And the Black Breasted Thrush at Upper Bentley was a cracking bird (Merlin too) Finally I have had Nightjar at Upper Bentley and also Upton in the early nineties.
I have moved away from Redditch, I used to work the scrub regularly, Reed Bunting and Tree Sparrow flocks (c30)were not unknown in the mid-eighties. A couple of late records from another Log Book, Ringed Plover (around island), Little Owl, Linnet (on beach edge), Siskin.
Mike, Yes it was the Black Throated Thrush in the fields between Webheath and Bentley. I cycled across Redditch in very cold onditions to get good views.
I had a friend who lived in Upper Bentley in the eighties. He had a nightjar over his garden for 3 days in 88. He was a good birder for 16 and had seen many Nightjars in Norfolk. That year we had a Day Watch between Bentley and Upton. I was in a small hide on stilts at Dusk and we saw a bird patrolling around the scrubby area to the left (lower end of flashes). Leaving the hide for further (close at times) it was clearly a Nightjar, I seem to remember it landing on dead trees a few times and oddly it did not go far over the water. (no churring though).
There was no Logbook in the hide and at 15/16 years of age and cycling Redditch to Upton every few weeks we did not record it on subsequent visits. it was 1988, so if you look at records for that year someone else may have noted the bird.
I always hoped for a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Arrow Valley, but to this day I have still not seen one there or anywhere else.
Re Nightjar, thanks for confirming the year. Don't think anyone else reported it as it doesn't appear in any of the Upton reports either. With no other reports before or since Nightjar isn't on the Upton list.
Re LS Woody, I have had a couple of records in the northern part of Arrow Valley, both around '91/'92 - one by Beoley Mill Pools and one further up by where the bus route crosses over the pathways,
Morning Neil.
Have just joined this site. I visit the lake every morning hoping for a rarity. This morning around 09.00 I was bemoaning the fact that there were just the usual suspects around when I heard a very loud whistle from the big island. A 'duck' then flew off over the lake in the direction of Winyates. This was a species that I have not seen before. On questioning a fellow walker he told me he had been told it was a Smew. The colouring and call seem to point to this being accurate. Apparently a pair had been positively identified on the lake 2 days ago.
Mighty cold this morning. Managed to complete a good circuit in 2 hours.
18 Goosander (7 Male 11 Female ), 10 Mute Swan, 46 Mallard, 5 Coot, 14 Magpie, 41 Canada Geese, 9 Great Crested Grebes, 41 Wood Pigeon, 3 Grey Heron (2 mating in nests), 4 Cormorants, 4 Moorhen, 1 Dunnock, 2 Carrion Crow, 5 Greylag, 16 Blue Tits, 8 Great Tit, 19 Blackbird, 130 Black headed Gull, 5 Robin, 1 Song Thursh, 2 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 8 Long Tailed Tits, 1 Oystercatcher (in front of sailing club), 1 Coal Tit, 1 Rook, 2 Commom Gull, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Wren
New species for year for site today :- Oystercatcher, Rook, Common Gull
Year Total now :- 41