Birding In Staffordshire (1 Viewer)

[Topspot]

Saw the geese come over this morning, managed to count 78, one Long eared owl park hall just 5 metres from the main track, 7 snipe and one jack snipe Caverswall Marsh also 40+ siskin, 18 redpoll
sjo

 

[terryeyre]

yes it always saturday when the geese go over thats 4 of the last 6 saturdays.

 

[Rob Swift]

The Local

A good walk around the local this morning - River Sow Meadows Baswich,Stafford.

Highlights-
Wigeon x 87 ( part of grazing flock in Photo)
Goosander x 1
Grey Wagtail x 2
Green Woodpecker x 2
Kingfisher x 1
Little Grebe x 2
Buzzard x 6 ( including one in unusual surroundings...see photo).

Managed the Green Winged Teal at Belvide yesterday afternoon. - Looks like it's cleared out today though.

Anybody been for the Hen Harriers at Swallow Moss?

cheers
Rob

 

[Neil-T]

Redpoll numbers building on the feeders, counted 50+ on the feeders and more in the surrounding trees. Not surprised about the 600 siskin at Hanchurch, there was a large flock of Goldfinches near the water tower on Friday. Pics in the garden today.

 

[Nick Smith]

no sign of the barnacle geese at westport by 13:00, did however drop on a female shoveler, another year tick, i think anyway, i will have to check the list.

also bumped into a birder who lives just up the road from me, i mentioned a swift colony up the road over the summer, he is the bloke with a swift weather vane on top of his house. says hes been birding some 50 odd years and reeled off a load of past experiences about birds both locally and further a field. its nice to finally know a birder who lives within walking distance of my house.i'll try to direct him towards the thread in the future.

adam

have a closer look at your female shoveler at westport if its still there next time you go.

 

[Upland Birder]

Moseymoor Wood

Went for a walk around Moseymoor wood near Froghall wharf this morning and saw:-

Robin 4
Magpie 2
Goldfinch 4
Nuthatch 2
Long tailed tit (several small flocks)
Blue tit (several)
Great tit (several)
Dunnock 2
Jay 1
Goldcrest 2
Tree Creeper 1
Coal tit 2
Pheasant (m) 1
Coot 2
Mallard 4
Chaffinch 2
Grey Wagtail 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Buzzard (Heard)
Crow
Jackdaw

Also today I saw a party of three Buzzard over High Shut near Cheadle.

Later in the afternoon I counted 21 Heron :eek!: with 50 Lapwing in a field north of Ipstones Edge.

At the end of the afternoon I went to Woodhead Pool along Cherry Lane just out of Cheadle and saw

Buzzard 1
Woodcock 1
Tawny Owl 1

Also heard three Tawny Owl calling from different directions across the sweep of fields here. The Tawny Owl I saw flew within 20ft of me. It did not see me as I was behind a hedge concealed from its view. It flew low across the lane went across the field and up into a tree.


Dean:t:

 

[terryeyre]

21 herons that must have been some sight dean

 

[M_T]

Tittesworth yesterday:

Flock of @50 siskins in the trees between the car park and the east hide, with Redpolls and Goldfinches.
2 Goldcrests (Foster's wood)

Plus several large flocks of L.T.Tits, a treecreeper, 2 Goldeneye and a Goosander.

Also went to Swallow Moss but didn't manage to see much.

 

[Adam M]

have a closer look at your female shoveler at westport if its still there next time you go.

you've got me all curious now. cant you just put me out of my misery??

i do however have a guess at what might be wrong with what i said, either its a male, or its a hybrid.

adam

edit 1* thinking about it im going to say it was a male. i dont think i noted the gender at the time, just went 'shoveler' and walked on. dont know why i put female when i posted it on here. im hoping that is what wrong with it as i'd hate to have made two mistakes reporting a shoveler, its embarrasing enough making the one.

edit 2* to save me making another post straight after this one.

just got back from cannock chase, not alot about at all really, but still manage a few year ticks behind the memorial. went to the visitor center no help what so ever with the geology of the place, i was at expecting at least a poster i could read, anyway, the usual woodland birds on the bird table there, no sign of brambling or yellowhammers there though. another of the chases residents seems to have survived the harsh winter, i was expecting them to be no more, but an individual proved me wrong.

adam

 

[Nick Smith]

you've got me all curious now. cant you just put me out of my misery?? i will hasten to add i didnt have my bins with me as it was a last minute decision to call in on the way home from a relatives house.

i do however have a guess at what might be wrong with what i said, either its a male, or its a hybrid.

adam

Photo by Mr Jones

 

[Rockbirder]

Marsh Tit on Clackys feeders at Dimmings Dale this mornin'.

Andy.

 

[Adam M]

Photo by Mr Jones

you posted that the second before i edited my post, nice timing :-O

 

[Gronk08]

Hi All

Hope everyone has had a good weekend.

Yesterday headed down to Chasewater to try and find the Smew that avoided me last time. Managed to find the little fellow hanging around with some Goldeneye on the main lake. Kept going between the sail and water ski clubs (but always the both side from where I was)
Not too much else around, had every weather from snow to sun there.

Today I headed off to see the Shorelark at Gorant managed a quick sighting but it flew off, shame as it was in range of my scope camera, maybe another time. But another lifer gets ticked, so worth the earlier morning drive.
Plenty of waders around and a single male Scoter swam by just to add to the list.

Tim.

 

[Rob Swift]

Sunday Birding

A Sunny morning at Belvide produced good views of the Redhead Smew before it departed for Chillington, probably. Also Oystercatcher & Shelduck...

A rare afternoon visit to Blithfield, mainly to take in the changes around the place, including woodland walks, marshland boardwalk,(photo) new feeding stations etc. There seems to have been an overdose of the latter with three different woodland feeding stations with hides (photo of one) plus 2 other feeding stations.... the birds won't be wanting at Blithfield!

The woodland walks have also opened some new views of Tad Bay (photo)

Plenty of Wildfowl in residence; Goldeneye,Wigeon,Pochard, Teal etc and 4 Pink Footed Geese (Photo) were found in the Greylag flock which were grazing on the west side of Tad Bay!

Over & Out
Rob

 

[Upland Birder]

Churnet Valley Birding

Myself and Terry Eyre went for a walk in Dimmingsdale today starting above the valley and walking initially to Rainroach Rock before descending into the valley. From here we walked to the Ramblers Retreat had a quick look at the feeding station then carried on walking up towards Oakamoor. However, well before then we took a path through quiet woodland and then gradually made our way back to the start of the walk via the Churnet at Alton.

We saw

Buzzard 8
Kestral 1
Long tailed tit flocks
Siskin flocks
Redpoll (heard)
Coal tit several
Robin
Dunnock 2
Nuthatch
Crossbill 1 (Terry saw this and we both heard one).
Mistlle Thrush 4
Jay 2
Goldcrest 2
Heron 1
Bullfinch 5
Green finch 5
Tawny owl 1 (Not seen but heard)
Great Spotted Woodpecker 3
Great and Blue tit in good numbers
Crows
Rooks
Jackdaws
Mallard
Moorhen 2
Woodpigeon flocks

A nice walk was had. A great sight was watching a Buzzard flying below us from Rainroach Rock. There was evidence of various mammal behaviour at different stages of the walk.

......and finally a great mug of tea at Terry's abode.

PS: I won't mention the cat that Terry initially thought was a fox.

Happy Birding

Dean

 

[Richard Powell]

Wessa Shoveler

By the way, does anyone have any opinions on the Shoveler at Westport?

If it was summer I probably would've assumed an eclipse Northern Shoveler. But I don't know, hybrid Northern x Australian? Answers on a postcard.........

 

[Neil-T]

Set off for Baggeridge park for the Tawny owl, very good views of it out in the open, an extensive search by myself Glyn, John and Mick for the Lesser spot was fruitless. I did manage to put Glyn onto a treecreeper. From there we went to Cannock chase to see what we could find, not much about apart from Green woodpecker and a very surprising sighting of a Goshawk. Finished off at Doxey, no Pinkies but we had excellent views of Barn owl hunting over the marsh. Pics on the scarce thread. Neil.

 

[Nick Smith]

By the way, does anyone have any opinions on the Shoveler at Westport?

If it was summer I probably would've assumed an eclipse Northern Shoveler. But I don't know, hybrid Northern x Australian? Answers on a postcard.........

It arrived on 21st Jan and was quite brown when it first arrived, and was noted as a female(!). It has slowly changed into this now. A first-winter bird perhaps?

 

[Richard Powell]

Cheers Nick. Must just be moulting very late then, or very early. Weird.

It arrived on 21st Jan and was quite brown when it first arrived, and was noted as a female(!). It has slowly changed into this now. A first-winter bird perhaps?

 

[Martyn Yapp]

It's classic "supplementary" plumage. BWP Vol.1.

Cheers Nick. Must just be moulting very late then, or very early. Weird.