Birding In Staffordshire (3 Viewers)

[Neil-T]

Nice bird to go for, but regrettably I don't have the time this weekend.

 

[Martyn Yapp]

EC Warbler

Weather is far from good, I bet you it gets out in front on this on-coming filth.

:eek!:now then who's doing the 200 miles for one of the birds of the year ...any takers are there any gen twitchers out there are we having a mass exodus from staffs tomorra:news:

 

[Rockbirder]

Utch 1400-1600.

Sadly no Asian cripplers knockin' around Utch this a'noon just the usual suspects.

Goldeneye 1
Golden Plover 7
Green Sand' 1
Snipe 11
Wigeon 12

Berryhill hero RT was spotted a bit further north this mornin' along with Quail flusher extraordinaire Simpo. Hopefully the little swine (not RT) will hang around 'til sunday

Andy.

 

[Rob Jones]

Nice bird to go for, but regrettably I don't have the time this weekend.

Bloomin' heck Neil that's a really good shot. When did you get that! :t:

 

[russell toon]

Sadly no Asian cripplers knockin' around Utch this a'noon just the usual suspects.

Goldeneye 1
Golden Plover 7
Green Sand' 1
Snipe 11
Wigeon 12

Berryhill hero RT was spotted a bit further north this mornin' along with Quail flusher extraordinaire Simpo. Hopefully the little swine (not RT) will hang around 'til sunday

Andy.

Yes Andy I was up in the northeast today,saw a old mate of yours up there Andy Latham.

Russell

 

[coloz]

Yes Andy I was up in the northeast today,saw a old mate of yours up there Andy Latham.

Russell

How long did it take you russ to get up there,

 

[Neil-T]

Bloomin' heck Neil that's a really good shot. When did you get that! :t:

Not one of mine unfortunately Rob, I just grabbed it off the net.:t:

 

[russell toon]

How long did it take you russ to get up there,

Got there a bit under 4 hours with a pit stop en route.

Russell

 

[Upland Birder]

Went over to Middleton Hall this morning and arrived at first light looking for the Glossy Ibis. No sign of it on the south or north pit. A few Golden Plover about on the North Pit.

Met our very own Nick while there :t:

Dean

 

[Adam M]

few things to report really, thursday night had 62 jackdaws go over the house, we tend to get a flock of about this size pass over the house twice daily over winter.
had a wren in the garden, rare visitor for us to be honest.
starling flock today was spooked by a large sparrowhawk, but had the cunning plan to fly above it to avoid getting caught off guard.
large flock of gulls down at westport this evening, maybe around the 200 mark, mostly black headed gulls from what i could see in fading light and with no bins.
about 100 bh gulls on the university rugby pitches at about 8 this morning and my first redwing of the autumn/winter there as well.
large numbers of coots at westport, dont seem as many tufties as there were previously and there do seem a few more pochards there. might make picking out the ring neck duck slightly easier.

adam

 

[terryeyre]

autumn colours

plenty of autumn colours around dimmingsdale today.

 

[coloz]

Got there a bit under 4 hours with a pit stop en route.

Russell

Cheers for that russ just got back,cracking views of the bird well worth it. and thank you rob swift for taking us up nice one buddy. And stoke won 1-0 not a bad day other than the rain, we got soaked ha ha never mind.

 

[Topspot]

:t:Great bird to have on your list yesterday with additions of yellow browed especially for Steve, and the blue winged teal up at Billingham another good dayB

Cheers for that russ just got back,cracking views of the bird well worth it. and thank you rob swift for taking us up nice one buddy. And stoke won 1-0 not a bad day other than the rain, we got soaked ha ha never mind.

 

[russell toon]

Berryhill

1 Jack Snipe flushed this morning
3 Stonechat
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Chiffchaff

Despite the large numbers of Redwing over in recent weeks theres none about on the berries here.

Russell

 

[ScottPetrek]

Branston Gravel Pits

Any advice on how to get there? I am after the diver on the south pit but don't know how to get there or where to park.

 

[nutcracker1965]

back from the north east, cracking bird (ECW) plus the yellow browed ,at least nine staff's birder's there at first light. took in the red flanked bluetail on the way home this bird came within ten feet of us , never saw the dusky warbler due to the heavy rain in the afternoon. Ian

 

[andyr]

Any advice on how to get there? I am after the diver on the south pit but don't know how to get there or where to park.

Hi Scott

I was there this afternoon for an hour or so getting very good views, but have only just seen your post. While I know some people park on the end of a farm drive (just north of Barton-under-Needwood village) like some others however, I park next to the small telephone exchange on the edge of Barton - it's on the left before you head out (east) past the entrance to Barton Marina towards the A38. The footpath takes you from the back of that small parking area next to the exchange, through a gate or stile into the field, where you need to head-off 'at ten o'clock' and down the left-hand side of a hedge. It's still the designated path - but you'd never know it ! - though you should still see the footprints of walkers/birders to make it easier. Then eventually you will come to small gate in the corner of one field, where the farm drive (and it's still the designated ok-to-use footpath) takes you up towards the farm-building, where you head off left over a stile and on for maybe another four-hundred yards or so towards the south-west corner of the South Pit/Lake, (with the gravel-site buildings in clear view). There, the path eventually goes quite close to the shoreline, down the other side of a fence running along the West side of the water. With a scope, you can cover all the water from anywhere there.
If you didn't get to go this afternoon however (and I didn't see any other birders at all) before trying tomorrow say, you might want to check Birdguides etc etc - as the bird was stretching, preening and diving a lot but then took off and did a circuit of the water before landing again to stretch, preen and feed some more. Maybe the "test-flight" was something to do with plans to head off overnight or very early tomorrow. But it was my first B/T Diver, so thoughts on a postcard from Nick P. or any other Diver expert on that one !!!

But good luck if you go.

Cheers

Andy Russell

 

[Adam M]

had to pick my brother up from work today at 4 from the sainsburys warehouse. on arrival i saw a small bird of prey that looked as if it had had its tail feathered plucked, it looked very much like a giant bat. im pretty sure it was a female merlin, it was rather small and was a bit too dark to be a kestrel, didn't strike me as looking like a sparrowhawk in any way, shape or form, so i think it was a merlin. it sat on top of a telegraph pole for a while and was only disturbed when someone walked past at which point it briefly sat on top of the warehouse before flying off over it. think thats the third one i've seen this year, with one up swallow moss and one down whitemore haye earlier this year.

adam

 

[carlj]

Back from Ynis Hir today. Discovered the local RSPB group have been infiltrated by one of the BF Brigade! (Nice to see you again Neil - change of stomping ground). Managed to avoid the Red Kite, but a nice selection of redwings, stonechat and reed bunting. Ignoring the birding for a moment, from a photographers perspective, the dyfi estuary is a landscape dream, with the hills of Snowdonia disappearing into the clouds!

 

[Neil-T]

Back from Ynis Hir today. Discovered the local RSPB group have been infiltrated by one of the BF Brigade! (Nice to see you again Neil - change of stomping ground). Managed to avoid the Red Kite, but a nice selection of redwings, stonechat and reed bunting. Ignoring the birding for a moment, from a photographers perspective, the dyfi estuary is a landscape dream, with the hills of Snowdonia disappearing into the clouds!

Good to meet up again Carl, very nice place to visit but not many photographic opportunities bird wise. A total of 72 species seen on the day.