Birding In Staffordshire (1 Viewer)

[Adam M]

Berryhill

Good turnout from the forum this morning and with some location input from all I bumped into resulted in a site record of at least 9 reeling Groppers with at least 3 at the reedbed end.
Also seen
1 mobile Whinchat
1 Sedge Warbler
7 Wheatear

Russell

nice to bump into a few forum members this morning. looks like i should have stuck around for that whinchat, but had things to do with the family. also met a young lad on the way back to the car, said it was his first time up berryhill so i pointed him in the right directions, wasn't any one off here was it?

just had a butterfly in the garden, got a few pics but not sure what it is, will have to look it up, it was a garden first anyway. off to trentham in a bit, more to buy bird seed than for birding, but i'll keep my eyes open. might buy a field guide to butterflies and maybe one for wild flowers and trees as well if they stock them.

as i type this the male robin has just nipped in the box to feed the female and that butterfly is back, now where did i put my camera???

adam

it was a small tortoise shell and a large white just flew past as well, there aren't even any flowers out in my garden yet!!

 

[carlj]

Enjoyable stroll down Trent this morning after the Grand Prix. Wrens were vocal, as were at least half a dozen cheeky chappy chiffy-chaffies! Buzzard taking the thermals at Hanford end. Long tailed tits have paired up - see pic of beakful on nesting materials. Robin still looking for a mate.

Speckled wood, small tortoiseshell, comma and both small and large whites showing well. No blues, and the brimstone seem to be absent at the moment. Orange tips are both numerous and aggressive! Dock leaves showing numbers of dock leaf beetles - if you look down, you can't miss these wonderfully metallic green beetles.

Carl

 

[StokeOwl]

Dimmingsdale

Doesn't this weather make a difference to your day?

Dimmingsdale

Hoped for Pied Flycatcher this morning but no sign. Also failed on Redstart but did hear a couple deep in the woods.

GSW
2 Willow Warbler, many more singing away.
Grey Wagtail
10 Goldfinch
Jay
Also heard Sedge Warbler and Green Woodpecker.

Knypersley Reservoir

Odd couple of hours hear. Did better than expected considering it was rammed with dog walkers and screaming kids.

Sparrowhawk
6 Goosander
Pink Footed Goose
Cormorant
Nuthatch
Buzzard
Willow Tit
Coal Tit
Double figures on GCGrebe

 

[Steve Turner]

Berryhill

Good turnout from the forum this morning and with some location input from all I bumped into resulted in a site record of at least 9 reeling Groppers with at least 3 at the reedbed end.

Russell

Excellent count there!!

Steve

 

[terryeyre]

pied flycatchers

saw 5 pied flycatchers 1 redstart 4 grey wagtails 6 blackcaps 1 kestrel and 3 buzzards 12.30-3.00 this afternoon at dimmingsdale.

 

[Rob72]

Early start at berry hill.

It was still dark when i set off(on bike) for berry hill this morning, slightly misty but the weather looked promising,

Connected with both peregrines on bt exchange on way.

approached from north, on Arbourfield dr,

met by great view of reeling gropper bathed in beautiful diffused sunrise light just 15 feet away...camera about 3 miles away!!

then the weather took a turn for the worse, a cold shroud descended on the hill and everything became subdued,

groppers called bout 4 at the bottom end,

shrubby area in middle of hill, 2 willows warblers, whitethroat, pair of bulls.

up on top by masts just 1 wheatear seen, swallow perched on wire and sprawk sitting on post.

walk over to reeds on east side accompanied by skylark and meadow pipit.

looked down on 3 blokes staring into a reed bed, intriguing.

got another sight of a gropper reeling from hawthorn sapling before descending to see what the lads had found.

sun was, to my relief, burning off the gloom and the lads had been waiting for a good view of a suspected sedge warbler.
( hi lads by the way, just in case you are looking in)couldn't see a sedge warbler but did get good views of a reed warbler, it eventually left the reeds to feed in a tree at the back of the reed bed and got a good look.

back on the main path west of the reed beds, picked up another whitethroat.

sun now beating down i decided to to one more circuit of the mast hills but nothing more to add but a few more swallows.

nice enough day, highlights the peregrines, views of the groppers, my first reed warbler for the year and meeting a few of the birders up there including a guy named Dean.

shame i missed the whinchat.

Rob.

 

[Mick Sway]

Rudyard Lake

I had similar regrets about the Camera, having opted for a walk around the lake.
Took the Bins though.
Tina spotted a Whooper swan of all things, at the north end of the lake,soon driven off by a mute swan.
Bit thin on interesting migrants, although we were pleased to have witnessed some great behaviour:
A buzzard was attacking a rookery at the north end, where the chicks were clearly exposed on the nest at the top of some pines without any cover.
The aerial antics were something to behold and at one point the dog fight was about twenty feet above us.
Further on near the conservation area, we could hear a woodpecker drumming against a tree, again it was Tina who discovered it was coming from the inside of the tree. Pretty soon a female gsw head appeared, brushing out the saw dust it had made from the hole.
We witnessed this behaviour several times.
We also saw a muskovey duck at this end of the lake, along with several singing black cap, willow warbler,chiff chaff and nuthatch.
Also a single sand martin.
Mick
B

 

[Rockbirder]

Tickhill 1630-1710.

Hey up folks, managed a sneaky half hour or so up on Tickhill after droppin' me old man and woman off, up Hanley "duck". Sadly crackin weather means few birds of note, unless your name is Fair Isle3. But did manage 3 Wheatears, no sign of yesterdays Whinchat though.

cheers

Andy.

 

[gray38]

Mary and myself had a walk round the moorlands this afternoon, we heard the first cuckoo just behind the roaches, usual moorland birds about including
sparrowhawk
kestrel
short eared owls
buzzard
raven
curlew
lapwing
skylark
meadow pipit
red grouse
and a green hairstreak butterfly.
really great afternoon out.

 

[Neil-T]

Started off in the garden for an hour with good numbers of finches still visiting, 15 Redpolls, 3 Bullies, 2 Chaffinches, 1 Female Brambling, Dunnock and a greedy woodpigeon which I watched as it ate 60+ peanuts in one go.

Picked Stuart up at 8.30ish and had a drive over to Coomes Valley. Lot's of birds singing and good views of Willow warbler (several), male Blackcap, male Redstart.
Had an hour or so at Consul but nothing special here apart from a Hare on the road down.

Dimmingsdale 6pm to 7.30pm. Pulled up and saw keith and the family. Stood talking for a couple of minutes when a Pied Fly came within 20yds, managed a shot of it but it was too far away to be clear.

A few butterflies about, including Speckled wood, Comma and Peacock.
Good day out in great weather and excellent company.

 

[russell toon]

It was still dark when i set off(on bike) for berry hill this morning, slightly misty but the weather looked promising,

Connected with both peregrines on bt exchange on way.

approached from north, on Arbourfield dr,

met by great view of reeling gropper bathed in beautiful diffused sunrise light just 15 feet away...camera about 3 miles away!!

then the weather took a turn for the worse, a cold shroud descended on the hill and everything became subdued,

groppers called bout 4 at the bottom end,

shrubby area in middle of hill, 2 willows warblers, whitethroat, pair of bulls.

up on top by masts just 1 wheatear seen, swallow perched on wire and sprawk sitting on post.

walk over to reeds on east side accompanied by skylark and meadow pipit.

looked down on 3 blokes staring into a reed bed, intriguing.

got another sight of a gropper reeling from hawthorn sapling before descending to see what the lads had found.

sun was, to my relief, burning off the gloom and the lads had been waiting for a good view of a suspected sedge warbler.
( hi lads by the way, just in case you are looking in)couldn't see a sedge warbler but did get good views of a reed warbler, it eventually left the reeds to feed in a tree at the back of the reed bed and got a good look.

back on the main path west of the reed beds, picked up another whitethroat.

sun now beating down i decided to to one more circuit of the mast hills but nothing more to add but a few more swallows.

nice enough day, highlights the peregrines, views of the groppers, my first reed warbler for the year and meeting a few of the birders up there including a guy named Dean.

shame i missed the whinchat.

Rob.

Reed Warblers have been here for at least the last 2 years and the one you saw today is the earliest record so far.
Sedge Warblers also breed here and there has been one present in the reed area since the 12 April and they do tend to flit up and down the 3 sections of reed beds.

Russell

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Berry Hill 'n Stuff

Congrats with the Little Gull Steve and a Whooper Swan this late in the year must have been a surprise Mick :t:

Had a stroll up BHill this afternoon - there were 12 wheatears, a RL Partridge calling, couldn't find the whinchat tho.

Nick

 

[Gronk08]

Berry Hill and Coombes

Hi All

Had a good days birding with 3 lifers

Thanks to Russel for passing on the directions up to Berry Hill, and nice to know I am so young looking Adam (not bad for a guy in his thirties)o

Adam gave me the where abouts of the Grasshopper Warbles and the Wheatear.

Here's what I managed to bay on a nice stroll around the site

Reed Bunting
Grasshopper Warbler (managed to grab a reason shot of one):t:
Wheatear
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff (heard but not seen)
White Throat
Linnet
Goldfinch

Headed off in the afternoon up to Coombes in the hope of seeing any Pied Flycatchers or Redstart

Whilest walking around the site I saw

Black Cap
Willow Warbler
Heard Great Spotted Woodpecker but couldn't find them
Lone male Redstart by the new bridge:t:

By the feeder
Chaffinch
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Marsh Tit:t:
Dunnock

Was told there were some Garden Warblers around the reserve but couldn't find the little fellows.

Tim.

 

[Upland Birder]

Went to the Quarry at Utch this afternoon and saw the following:-

6 Yellow Wagtail (5 together)
1 Curlew
Numerous Pied Wagtail
3 Common Sandpipers
1 Green Sandpiper
4 Little Ringed Plover
2 Heron
1 Buzzard
Numerous Swallow
Lapwing
2 Goosander
Tufted Duck
Canada & Greylagg Goose
Mallard
3 Black Headed Gulls
2 Wheatear
Long Tailed Tit
4 Oystercatchers
2 Mute Swan


Dean:t:

 

[jackhaye]

Garden redpolls

Not travelled far this weekend and have spent the day around the house and garden but what a difference a day makes . . . yesterday we were beseiged by redpoll with a lot of comings and goings and up to 6 or 7 around on occasion but today hardly any at all, just a couple of individuals early on. Perhaps the same weather that is bringing in the summer migrants have encouraged the redpolls to move themselves off to their breeding areas further north, or perhaps it's just a blip and they'll be back again tomorrow? Made me wonder though if anyone else with redpolls at the feeders (Neil?) have had them missing today.
cheers
Andy

 

[terryeyre]

siskins

saw 5 pied flycatchers 1 redstart 4 grey wagtails 6 blackcaps 1 kestrel and 3 buzzards 12.30-3.00 this afternoon at dimmingsdale.

forgot to mention still loads of singing siskins around dimmingsdale today

 

[GlynH]

Hi Rob72 were you the guy walking around with a scope on his backat Berryhill this morning?

 

[Richard Powell]

A belated post, mainly due to travelling to Hampshire to look at a Spuggie.

I took a sneaky look at Rocky's Whinchat at Tickhill yesterday, with blurry evidence attached.

Prior to that at Consall. 3 Redstarts (one male showed well between the visitor centre and the Churnet, 2 singing along the canal towpath), 1 brief singing Pied Flycatcher and 2 Marsh Tits.

 

[Neil-T]

Not travelled far this weekend and have spent the day around the house and garden but what a difference a day makes . . . yesterday we were beseiged by redpoll with a lot of comings and goings and up to 6 or 7 around on occasion but today hardly any at all, just a couple of individuals early on. Perhaps the same weather that is bringing in the summer migrants have encouraged the redpolls to move themselves off to their breeding areas further north, or perhaps it's just a blip and they'll be back again tomorrow? Made me wonder though if anyone else with redpolls at the feeders (Neil?) have had them missing today.
cheers
Andy

Hi Andy. I made a post earlier about the absence of the Redpolls in my garden, I too thought they had left for the breeding grounds. Had a few in on Sat morning, but failed to see any on Thursday and Friday last week. Had 15 in on Sunday plus a Fem Brambling and a few other finches. Not seen a Siskin in the garden for about a week now. I have dramatically reduced the amount of feeders in the garden from 11 down to 3. Neil.

 

[Gronk08]

BH Yesterday

also met a young lad on the way back to the car, said it was his first time up berryhill so i pointed him in the right directions, wasn't any one off here was it?

Hi

Good to met you yesterday, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Managed to track down a couple of Grasshopper Warblers.
Didn't manage to get up to see the Sedge and Reed Warblers as I couldn't hag around too long.

Will have to take the wife there soon.

Can anyone tell me if the Grasshoppers breed there or are just passing through?

Cheers

Tim.