Birding In Staffordshire (1 Viewer)

[GlynH]

Red Kite

too windy no groppers were singing and alot of the other warblers werent singing too strongly but who cares when had a red kite :t: 5 mins from house and basically gone over local patch


Red Kite 1 great find nick and i was just in right place at right time

Rob might this have been the rapter we saw Saturday morning and couldn't identify?

 

[GlynH]

Popped over to Hulme end to visit my sister who's camping there. Had a quick walk along the river.
Great views of a family of goosander with 6 young
Sparrowhawks 3
Long tail tit 3
Pied Wagtail 2
Willow warblers 6
Swallow 20 plus
House Martin 10 plus
Kestrel 2

All in a 3 mile round walk with a tribe of kids in tow.

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

Rob might this have been the rapter we saw Saturday morning and couldn't identify?

no Glyn ours was too small to be kite im still convinced ours was a big female sparrowhawk going by its tail was wrong for goshawk

and Glyn you will know a kite when you see one by large wings which seem to have different flappiny stlye to buzzards and forked tail

also Glyn you will have post some of the pics from radial park on saturday red leg part , juv robin

good one with goosanders

 

[GlynH]

Heres the pics Rob and one of the Goosander from today

 

[carlj]

Nice Goosander Glyn - I usually see them across a few hundred feet of water! Looked for the Partridge today at Radial Park - not a sausage - unless he's disguised himself as a horse!

Carl

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

Nice Goosander Glyn - I usually see them across a few hundred feet of water! Looked for the Partridge today at Radial Park - not a sausage - unless he's disguised himself as a horse!

Carl

best looking for partridge up there either dusk or early moring as dog walkers and joggers and horse keepers flush the partridge into hiding

 

[Upland Birder]

Brandon Marsh (Warwickhsire) yesterday. Highlights:- Hobby, Cuckoo, Whitethroat, Willow, Reed, Sedge, Cetti's Warbler, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, LRP, Common Tern.

Today I visited Rutland Water. It looks completely different since I last visited about 10 years ago. Highlights:- Osprey, 2 Male Garganey, Common Tern, Swift, 2 Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch. I went mainly for the Garganey as I failed to catch up with the one at Brandon Marsh on Saturday.

Looking forward to getting back to North staffs tomorrow and looking around Hawksmoor in the week.

Dean

 

[Gronk08]

Dimingsdale and Coombes

Hi All

Popped my Dimingsdale cherry yesterday, had a nice walk around the place trying to get a feel for the area.
Didn't see to much around the high light being a couple of Grey Wagtails by the bridge on the river and a male Pied Flycatcher in the trees by the river.

Then headed off to Coombes to see what was around, had a male Redstart singing from the trees by the first bridge noting much else around. The warblers kept out of sight as did the Pied Flycatchers although someone said there are a couple around there now. One near where I caught up with the Redsatrt and one by the pool.

Unsure where to go to day with the weather being a bit iffy.

Tim.

 

[Neil-T]

Sunday outing with Stuart. Cannock chase first but not a lot about apart from the common stuff, highlights being a Willow/Marsh tit and a green woodpecker. On to Blithfield road bridge, saw Oystercatchers2, Curlew feeding and loads of Tufties, and a good views of a Buzzard overhead hanging in the wind. Back to mine to re-fuel. Goldfinches5, Bullfinches7 plus other common species. Dimmingsdale in the afternoon, Siskin, wood warblers, Pied Flycathers, Pied and Grey wagtails. Just sent off application for WMBC, so will be visiting Belvide when it comes back. Great day out.

 

[Steve Turner]

Uttox Quarry

Gadwall 1 drake
Common Tern 4
Dunlin 3
Ringed Plover 2


Steve

 

[Adam M]

first house sparrow chick of the year begging its mum for food in the garden. anyone else got any chicks in their garden?

adam

 

[Gronk08]

went for a walk to pick up some wild flowers and plants for the garden down reg mitch way,

not many flowers out down there, just picked some nettles, buttercups and garlic mustard. all good for the butterflies im hoping to get in the garden. saw one forget-me-not but thought it wrong to take 100% of the wild population from an area. on the look out now for other things like, cuckoo flower, honesty, toadflax, soapwart etc.

adam

Hi Adam

I hope you are not actually digging up the wild flowers as this is very much against the law under the Wildflower and Crountryside act 1985, and picking flowers can actually be deemed theft under the 1968 act.

If you wouldn't take a birds egg don't take the flowers, even if it just some nettles.

There are specialist wildflower sites on the internet that can supply all the common plants plus some of the more unusual.

Tim.

 

[minkstone]

first house sparrow chick of the year begging its mum for food in the garden. anyone else got any chicks in their garden?

adam

Two young sparrows taken by magpie yesterday,it really upset my misses.
Local patch today,behind the gas storage tank,saw blackcap,whitethroat,sedge,and willow also garden warbler, a little trick i have learn t with warblers if the bird is singing i will record it on my camcorder whether i have a good view of the bird or not and check the song out when i get back home,by the way thanks for a cracking day Neil cheers :t:

 

[terryeyre]

garden warbler

sparrowhawk took baby blackbird off lawn this morning,11 pied flycatchers,1 wood warbler,3 garden warblers but no sign of l s peckers at dimmingsdale this afternoon.

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

hawksmoor / cheadale area / plus lancs

with glyn started off at hawksmoor

3 wood warbler
1 tree pipit
chiff chaff
willow warb

not a bad start

blakes hall fishery

sand martins
house martin
swallow
then 2 gulls came over hang on they were
2 common terns there for about 5 mins

hales hall i think also went to and got
great crest grebe
1 garden warbler in willows

Lancs
marshide

male gargeny
avocets everywhere
black t godwits lots
curlew sandpiper
dunlins lots
white wag

then onto crosby marine park for swift:t:

got plenty of swifts
1 little gull 1st summer
5 sandwich tern
11 common tern
and the Pallid swift came over top heads on the bank about 10ft away :t:

brill day even with the weather great end to 4 day weekend 1 lifer , 1 staffs tick , 5 year ticks :king:

 

[Bananafishbones]

Hi Folks
Given the rotten weather coming up this week the idea of sat in a hide is slightly better than getting soaked through to the skin. Tittesworth is my choice for a couple of afternoons this week, does anyone know what is about there at the moment.

Cheers in advance
Dave

 

[terryeyre]

photos

three photos from dimmingsdale today

 

[Upland Birder]

Before returning to North staffs today I went over to Upton Warren (Worcestershire). Saw the following:-

Curlew 1
Dunlin 2
Common Sandpiper
Linnet 2
Goldfinch
Canada/Greylag Geese plus young
Tufted Duck
Little Ring Plover (Quite a few about)
Avocet 8
Redshank
Lapwing
Dunnock
Cetti's Warbler (3 heard)
Plenty of Reed warblers and Sedge Warbler heard
Heron 2
Black Headed Gull
Shellduck
Moorhen
Coot
Pied Wagtail
Cormorant
Gadwall
Buzzard

I missed seeing a Marsh Harrier by minutes

Everything seemed a little subdued there today mainly because of the weather.

Great to be back in Staffs. Must catch up with the Tree Pipit, Redstart and Wood Warbler this week at Hawksmoor. Lets hope the sun returns!!

Dean:t:

 

[Neil-T]

Hi Folks
Given the rotten weather coming up this week the idea of sat in a hide is slightly better than getting soaked through to the skin. Tittesworth is my choice for a couple of afternoons this week, does anyone know what is about there at the moment.

Cheers in advance
Dave

Hi Dave, been there a few times over the past couple of months, species seen were Siskins, Redpolls, Brambling, tree creeper, GS woodpecker plus other common species on the feeder to the left of the hide. Out on the lake and shores were Shoveller, pochard, tufted, goldeneye plus other common species of waterfowl. Snipe on the far bank. Look out for Barn owl up on the hill. Buzzards overhead. All the best. Neil. Not been there for 3 weeks now, so not sure whats about at this moment in time.

 

[carlj]

Weather is killing me too - need to get my insect fix, so thinking about here
http://www.butterflyfarm.co.uk/attraction/index.php
in next couple of weeks!