Upton Warren (1 Viewer)

[Janner Falcon!]

"Smoggy Thursday" continued

1. Bullfinch lunch - is it any wonder the fruit growers fear them?
2. "I look up to him........
..........I look down on him"
An interesting line-up.

The Common Tern stayed put for the duration of our visit unphased by the comings and goings of a restless Mallard duck, several Black-headed gulls, young Herring Gulls, Lesser Blackbacks and this cheeky Pied Wagtail which kept leaping and fluttering all around it.

 

[Sy V]

Method of preparation for a Little Grebe's lunch:-

First dive for fish.
1. decapitate the victim - swallow head
2. toss torso vigorously in the air several times and then proceed to halve it - swallow upper part
3. retrieve the remainder (behave as though hunting)
4. wash tail vigorously and make it look as though it is alive (for fun?) - swallow
5. Start all over again

This happened three times, every stage followed exactly. A long process which was both systematic, apparently part play and part purpose.

(The hidden instruction the bird was following was "make sure the activity is behind sufficient foliage to make it difficult to see, or focus")o

Interesting behaviour. My thoughts, had it been slightly later in the year, would have been that the bird is making smaller individual items to regurgitate for feeding its young.

 

[upstarts1979]

Update. At present only Dave Jand myself on reserve.
Earlier we were joined by Tim, Rich, and Andy P. 6am start. Cold SE with a bit of rain gave us hope , but it was just too cold. A few swallows and the odd mipit and Dave's blackwit.
However belated news from yesterday at7.30 pm : Jan Cox had a bittern fly over North moors and land on east side in reeds.

Counts from Today.
Little egret seen first light roosting in NE corner of sailing pool, at the top of a tree.
Shelduck 13. Gadwall 8. Shoveler 19. Teal c24.
Oystercatcher 7. Lapwing 3. Male displaying at Flashes. Avocet 29. Lrp 4. Curlew 6. . Swallow 5. Sand martin. Sedge warbler hen pool. Meadow pipit moors.

 

[Janner Falcon!]

Interesting behaviour. My thoughts, had it been slightly later in the year, would have been that the bird is making smaller individual items to regurgitate for feeding its young.

The nest is close by, as was the partner. Could well be practising. Looked as though it was making the catch 'interesting' at each stage - shaking and tossing it as though it were alive. Each stage was quite protracted.

Margaret

 

[PeterE]

Yesterday afternoon at the Flashes

Bob and I watched a pair of LRPs displaying and then making 'the beast with two backs'. It will be interesting to see how soon they will require the protection of a cage. Does anyone know the average time for ovulation? Presumably it varies from species to species with the smaller birds needing less time.

Peter

 

[Phil Andrews]

Yesterday afternoon at the Flashes

Bob and I watched a pair of LRPs displaying and then making 'the beast with two backs'. It will be interesting to see how soon they will require the protection of a cage. Does anyone know the average time for ovulation? Presumably it varies from species to species with the smaller birds needing less time.

Peter

No data on mating on laying (fnarr fnarr) but here's some interesting facts and figures from the BTO http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob4690.htm

 

[keithr]

Little Grebes

Good pics and well done for spotting the behavior...

I have seen this many times with them at Feckenham,mainly as they are closer a lot of the time......as you say they almost seem to be practising something when they keep letting it go and then catching it again.

Keith :t:

 

[PeterE]

No data on mating on laying (fnarr fnarr) but here's some interesting facts and figures from the BTO http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob4690.htm

Thanks for the link, Phil. I now know a lot more about LRPs. As for ovulation times we have our chance to be citizen scientists assuming this was their first mating and that we don't confuse the two pairs - not terribly scientific but the best we can do.

Peter

 

[upstarts1979]

Ruddy shelduck

Phil W found one at c12.30pm, this bird was at Lower Moor nr Pershore earlier in the day. Later (3.15pm ) it appeared at Belvide for 20 minutes before moving off east. Just a pity we can't have more interaction with Belvide's birds.:-C

Phil did you see it fly off - if so what time?B

 

[Birder Gladys]

new birds for the year swallow and Blackcap, for me. missed Ruddy shelduck
count of 56 birds n the end ,pics of the day.
just done homework on pic 2 , only a chaffinch by its call

 

[Phil Andrews]

new birds for the year swallow and Blackcap, for me. missed Ruddy shelduck
count of 55 birds n the end ,pics of the day.

Nice collection of 8 Shelduck on the East Island Tim; what is the wader in the final photo?

 

[upstarts1979]

Nice collection of 8 Shelduck on the East Island Tim; what is the wader in the final photo?

Try 9 mate8-P

 

[PHW]

Phil W found one at c12.30pm, this bird was at Lower Moor nr Pershore earlier in the day. Later (3.15pm ) it appeared at Belvide for 20 minutes before moving off east. Just a pity we can't have more interaction with Belvide's birds.:-C

Phil did you see it fly off - if so what time?B

Ruddy Shellduck was still there at about 1.30 when I went round to the flashes.

Phil.

 

[upstarts1979]

Ruddy Shellduck was still there at about 1.30 when I went round to the flashes.

Phil.

Thanks Phil, would probably take an hour to get to Belvide.B

 

[Phil Andrews]

Thanks Phil, would probably take an hour to get to Belvide.B

Agreed - that M5/M6 junction can really slow you down

 

[Birder Gladys]

Nice collection of 8 Shelduck on the East Island Tim; what is the wader in the final photo?

Hi Phil
its just a poor photo of a common snipe, think I need to invest in a better camera, had four snipe after the rain.
ruddy shelduck had flown west according to girls in the hide not to sure on the time

 

[Janner Falcon!]

Approach to East Hide:-
1, 2, & 3. Singing Blackcap

From E Hide:-
4. Bluetit on reedmace
5. Squirrel in willow behind hide (from LH window). Stripped fine twigs and ate the foliage before biting off the twig and dropping it. Collected some of these later and took them up the back of the far hedge towards the telegraph pole.

 

[Janner Falcon!]

From W hide:-
1 & 2. Reed Bunting on reedmace
3. Great Tit

Car park hedge:-
4. elusive chiffchaff
5. Chiffchaff launch. Look no wings!

 

[Phil Andrews]

Ruddy Shelduck

Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea

The status of this species in Britain is much debated, with British Birds Rarity Committee (BBRC) recently ruling that no acceptable records of Ruddy Shelduck have occurred since 1950. The closest wild populations of Ruddy Shelduck to Britain originate from north-west Africa and south-east Europe (Romania, Bulgaria and Greece) although both are believed to be declining; perversely the population in the steppes of the central Russian states is expanding. A healthy feral breeding population exists in North Norfolk, centred around Cley and Holkham together with regular escapes, whilst there is also a sizeable Continental feral population centred around the Netherlands with breeding from 1969.

Upton Warren has had a total of 10 records involving 14 birds:-

End September > 2nd October 1983 - 1 bird
22nd September & 28th>29th October 1987 - 1 bird (female )
20th July > 10th September 1989* - 2 birds (male & female)
12th August 1990 - 1 bird
5th May 1993 - 1 bird (female)
18th May 1993 - 2 birds (male & female)
12th August 1993 - 2 birds
23rd October 1996 - 1 bird (fly-over female at the Moors Pool)
7th April 2004 - 2 birds (Moors Pool)
5th April 2014 - 1 bird (Moors Pool)

* The male departed on the 2nd August but the female remained until the 10th September 1989.

The reserve’s first record was present on two separate occasions, accompanying Canada Geese. Unfortunately the reserve did not attract any sightings in 1994, the most recent influx of birds into western Europe. The 1987 bird was also recorded at Westwood between July and December 1987 (also noted at Larford), whilst the female of the pair seen in 1989 was also observed at Bittell Reservoir during the same period.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Little Egret flew west from Sailing Pool at first light. Also 29 Avocet and 4 Little Ringed Plover at the Flashes (as per Dave Jackson).