Birding in Worcestershire (1 Viewer)

[woodwolf]

there will be a video on my blog in about 30 mins of it.
if you want any directions to places where it could be or where it may move to im willing to help, but i dont think it will get far in this weather and if its associating with goosander then it could come back......
only my 2nd smew :t:
but 2 things to sudgest, wrap up, more than when you would usualy, really really cold ( -7.5) at its highest point in bewdley area 2day. and do constant double backs, every viewpoint have a look both upriver and downriver, im sure you know this but,hey i have been birding this streach of river for 8 years and i still missed the smew when we first walked past because we had just spotted the goldeneyes and it was close into the bank behind a bush :smoke: lol
hope it shows for you
MB

cheers MB, any hints that limit my chances of exposure appreciated !!
This was between town and the A456 crossing, just looking at the map and Birding Toady If you get chance to reply appreciate it, or you can PM me :t:

 

[woodwolf]

Smew and Goldeneye

Cheers for the info yesterday MB

Just got back from Bewdley, having seen the Smew. He was showing really well working a few hundred yards of the river, diving regularly. At one point had him and the Goldeneye in the same field of view.

Male and female Goosander, Little Grebes and GS woodpecker also of note. Weather was positively balmy this morning:-O

 

[midlands birder]

Cheers for the info yesterday MB

Just got back from Bewdley, having seen the Smew. He was showing really well working a few hundred yards of the river, diving regularly. At one point had him and the Goldeneye in the same field of view.

Male and female Goosander, Little Grebes and GS woodpecker also of note. Weather was positively balmy this morning:-O

was he still by the metal bridge????
glad you got him
MB

 

[woodwolf]

was he still by the metal bridge????
glad you got him
MB

Yes, I was on the other bank, but I noticed a small metal bridge opposite, he was working about a 300 yrd stretch, occasionally taking short flight up and down stream, was closer to the town end when I left. He was showing really well, the occasional lump of ice floating downstream threw me a couple of times though:eek!:

 

[midlands birder]

Yes, I was on the other bank, but I noticed a small metal bridge opposite, he was working about a 300 yrd stretch, occasionally taking short flight up and down stream, was closer to the town end when I left. He was showing really well, the occasional lump of ice floating downstream threw me a couple of times though:eek!:

i did go and see him again, and it was nice to be congradulated of my find by many people i must admit, the bird shown superbly rangeing from the A456 bridge to the town centre. 5 Drk GOLDNENEYE, 7 Little grebe, 14 Tufted duck ( most in bewdley town), Ad COMMON GULL (town centre), kingfisher, and about 20 goosander over in the 1 1/2 hous i was there, with about 5 decked, and although the smew is the obvious highlight, I saw 2 DIPPER feeding on the mass of ice below the A456 bridge at blackstone :eek!:, believe it or not, the 4th patch tick in a week (well just over). i think my patch boundry has just streched a few hundred metres to cater for these recent developments:smoke:
MB

 

[Sy V]

Went for a stroll with wife and dog (on the lead always - and so was the dog!) up the old railway line of the the Wyre Forest this morning.
Very quiet going up until we turned the corner to the farm where it all went rather crazy. Here are a few record shots as almost everything was at ridiculous range and the light was less than favourable...
When we turned up at the farm a pair of GSWs were sat on adjacent fence posts (but not for long enough).
A pair of Yellowhammers showed well on the field next to the bridge.
I managed a record shot of a Hawfinch (I'll see if I can improve on this) that gave us about 5 seconds of viewing, and on the way back down to the car a Nuthatch was a little bit nicer to me.

 

[timmyjones]

Had a walk around Groveley Dingle WWT Reserve in hope of Woodcock but none were to be found and apart from 8 Bullfinch and 2 Jay there was very little around.

Carried on along to Lower Bittel that was frozen solid. On the way to Upper I noted a Barnacle Goose in with the Canadas in the fields and 2 Redhead Goosanders took off from the small pools there. Chatted to a guy there who said that he had managed to read the ring of the Barnacle Goose that was present last year with a BTO, it had been rung at Canon Hill Park!

On the Reservoir it was mainly frozen save for a small patch where a few gulls were roosting around including 1 ad Yellow-legged Gull was a nice suprise along with 1 Ad GBBG, 1w Common Gull and several LBBG, HG and BHG. Also another GBBG flew over and I could hear several Raven calling over the pines.

Marsh Tit has also apparently been seen for the last few weeks.

Managed a quick video of the YLG which just about shows that the grey across the back was slightly darker than the nearby Herring Gull sitting on the water when it pans left. http://www.vimeo.com/18366956

 

[woodwolf]

A Hawfinch !! Lucky guy Sy, pretty decent snap too , really hope I can get a decent look at one soon ..

 

[Sy V]

Had another go at one of the other Hawfinch pictures; still not very good. Then had a play with one of my inadvertent Nuthatch shots.

 

[timmyjones]

Also visited the Wyre yesterday, saw the 2 Hawfinch around lodge hill farm as well as 3+ Brambling, had Lesser Spotted Woodpecker just up from the dry mill lane car park as well as several Marsh Tit. Along Dowles Brook there was 1 Dipper and a pair of Mandarin.

Some video footage of the Hawfinch, Dipper and Mandarin here http://www.vimeo.com/18474715

 

[midlands birder]

A bit of catch up from 1/1
Wyre forest
5 HAWFINCH, feeding at lodge hill farm

the birds were quite elusive but did occasionally show well,
3 lesser redpoll briefly
8+ marsh tit along the railway line
4 goldcrest in same place
5 Bullfinch again along the railway line
a ravern flew over the orchard..
MB

 

[woodwolf]

Sunday Morning Churchill

A glorious morning so I headed out walking towards Churchill from Blakedown. On leaving the house, 20 or so starlings were twittering away in the tree's opposite the House. Goldfinches were evident in the tops of trees as I approached the rail crossing. A pair of green finches seen also Corvid of the day was the Rook, abundant in groups of 5 or 6 at various points, Jackdaws proving elusive for most of the walk and the odd carrion crow in the fields along the way. Collard Doves seem to have returned with the rise in temperature's since the thaw.

At the old Mill house ( as I call it) a Nuthatch was in it's usual tree, as was a male GS Woodpecker in another. This is part of someones grounds where quite of lot of felling has had to be done as many tree's were rotten. However I think the Woodpecker's Roost/ nest has remained untouched, I saw definite nesting activity there last year and being a bit wiser will be looking out for breeding activity in this area. A Coal tit called from the top of tall conifer on the golf course side, and a Bullfinch was confirmed ( I thought I had heard him a couple of weeks ago but could not see him). I Saw one there last year so will be keeping an eye here as the year goes on.

Off Wagon lane and onto the bridal path I observed a flock of about 30 linnetts in a large stubble field, while a buzzard patroled over the top of the Hill I was heading too. However a female kestrel caught my eye, and I was able to observe it for a good 5 minutes as it hovered, and then returned to gradually lower itself in increments to about 10 feet when then dropped on a small mammal. It then took it to a low hedge a few yards away and proceeded to snack for 5 minutes or so.

As I headed towards the high ground a flock of 10 finch/ buntings went over but I was not able to get a good ID. Was pretty sure I cought the start of skylark song as well, but it ended abruptly and I would not count that as a tick as there was some doubt. I think this area will yield me Meadow Pipit and possibly even a Corn Bunting one day ?

There was a lack of Jays or pheasants and I have not seen or heard the Green Woodpecker for a while , where I would expect as I descended towards the Church. I nipped over to ladies Pool, which was still 80% frozen to gather year patch ticks for mallard and Tufted duck . GC grebes bred last year but no sign of them for weeks. A Mistle Thrush showed nicely in a tree over the pool, the only Thrush type of the walk, and I had to wait til I walked up the lane back to my house to gather LTT, Dunnock and Jackdaw on the list. So 29 species in all to start the patch list, with 7 year ticks taking my overall year list onto 53.Roll on next weekend

 

[Matt Griffiths]

As Willow Tit seem to be rare in Worcestershire, what do others think of this?
http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?v=1&f=283113

Matt

 

[midlands birder]

As Willow Tit seem to be rare in Worcestershire, what do others think of this?
http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?v=1&f=283113

Matt

i thought the same when i saw that pic when it was posted, a decent bird :t:
MB

 

[Brian Stretch]

As Willow Tit seem to be rare in Worcestershire, what do others think of this?
http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?v=1&f=283113

Matt

It's labelled incorrectly. It is a Marsh Tit. Had the pictures of this bird emailed to me, and they show it at a more useful angle. In the BG shot, the pale mark at the bill base can be seen while the other picture shows the structure better.

Brian

________________________
www.birdingtoday.co.uk
www.worcesterbirding.co.uk

 

[Sy V]

Oh I wish I'd known 24 hours earlier, I was drinking with John Caswell on Sunday afternoon.
Would have been a great mickey taking opportunity...

 

[Matt Griffiths]

I don't buy the magazine myself, but just read this on WMBC Facebook page:

Cracking photo by our member Brett Westwood, on BBC Wildlife Mag letters page (Feb 2011, v29 #2 p104) of near-albino Mandarin at Bewdley

Craig's bird?

 

[midlands birder]

I don't buy the magazine myself, but just read this on WMBC Facebook page:



Craig's bird?

yep matt, it is the same bird ( well how common can an albino bird be and in basicly the same place :t: may try and get it just to see a piccie of it, over a month since first seen on 10/12/10 and havent yet seen a photo or have seen the bird again :t:, hope to try trimpley soon again
MB

 

[Fungbot]

I don't buy the magazine myself, but just read this on WMBC Facebook page:



Craig's bird?

Hi Matt and MB

Just to correct a minor mistake. The albino mardarin is my photo not Brett's. All credit to Brett for telling me about the bird and who's idea it was sending in the letter. Couple of images here.

Cheers,

Fungbot, aka John Bingham

 

[midlands birder]

Hi Matt and MB

Just to correct a minor mistake. The albino mardarin is my photo not Brett's. All credit to Brett for telling me about the bird and who's idea it was sending in the letter. Couple of images here.

Cheers,

Fungbot, aka John Bingham

john
what a beaut mate, was it you asking about it in the bbc mag (saw the pic and comment but didnt buy it) because i can give you the background on the bird
including that me and my dad found it on the 10/12/10 with 191 other mandarin (192 counting the albino),
and is it ok if i use one of your stunning pics on my blog (in footer) for a cross link in the side bar to the albino mandarin finding post....
aanyway well done with getting these great shots, i know hardly anyone has seen the bird ( maybe less that 10 pos even 5,) so to have some great shots is nice
cheers for sharing:t:
MB