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

Fen's Pool Nr (1 Viewer)

A couple of hours yesterday resulted in a bagful less litter and 3 species of Warbler - noticeable were singing Whitethroats. The heavy showers etc during the week will have brought down waders but i wasn’t up there during these although Todd had both Common Sand and Oystercatcher on Friday and on that note I clocked him with his Springer at about 0830 yesterday and gave him a wave:t:

On my way back i popped in at the back of the Stourbridge College Annexe at Merry Hill to check out the ‘wasteground’ that runs for about half a mile feom the top of the Delph Locks to the Merry Hill basin at The Waterfront. I am familiar with this area which has a good mix of scrub, grassland and several small flashes indeed Paul Legge had a Common Sandpiper from across the towpath this week. I intend to explore it this morning before off to Gailey and a circuit of Chasewater and might pop into Belvide for a quick look. Ystda there were several Whitethroats, ChiffChaffs n Blackcaps which were as much as i heard at Fens Pools.....

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:
 
7-9ish the last 2 mornings has been pleasant enough but nothing of note. Traffic using the Stafford to Worcester canal doesn't really start until about now so the levels of water at the pools remains high - if only somebody would mess with the overflow valve..........

Whitethroats are the most prominent vocally and Swifts have started putting in a regular appearance with a bit of screaming thrown in for good measure - the sign of Summer for me!

Attached: the boys are back in town. The shot of them with a House Martin reminded me of the wheeling dogfights from images of the Battle of Britain over Kent.

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:
 

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Dropped in for an hour or so at 7oc ystda morning after visiting Williams Pool.

A smart adult YLG was dunking a food item on the Top Pool when i decided to walk the adjacent 50 yards to check the distant shoreline on the Middle Pool for waders and saw 2 birds feeding. A quick blitz on the bike to view the same section from a bit nearer revealed a Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper.
I then cycled around to the viewpoint i use to look at and photograph from - i do not flush birds they have enough problems during migration without antics from selfish photographers..... Needless to say the birds had gone by the time i had dropped the litter i had picked up and negotiated 2 anti-motorbike gates:C
I then heard a distinct piping call revealing not 1 but 3 Common Sandpipers flying about at the Car Park end of the Middle Pool - no Ringie which was a pity as i would have liked some photos to assess what race it might have been.
At least i have managed to jam in on some wader migration:t:

Good Birding -

Laurie:t:
 

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0800-0900 was all i managed ystda as the wind was cool and i had had enough altho there was a single Common Sandpiper present on the Middle Pool. I did see another birder working his way around the edge of the Top Pool but our paths didn't cross for a chat.

Laurie:t:
 
A couple of 1 hour visits over the weekend pre-breakfast to get back in the groove...

Both Blackcap and Reed Warbler noted and upto 25 large Gulls mainly LBB but a handful of Herring. Tufted Ducks are late breeders but i didn't see any broods. A juvenile Common Tern being fed by an adult on the Top Pool raft was reported by Todd last week. Things will pick up now it is return migration time but unfortunately the water levels are high due to the out-of-character efficiency by the Canal people - i will have to find how to access the overflow tap;)

Laurie -

Attached: 2 dull days brightened up by the refurbished tribute to fisherman, birder and local character the late, great, Alan Perry and not before time:t:
 

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An excellent (Saturday) record of 2 adult Great White Egrets about 1-ish flying off at 1:45:eek!: Not a time i am up there especially at weekends due to groups of the local pond-life finally emerging- also Tufties have now bred with at least 2 left from a brood let’s hope they escape the attentions of the building numbers of large Gulls although i am not optimistic:C

Good birding:t:

Laurie -
 
I haven't been up for a week or so but that will change with the forecast depression over the weekend attached is the adult Common Tern from 10 days ago and one of the Cormorants coming in...

Laurie -
 

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This morning's smart adult Little Gull down on Fens Top Pool at 0840. I arrived to see it feeding at the far end and then after 5 mins it was gone...

The 5 attached record shots are the best of a bad bunch i'm afraid. It was very blowy, the reason for going there, and the camera struggled on AF between the background vegetation and the bird. This is the first Little Gull i have found locally and my first since a couple at Warren Warren about 6 or 7 years ago in mid-May.

I hope to catch some stuff tomorrow down at Sharpness for 5 or 6 hours 'seawatching' off the Lifeboat viewpoint:t:

Good birding -

Laurie -
 

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2 hours on Saturday yielded little but as compensation it was a cracker of a day weatherwise...

Large Gulls are starting to build and noisy with it. I cycled around the Top Pool to get the Sun behind me as one or two of the juvenile LBB’s were starting to resemble Arctic Skua:eek!: Singles of both Chiffchaff and Blackcap were singing, high up a few House Martins hawked. Over the water several groups of Swallows dropped down before continuing the long journey South. About a dozen Swifts put in a brief appearance including a couple of juveniles - i have a feeling it has been a disastrous breeding season for migrants but maybe the CBC will reflect differently.

And that as they say was that.

Good Birding -

Laurie -
 
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Just back - 1 Green Sandpiper below the bench on Top Pool and i returned via the canal at Merry Hill and had 4x White Wagtails at the Williams wetland where i had the 3 Wheatears in the Spring:t:

Laurie -
 
Andy Daniels sent me a nice photo:t:

I intend popping up this morning as it is a long time since i have seen a Scoter in the Midlands. Also present, from what i have heard, is a Cetti’s Warbler around the inflow to the smaller Grove Pool and heard around the outflow to the Widewaters section that feeds the canal. This area hosted an individual 3 years or so ago. A female Blue-winged Teal was mentioned as having been present and was possibly an individual seen elsewhere in the Midlands - its provenance is probably debateable...

Laurie:t:
 
An hour or so mid-morning with zilch to show for it...

The Cetti’s should hang about, they usually do, plenty of suitable habitat to spend the Winter gleaning. The last one was there for months. Coincidentally the area adjacent to the Middle Pool>Grove overflow has been strimmed this morning leaving a nice track linking the pools. Ca40 Tufties noted but no Shoveler, Gadwall or Teal. The Scoter could be diving or hidden it wouldn’t be the first diving species that has evaded me and requiring a return visit. After an hour i decided it was a no-go. 2 different Kingfishers in addition.

Good birding:t:

Laurie -

P.S. as an afterthought it would be nice if ppl reciprocated by informing in real time rather than waiting until it is dark and they have spent hours editing photographs of the bird - one sent over a mobile phone at nearly bedtime is about as much use as T1ts on a Bull...
 
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Popped in for an hour yesterday mid-morning just ahead of some rather ominous clouds once again piling up from the West:C

Nothing of note either seen or heard. There appears to be no change in the ducks with just Mallard and Tufted noted. The male Goldeneye that i thought might have moved from Netherton Razzer had not put in an appearance. I did a little bit of bush-checking for Ring Ouzel as Todd Chater had clicked with one the previous day up on Netherton Hill but tbh i didn’t see much in the way of berries on the Hawthorn and a lot of very hard and unripe Blackberries.....

There as been a considerable amount of strimming on the banks of late with long wide swathes being created and it should add a bit of variety with the next season’s regrowth. Yesterday was no exception with 3 contractors c/w petrol strimmers taking no prisoners - all this was taking place around where i intended listening for the recent Cetti’s Warbler so i didn’t bother. A gaggle of local yoof fishing on the Middle Pool c/w overnight gear and drinking strong beer completed the dystopian scenario - worms on one end, unemployable NEETS on the other.....they won’t be paying my pension anytime soon!

In an attempt to brighten up a dull day i returned via the Delph flats and playing a hunch caught the distinct silhouette of the ‘Sentinel’ - yes he’s back:eek!: A smart male or ‘the’ male Peregrine that had been resident until early-June has returned. I briefly watched him harry a flock of feral Pigeons before disappearing between the sullen residential blocks. I look forward to getting some hunting pics should he spend the Winter and there is no reason why it shouldn’t so fingers crossed:t:

Good birding -

Laurie -
 
Visited yesterday, first time for a month, the vandals have left it in a pretty sorry state ( never going to make a chocolate box). Fens pool is about 20% full, with the Canal and river trust, having a set of pumps trying to move water I assume to Middle Pool, which again 20% full, 2m down at the outflow. Grove pool fairly full, but not enough to supply canal feeder.
A few Coots and BHG hanging, doubt the mud is not very nutritious, so don't expect an influx of waders.
 
fens Pools

Just out of interest Mark what has been damaged?

Laurie:t:
Practically: talking to the dog walkers and the lad manning the pumps. I gather or assume the main sluice between Middle and Grove Pool.

Nature an opportunity, some losses , maybe some short term gains.

Philosophy I will leave to others

Cheers
Mark
 
Oh right - i racked what few brain cells i have to think of something worth the effort of vandalising as any benches are metal. Since the torching of the boat building aeons ago the local pondlife have run out of ‘challenges’. If only the same effort was put into looking for work;)

I have mixed feelings about the sluice - my former relationship with what was British Waterways before they became all nice and cosy as the Canal and River Trust was fractious to say the least. I speak as a former boat owner and to say they are the worst landlords you would want would be an understatement - suffice to say ‘Trust’ is not a word i would associate with this outfit of bean-counters and pen-pushing tyrants:C In fact i use every opportunity to berate their staff on my rare encounters with them as i hardly use the canals as it holds too many bad memories. Enough ranting - i welcome the lowered water levels particularly this year as there is enough of the stuff and i hope it lasts until Spring migration as it will ensure daily visits from me that’s for sure. Midweek and early-morning visits with a cigar for a couple of hours could produce a bit more than last years offerings.

Bitter yes twisted no;):t:

Good birding -

Laurie -
 
Oh right - i racked what few brain cells i have to think of something worth the effort of vandalising as any benches are metal. Since the torching of the boat building aeons ago the local pondlife have run out of ‘challenges’. If only the same effort was put into looking for work;)

I have mixed feelings about the sluice - my former relationship with what was British Waterways before they became all nice and cosy as the Canal and River Trust was fractious to say the least. I speak as a former boat owner and to say they are the worst landlords you would want would be an understatement - suffice to say ‘Trust’ is not a word i would associate with this outfit of bean-counters and pen-pushing tyrants:C In fact i use every opportunity to berate their staff on my rare encounters with them as i hardly use the canals as it holds too many bad memories. Enough ranting - i welcome the lowered water levels particularly this year as there is enough of the stuff and i hope it lasts until Spring migration as it will ensure daily visits from me that’s for sure. Midweek and early-morning visits with a cigar for a couple of hours could produce a bit more than last years offerings.

Bitter yes twisted no;):t:

Good birding -

Laurie -
Went up this morning, very quiet, only a few BHG, most of the ducks have relocated, no sign of the Grebes. As you say wait for migration see what turns up.
As I side issue any tips on Crossbills locally, my usual spots, Quatt and The Million have been unproductive over the last year. any pointers gratefully received.
Cheers
Mark
 
Difficult one that as a roving party could be anywhere - we haven’t clicked with any whilst surveying mixed areas of Wyre this year. Whether this is weather or suitable seed areas i really don’t know...

Good birding -

Laurie:t:
 
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