Sedgley Manor (1 Viewer)

Cotwall End Valley

14.50 - 16.30 - Mild, overcast with slight breeze.
First visit this year to check for any Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wheatear or Ouzels without success. Bullfinch seemed to be everywhere with a fair number of Robins also in song. Magpies and Woodpigeons were numerous and a couple of Nuthatches calling in the main woodland. A pair of Grey Wagtail were along the Dingle brook with the male just starting to develop a black throat patch. Plenty of overhanging vegetation and crevices along the brook providing potential breeding sites.
Flowerwise there were several clumps of Ramsons coming into flower and carpets of Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage. In leaf were numerous clumps of Bluebell and scattered single of Lords and Ladies.


Sedgley Birder

Sedgley Beacon

Thursday 19th March 2015 - 12.30-14.10
Fairly bright with distant haze and cool, light N breeze.
A good 11/2hrs birding checking for the first migrants but to no avail.
main things of note being - Buzzard, small party of LTTits and singles of Mistle Thrush and LBBGull. A number of species were quite vocal including Great & Blue Tits, Bullfinch, Wren, Robin, Dunnock and several Chaffinch singing.
Took a few pics showing the following:
1. Looking north from the reservoir.
2. The old quarry workings showing the limestone grassland.
3. Small exposure of Silurian limestone.
4. Last years Carline Thistle flower heads (doesn't look much different in flower!)
5. The 'plantation' on the northern slope.

Sedgley Birder:t:

Milking Bank/Gornal Wood

Two hour cycle ride/walk yesterday in very pleasant but warm weather. Finally time to take the thermal leggings off I reckon! The main reason was to check out the two transect walks I will be surveying at Coopers Bank in Gornal Wood as part of the BTO/NCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey. The first walk being along Central Drive and mainly housing/gardens. The second being from the Himley Road/Milking Bank round to Cinder Bank in Gornal Wood. The latter of which will be more productive having more 'countryside' with fields and hedges etc... No migrants noted along either, but plenty of the commoner stuff noted/singing which hopefully bodes well.
Having walked the transects I decided to look at the quite extensive area of open ground and scrub around Milking Bank which includes a small pool at London Fields. The latter has recorded an autumn record of two Garganey in the past. For those who have listened to 'Tweet of the Day' regularly may recall another name for Garganey being 'Cricket Teal' because of its clicking call. Not something I have personally heard yet. The pool held several Coot and Moorhen, Mallard and Little Grebe. A single male Tuftie was present, although no female (possibly on a nest?). Additionally 8 LBBG's were noted. The pool, although small has got a good edge at the moment, so could easily attract an LRP or more likely a Common Sand or two.
A walk back up through Milking Bank produced 3 Chiffchaff and my first Willow Warbler of the year

Just out side your recording area but there was a Red Tailed Hawk over Dudley this AM per John Clarke
Good Birding YAMYAM

Weekly round up

A few visits out this week including a 'new' site or one that I have not visited for some considerable time.

Weds 6th May
After an appointment in Dudley, came back via Wrens Nest and Parkes Hall Pool. Approx 1/2 doz Chiffchaff, one Willow Warbler, three Blackcap and a Raven calling. Single Grey Heron on Parkes Hall. Afternoon visit down Cotwall End produced several Blackcap and my first Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat on the golf course.


Thurs 7th May
My first Swift of the year was seen following an early visit to the polling station. A visit later in the day to Sedgley Beacon produced a single Whitethroat and possible Ring Ouzel. The latter was seen briefly flying away as I took cover during a brief downpour.


Sun 10th May
A visit to Sedgley Hall Park Farm. The name does not sound inspiring and conjures up images of an urban farm, animals, loads of people etc...
It is in fact quite the opposite, although there are a couple of horses present, but that is about it. For a Sunday afternoon there was surprisingly few people around. Also the lack of litter/rubbish and very little vandalism was welcome, something that blights so many urban sites these days. The area actually has a rich history and is adjacent to Alder Coppice, Ashen Coppice and Sedgley Beacon, all of which are locally important wildlife sites.
Sedgley Hall Park Farm is a very pleasant mixture of 'parkland' type open space but not over managed as to make it look like a 'park'. There is woodland, scrub, rough pasture/fields and several small brooks adding to the variety, along with two smallish pools. The latter of which are not large but they could attract Kingfisher and almost certainly Water Rail in the winter. Its biggest attraction would be passage migrants esp passerines.
Todays visit produced several Blackcap and Chiffchaff along with a couple of Buzzard.
Below is an aeriel view showing the site in relation to Alder and Ashen Coppice, Sedgley Beacon and Penn Common/Seven Cornfields. The aeriel view does not do it justice as it belies the rich mosaic of habitats present.


The image is courtesy of Google Earth.

Ruiton and Holloway

Sunday 17.05.2015
Sunday morning mooch before breakfast while it was still relatively quiet.
Five species of warbler noted including - 2-3 Chiffchaff, pair Willow Warbler, 2-3 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroat and a single Lesser Whitethroat. Not that common here were 4 Jackdaw flying over in the direction of Himley. Only hirundines noted were several House Martin.
The site supports an impressive colony of several 100's of Southern Marsh Orchid although none in flower as yet.

Piccies below show:
1. View across grassland and scrub.
2. View showing the pool - No Great Reed Warblers today!
3. The disused quarry area.
4. General view across the site.

Just to show those who are interested the recording area of Sedgley Manor as defined by the 1844 tithe map as shown on the Sedgley Local History Society site.

Monday 25.05.2015
Lower Gornal/Coopers Bank - BBS Survey

Early morning start (06.00-09.00) to survey the two transect walks that I have taken on from this year for the BTO/Breeding Bird Survey. Each transect walk is one kilometre long with each walk being sub-divided into 200 metre sections. Each walk is on a defined path and not random wanderings as this aids consistency from year to year regardless of who the recorder/observer is. Birds are recorded in band widths on each side of the walk from 0-25m, 25-100m and more than 100m from the transect line. Observations can be recorded either visually, by call, song or flight. BBS was designed to replace the Common Bird Census (CBC) and uses different methods for surveying. The number crunching is done by the BTO stats people to estimate population numbers. The transect walks within the kilometre square are pre determined by the BTO and as far as possible are parallel to each other. You do have the option of setting up new transect walks which you can submit to the BTO for approval.

My first walk covers Flavell Lane, Himley Road and Central Drive in Lower Gornal and is predominantly urban housing and gardens. The second consists of 'urban woodland/scrub/horse fields' which follows the Brian Jones Walk from Milking Bank to Hunts Mill Drive which is a part of Barrow Hill. This was named after Brian who worked with Alan Perry (Fens Pools GNDiver fame), both of whom worked for Dudley MBC as part of the Environmental Education Team and instigators of the Pensnett Wildlife Group. I was fortunate enough to collaborate with them and Kevin Clements on many occasions when I worked as a Conservation Projects Officer in Dudley. Sadly Brian and Alan are no longer with us but Kevin (currently West Mids Recorder) is. Remember getting a call from Brian and taking a Friday afternoon 'off' from work to twitch the Nutcracker at Cocknage Wood in Staffs back in the early 90's. A cracking and confiding bird and no bins required!

Each of the two transect walks were dominated by 'black'. The black being Blackbirds along both transects and Blackcap on the second. The only other notable species recorded were Green Woodie , Jay and Stock Dove.. Nothing remarkable, but then its purpose is to record the common stuff. Surprisingly I only noted one Whitethroat. Remarkable by their absence were hirundines and Swift! None. I personally have not seen many Swifts locally this year and have visited local sites such as church steeples etc... to look for possible breeding birds but none.

On the route between each transect walk is the pool at London Fields/Milking Bank. A quick peruse recorded two Grey Wag, Canada Geese with three young and a single adult Little Grebe. Earlier in the season I had a pair of Little Grebe so I presume mum is on the nest.

Gavin - Sedgley Birder:t:

Looking to get this tread kicked started after period of hibernation and health issues!

All Saints Churchyard - Sedgley

This is a nice little gem hidden just off the town centre - Not attached to the main church, overgrown with most graves not attended - It is therefore little disturbed by the public - Catches the sun and looks good for flycatchers, redstarts and warblers on migration - Plenty of places to sit and wait - Don't think the 'residents' will mind! Not much today apart from a roving tit flock, but looks promising. Could do with some water to attract birds down though?
Might get some old dustbin lids in as drinking pools.

Images from 'Gods Acre'

All Saints - Sedgley

A pre shopping visit to the churchyard -Pleasant but chilly.
Loads singing with nothing out of the ordinary really. Gave me some time to watch a pair of LTTits actively going in and out of a holly and bramble thicket nest building. Small bits of material being taken in including small feathers As would be expected they entered and left through different parts of the thicket. Will be keeping a close look on this. Looking to get either Pied Fly, Redstart and a good mix of warblers here over the coming season.

ATB - Sedgley Birder :t:

The 'Sedgley Triangle'

Just to show the orientation of the main open spaces/birding areas around Sedgley and how they fit together. These areas are the main sites which funnel birds towards the high point of Sedgley Beacon. Hope this is of interest to any birders visiting the area.

ATB - Sedgley Birder :t:

Male Wood Warbler singing this evening in the Swanbrook Valley, at Parkes Hall Pool! My first local record of the species. Also first Whitethroat of the year on Tenacre field and a Little Grebe on the pool

Kowa scope

TSN774/30x W/A/case for sale - Mint Condition.

See Birdforum classifieds for details if interested, and log in.

Cheers

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3411063#post3411063

No posts for nearly 2 years - an update would be nice👍🏻

rollingthunder said:

No posts for nearly 2 years - an update would be nice👍🏻

Click to expand...

Stuff gets put on twitter and is picked up more quickly by those who do the sites - Looking to get them back up and running when things get moving again hopefully :t: