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RSPB Middleton Lakes (1 Viewer)

Sightings today include a cuckoo calling from one of the trees along the bridleway, water rail in the silt pool reedbed, a redshank and a LRP on the wetlands and a buzzard, being mobbed by a raven, being mobbed by 2 jackdaws over the heronry.
 

rollingthunder

Well-known member
M - i admire your persistance. best of luck mate - maybe there was'nt a grant available?:t: You would have thought that the saving on round-trip mileage, ozone-thinning and carbon footprint it would be a priority but.....

Laurie:t:
 

Dick-E-Dipper

Well-known member
M- I understand, via the grapevine, that the reason the Bridge (although made) has not been erected yet, is that during planning/design consultation, somebody overlooked the necessity to investigate the bearing capacity of the river bed/ground onto which the foundations were to be based. It has subsequently been discovered that the river bottom/ground bearing capacity is too soft.

Perhaps it was the same "Consultants" who forgot to check the feasibility of getting the appropriate sized Portocabins over the railway bridge at RSPB Sandwell!

Has anybody determined how the Bridge will eventually be transported to the proposed crossing point?

Can someone, as Moocher has requested, verify or add to this?
 
Some sightings from today's WeBS: 2 redshank (1 North Pit, 1 Jubilee), 4 oystercatcher (2 North Pit, 2 Jubilee), 2 LRP, 4 common tern, 8 teal (North Pit), 14 Shoveler (7 North Pit, 7 Jubilee). Plus 2 cuckoo calling (1 Dosthill, 1 Bridleway), large skipper (Riverside), Painted Lady (Fisher's Mill Bridge).
 
River Tame Footbridge

Hi all, (especially Moocher),

sorry for the delayed reply, I dont check this every day and have been out of the office for most of the last week.

The bridge is a bit harder to provide information on as the delivery of it lies with a third party, Hanson so out of our hands. I can try to provide some clarity into the situation from what I do know and hopefully that is helpful.

The bridge is part of the restoration agreement for Middleton Hall Quarry (much of which is now Middleton Lakes). The agreement between Hanson and Staffordshire CC states that the bridge is required to complete the planning obligations outlined when consent was given for quarrying.

Hanson are committed to deliver the bridge but have to meet various requirements in advance of construction.

The specification for the bridge has been signed off by the Councils highways department and the two councils (Staffs and Warks) have agreed to amendments to the public footpaths to include the bridge so that it can officially be adopted by the council. All the landowners are currently being consulted.

Because of the delays Hanson have needed to re-apply for Environment Agency consent for the structure and its foundations and this is in process.

The bridge has been partly fabricated and the contractors lined up to do the foundations. The lead in for bridge delivery and construction is several weeks so at the moment the best case scenario is for the bridge to be installed this autumn. I am afraid that I cannot guarantee when the bridge construction will start or be complete but you can be assured that we are helping Hanson wherever we are able and 'encouraging' them as best we can as we want to see the bridge in place as much as anyone.

It is very frustrating and the bridge saga has been going on as long as I have been working here (7 years) with rarely a day passing without someone asking me about it so fingers crossed it will be installed soon.

Sorry I am not able to provide any more certainty but I will aim to keep everyone informed when I do know more detail about timings.

All the best,

Nick

Nick Martin
Senior Sites Manager, Middleton Lakes
 

geoffw1946

Well-known member
My first visit for over a week, seen around the reserve were 1 Little Egret, 8 Ringed Plover, 6 LRP, 1 Common Snipe, 2 Redshank and a Green Sandpiper.
There were plenty of butterflies about and Small Tortoiseshell, Large Skipper, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Common Blue and Large White were all noted.
Geoff
 

geoffw1946

Well-known member
Still quiet as to be expected, 4 drake Teal and 3 drake Pochard were on the north pit and 4 Little Egret were on JWs. 3 Green Sandpiper were on the hall lake with 1 on the Villa Pit and also there was a brood of 3 Tufted Duck.
Other waders seen were 1 juvenile Redshank and small numbers of Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover and LRP. A Common Sandpiper was reported.
Geoff
 

geoffw1946

Well-known member
The flooding from yesterdays thunderstorm wasn't as bad as feared but a nest or two of LRP were lost on the JWs. A Greenshank flew over and may have landed on the NP and the juvenile Redshank was still there. 3 Oystercatcher and 2 adult plus 1 juvenile LRP were noted as were 6 Little Egret.
A Great crested Grebe with 1 young on the JWs was a surprise as I didn't think any would survive.
A Cuckoo and Gropper were singing and a family of Raven were noisy.
Two Starling were released from the Lookout hide, they must have got locked in overnight?
Geoff
 

Piccalilli

Steve Pick
Two Starling were released from the Lookout hide said:
Geoff – I was surely the last one to leave the lookout last night as had been sheltering in there for a good hour from the rain an didn’t leave until 10pm. There were no birds in there then and I shut both doors when I left. Not sure how they got in then.
13 Black-Tailed Godwits on JW from 4pm today and most probably the same birds seen at Branston GP’s.
 

Phil Andrews

It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
Upton Warren and Belvide will be holding the regular Autumn All-Day Birdwatch on Saturday 6th September. Hopefully Middleton Lakes, Grimley, Sandwell Valley, Marsh Lane and Venus Pool can all also take part :t:
 

geoffw1946

Well-known member
Had my first Comma Butterfly of the year this morning, they appear to be much scarcer this year. Most of the waders were on the north pit and included, 6 Oystercatcher, 2 LRP, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper and a Dunlin. 3 Green Sandpiper were on Hall Lake. Also seen were a brood of 6 Tufted Duck, 1 Little Egret, 7 adult, 1 juv. and 1 chick Common Tern and a family of 3 Treecreeper.
Geoff
 

geoffw1946

Well-known member
There was a bit of wader movement this morning with 2 Greenshank and 2 Curlew on the JWs and a Ruff on NP. Another unid. wader dropped into the NP by the bench on the west track, but the track is closed at the present due to nesting gulls, I did walk back to the hide but couldn't see it from there.
2 or 3 broods of Common Tern were being fed by their parents on NP and 2 Barn Owl were perched up by the owl box at the JWs.
Geoff
 

geoffw1946

Well-known member
Not much movement today but just enough to keep me interested.
4 Redshank and a Ringed Plover on JWs and 1 LRP and 100 Mute Swan on NP. Also seen were 3 Little Egret, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Cuckoo and a singing Grasshopper Warbler.
Geoff.
 

geoffw1946

Well-known member
My first visit for over a week and it appears to have been good while I've been away with Great White Egret, Marsh Harrier, Greenshank, Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit and Ruff reported per TVB etc.
Today was quiet with high water levels on all the pools due to the recent thunderstorms, highlights included 1 Wigeon and 6 broods of Tufted Duck totaling 34 ducklings viewable from the bench along the west track of North Pit, (the track has reopened after the breeding season closure).
A Water Rail was calling from the Silt Pool. The only waders seen were 1 Ringed Plover, 2 Oystercatcher and 30 Lapwing.
The EA contractors were preparing to start work on the culverts near to FM meadow, work is expected to last 2 weeks so perhaps the new footpath will then open at last.
Geoff
 

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