Withymoor - Amblecote, Stourbridge..... (3 Viewers)

rollingthunder · Apr 24, 2018

A change of scenery on Sunday with my first visit to the Goldfish Bowl for about 3 years but there is a limit to how much one can take pounding local hedgerows, fields and puddles and as i am now a member i look forward to visiting regularly - certainly from April to Oct depending on weather and transport altho most visits will be made on Electric bikes...

It was nice to click with new Summer migrants such as Sedge and Reed Warbler, House Martin, residents such as Cetti's Warbler and regulars like Med Gull. It is also nice to bump into old friends such like Paul Tipler, the pair of us year ticked a couple of Swifts just after 11 o/c poss the first for the reserve this year:eek!:

The Glossy Ibis showed very well and was feeding adjacent to the Lapwing hide but it went on Monday by the looks of it. All in all a good 3.5 hours birding. The place is looking good and credit is due to John Belsey and his volunteers, a lot has been done to create a good range of habitat in a relatively small area:t:

Some shots from the day -

rollingthunder · Apr 24, 2018

A few more.....

rollingthunder · Apr 25, 2018

The erratic weather has had the effect down at Withymoor of keeping the ground waterlogged, water level high and delayed the all-important nectar bearing Sallow catkins delayed so food for passage warblers is in short supply as is that other major factor.....the Sun|8)|

Having said that Blackcaps are here and there as is lesser evident Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers have been singing most days i have been down with upto 3 birds heard by me. Winter resident BHG's have departed and 6-10 larger Gulls can be found frequently. For example ystda held 4 x 1S Herring 1 x 2S and 2 adults plus 2 ad LBB's.

Last week played host to probably this years annual Spring Common Sandpiper which stopped 3 days to my knowledge. I do record the sp each April usually one and no more than the day it arrives and goes or sometimes overnight leaving just before Paul Allan Legge arrives8-P Last year saw 2 different birds and the longest staying has been 4 days thus far...

Here are a couple of pics of the creature in all its glory.

Adrian k · Apr 25, 2018

FOR THOSE who are interested STOURBRIDGE RSPB LOCAL GROUP are running a trip to Lakenheath RSPB & Weeting Heath on Sunday 13th May

You have a possibility of seeing Cranes, Cuckoo’s, Hobbies, Stone curlew, Woodlark, Harrier’s and many more

More details can be found here -

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/groups/stourbridge/events/

rollingthunder · Apr 26, 2018

Yes, they do exist! Finally a Wheatear over at the Hagley Fields - a solitary female around 3 o/c ystda aftnn plus a singing Lesser Whitethroat:t:

Laurie:t:

waterrailus · Jun 20, 2018

Buzzard circling over Merry hill centre this afternoon. Must have been after a bargain!!

rollingthunder · Jul 4, 2018

OK it's Fens Pools but as nobody has bothered to post on that thread for over a year i am putting in here and have reinvigorated the old thread!

3 LRP's found this morning on the Middle Pool which is the only one with any edge - 1ad, 2juvs.:t:

At least 2 probably 3 singing male Corn Buntings over at WHFields. Spring was crap i only had 1 female Wheatear:-C

I am looking at a new site (for me) some roadside flashes that are now drying out off the Greensforge Lane at Gothersley adjacent to the access road for the canal. Lovely area - i had 2 Green and 1 Common Sandpiper there last week. Most of the water will evaporate shortly but the first rains will re-flood:t:

Watching several species for nesting success:
5 pairs of local Sparrowhaks.
6+ Gos:t:.
Ca15 Ravens within 12 miles of Stourbridge:eek!:

I am far more vocal on Twitter but be warned it's not for the squeamish and covers a range of other passions in addition to birds. Tap in StourbridgeRantBoy and it will get you there although you might not Follow

Good Birding -

Laurie:t::t:

rollingthunder · Jul 7, 2018

Yesterdays beautiful adult Little Egret that dropped in about 10 o/c. The bird fed in the shallows shaded by overhanging Willow and stirred the water with a foot looking for food. I have checked two local heronries for signs of breeding but none seen yet.

In addition feeding Swifts, singing Blackcap, several LBB’s, returning BHG’s and 3 well-grown Cygnets.

Good birding

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Jul 12, 2018

Common Sandpiper and a singing Willow Warbler over at Fens Top Pool ystda morning. Spent 3 hours over at Chelmarsh on Monday missing the LB by 10 mins but will cycle over again either tmrw or the weekend👍

Laurie -

rollingthunder · Jul 17, 2018

Although i have made visits every other day for the last week or so, in search of calling Quail, i hadn’t realised that the report of a calling bird on BG referred to one heard at County Lane. That’s why i was surprised to see, at a distance, the distinct bleached hair and long lens of one Hughie King - a patch tick no less!

I thought there must be something to get him over here, i mean that’s a lot of pubs to pass

In addition the following day Mark James was mooching along with a Goldfish Bowl stalwart Andy Ambrose - once again it’s nice to put a face to a name:t:

Fledgling groups of Whitethroats are starting to appear but the Sparrowhawk nest i was watching appears to have deserted:-C

I missed the Little Bittern by 10 mins but did hear it calling a lot - i did however see the South Yorks ones in 1982 iirc they were rumoured to have bred i believe.

Laurie:t:

waterrailus · Aug 11, 2018

Taking doggo for her daily constitutional this morning I was looking at the numerous sky trails overhead (at this point we were on football pitch behind school drive allotments Amblecote) and thinking just how busy a channel we are when I became aware of a cronking from over by Corbett hospital and sure enuff within seconds treated to a Raven flying overhead towards Brettell lane. Sadly all over in seconds but great to see all the same. Regards Dennis

rollingthunder · Aug 12, 2018

Withymoor hosted a juvenile Commom Sandpiper a couple of weeks ago but only for about an hour. Otherwise quiet but this week has seen some return warbler movement with a couple of Willows in with mixed Tits midweek and yesterday Chiffchaffs in the scrub by the Sainsburys inflow with more calling on the Embankment along with a Willow Warbler in full song:t:

I paid a visit to the West Hagley Fields on Wednesday and had a couple of Whitethroat broods feeding avidly and a single Corn Bunting.

Also of note yesterday was my first Swift for nearly a week down at Withymoor.

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Aug 15, 2018

A couple of visits this week have proved quietwith no Phylloscopus seen or heard, still a few House Martins feding over the pool - the only notable sighting being a Buzzard that was sitting (out of sight so no photos) with something it had caught that was calling - when the noise stopped the Buzzard flew out of the Embankment with of all things a juvenile Coot:eek!:

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Sep 26, 2018

For those blissfully unaware Withymoor has had its first ‘Mega’ - a juvenile Grey Phalarope which was found by Paul Legge 2 days ago :eek!:

I had a missed call the day i got back from 2 weeks birding in Georgia - including 10 days in the Batumi atea for the impressive raptor migration:t: so it could have been worse. As it was i was down there at 11pm b moonlight watching it feeding but better views were obtained ystda and a few familiar faces:t:

Here is a quick BOC shot i’ll post a few more later plus some stuff from Batumi...

Laurie.

rollingthunder · Sep 26, 2018

Still there at 1530:t:

Laurie.

waterrailus · Nov 1, 2018

Three mistletoe thrush on football pitch behind school drive allotments. Flock of twenty plus long tailed tits working the hedgerow and resident flock of house sparrows.
More interestingly is a heads up on what could become a battle to save the farmland and pool bordering Corbett hospital and aforementioned playing fields stretching up to Vicarage road. For the last few days there have been a team of surveyors in there with their toys. Yesterday I asked over the fence what they were doing. The first chap ignored me! and another said they couldn't tell me anything ( always raises my suspicions). This morning it was a different chap close to the fence so I say " Suppose there will be 200 houses on there next year?" At first he said he wouldn't comment but did then admit that they were surveying the land on behalf of NHS assets. My understanding is that this land was left in perpetuity to the people of Stourbridge but then again so was the parcel of land that was the old Corbett hospital too, yes the bit that now has 200 homes on it! I will endeavour to try and find out what they are intending but I guarantee if they make a planning application my name will be first on the petition. Regards Dennis

rollingthunder · Dec 21, 2018

Time to breathe some life back into this thread before it goes the way of the Dodo!

It doesn’t help that i personally don’t find that much of interest to actually report but hey ho it’s all relative...

The dust has finally settled after the departure of the much visited Grey Phalarope of late September - probably the most photographed bird in the West Midlands this year.....until the arrival of the 2 Smew at Holt. At least the little sprite put the place on the map despite NOT being found by me:-C I had to chuckle at the directions saying Lakeside, Withymoor...Brierley Hill:eek!:
FFS don’t tell the locals that.

I actually should have found it

But the credit goes to Paul Legge who chanced upon it on the Monday afternoon during his lunch break from Sainsburys:t: I shoyld have gone down there in the morning but was still tired from returning late the previous day from 16 days birding etc in the former SSR of Georgia where we had spent 10 days around Batumi for raptor passage - i shall post some stuff here from time to time.

Goosander have thus far peaked at 6 birds and Little Egrets are ever more frequent. They have to breed somewhere in the West Midlands next year surely|!| Paul scored with another 1st, a male Mandarin only there for a couple of hours:-@ and this week he had a brief Water Rail only the 2nd record after mine during a freezeover 5 years or so ago.

I haven’t been to the Hagley Fields for 3 months but will gird my loins and report more frequently again.

I wish all a Happy New Year and good birding.

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Dec 26, 2018

Yesterdays Water Rail down at Withymoor was an unexpected Xmas bonus:t:
Grainy and in poor light it is still only the 2nd record in ca7 years:eek!:
The bird was picked up feeding in the leaf litter although it came to the pool edge a couple of times it was mostly out of sight and blended in very well...

Laurie:t:

rollingthunder · Jan 2, 2019

Happy New Year:t:

Yesterday’s smart male Teal down at Withymoor was a very early year tick.
I record this species 3-4 times annually so it is a scarcity but actually more common than Tufted Duck which is now no more than once or twice a year.
This is no doubt due to the drop in water levels after a near-disasterous flood scenario a few years ago. This has benefitted edge habitat and dabblers but not divers and Goosander.

The Water Rail is still present but well cammoflauged and elusive. It feeds away from the edge in heavy leaf litter. A number of birders (now they know where the place is

) were noted by locals ystda no doubt in search of a year tick.

Time to start checking for Waxwings as there was one seen an photographed on the Yew Tree Estate, Netherton this mrning:t:

Laurie -

rollingthunder · Jan 11, 2019

After 3 days of no show i watched the Water Rail feeding in the scrub adjacent to the Southern (Stourbridge) inflow. This bird was first reported on the 8th of December and has recentl endured 2 24-hour freezeovers of 90% - the sort of conditions that normally herald a move so it might technically ‘overwinter’:eek!:

In addition 6 Siskins were feeding in an Alder - my first record there for 3 years and a vocal Green Woodpecker feeding up in a Willow - 2 year ticks taking my tally to 28 thus far. I do not think 60 species is ambitious altho 75 would be nice:t:

Laurie:t:

Withymoor - Amblecote, Stourbridge..... (3 Viewers)

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