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Rare and Scarce Birds in Staffordshire (1 Viewer)

News for the 9th Nov

Mealy Redpoll - reported at Knypersley Reservoir along Lodge Barn Road at midday with c60 Lesser Redpoll
 
Hi Max,

What is the gen on the Cattle Egret at Blithers the other week? It was reported on the clapper line, but the pagers never picked up on it.
 
News from the 10th Nov

1st winter Kittiwake - Belvide + 2 x Little Gull (2w+1w) briefly at c11.10am

Bit of movement again today at Belvide, hardly suprising given the weather and fog on the east coast. With 4 Common Scoter at Shustoke, Warks there must be more birds out there...shame most people are stuck at work....:C
 
Hi Steve,

Re: Cattle Egret at Blith.

Seen by a couple of Sunday regulars for ten minutes before it flew off South following the River.

It's genuine, but don't know whether it'll be subbed.

Max
 
Fair Isle is best said:
See link here;

http://www.bbrc.org.uk/workinprogress.htm

Interestingly, if you filter the spreadsheet for Staffs, it shows the Whiskered Terns (fine) plus 2 Nutcracker at Whitgrave on 30/08/09 :eek!: Clearly very suspect!!

Steve
Click to expand...

I would suspect that Mistle Thrush is the 'prime suspect' in that sighting although i wouldn't rule out Starling...;) oh the joys of birding...:-O
 
Nutcrackers

I have just read the transcipts of RBA for the 30/08/09 and of course there is no mention of the Nutrcrackers on that day. You really would have thought that someone you knows the record submission process, would know how many birders would have been interested at the time. I am afraid it has rejection already written all over it. I seem to think the Whiskered Terns were alright!!!!

Thanks for the kind comments regarding my not so blurred record shot of the duck, it is however I thought, against this thread's rules to comment on peoples photographs.

The Moore-hen said:
I would suspect that Mistle Thrush is the 'prime suspect' in that sighting although i wouldn't rule out Starling...;) oh the joys of birding...:-O
Click to expand...
 
Tried to have a look at your Blog Martyn, but it asking for a username and password to log on to Twitter.
 
Twitter Amateurs

Who wants to look at that blog anyway if you ask me! :-O Only joking.

I've noticed that twitter box thing myself. But as Steve mentioned, clicking on "cancel" will continue it. I've haven't succumbed to Twitter yet. :-O

Steve Nuttall said:
Hi Stuart,

Just click cancel in the box and you can continue to view the blog.
Click to expand...
 
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Twitter

Sorry about that, all is fixed since my account was compromised.

Actually twitter could have a place in birding, as your favourites can be viewed from your phone, well not mine, cos it's crap. You know things like pictures from the field and all that and with a maximum sentence of 140 letters (including spaces) would cut out all the waffle, unlike this thread (take note RP, you will be banned).

A quick update on my quest to beat the regional species record for 2009 which stands at an almighty 222. With the Long-tailed Duck at Blithfield the weekend I am currently on 216 with only Red Kite and RB Merganser as a true tarts missing from my list, however dipping the Purple Sandpiper the weekend as probably seen an end to actually achieving better. Unless you are a Belvide stalwart Kittiwake as been elusive and with not spending so much time at Blithfield this year probably accounts for not seeing Sandwich Tern, a bird which is difficult to twitch.

On a couple of depressing notes, the two Temminck's Stints at Branston GP were not paged until after dark and have remained the only birds of the region and another species of wader which I will not mention I have found out was supressed (you will have to check the bird club report for that one).

Regardless of beating the record it as been one hell of a year and quite frankly bloody stressful and I am looking forward to birding normally next year, I think.

Richard Powell said:
Who wants to look at that blog anyway if you ask me! :-O Only joking.

I've noticed that twitter box thing myself. But as Steve mentioned, clicking on "cancel" will continue it. I've haven't succumbed to Twitter yet. :-O
Click to expand...
 
Well done Martyn and feet up next yr - a cracking total and so close to that record. maybe in a few yrs you'll have another crack!
 
Cheers Martyn for the update on the year list attempt. No rules on this thread except to stick to rare and scarce and NOT 'robin stroking' garden birding (unless you get something rare or scarce in your garden of course..) I remember when i did my Staffordshire Year List in 2003 how stressful it was, twitching 50+ miles for Bar Wit (twice!) and Spott Shank, spending a whole day on the moors not seeing Twite, missing Kittiwake and Sandwich Tern (as you have as well...so far!) and then finishing up short of my 200 species target by two...but i need not have worried because the BOU have since split Caspian and Yellow-legged Gull which i saw that year so i'm retro claiming 200!! I think only two others (Bernie Smith - Record Holder and Kev Clements) have broken the 200 barrier...will anyone attempt it next year with this thread as support...?? Good luck if anyone does...:t:

PS No news at all for today so far...to get back to the correct subject of the thread...;)

Some extra items from yesterdays 'passage thru Belvide'

1st winter drake Red-breasted Merg - flew west, Little Egret, Snow Goose (fully winged, unringed and wary...lol) and 4 adult Yellow-legged Gull in the roost...ooooh it wer meega!!
 
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News for the 11th Nov

adult Kittiwake - Blithfield - flew south thru Tad bay early pm, 5 female Common Scoter at the deep end am only (+ 1st wint drake Scaup)

...remember anywhere other than the causeway and Watery Lane are strictly permit only...apparently the 'baliff' is a nasty bugger...:-O

Hope the Kittiwake was you Martyn??

Cheers
 
Never say die Owd Blurry, there's still forty odd days to go. A cracking effort and as RP knows it's bad enough just doin' a Staffs list never mind the region as a whole!

Andy.
 
Didn't Manty break the record a couple of yrs ago - 212 in 2006?

2006 - Graham Mant. Staffordshire 212 (B.O.U.) HIGHLIGHTS = FRANKLIN`S GULL. + Finding LESSER SCAUP (Blithfield`s first). Manx shearwater, Leach`s storm-petrel & 4 Pectoral sandpipers @ Blithfield & co-finding Staff`s first Roseate tern for 23 years & Blithfield`s first for 32 years. + Great-northern diver (3) Black-necked, Red-necked (3) & Slavonian grebe. Leach`s storm-petrel (2). Manx shearwater. Shag. Bittern. Whooper (9) & Bewick`s (7) swan. Brent (2), White-fronted, Tundra bean (4), Barnacle (39) & Pink-footed goose. American wigeon. Red-breasted merganzer (3). LESSER SCAUP (2). FERRUGINOUS DUCK. Long-tailed duck. Quail. Red grouse. Osprey (3). Goshawk. Hen & Marsh harrier. Red kite. Avocet (2). Grey plover (4). Pectoral sandpiper (5). Temminck`s stint (2). Spotted redshank (3). Bar-tailed godwit. Great skua. FRANKLIN`S, Sabine`s, Yellow-legged, Iceland & Glaucous gull. Kittiwake. Roseate, Sandwich & Little (2) tern. Long-eared owl. Hoopoe. Wood lark. Red-backed & Great-grey shrike. Black redstart (2). Yellow-browed, Cetti`s & Dartford warbler. Firecrest. Mealy redpoll. Twite. Hawfinch. Snow bunting.
 
The Moore-hen said:
I remember when i did my Staffordshire Year List in 2003 how stressful it was.

Yes, I lost count the amount of times I phoned you first thing in the morning, to tell you of something decent at Belvide, to be greeted by your mothers voice saying "He's still in bed Steven"!!!!:cat:
Click to expand...
 
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