• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Upton Warren (22 Viewers)

Hi Phil,

Do you know if there are any pre-reserve records of Cirl Bunting?

The last pair were at Hallow churchyard in 1977 although as you say they only bred upto 1976. Prior to that they must have occurred in the adjacent Grimley area. I seem to remember Nigel Cale saying he used to see them around Top Barn Farm.

Brian
________________________________________
Birding Today Midlands Birding Review June 2011
 
Brian Stretch said:
Hi Phil,

Do you know if there are any pre-reserve records of Cirl Bunting?

The last pair were at Hallow churchyard in 1977 although as you say they only bred upto 1976. Prior to that they must have occurred in the adjacent Grimley area. I seem to remember Nigel Cale saying he used to see them around Top Barn Farm.

Brian
________________________________________
Birding Today Midlands Birding Review June 2011
Click to expand...

Hi Brian,

My research via Mike Inskip's extensive array of WMBC annual reports (and its predecessor bodies) going back to the 1930s when writing the opus failed to unearth any mention of Cirl Bunts for Upton Warren; I will drop it into the conversation when I next see Arthur.

Do you have a feel for how common they were in the earlier parts of C20th and how far north their range extended?
 
Last edited:
Harrison's excellent The new Birds of the West Midlands states:

"In Worcestershire it (Cirl Bunting) was confined to the Lower Severn valley and the Malvern area where it was said to be common until 1910".
 
upton-till-i-die said:
Harrison's excellent The new Birds of the West Midlands states:

"In Worcestershire it (Cirl Bunting) was confined to the Lower Severn valley and the Malvern area where it was said to be common until 1910".
Click to expand...

Thanks Phil,

The only info I have gleaned is from AJ Harthan's 'The Birds of Worcestershire' which includes the statement 'occasionally at Bewdley until 1917'. He mentions of course that it was more frequent from Worcester southwards but as the last record was at Hartlebury, it seems feasible that the range could have extended further east.

Brian
________________________________________
Birding Today Midlands Birding Review June 2011
 
Firstly, regarding the Cirl Bunting record. It would appear that there are no initials against the record. The initials BB are in-between two submissions that are very close to each other in the log-book, including the Cirl Bunting, and the writing for both submissions is very similar. Whoever the person was who wrote the Cirl Bunting submission, which also included a Sparrowhawk at the feeders, highlighted the Cirl Bunting part of their observation in capitals. Like one or two others, I think there has been a mis-identification.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

FLASHES:
Black tailed Godwit (4)--------------- Avocet (3juvs)
Green Sands (14)---------------------Common Sands (2)
LRP (8 inc 3juvs)----------------------Lapwing (48)
Curlew (18)----------------------------Redstart (m)
Skylark---------------------------------Little Owl(2 @ Hobden Hall Farm)
Common Tern (2ad+3juvs)-----------Whitethroat
Kingfisher------------------------------Teal (m)
Sparrowhawk (m)---------------------Buzzard (3)

MOORS:
Tufted Duck broods 9:!:2:6-----------GCGrebe (juv)
LBB Gull (24)---------------------------Herring Gull
Cormorant (3)--------------------------Raven

OF INTEREST:
Bank Vole (2) in front of the Flashes hide feeding on berries.

Des.
 
Hi Des - could you just confirm Tuftie brood numbers?

Cheers
Phil

PS Were the Blackwits and Greenshank present yesterday?
 
Brian Stretch said:
Thanks Phil,

The only info I have gleaned is from AJ Harthan's 'The Birds of Worcestershire' which includes the statement 'occasionally at Bewdley until 1917'. He mentions of course that it was more frequent from Worcester southwards but as the last record was at Hartlebury, it seems feasible that the range could have extended further east.

Brian
________________________________________
Birding Today Midlands Birding Review June 2011
Click to expand...

I found the following map showing the 10km squares where Cirl Bunting has been historically recorded....
 

Attachments

  • Cirl Bunting 10km squares.jpg
    Cirl Bunting 10km squares.jpg
    195.1 KB · Views: 88
Woodchat said:
I found the following map showing the 10km squares where Cirl Bunting has been historically recorded....
Click to expand...

Very interesting Dave.
The square immediately under the 'RIMN' (of Birmingham), apart from including 'Chez Moi' also contains Clent, Waseley and Lickey Hills, all of which were (and to some extent still are - notwithstanding current ranges) suitable habitat for CBs, as well as nearly extending as far East as Bittell (as alluded to by Matt).
 
Brian Stretch said:
Nice one Dave. Didn't realise they extended that far to the north-east. Birmingham must have been a very different place when they occurred there!

Brian
________________________________________
Birding Today Midlands Birding Review June 2011
Click to expand...

Yeah, I believe what is now the Birmingham conurbation used to consist of a collection of villages (probably very different in character to today).

An old name for Emberiza cirlus is "Village Bunting". 8-P
 
Hi

Just to expand on the 'village bunting'. They acquired this name for good reason, as they were often found in association with human habitation. Down here in Cornwall, where we are reintroducing them, a quarter of them this year have nested in gardens (with good success).
 
Popped in early on my way to Anglesey. Sad to see dead Mute swan on Moors. In front of East hide there was a common sandpiper with two coloured rings on right leg and plain metal ring on left leg. Will post photos on return from Wales. Dennis
 
waterrailus said:
Popped in early on my way to Anglesey. Sad to see dead Mute swan on Moors. In front of East hide there was a common sandpiper with two coloured rings on right leg and plain metal ring on left leg. Will post photos on return from Wales. Dennis
Click to expand...

Hi Dennis - did you see the colour of the rings and how far up the leg they were? (can find details of six different colour-ringing projects for Common Sand)

Cheers
Phil
 
Last edited:
Some approximate numbers at the Flashes this afternoon:

2 Avocets, 28 Curlew, 2 Common Sandpipers, 6 Green Sandpipers, 6 LRPs, 15 Lapwings,40 BHGs. Linnets and Goldfinches and the Sedge Warbler feeding its young just outside the hide. Yet again I saw no sign of the Redstarts.

Peter
 
PeterE said:
Some approximate numbers at the Flashes this afternoon:

2 Avocets, 28 Curlew, 2 Common Sandpipers, 6 Green Sandpipers, 6 LRPs, 15 Lapwings,40 BHGs. Linnets and Goldfinches and the Sedge Warbler feeding its young just outside the hide. Yet again I saw no sign of the Redstarts.

Peter
Click to expand...
Plus 2 adult & 2 juvenile Common Terns & 2 Ravens overflying.

Rob
 
A Water Rail showed well in front of the West Hide on the moors this afternoon.

Also, a couple of atypical Lesser Black-backed Gulls with pinkish legs rather than the more usual bright yellow (probably slightly immature).
 

Attachments

  • Water Rail Moors 230711.jpg
    Water Rail Moors 230711.jpg
    180.1 KB · Views: 67
  • LBBG Moors Pink Legs 230711.jpg
    LBBG Moors Pink Legs 230711.jpg
    152.4 KB · Views: 82

Similar threads

O
Rye Harbour
Replies
2
Views
656
Original PaulE
O
JRP01
Santoña 8 to 11 december 2022
Replies
0
Views
649
JRP01
JRP01
Paul Freestone
Majorca Trip Report - September 2022
Replies
1
Views
1K
Phil Andrews
Phil Andrews
G
  • Article
Citadels And Symphonies
Replies
2
Views
175
Green Sandpiper
G
Gert Corfield
Chaddesley Woods & Surrounds
2
Replies
27
Views
3K
Ian Byrnes
Ian Byrnes

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 23 (members: 0, guests: 23)
Back
Top