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

Coney Meadow and Adjoining Areas (2 Viewers)

A quick drive around the patch this morning before work:

1 Wheatear in horse paddock at Ladywood
Cuckoos at Ladywood and Tapenhall
Kingfisher at Porter's Mill + Green Woodpecker
Willow Warbler at Knight's Grove + yellowhammers and Skylarks in nearby fields
A few Swallows on the wing
Kestrel and Sparrowhawk Copcut Lane

Regular warblers including CWT, BC, SW, RW, CC
 
Tree Pipit perched on wires in Coney Meadow - pinkish legs, very sparse, fine, clean streaking on flanks, short hindclaw, pumping tail. For whatever reason, they seem to be quite regular here.

New for the year.
 
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Cuckoos at Coney Meadow, Ladywood and Hawford this morning.
A pair of Tufted Duck around Mildenham area.
Drake Mandarin at Hawford
House Martins and Sand Martins at Hawford plus quite a few swifts.
Great Crested Grebe at Hawford.
Good numbers of Swifts over Westwood and Droitwich.
Regular warblers - CWT, LWT, RW, SW, CC, BC

A singing Sedge Warbler in a ditch near the farm at the Sinton Lane site north of Knight's Grove was new and unexpected for that area.

Insects becoming more numerous including 5 Beautiful Demoiselles, Holly Blue, Speckled Woods, Commas, Small Tortoiseshells and Orange Tips.
 
Hepatic phase Cuckoo Coney Meadow - my first female of the year.

Steady stream of Swifts and House Martins through Ladywood earlier.
 
A Roe buck showing well at High Park viewed from Coney.

Three Cuckoos Coney Meadow - 1 grey female and 2 males. 1 of the males has a consistent stutter ("cuck-cuk-oo")
 
Female Wheatear on the dung heap at Sinton Lane farm. At least 5 Yellowhammers in the area.

Willow Warbler singingin nearby Knight's Grove woodland.
 
Excellent views of a Tree Pipit perched in trees along the canal at Tapenhall. Cuckoo also.

Four Greylags over Hawford earlier.
 
Another Tree Pipit this morning near Hawford Grange.

At least 8 Cuckoos recorded on the patch today - 2 females and six males.

Also recorded - Gadwall, Kingfisher, a few Swifts and Sand Martins, Swallows, Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Lrsser Whitethroats, Common Whitethroats, Nuthatch, Green Woodpeckers, Raven, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, etc.

Tawny Owl juv begging call this evening at Porter's Mill.
 
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Early morning walk around Coney and Salwarpe:

Cuckoo, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, Swift, Sparrowhawk, Kingfisher, Common Whitethroats (4+), Reed warblers, Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Goldcrest, Pied Wagtails, Reed Buntings, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Ravens.
 
Spring migrant return dates

Comparison of return dates on the patch for a selection of species over the last 6 years:

Chiffchaff (singing) 01/04/12, 10/03/13, 01/03/14, 09/03/15, 23/03/16, 11/03/17
Willow Warbler 02/04/12, 13/04/13, 04/04/14, 08/04/15, 31/03/16, 31/03/17
Grasshopper Warbler 28/04/12, 16/04/13, 05/04/14, 11/04/15, 08/04/16, 17/04/17
Sedge Warbler 19/04/12, 16/04/13, 13/04/14, 11/04/15, 17/04/16, 05/04/17
Reed Warbler 21/04/12, 17/04/13, 12/04/14, 14/04/15, 17/04/16, 11/04/17
Lesser Whitethroat 02/05/12, 13/04/13, 13/04/14, 22/04/15, 17/04/16, 16/04/17
Common Whitethroat 01/05/12, 20/04/13, 14/04/14, 18/04/15, 13/04/16, 12/04/17
Swallow 14/04/12, 13/04/13, 23/03/14, 12/03/15, 30/03/16, 26/03/17
House Martin 11/04/12, 14/04/13, 13/04/14, 06/04/15, 30/03/16, 22/04/17
Sand Martin 21/04/12, 14/04/13, 23/03/14, 04/04/15, 25/03/16, 18/03/17
Cuckoo 18/04/12, 17/04/13, 14/04/14, 14/04/15, 19/04/16, 15/04/17
Blackcap (singing) 10/03/12, 13/04/13, 02/03/14, 23/02/15, 27/03/16, (11/03/17)
Hobby 08/05/12, 02/05/13, 04/05/14, 21/04/15, 27/04/16, 29/04/17
Swift 30/04/12, 29/04/13, 02/05/14, 19/04/15, 24/04/16, 18/04/17
Yellow Wagtail -- , 17/04/13, 19/04/14, 26/04/15, 17/04/16, 18/04/17
Whinchat 25/04/13, -- , 18/04/15, 30/04/16, 23/04/17
Wheatear -- , 04/05/14, 19/04/15, 13/04/16, 02/04/17

House Martin was notably late to arrive.

Spotted Flycatcher and Garden Warbler yet to be recorded on the patch this year.
 
Hobby Knight's Grove.

Brown Hare also in the nearby field - not common around here but I did see one near Hawford about 3 weeks ago so maybe they're returning to the area.

Lots of Yellowhammers and Skylarks.
 
Another Hobby at Hawford late morning.

Cuckoos at Coney, Tapenhall (m + f) and Hawford today. A female at Salwarpe on Friday landed on the canal towpath and took small insect prey.

Greylag Geese - one at Coney on Friday, 2 yesterday morning and 4 yesterday evening.

Drake Gadwall Tapenhall pool today. Pair of Coot with 2+ chicks on small pool between Chatley and Hawford.

Lesser Whitethroats fairly common and widespread on the patch.

Definite increase in House Martins since Friday. Apart from their continued arrival, not much evidence of fresh migration.
 
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Spotted Flycatcher in trees along the canal at Tapenhall - new for the year.

Female Cuckoo also at Tapenhall plus male Cuckoos earlier at Coney and Ladywood.
 
5 Cuckoos recorded on the patch in total yesterday - with further males at Tapenhall and Hawford.

Peregrine on pylon viewed from Copcut Lane yesterday morning. Kingfisher Coney Meadow.
 
A Peregrine perched on a pylon near Middleton Grange this morning.

Male Cuckoo at Coney Meadow and a female at Mildenham.

A pair of Tufted Ducks at Hawford.
 
Birds seen yesterday (Sunday 21st May):

2+ Male Cuckoos and a female around Salwarpe, 1 male at Ladywood and 1 at Tapenhall.

Grey Wagtails starting their second brood at Salwarpe.

Drake Gadwall at Tapenhall.

Pair of Coot with growing young between Hawford and Chatley.

The usual warblers (CC, BC, LWT, CWT, SW, RW), Linnets, House Martins, sand Martin, swallows and Swifts, Buzzards, sparrowhawk, Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Reed Buntings.

I went off piste in the afternoon and visited a number of other sites - Oakley Pool, Lower Saleway Meadows and Trench Wood plus places in-between. What struck me as particularly odd was the seemingly complete lack of Cuckoos in these areas (perhaps not the best time of day). These areas were all good for Cuckoo just a couple of years ago. I will make several more visits to see if this perceived absence is real. The highlights of my little tour around were 4 Little Grebes, 2 spot Flys and a Lapwing.
 
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Woodchat said:
Birds seen yesterday (Sunday 21st May):

2+ Male Cuckoos and a female around Salwarpe, 1 male at Ladywood and 1 at Tapenhall.

Grey Wagtails starting their second brood at Salwarpe.

Drake Gadwall at Tapenhall.

Pair of Coot with growing young between Hawford and Chatley.

The usual warblers (CC, BC, LWT, CWT, SW, RW), Linnets, House Martins, sand Martin, swallows and Swifts, Buzzards, sparrowhawk, Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Reed Buntings.

I went off piste in the afternoon and visited a number of other sites - Oakley Pool, Lower Saleway Meadows and Trench Wood plus places in-between. What struck me as particularly odd was the seemingly complete lack of Cuckoos in these areas (perhaps not the best time of day). These areas were all good for Cuckoo just a couple of years ago. I will make several more visits to see if this perceived absence is real. The highlights of my little tour around were 4 Little Grebes, 2 spot Flys and a Lapwing.
Click to expand...
I have been really envious of your cuckoos, we've not heard one here for 2 years now!
 
Mary said:
I have been really envious of your cuckoos, we've not heard one here for 2 years now!
Click to expand...

Hi Mary,

My fear is that even the remaining strongholds in Worcestershire and the midlands might start to witness terminal declines in the next few years - local extinctions are often a precursor to population collapses. They have pretty much vanished from some places that have good numbers of host species, like Upton Warren, so maybe it's down to food availability or adult mortality on migration. However, they are reportedly increasing in Scotland - so, perhaps, climate change may hold a clue. A similar pattern may emerge to that of Willow Warblers, which have increased in abundance in the north of the UK but have become scarcer localised breeders in the south. Also, there may be some survival advantages to breeding further north - such as increased day-length for foraging and generally less fragmented and intensively managed habitats. Hopefully, the work of the RSPB and BTO will reveal the wider picture in due course.

A quick walk around Salwarpe this morning before work produced:

2 male Cuckoos
2 drake Gadwall
Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers
Swifts, House Martins and Swallows
Reed, Sedge, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiff, Blackcap
Singing Mistle Thrush
2 Canada Geese
Reed Bunt
2 Buzzards
 
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