Rare and Scarce Birds in Staffordshire (6 Viewers)

[The Snapper]

I always park on the small 'parking' area off Ryders Hayes Lane. It's a short walk from here to the pool where the diver is frequenting.

 

[keithr]

Thanks for your time and local knowledge......try to get there on Weds on way home from work.Coming down m54 then m6...get off at j10 and skirt around Walsall.
Hope he's still around....:t:

 

[andyr]

Thanks for your time and local knowledge......try to get there on Weds on way home from work.Coming down m54 then m6...get off at j10 and skirt around Walsall.
Hope he's still around....:t:

Hi Keith

Thought it would help for you to know the GND has not been seen today by all accounts. In particular, the excellent blog by Chaz Mason ... clayhangermarsh.blogspot.co.uk ... reports no sighting today. There is no mention either on Birdguides or the Chasewater Wildlife Group site, the Clayhanger bird appearing to have relocated to or from there on at least a couple of occasions recently.
It may be worth checking both the Clayhanger blog and the Chasewater website again tomorrow however, just in case it's still around ... somewhere !

Cheers
Andy R.

 

[keithr]

Thanks Andy for the great advice........will keep my eyes on them. :t:

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 3rd Feb

Adult Caspian Gull - Silverdale CP on The Void
Adult Med Gull - Chasewater
1w Med Gull - Belvide

 

[andyr]

Thanks Andy for the great advice........will keep my eyes on them. :t:

Hi Keith

You may have not read it yet, but Chaz Mason's blog that I mentioned confirms today that the Great Northern Diver is back on Ryder's Mere, via another stop-off at Chasewater earlier on !

Cheers

Andy R.

 

[The Moore-hen]

Extra News for the 6th Feb

1w drake Smew - still Westport Lake
3w Caspian & ad Med Gull - Chasewater roost
1w Med Gull - Belvide roost

Not rare or scarce I know but certainly unprecedented is the count of 418 Great Crested Grebe today at Blithfield - amazing!

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 7th Feb

15 Whooper Swan - Whitemore Hay with 280 Mute
2 Smew & 2 Jack Snipe - Croxall Lakes
1w drake Smew - Westport Lake
2 ad Med Gull - Chasewater roost

 

[NickPomiankowski]

BTO Birdtrack 2014

91,000 records were submitted on BTO Birdtrack for Staffordshire in 2014 by 225 recorders. Many thanks to everyone who submitted - below are the top 10 recorders whose records surprisingly make up 2/3 of the total!

If you don't use Birdtrack, please consider using it as it's the best way to submit sightings for me at least, as it saves me having to key the information into the county database myself. Plus the BTO benefits greatly from your sightings too.

Jackson, A : 13953
Morris, G : 7253
Smith, N J : 6402
Toon, R : 5455
Pomiankowski, N D : 4588
Swift, R W : 3747
Hutchins, J V P : 3616
Broadbent, R C : 3145
Foster, S : 2618
Dawson, R : 2094

Cheers, Nick

 

[andyr]

Whitemore Haye

Hi All

The group of 15 Whooper Swan were still present yesterday afternoon, feeding near the back of the large crop field north of the entrance to Sittles Farm. The single Black Swan was also still amongst the large number of Mute Swan spread widely across the field ... and several Yellowhammer and c.10 Tree Sparrow were nearby on the rough track.

Cheers

Andy R.

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 10th Feb

2 Water Pipit - Doxey Marshes
Great Northern Diver. & ad Med Gull - Chasewater
1w Med Gull - Belvide
Ad Med Gull - West Park, Wolverhampton

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for 11th Feb

2+ Water Pipit - Doxey Marshes 100 yards south of octagonal hide
3 White-fronted Geese - Blithfield in Blithe bay
2w Caspian & 2 ad Med Gull also Great Nothern Diver - Chasewater
Ad Med Gull - Blithfield

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 14th Feb

Pair Red-breasted Merg - Chasewater am (possibly the same at Sandwell Valley in afternoon) also Great Northern Diver & 2 ad Med Gull
Drake Red-breasted Merg - Belvide 14.00-14.15 then flew east (but didn't relocate to Gailey!) also 1w Med Gull
Water Pipit - still Doxey
4 Whooper Swan (2ad) - still Whitemore Haye
Ad Caspian Gull - Newcastle at Pool Dam
Fem Smew - Alrewas GPs
Ad Med Gull - Blithfield at deep end roost

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 15th Feb

Tundra Bean Goose - with Greylags between Hales & Chipnal where the Coal Brook crosses the road
Ad Iceland, 2w Caspian & 4 ad Med Gull - Chasewater roost also Great Northern Diver then flushed
Ad Iceland Gull (2nd site record) - flew ENE over Gailey at 09.30
3 White-fronted Geese - flew into Croxall at 10.00
Water Pipit - Doxey
Drake Scaup & 1w Med Gull - Belvide
4 Whooper Swan - Whitemore Haye then flew SW

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 18th Feb

Glaucous Gull - Aqualate Mere
Adult Iceland & ad Med Gull - Chasewater roost
Male Hen Harrier - Swallow Moss this evening
4 Whooper Swan (2 ad) - Burston Wetlands

 

[steve_zodiac]

Superb male Hen Harrier appeared at 5.15pm. It was in view for ten minutes or so, mainly hunting on the centre part of the moss; those parked along the top road would have had best views.

No Red Grouse were seen or heard today; 500 Fieldfares flew to roost. And a stoat in its pure white winter coat was seen along the edge of the road.

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 21st Feb

Juv Glaucous Gull & redhead Smew - Aqualate Mere
3 Water Pipit - Doxey Marshes
Pair Scaup - Belvide
2 ad Med Gull - Chasewater

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for 22nd Feb

2 ad Iceland, 2w Caspian & 2 ad Med Gull - Chasewater roost also Juv Great Northern Diver still
2 Caspian Gull (ad+2w) - Blithfield roost
4+ Water Pipit - Doxey Marshes
1w drake Smew - Hanley Forest Park Lake
Pair Scaup - Belvide
1w drake Scaup - Aqualate Mere

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for 25th Feb

4 Water Pipit - Doxey Marshes
2w Caspian & 2 ad Med Gull, Juv Great Northern Diver - Chasewater
3 Scaup (2 drake) & 1w Med Gull - Belvide
ringtail Hen Harrier - Swallow Moss yday at 17.35

 

[andyr]

Chasewater GNDiver ... and free bird books !

Hi All

The Great Northern Diver was showing quite well at Chasewater this afternoon, on a chilly but blue-sky day. The bird was coming quite close to the south shore at times, midway between the Innovation Centre and the Waterski Club, making digiscoping the odd record-shot between dives a lot easier.
PS: For anyone interested, I have a small number of bird books which I am happy to give away to any local birder(s), as I try and free up more space on some cramped bookshelves !
PM me if you are interested in any of these, all of which are hardback, in good condition and with regard to the first (250 pages) and last (852 pages), quite sizeable !
Birds of the British Isles - and their families around the world
Angus Books 2005
The Private Life of Birds
New Holland Publishing (2006)
Birds of Town and Village
Bounty Books (2004)
Threatened Birds of the World
BirdLife International (2000)

Cheers
Andy (Russell)