Birding In Staffordshire (1 Viewer)

[terryeyre]

a few mandarins about on the churnet between alton and denstone jim.

 

[terryeyre]

6 buzzards 2 ravens over dimmingsdale this evening also a small party of siskins feeding in a birch tree.

 

[Mick Sway]

Hi Jim
Yes from the west hide conservation area, roosting on one of the grebe nesting sets.
First one that I've seen their to, although some guys also there said that there is now a pretty fair local feral population.
Best
Mick

 

[JimMorris]

Hi Mick,
Had a few hours at Tittesworth this morning. West hide, not a lot about except half a dozen Herons, 3 Snipe and the Kingfisher sitting on the scaffolding for half an hour and the usual ducks.
HAPPY BIRDING
Jim

 

[Richard Powell]

Another good selection at Blithfield today. In Blithe bay, 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Little Stint, 3 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover and 29 Snipe. In Tad bay, 5 Goosander and 2 Snipe. Then a circuit of the deep end produced 1 Dunlin, 1 Wheatear, 4 Yellow Wagtail.

 

[terryeyre]

croxton quarry 100 gulls 6 tufted ducks not much else this morning.

 

[Richard Powell]

1 immature Shelduck at Croxden Quarry this evening. Also 1 Herring Gull in amongst the Lesser Black-Backed's.

 

[Mick Sway]

Hi all
Tittesworth approx 13.00 dull, windy and overcast.
Not much going to day despite dropping water levels.
Apart from the usual the only things of note were a kingfisher, common sand and kestrel.
Mick

 

[terryeyre]

very busy feeders for the time of year in my garden,plenty of g s woodpeckers,nuthatches,blue-great tits,dunnocks robins and sparrows,not much food in local fields and woods,a shortage of birch seed acorns beechmast and berries around here this year,all the rowan and elderberries gone already.
terry

 

[terryeyre]

a flock of about 100 redwings near to dimmingsdale this morning,dont ussually see them here before october

 

[Richard Powell]

It's funny you should mention Redwings Terry. I heard one calling overhead this morning.

It is quite early for them, but the conditions for migration are good at the moment. Just making the most of the opportunity.

And not just for Redwings. Swallows and House Martins seem to have gone now. I did see a few last weekend. The week before I did see a large flock of Swallows and House Martins above Tean, making a lot of noise. I thought then that they were ready to move off to Africa.

 

[Richard Powell]

If anyone's interested. There has been a Grey Phalarope at Blithfield for the last couple of days. Seen from the causeway, so anyone will be able to see it without needing a permit.

Fingers crossed it will still be around tomorrow! :t:

 

[Richard Powell]

The Grey Phalarope showed really well at Blithfield today, almost walking over the photographers.

Also around the causeway were 1 Arctic Tern, 1 Knot, 2 Ringed Plover and 1 Common Sandpiper.

 

[Mick Sway]

Hi All
Rudyard Lake , Sun 30th Sept 2007
Took a walk around the Lake on a lovely afternoon, however not much about bird wise.
Best we could manage, apart from the usual, was a Jay, Kingfisher, 2 cormerant and a grey wagtail.
Very quite bird wise.
Mikc

 

[Richard Powell]

I took a walk along the Caldon canal and around Consall nature park this morning. A few Redwings flew over, plenty of Jays around looking for acorns.

I also saw a small mammal splash out of the canal near to the Coombes brook confluence. I suppose it's most likely to have been a Rat, but are there Water Voles round here?

I'm going to keep an eye on here over the next few weeks. When I took a walk along here a year ago, I came across a roaring Red Deer stag. I couldn't see it through thick woodland to the north of the Black Lion, but no doubt that's what it was. Autumnwatch was on the telly at that time, so I got to recognise a Red Deer roar!

Unfortunately no sign of anything like that today. Maybe it was just the one animal around and was passing through. But it is early for the rut.

I might have to start a new thread, for mammals in the Staffs moorlands! :-O

 

[gray38]

had a walk round new haden tunnel and the scrub beyond looking for fieldfare yesterday there were lots of goldfinch, tits, a few jays, blackbird, songthrush, chaffinch and dunnock, 1 goldcrest, 1 bullfinch ,but no fieldfare, went tonight saw 1 redwing. Richard

Iv'e spoke to 2 people who to claim to have seen the stag in the churnet valley
that was 2 years ago rumor was is was an escapee from the jcb estate.

graham

 

[terryeyre]

a couple of years ago i did a deer cross the road one night half way up the hill from froghall to ipstones.a few redwings about today,also saw 8 swallows flying over early this morning above dimmingsdale.
terry

 

[Richard Powell]

Thanks for the info. It's interesting to know that others have seen this stag.

Whereabouts is the Bamford's estate? Just wondering how far the stag has travelled. I know JCB's HQ is at Rocester, so I'm guessing it's somewhere between there and Alton?

 

[gray38]

Bamfords estate covers a large area covering denstone ellastone wooton farley oakamoor prestwood its hard to think of an area local it does'nt touch.
Most of the deer seem to be in the Farley, Cotton area the deer could drop down to the Churnet Valley in Oakamoor, although the siting I heard about were in the Froghall Ipstones area which goes along with Terry's sighting.

Graham

 

[terryeyre]

plenty of jays around dimmingsdale today looking for acorns which are in short supply this year. terry