rollingthunder
Well-known member
In an effort to find new patches and to extend my cycling away from my local WestMids/Worcs bits i did a bit of Google Mapping and came up with a 25-30 mile round trip incorporating bits of water that are seasonal in appearance in the case of the flashes and variable in the case of the bunds.
The area at Gothersley is adjacent to the Staffs/Worcs canal off of Greensforge Lane. It receives overflow water from the River Smestow and flash flood inundation from the steep ground rising towards The Million wood. At present the 3 ‘Flashes’ have virtually disappeared with the last 2 months weather. There are some permanent deeper pools but i would not consider them suitable as passage wader habitat. There is also another area behind a tree screen that i haven’t looked closely at. The Flashes are only about 1/2 a mile at most from the Old Mill Lake past the Navigation PH where there is a Heronry with ca15 pairs and my candidate for breeding Little Egrets in the future:t:
To date i have made about 6 visits and have had both Green Sandpipers and a single Common Sandpiper with plenty of Wagtails, not Yellow unfortunately, Hirundines and a single hawking Hobby. Last Winter they held 6+ Mandarin regularly...
My interest in the Bobbington Bunds centered around reports of waders at The Mere Bobbington/Highgate and then i remember the late Eric Phillips mentioning them when he birded at Highgate Common altho i personally have never visited.
The ‘Mere’ in question are 2 man-made bunds of the type commonly seen in France and tend to be for localised farm use/irrigation etc. They are bisected by a Public Footpath that comes up from Crab Lane about a mile and a quarter away. The water levels at present are very low and thus excellent. I have had 3 species together - LRP & Common/Green Sandpiper and the latter 2 on most visits, other species have been recorded in the past. Back towards Crab Lane there is a bund, noted on the OS map as a ‘Resr’ and that held 13 Lapwing and a feeding adult Little Egret.
More Google Mapping has revealed half a dozen more in the area so i shall be visiting and updating as and when. Not all have PF’s running nearby so i will have to make inquiries but as i am on a range of pushbikes my access is easier than car owner.
Laurie:t:
The area at Gothersley is adjacent to the Staffs/Worcs canal off of Greensforge Lane. It receives overflow water from the River Smestow and flash flood inundation from the steep ground rising towards The Million wood. At present the 3 ‘Flashes’ have virtually disappeared with the last 2 months weather. There are some permanent deeper pools but i would not consider them suitable as passage wader habitat. There is also another area behind a tree screen that i haven’t looked closely at. The Flashes are only about 1/2 a mile at most from the Old Mill Lake past the Navigation PH where there is a Heronry with ca15 pairs and my candidate for breeding Little Egrets in the future:t:
To date i have made about 6 visits and have had both Green Sandpipers and a single Common Sandpiper with plenty of Wagtails, not Yellow unfortunately, Hirundines and a single hawking Hobby. Last Winter they held 6+ Mandarin regularly...
My interest in the Bobbington Bunds centered around reports of waders at The Mere Bobbington/Highgate and then i remember the late Eric Phillips mentioning them when he birded at Highgate Common altho i personally have never visited.
The ‘Mere’ in question are 2 man-made bunds of the type commonly seen in France and tend to be for localised farm use/irrigation etc. They are bisected by a Public Footpath that comes up from Crab Lane about a mile and a quarter away. The water levels at present are very low and thus excellent. I have had 3 species together - LRP & Common/Green Sandpiper and the latter 2 on most visits, other species have been recorded in the past. Back towards Crab Lane there is a bund, noted on the OS map as a ‘Resr’ and that held 13 Lapwing and a feeding adult Little Egret.
More Google Mapping has revealed half a dozen more in the area so i shall be visiting and updating as and when. Not all have PF’s running nearby so i will have to make inquiries but as i am on a range of pushbikes my access is easier than car owner.
Laurie:t:
