Upton Warren (5 Viewers)

[upstarts1979]

This afternoon at reserve

Moors: The wind was gale force SW/W for a short time, giving us hope of a windswept seabird dropping in. With a Sab's gull in Oxfordshire we were even more hopeful, but then the wind dropped and that was it.
Not a lot different to Dave J's sightings.
MOORS: Little grebe 5, little egret 2, Teal 58, shoveler 26, gadwall 4, pochard 4, greylag 26, Egyptian geese 2, snipe 4, Jack snipe in flag iris and did a little 'bouncing' tour of the NE promontory. Curlew 3, herring gull 5, BHG 60,
cetti's w singing,

FLASHES: : The starling again performed well for those gathered in the main hide. Similar size to yesterday but the birds spiralled into the reeds at 4.18pm a good 12 minutes earlier than yesterday. 6000+
A 'spanking' male stonechat was found in the Hen Brook'triangle' by Crofty. This bird was much brighter than any of the birds I have seen recently. Towards dark the 2nd Flash saw many ducks dropping in to it to feed overnight with other waterfowl, c220 in all.
Counts: Teal 60 -70, Mallard 85 - 90, shoveler 25, gadwall, moorhen 30, coot 8, Snipe 12+, green sand 3, curlew 13, lapwing 280+, BHG 620 roosted with just 1 LBBG. 15 Herrings circled almost at dark but moved off north. kingfisher, stonechat, starling 6000+, redwing 90, grey wag.

 

[upstarts1979]

BHG eating berries!

This evening a flock of BHG's were hovering over the north end of the 1st Flash. Initially I though a fox was walking along the bank, but they never dipped down to mob anything. Then we noticed that they were picking something off a bush. I have seen them doing this over the Oak tree in the autumn when they were picking flying insects off he leaves. But closer inspection revealed that they were picking sloe's from the blackthorn bush on the bank. They were then landing on the water to wash them before swallowing.
I have never witnessed this behaviour before. :t:

 

[Birder Gladys]

good to catch up with the good folk of Upton had a couple hours 45 birds in total had 10 collared dove on farm roof behind sailing pool seen from west hide never seen a flock of them before normally in pairs? I to saw the BHGs at the north end of the Flashes wondered what they was doing.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Just passed the half-way point of the month and November's list current stands on 83 species. Potential additions in the next two weeks include (year ticks in bold as ever):

A winter swan, a grey goose, Shelduck, Mandarin Duck, Pintail, Goldeneye, Goosander, Scaup, Bittern, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Woodcock, Red Kite, Merlin, Yellow-legged Gull, Med Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Short-eared Owl, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Rock Pipit, Water Pipit, Blackcap, Nuthatch, House Sparrow, Mealy Redpoll, Brambling

 

[upstarts1979]

Starling Roost

Had a message from Bill B that the starlings had gathered in the large flock again this evening. But at 4.10pm they were attacked by a sparrowhawk, which unnerved them and they flew off north out of sight. Fortunately they returned at 4.35pm and dropped in to the 3rd Flash reed bed although a bit more spread out than in the last 2 nights.:t:

 

[Phil Andrews]

Having trawled through the bowels of the BTO website I have come across some further (historic) ringing records for the reserve that are either new information or expand on existing known details:

Yellow Wagtail
Juvenile male ringed at Upton Warren on 06/08/1970; recovered Wyke Regis, Portland Dorset on 31/08/1970

Reed Warbler
Adult ringed at Parc National du Djoudj, Fleuve, Senegal on 28/03/1996; recovered at Upton Warren on 01/06/1996
First year female ringed at Upton Warren on 26/08/1984; recovered at Alvechurch nearly 7 years later on 04/07/1991

Cetti's Warbler
Juvenile female ringed in the nest at Upton Warren on 03/06/2004; recovered at Pett Level, East Sussex on 08/10/2004 and then again in the same location on 02/10/2005 and 23/01/2006

House Martin
First year bird ringed at Beachy Head, East Sussex on 19/09/1975; recovered at Upton Warren on 01/05/1978

Swallow
First year bird ringed at Upton Warren on 30/08/1974; found dead at Eure-et-Loire, France on 20/04/1975
First year bird ringed at Upton Warren on 06/09/1971; recovered at Ouezzane, Morocco on 16/04/1974
First year bird ringed at Upton Warren on 18/08/1971; found freshly dead on a North Sea oil rig on 15/06/1972

Rook
Adult ringed at Droitwich on 03/02/1980; found freshly dead (shot) at Upton Warren on 02/11/1990

Green Woodpecker
Adult ringed at Upton Warren on 11/01/1978; found dead (with an injury) at Harbours Hill, Hanbury on 23/12/1983

Kingfisher
Adult ringed at Litton, North Somerset on 26/08/1974; found freshly dead following a storm at Upton Warren on 08/09/1974

Black-headed Gull
Adult ringed at Bohmke U Werder, Ostvorpommern, Germany on 22/05/1992; found freshly dead at Upton Warren on 27/07/1992

Curlew
Juvenile ringed at Walcot, Wellington, Shropshire on 09/08/1980; found freshly dead having hit wires at Upton Warren on 27/02/1997

Water Rail
Juvenile male ringed at Brandon Marsh, Warwickshire on 08/09/1987; noted at Upton Warren on 14/05/1989 as part of a successful breeding pair on the North Moors (also understood to have bred in the same location in 1988)

 

[Phil Andrews]

Late news for yesterday: 2 Little Egret still at the Moors Pool (Stuart Andrews via WorcesterBirding)

 

[upstarts1979]

Moors Birding Today.
Little egret 2. little grebe 6. cormorant 15. Shoveler 35. teal c34. gadwall pr. pochard 4. tufted 21. coot 240. water rail 5. Snipe 2. Curlew 13 in A38 field. herring gull adult argentatus. kestrel male. fieldfare c30. redwing c50. coal tit. Cetti's 2.

 

[upstarts1979]

Birding Flashes

Teal 150. Shoveler 35 from Moors. mallard 65. Egyptian geese 2. Greylag 16. coot 11. moorhen 33. Curlew 13. lapwing 295. Snipe 12. BHG 650 roosted. Starling 6000+ .

 

[upstarts1979]

Moors work party today

15 of us. worked in the car park reef bed and Swampy bottom
Bob O. Bob P. Charles. Dave H. Jim B. John C. Nick. Paul M. Peter E. Ray C. Roger. Terry W Tony B. Geoff Williams (thanks mate). and me. Great effort today from everyone considering the conditions
and thanks Bob O for cakes :eat:

Car park reed bed:
In the near side ( west) of the reed bed the reeds have collapsed and degrading the site. Today we cut the fallen reeds and raked them up into SW corner to create a habitat pile. The ground soon became waterlogged and muddy after we scraped out the old debris and trampled around. The willows in the west side of the car park reed bed were coppiced and a dead hedge was created along the edge of the car park. Next year the reeds should be reinvigorated and in the meantime snipe, water rail and who knows what could feed in the muddy area.

Pics of car park reed bed.
1 and 2 before work. notice fallen reeds and overgrown willows.
3,4,5. After work, notice wet & muddy areas in 3 and 4. and dead hedging at northern half of car park/reed junction.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Teal 150. Shoveler 35 from Moors. mallard 65. Egyptian geese 2. Greylag 16. coot 11. moorhen 33. Curlew 13. lapwing 295. Snipe 12. BHG 650 roosted. Starling 6000+ .

Usual question - any duplication in the Teal numbers?

 

[upstarts1979]

Usual question - any duplication in the Teal numbers?

I would say no more than 165 on site

 

[upstarts1979]

Swampy Bottom :
We continued working in this area ( along the causeway). Our main goal is to open up the channel to allow kingfisher, water rail and hopefully Bittern to feed in it. Several willows were pollarded and added to the dead hedge already in situ.

pic
1. before work looking from causeway
2. after work. still needs a bit more work to open up completely
3. old harvest mice nests found in the car park reed bed

 

[UW82]

3 Little Egrets at the Moors.

Des.

 

[UW82]

Today's highlights:

FLASHES:
Curlew (13)-------------Snipe (18)
Lapwing (268)----------Green Sand (1)
Teal (110)--------------Egyptian Goose (2)
Greylags (18)-----------Kestrel
Grey Wagtail------------B H Gull (c350)
Starling (c1500)--------Redpoll (2)
Chiffchaff (reported)

MOORS:
Pochard (3)-------------Gadwall (2)
Teal (30)----------------Tufted Duck (16)
Cormorant (23)---------Little Grebe (4)
Snipe (3)----------------Cetti's Warbler (2)
Herring Gull (2ad)-------Siskin (3)
Redpoll (1)---------------Shoveler (c30)
Kestrel-------------------Little Egret (3)

Des.

 

[Peregrine Trousers]

Today's notables

Moors 0700-1000, cloudy, 10℃

Pochard (2 pair)
Gadwall (1 pair)
Cetti (1 heard by east hide)
Green Woodpecker
Grey Wagtail
Curlew (13)
Kingfisher
Greater Spotted Woodpecker (2)
Goldcrest (5)
Song Thrush

Flashes 1015-1330

Treecreeper
Redpoll (12)
Redwing (12)
Fieldfare (8)
Snipe (32)
Dunlin

 

[upstarts1979]

Bob P and Bob W. Had what they thought was a female/imm Scaup on the Moors this afternoon. It wasn't seen after the otter flushed many of the wildfowl. :t:

 

[upstarts1979]

This evening Andy Harris had 3000 starlings roosted in the reed bed in front of Lifestyles

 

[UW82]

This evening Andy Harris had 3000 starlings roosted in the reed bed in front of Lifestyles

So that's where most of last night's roost at the Flashes was.

Des.

 

[upstarts1979]

So that's where most of last night's roost at the Flashes was.

Des.

Andy and the consultants said 3500 at. 4.15pm