rollingthunder
Well-known member
Having drawn a blank with Quail over at the West Hagley Fields on Sunday afternoon i decided to chase somebody elses find over at Whittington or plan B a i call it.
I cycled over ystda mrning for 0830 and stopped until 1000. As it turned out it was the best part of the day round here with the sun breaking thru at about 9 o'clock. A nice male Yellow Wagtail and several Whitethroats from the top track down to Turbine Cottage. A right-hand turn takes you about 1/3 of a mile past handkerchief 'barn' to another field gate and then about 500 yards back to the road. Another couple of birders past the barn had'nt seen or heard anything. A couple of Corn Buntings were jingling away possibly 3 birds and more Common Whitethroats. There has been a noticeable increase in this species over the last 10 years in my experience. When i first started an interest in birding in the mid-60's it was undergoing a dramatic decline prompting concern into the wintering quarters of a range of sub-Sahelian migrants which is all too well known now. Have Whitethroats changed their wintering pattern? How many are rung and recovered? Has this species been the recipient of geo-locaters? With so much useless ringing being carried out, imho, research into this might yield results?
Surprising bird of the day was a male Wheatear that i flushed from the fenceline by the 'barn', easily the latest that i have seen locally - it was quite a 'dull' bird with very little blushing on the breast and not the sort of Greenland type that i would have expected at the end of May - nice all the same.
A chat with the other birders at the end of the track and then i started making my way back and heard a Quail call and so waved to the others. I then proceeded back to the bike and picked up another calling bird. A local tweeter, the previous day, said they had views of 2 birds. Unless he was incredibly lucky then were they lured? If they were then i don't agree with it, it makes the bird more vulnerable to predation when they break cover because of being lured. Some species are difficult to see and that's the way it is I'ver never seen a Quail or a Corncrake and would not condone luring. My thoughts FWIW. A Cuckoo was reported later ystda afternoon.
Reports of a Grey-Cheeked Thrush in Mayo, i'm sure there's a recipe for it somewhere
Laurie :t:
Attached - yesterdays Wheatear.
I cycled over ystda mrning for 0830 and stopped until 1000. As it turned out it was the best part of the day round here with the sun breaking thru at about 9 o'clock. A nice male Yellow Wagtail and several Whitethroats from the top track down to Turbine Cottage. A right-hand turn takes you about 1/3 of a mile past handkerchief 'barn' to another field gate and then about 500 yards back to the road. Another couple of birders past the barn had'nt seen or heard anything. A couple of Corn Buntings were jingling away possibly 3 birds and more Common Whitethroats. There has been a noticeable increase in this species over the last 10 years in my experience. When i first started an interest in birding in the mid-60's it was undergoing a dramatic decline prompting concern into the wintering quarters of a range of sub-Sahelian migrants which is all too well known now. Have Whitethroats changed their wintering pattern? How many are rung and recovered? Has this species been the recipient of geo-locaters? With so much useless ringing being carried out, imho, research into this might yield results?
Surprising bird of the day was a male Wheatear that i flushed from the fenceline by the 'barn', easily the latest that i have seen locally - it was quite a 'dull' bird with very little blushing on the breast and not the sort of Greenland type that i would have expected at the end of May - nice all the same.
A chat with the other birders at the end of the track and then i started making my way back and heard a Quail call and so waved to the others. I then proceeded back to the bike and picked up another calling bird. A local tweeter, the previous day, said they had views of 2 birds. Unless he was incredibly lucky then were they lured? If they were then i don't agree with it, it makes the bird more vulnerable to predation when they break cover because of being lured. Some species are difficult to see and that's the way it is I'ver never seen a Quail or a Corncrake and would not condone luring. My thoughts FWIW. A Cuckoo was reported later ystda afternoon.
Reports of a Grey-Cheeked Thrush in Mayo, i'm sure there's a recipe for it somewhere
Laurie :t:
Attached - yesterdays Wheatear.