly panorpa germanica don't take this as gospel i still struggle with the birds. if it is there have been loads of them especially up the salwarp.
Possible Id
Looking through my Royal Entomological Society Book of British Insects i have come to a conclusion based on a picture in the book that it could be one of the family of Empididae commonly known as dance-flies which is a predatory fly with a piercing mouthpart and grasping legs. I wouldn't be surprised of i was wrong as there are 212 species in this large family of flies. All the pictures i have are from the top side so difficult to pin down. Scorpion Flies usually don't have completely folded down wings (don't quote me on that either).
Simon P|:S|
Mike T photographed this at the Moors on Tuesday. Any ideasB
Looking through my Royal Entomological Society Book of British Insects i have come to a conclusion based on a picture in the book that it could be one of the family of Empididae commonly known as dance-flies which is a predatory fly with a piercing mouthpart and grasping legs. I wouldn't be surprised of i was wrong as there are 212 species in this large family of flies. All the pictures i have are from the top side so difficult to pin down. Scorpion Flies usually don't have completely folded down wings (don't quote me on that either).
Simon P|:S|
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Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
Biking Birder update
Gary is currently on Islay as he works his way up the west side of Scotland (including the Inner and Outer Hebrides). His list has progressed to 241 with the addition yesterday of Arctic Tern, Golden Eagle and (pure) Rock Dove.
Hopefully he will have beaten the British green record by the time he crosses over to Orkney in August with such species as Capercaille, Ptarmigan, Crested Tit, Corncrake, Snow Bunting, Storm Petrel, White-tailed Eagle, Arctic Skua and Short-eared Owl all targets in the next couple of weeks.
Edit: up to 242 with Corncrake on Oronsay today
Gary is currently on Islay as he works his way up the west side of Scotland (including the Inner and Outer Hebrides). His list has progressed to 241 with the addition yesterday of Arctic Tern, Golden Eagle and (pure) Rock Dove.
Hopefully he will have beaten the British green record by the time he crosses over to Orkney in August with such species as Capercaille, Ptarmigan, Crested Tit, Corncrake, Snow Bunting, Storm Petrel, White-tailed Eagle, Arctic Skua and Short-eared Owl all targets in the next couple of weeks.
Edit: up to 242 with Corncrake on Oronsay today
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upstarts1979
Well-known member
6am Update from Flashes
willow.Warbler and cetti's singing by steps. On lagoons new in Blackwit. LRP now 9 days old. also ruff and dunlin
willow.Warbler and cetti's singing by steps. On lagoons new in Blackwit. LRP now 9 days old. also ruff and dunlin
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
Having got to this age you would like to think that the LRP will make it. However probably as likely as Delph keeping to his word and staying at the Vile
#kissthebadgeRuff now present for its 18th day.
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
Long staying Ruff
Unfortunately it appears that when I wrote The Birds of Upton Warren opus I didn't specifically state what was the longest staying Ruff. Therefore with the records currently available to me it appears to be a female that was present for a total of 103 days from 25th September 1990 to 5th January 1991. If anyone has got the back catalogue of WMBC reports would they mind checking out Des's recollections of an over-wintering bird in the late 1970s /early 1980s.
Determining long-stayers can be difficult where there is a turnover of birds over a prolonged period but others specifically identified that have spent over a fortnight on the reserve include:
85 days - a male from the 8th August to 31st October 2000
c67 days - 3 males present from 25th September to "late November" 1990
c30 days - a female seen throughout September 1998 (although it did disappear for days at a time)
25 days - 2 males from the 18th April to 11th May 1997
25 days - a male from 24th March to 17th April 2002
20 days - a male definitely from the 3rd to 15th July 1999 and potentially up to 22nd July (2 very similar marked birds were present at the same time)
14 days - 6 birds (including 4 males) present from 27th April to 9th May 1984 during which time lekking behaviour was observed
14 days - 2 juveniles from the 10th to 23rd August 2013
Having got to this age you would like to think that the LRP will make it. However probably as likely as Delph keeping to his word and staying at the Vile
Ruff now present for its 18th day.
Unfortunately it appears that when I wrote The Birds of Upton Warren opus I didn't specifically state what was the longest staying Ruff. Therefore with the records currently available to me it appears to be a female that was present for a total of 103 days from 25th September 1990 to 5th January 1991. If anyone has got the back catalogue of WMBC reports would they mind checking out Des's recollections of an over-wintering bird in the late 1970s /early 1980s.
Determining long-stayers can be difficult where there is a turnover of birds over a prolonged period but others specifically identified that have spent over a fortnight on the reserve include:
85 days - a male from the 8th August to 31st October 2000
c67 days - 3 males present from 25th September to "late November" 1990
c30 days - a female seen throughout September 1998 (although it did disappear for days at a time)
25 days - 2 males from the 18th April to 11th May 1997
25 days - a male from 24th March to 17th April 2002
20 days - a male definitely from the 3rd to 15th July 1999 and potentially up to 22nd July (2 very similar marked birds were present at the same time)
14 days - 6 birds (including 4 males) present from 27th April to 9th May 1984 during which time lekking behaviour was observed
14 days - 2 juveniles from the 10th to 23rd August 2013
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
Greenshank at the Moors Pool as per Wheatearlp
Where Bird
Well-known member
upstarts1979
Well-known member
Greenshank at Flashes from Moors Blackwit gone now 3 Teal.
Plenty of passerine activity around hedgerow behind hide. Mostly goldfinches c45. Reed bunting 10. chiffchaff 5. Reed warbler 3. . Linnet 6. .
Plenty of passerine activity around hedgerow behind hide. Mostly goldfinches c45. Reed bunting 10. chiffchaff 5. Reed warbler 3. . Linnet 6. .
Where Bird
Well-known member
binus1963
Well-known member
i think your right after i've had another look through my i-spy book of british insects :t:
UW82
Well-known member
I have checked my WMBC reports, but I am missing 1980. It could be that the 1990/91 record is the longest staying bird.
Des.
