Birding In Staffordshire (1 Viewer)

[mcmerlin]

Hi all,
I am planning to visit the North Staffordshire moors sometime very soon (most likely this thursday if the weathers not horrendous) in search of upland moorland species (Red Grouse being a target species as my dad will be with me and hes never seen one). I was just wondering if anyone could tell me a good place to go? Having looked in the 'where to watch birds in the west midlands' book, i thought the walk from Knotbury over drystone edge, axe edge, orchard common and three shires head? is this still a good part of the moors to see moorland birds? is there anywhere better? although it would be good to see any of the rarer species, i dont expect to be told where these are on here, for obvious reasons. any help/info/advice would be greatly appreciated. Just to re-cap, its specifically upland moorland species im after as, whilst i am nearer to the brilliant lowland heath of cannock chase, i rarely get to upland moorland.
Cheers,
Guy.

 

[Upland Birder]

Axe Edge has been good for Red Grouse this year. I've seen quite a few up there in recent months.

Dean:t:

 

[Adam M]

neil, you have, in order, a comma butterfly, large(?) skipper, ringlet butterfly, possibly a scorpion fly, 6 spot burnet moth.

2nd lot are, southern hawker, episyrphus balteatus, reed warbler, common spotted orchid and i have no idea on the fungi in the last picture is. must invest in a fungi field guide.

saw a red dragonfly down reg mitch way on sunday, not sure of the species. if the weather is good tomorrow im hoping to nip down with the camera, usually good for butterflies down there as well. a whitethroat is singing all of 40 yards from my front door recently, however it is in the back garden of the houses on the opposite side of the street, so no chance of it getting on my garden list.

adam

edit* link to a scorpion fly pic, looks like the same as neils pic.
http://www.mitchinson.net/photoalbum/Insects/slides/scorpion fly.html
apparently we have 3 species in the uk, only distinguishable by studying their genitalia. commonest of the three species is panorpa geramnica, with males having the 'scorpion' tail.

 

[Neil-T]

neil, you have, in order, a comma butterfly, large(?) skipper, ringlet butterfly, possibly a scorpion fly, 6 spot burnet moth.

2nd lot are, southern hawker, episyrphus balteatus, reed warbler, common spotted orchid and i have no idea on the fungi in the last picture is. must invest in a fungi field guide.

saw a red dragonfly down reg mitch way on sunday, not sure of the species. if the weather is good tomorrow im hoping to nip down with the camera, usually good for butterflies down there as well. a whitethroat is singing all of 40 yards from my front door recently, however it is in the back garden of the houses on the opposite side of the street, so no chance of it getting on my garden list.

adam

edit* link to a scorpion fly pic, looks like the same as neils pic.
http://www.mitchinson.net/photoalbum/Insects/slides/scorpion fly.html
apparently we have 3 species in the uk, only distinguishable by studying their genitalia. commonest of the three species is panorpa geramnica, with males having the 'scorpion' tail.

Thanks Adam, looks like you are well on your way to becoming our resident expert. If you fancy atrip to Belvide anytime, just ring me. Neil.

 

[Adam M]

Thanks Adam, looks like you are well on your way to becoming our resident expert. If you fancy atrip to Belvide anytime, just ring me. Neil.

thanks for the comment and the offer neil, if i get a day spare somwhere i might take you up on it.

i spend all most of spare time reading field guides or sat in a field trying to ID grasses, plants and insects nowadays. i have been told by the coombes valley site manager i will have to give a guided walk sometime soon, so im making sure i know as much as possible before i do so.

i would like to say though, im far from an expert, carl is probably the local insect expert and far more knowledgable than me, i still have to look everything up in a book before i know what it is :t:

adam

 

[carlj]

And I don't?

Seriously, I tend to favour odonates, and still working around diptera and coeloptera. But it's fun!

Carl

 

[mcmerlin]

By the way, rob, i agree that the river meese a forton is a brilliant walk, just 5 mins away from me in the car, or 20 on foot, so i go there quite a bit. never had grasshopper warbler, whitethroat or garden warbler though, so well done for finding these, and i'l be looking/listening for them on future visits. also, iv never seen a fallow deer there, although i have on the other side of aqualate mere. your right theres a lot of butterflys, i dont know my butterflys very well, but there were some big skippers about last time i was there, large skipper maybe? best birds ive had on that walk are barn owl, and in winter, stonechat.

 

[Rob Jones]

By the way, rob, i agree that the river meese a forton is a brilliant walk, just 5 mins away from me in the car, or 20 on foot, so i go there quite a bit. never had grasshopper warbler, whitethroat or garden warbler though, so well done for finding these, and i'l be looking/listening for them on future visits. also, iv never seen a fallow deer there, although i have on the other side of aqualate mere. your right theres a lot of butterflys, i dont know my butterflys very well, but there were some big skippers about last time i was there, large skipper maybe? best birds ive had on that walk are barn owl, and in winter, stonechat.

Hi, I was sat in the reeds and undergrowth under a bush photo'ing the sedgies on the other side and the Gropper came within 10 feet to my left! This was just before the second wood about 400 yards upstream.The garden Warbler was bringing food to the nest on the bridge. Whitethroats and reed Warblers here aswell. The Green Woodpecker is in the wood next to the bridge.
First time I've seen deer here also.
Some photo's...

 

[Rob Jones]

Forton

Some more photos from Forton..

Edit; Anyone know what the butterfly is with closed wings feeding on Thistle? The top one's a Meadow Brown.

 

[Neil-T]

Looks like a small heath to me Rob. Some great photos there mate. Will have to have a walk down there some time, can you PM me some direction and available places to park. Or even better let me know next time you go. Thanks. Neil.

 

[carlj]

Rob, bottom looks like Aphantopus hyperantus - ringlet

Carl

 

[Rob Jones]

Rob, bottom looks like Aphantopus hyperantus - ringlet

Carl

Spot on Carl, I'll go with that, thanks. :t:

Located a pair of Green Woodpeckers earlier this evening in Watermills wood in Apedale CP. Extremely hard to find under the tree canopy. A lady with three dogs disturbed them before I could get a photo....bless.

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

recap , round up

not alot of birding week update from 1st july onwards
50+ swift over radial park
have been massing all week

all warblers still present except reed which seems to have vanished all together

female redstart 6th july
4 juv swallows

juv black headed gull was bathing on the waste ground

pattingham
plenty singing skylarks
kestrel
also alot of stock dove 30+ easily

garden birds juv great tits , and 7 juv house sparrows :t: 1 juv blackbird today

finished college now just waiting to here from different things see where end up
after 2 years college bird sp list is 78 with highlights of lesser spot which didnt see :-O little egret flyover , the big groups of finches in winter , tree sparrows , woodcock , the great crest grebe which spent the day on a pool no bigger than bus :t:

also ineed of some moth traps in garden there are alot of un IDable ones about and not small ones most seen are hawmoth size as they fly about

im just waiting for the local rarity alarm

 

[Brian Stretch]

Black-necked Grebe at Westport Lake on main lake this morning.

Brian
___________________________
www.worcesterbirding.co.uk
www.westmidlandsbirding.co.uk

 

[phil jones]

Black necked Grebe at Westport

Black-necked Grebe at Westport Lake on main lake this morning.

Brian

AND HERE IT IS.

 

[Steve Turner]

Black-necked Grebe at Westport Lake on main lake this morning.

Brian

AND HERE IT IS.

Nice photo Phil - (arguably) the City's premier birding hotspot strikes again

Steve

 

[Adam M]

typical, my birdguide subscription ran out on sunday, i miss a black necked grebe by wednesday. hope beyond hope it is there tomorrow morning, site and year tick for me, plus my only view of one was as a distant black blob at the far side of belvide. any reports if it flew off once all the dog walkers and joggers got there??

adam

 

[phil jones]

BN Grebe

typical, my birdguide subscription ran out on sunday, i miss a black necked grebe by wednesday. hope beyond hope it is there tomorrow morning, site and year tick for me, plus my only view of one was as a distant black blob at the far side of belvide. any reports if it flew off once all the dog walkers and joggers got there??

adam

The last 6 records at Westport have been one day birds but this is a Juv so who knows - it was still there at 4.30pm

 

[Adam M]

thanks phil, i'll go nice and early then and try to catch it before it goes, if its still there tonight.

 

[Adam M]

no sign of the black necked grebe today at westport. family of grey wags inbetween the main lake and car park. plenty of other young birds, robins blue tits, great tits etc. only thing of note was an odd duck in with the geese on the small lake, possibly a female pochard, but if that was the case i think it would have been in with the tufted and the single male pochard on the main lake. it was a chocolatey brown colour with a bit of grey on it as well, black bill.

just looked it up and i dont think it was light enough on the face to be a female pochard. any ideas? im sure if its anything rarer one of the regulars will report it.

anyway it was nice to get out so early, no one else in sight, plenty of rabbits still out around the lake and a squirrel bin dipping on the car park.

adam
adam