sheepwash urban park (1 Viewer)

[Baggieshep]

Hiya sheepwashers, nothing special to get the pulse rate racing:-C. A visit tonight after the rain only produced a fly over common tern. Nice to see so many tit familys espeacialy coal tit that was scarce in the early sheepwash days. Hughies right the Port and Ale as gone down a bit but theres still plenty to drinkB . Cheers and happy birding.

 

[Baggieshep]

Christening Day

Hiya sheepwashers, just a short and quick update. A drake teal gate crashed the monthly list:t: and 2 common tern do what they do best . . . . . . perch on fence posts. Off to my eldest grandsons christening now so may be a little bit tipsy well it is fathers dayB . Cheers and happy birding.

 

[rollingthunder]

Sun 16th......

A brief visit, 1145 1300.

Migrants -

Swift
Swallow
House Martin
Reed Warbler x2
Chiffchaff
Blackcaps

Reed Bunting, male singing
Male Plastic

Nothing else to report.......

Laurie:t:

 

[Baggieshep]

Sharing Delights With Non Birders

Hiya sheepwashers, early this morning while at work I heard a distinctive call while talking to a driver"common tern" I said speaking out aloud he looked at me bewildered:smoke:. So it was no surprise to encounter 2 on the wash during my lunch time stroll bugger all else mind you. Arriving back at work a call that always thrills me . . . . . that of a peregrine. It landed on a tall works chimney stack not far away, back to the car to get my bins and closer inspection revealed a pair. Work mates took it in turns to borrow my bins and watch these magnificent falcons for the first time in their lives and were amazed to watch a tern heckle them:eek!:. Not a bad afternoons work what little I did:-O. Cheers and happy birdingB .

 

[midlands birder]

Thanks to a text off BaggieShep finally got Oystercatcher on the Sheepwash list with a bird perched on the rocks with the large Gulls and feeding on the 'shingle bank'.
Also, two stunningly wild 8-P Barnacle Goose showing well, at times down to 30ft How a true Svalbard bird should act :smoke:
4 Common Tern dropped in briefly, before seemingly flying off towards the chemical pool :t:
MB

 

[Baggieshep]

Do Birders Have Barnies?

Hiya sheepwashers. The question as to be raised were the barnies very early in the arrival lounge or very late in the departure lounge? You the jury must decide and I must have a majority verdict. If I were a train spotter Thomas the Tank, Henry and all the others would be on my list . Should I count them as a species on my sheepwash yearly list? :smoke:. Keyboard warriors try stopping me8-P. Cheers and happy birdingB .

 

[midlands birder]

Hiya sheepwashers. The question as to be raised were the barnies very early in the arrival lounge or very late in the departure lounge? You the jury must decide and I must have a majority verdict. If I were a train spotter Thomas the Tank, Henry and all the others would be on my list . Should I count them as a species on my sheepwash yearly list? :smoke:. Keyboard warriors try stopping me8-P. Cheers and happy birdingB .

Certainly not wild birds, two of the growing feral stock in the country, however, as a self sustaining breeding species I believe that it is countable, perhaps more so than some other birds that visit Sheepwash
MB

 

[Baggieshep]

Hiya sheepwashers, Dave was the solitary birder that I know of today as I attended a funeral. 2 pochard and kingfisher were all he txt me of note but I will list all his butterfly sightings at the end of the season. Cheers and happy birdingB .

 

[Baggieshep]

Hiya sheepwashers, the 2 drake pochard were still present today and a hovering kestrel is always pleasing to see these days. A single common tern hawked around the pool, with the amount of canals and local pools terns may be a daily occurance but it may be just chance to see them at the wash. Jay, whitethroat, blackcap and reed warblers were also noteworthy. Cheers and happy birdingB .

 

[Baggieshep]

Hiya sheepwashers, only a very quick scoot around the wash today I was already soaked from the kids footy match this morning:eek!:. Nothing new to report, after tomorrow Dave will be the only regular on duty at the wash for a week :t: im off to benidormB . Its not a birding holiday but I will take my bins so any suggestions on where to watch birds in walking distance from the strip would be appreciated. Dave and myself tend to watch the wash together so were not rivals but I will bet he gets the yearly list to 100 species3. Cheers and happy birdingB .

 

[rollingthunder]

Sun 23 Jun.......

1200-1245

Drizzle but 'singing in the rain' were.....Reed Warbler, Blackcap and Willow Warbler. Also noted were ca20 LBB's in various plumages and a couple of Herrings, single Male Pochard and Mr Plastic was displaying very noisily.

Laurie:t:

 

[rollingthunder]

Mark - here's a link to the local committee and why not post a request on BF at the other link?

http://www.costablancabirdclub.com/about us.htm

http://www.birdforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=376

Laurie:t:

 

[Baggieshep]

Hiya sheepwashers, 1 oyc 1 pochard and a kestrel were the birds of note during the lunch time stroll. Now going for a pre flight drink Cheers for the links Laurie and I hope to see you in the not to distant future. Well cheerio for a week, happy birding and lets hope Dave as a sheepwash biggieB .

 

[Baggieshep]

Sleeping Waders

Hiya sheepwashers, the milestone of 100 species was reached yesterday evening:clap: in the form of a 2 trickey greensandpipers. Identificaction was difficult due to the fact only head on views of the 2 birds were possible and they remained motionless:smoke: even thou pumphouse pool is not huge a telescope to view the pair on one of the islands frequented by herons would have saved me the trouble of referring to my field guides:egghead: Other birds of note in the last few days were singing skylark on the tip, kingfisher, peregrine returning BHG with juveniles and a cormorant impersonating me . . . . . . . it was drying out. Cheers and happy birdingB .

 

[Baggieshep]

Hiya sheepwashers, on a very brief lunchtime visit only a kingfisher and greywag were birds of note this evening produced 3 common tern one being a juvenile. Most migrant species seem to be of eastern European origin a party of 12 swam and paddled off and around the wader scrape:C, even more could be found fishing on johns lane pool and north pool:C. Yesterday I couldn't get over due to football commitments but evidence would prove both migrant and local wild life or pond life gatherd to drink all kinds of stuff:C. If anybody collects beer cans this is the place to be on a hot sunny day:C. I wont mention tree cutting and bloody barbeques in fear of causing offence:C. Cheers and happy birdingB ps I DONT DRINK IN PUBLIC PLACES ONLY HOUSES:gn:.

 

[rollingthunder]

Aaaaaaah, the joys of multi-culturalism...........

Laurie:t:

 

[midlands birder]

Birdwise it was very quiet for me, but nice to see a return of many BHG to the park.

2 Marbled White Butterfly on the wing in 2 locations around the park, as well as many Ringlet. A few Small Heath also showing. 2 Brown Hawker and a Black-Tailed Skimmer (male) was seen.
MB

 

[Baggieshep]

Late Again

Hiya sheepwashers, got over to the wash a little bit late by ten mins and is always the case missed 2 LRP:-C lucky enuf Dave didnt8-P Forgot to mention during last nights rant GSW and 4 stock dove 2 were juvenile over the tip and midland birder saw 2 juvenile sprawks today so not all bad news:t:. A fly over kestrel was shared by Dave and myself and last nights 3 common tern made a welcome return this evening.Cheers and happy birdingB .

 

[Baggieshep]

Not So Late Today

Hiya sheepwashers, I was determined not to be late for my lunch time stroll|>|. . . . . but I didn't need to worry 2 LRP were quite confiding, yesterdays pair were both adults so not the same as todays 1 as was a juvenile. A single juvenile lapwing made this years tally 101 :-C just goes to show how rapidly things can change less than a few years ago flocks of 30 to 70 would fly over during winter months:storm: A solitary cormorant was also of note. Cheers and happy birdingB .

 

[rollingthunder]

Yes - i can recall post-breeding parties of Lapwing in the wader-scrape area, i do'nt see them over-flying around Stourbridge at all, ca'nt remember the last time i did.

Considering the amount of rain we get but the whole water table in areas around here are lower than it used to be i should imagine.

It's alright having all the high-profile re-introduction schemes but the slow degradation of your average birders habitat is much more subtle and means there are large areas that are unproductive, to say the least, for birds.

Just go abroad where there is less interference and 'tidy-mindedness' to see the difference it makes - Portugese farmland can be mouth-watering for all the 'common' stuff. I have'nt seen or heard a Cuckoo, Turtle Dove or Yellow Wagtail this year nor did i last year. You can poke all your FrigateBirds and rare Terns if you cannot get the first 3 on your year-list without visiting a nature reserve:C

Laurie:t: