Upton Warren (115 Viewers)

[UW82]

Tomorrow we will start a new 3 year cycle of reed bed management. The block A reed section along the causeway is where we will be working tomorrow. The water level has been dropped to enable us to work in relatively dry conditions.
Meet at car park 9ish wellies needed. Other small tasks might also be carried out depending on numbers👍john[/QU

Lets hope that Google Earth update the images soon, showing the Bittern channel.

Des.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Lets hope that Google Earth update the images soon, showing the Bittern channel.

Des.

And that it gets a Bittern .....

 

[upstarts1979]

Reed bed management today

14 of us attended the last work party of the year.
Bob O, Bob P, Bob R, Charles, Jim B, John C, Keith M, Paul M, Ray C, Roger, Sam09 (newbie), Terry W, Tony B and me.
Many thanks to Sam (Sam09 on forum) our youngest volunteer after Mary.:t:

Having dropped the water level by 6 inches or so recently, we were able to start the annual reed cutting cycle in the NW Moors reed bed.
We strimmed Block A next to the channel along the causeway. This was last cut 3 years ago when we started the 3 year rotational scheme. A lot easier going than then, but still heavy work. After the strimming we raked up the dry cuttings and burnt it. However to create a wetter base we had to rake up the last 3 years leaf litter strewn over the ground. Immediately this created muddy conditions in some areas and small pools in others. This wet debris was then piled adjacent to the swampy bottom channel. This will provide habitat for insect hibernation and snakes in summer.

Screen at North Moors: Today we also planted willow 'spikes' along the viewing screen approach. In time this will be woven to form a screen arch to limit disturbance.
Thanks and Happy Christmas to all the Volunteers on both the Moors and Flashes Work Parties, as well as birders and Togs who visit the reserve. Maybe next year you could come and join us John
and also thanks for all the cakes over the last few months, including Roger's wife's Banana cake today.

photo's
1. Before strimming, Sam , Bob O and Tony B taking the limelight 8-P
2. After the work

 

[PeterE]

14 of us attended the last work party of the year.
Bob O, Bob P, Bob R, Charles, Jim B, John C, Keith M, Paul M, Ray C, Roger, Sam09 (newbie), Terry W, Tony B and me.
Many thanks to Sam (Sam09 on forum) our youngest volunteer after Mary.:t:

Having dropped the water level by 6 inches or so recently, we were able to start the annual reed cutting cycle in the NW Moors reed bed.
We strimmed Block A next to the channel along the causeway. This was last cut 3 years ago when we started the 3 year rotational scheme. A lot easier going than then, but still heavy work. After the strimming we raked up the dry cuttings and burnt it. However to create a wetter base we had to rake up the last 3 years leaf litter strewn over the ground. Immediately this created muddy conditions in some areas and small pools in others. This wet debris was then piled adjacent to the swampy bottom channel. This will provide habitat for insect hibernation and snakes in summer.

Screen at North Moors: Today we also planted willow 'spikes' along the viewing screen approach. In time this will be woven to form a screen arch to limit disturbance.
Thanks and Happy Christmas to all the Volunteers on both the Moors and Flashes Work Parties, as well as birders and Togs who visit the reserve. Maybe next year you could come and join us John
and also thanks for all the cakes over the last few months, including Roger's wife's Banana cake today.

photo's
1. Before strimming, Sam , Bob O and Tony B taking the limelight 8-P
2. After the work

You've clearly done a brilliant job today, chaps. I'm sorry I couldn't be with you on my favourite spread of reeds. Best wishes to you and all our readers.

Peter

 

[upstarts1979]

Birding today on the reserve

During the work a male cetti's serenaded us throughout, afterwards it feasted in the newly created boggy areas. Also seen or heard were water rail, kingfisher, snipe and several passes from the lapwing flock. At one point being pursued by a pergrine. The great white egret flew up from the bittern channel and flew off high to the east. Intriguingly a birder/tog told us that he saw it fly off and was watching another GWE in the SW marsh. However there was a little egret around as well. Later he told someone that he saw 2 GWE a little egret and grey heron all together.|:S| The otter put in several appearances and this made it easier to do the duck count. A sparrowhawk too, put in several appearances but more of the unwanted variety as it was chasing snipe. A sizeable mixed flock of thrushes and starlings fed in the A38 field. Siskin and redpoll too were widespread but in lower numbers than Sunday.

Species count Moors:
Great White Egret, little grebe, grey heron 2, GCG, little grebe 2, Cormorant 30, mute swan pr + 2 juvs. Shoveler 46, Teal 110, mallard 45, Pochard 22, Tufted 27, SMEW redhead mid afternoon, Coot 280, water rail 5, snipe 4, lapwing 400+, Curlew 2, BHG 80, herring gull, LBBG 5, Peregrine, sprawk, buzzard, stock dove 4, kingfisher, great spotted wp, Fieldfare 60, mistle thrush, song thrush 2 singing, redwing 12, Starling c100, cetti's w 3, redpoll 7, siskin, greenfinch 12, bullfinch, coal tit 2, reed bunting 10.

Sailing Pool: GCG 8, little grebe 2, tufted 5

FLASHES: Arriving during the rain, the place looked decidedly miserable like being on a windswept estuary in the middle of winter. And to be fair the Flashes looked like an estuary, without the birds8-P. Even the birds looked forlorn soaking up the rain and the freshening SE wind. Towards dark many ducks and geese dropped in to either feed or roost as well as a couple of green sand, going out were the snioe and lapwings to feed in surrounding fields.
Species count Flashes:
Teal 35, shoveler 20+, mallard 60+, Greylag 25, canada's 150, coot 4, moorhen 30+, Snipe c5, lapwing 450, curlew 13, redshank, green sand 2, BHG 165 roosted,
goldcrest 2,
the mystery blob ....otter8-P taken by Sam with my camera:t:

 

[upstarts1979]

You've clearly done a brilliant job today, chaps. I'm sorry I couldn't be with you on my favourite spread of reeds. Best wishes to you and all our readers.

Peter

THank you Peter , yes I know how much you love this task8-P
Also we are now on Holiday (work party wise) until 5th January 2016

 

[upstarts1979]

Belated news from 14th 2 dunlin on Flashes PHW and KM

 

[Phil Andrews]

During the work a male cetti's serenaded us throughout, afterwards it feasted in the newly created boggy areas. Also seen or heard were water rail, kingfisher, snipe and several passes from the lapwing flock. At one point being pursued by a pergrine. The great white egret flew up from the bittern channel and flew off high to the east. Intriguingly a birder/tog told us that he saw it fly off and was watching another GWE in the SW marsh. However there was a little egret around as well. Later he told someone that he saw 2 GWE a little egret and grey heron all together.|:S| The otter put in several appearances and this made it easier to do the duck count. A sparrowhawk too, put in several appearances but more of the unwanted variety as it was chasing snipe. A sizeable mixed flock of thrushes and starlings fed in the A38 field. Siskin and redpoll too were widespread but in lower numbers than Sunday.

Species count Moors:
Great White Egret, little grebe, grey heron 2, GCG, little grebe 2, Cormorant 30, mute swan pr + 2 juvs. Shoveler 46, Teal 110, mallard 45, Pochard 22, Tufted 27, SMEW redhead mid afternoon, Coot 280, water rail 5, snipe 4, lapwing 400+, Curlew 2, BHG 80, herring gull, LBBG 5, Peregrine, sprawk, buzzard, stock dove 4, kingfisher, great spotted wp, Fieldfare 60, mistle thrush, song thrush 2 singing, redwing 12, Starling c100, cetti's w 3, redpoll 7, siskin, greenfinch 12, bullfinch, coal tit 2, reed bunting 10.

Sailing Pool: GCG 8, little grebe 2, tufted 5

FLASHES: Arriving during the rain, the place looked decidedly miserable like being on a windswept estuary in the middle of winter. And to be fair the Flashes looked like an estuary, without the birds8-P. Even the birds looked forlorn soaking up the rain and the freshening SE wind. Towards dark many ducks and geese dropped in to either feed or roost as well as a couple of green sand, going out were the snioe and lapwings to feed in surrounding fields.
Species count Flashes:
Teal 35, shoveler 20+, mallard 60+, Greylag 25, canada's 150, coot 4, moorhen 30+, Snipe c5, lapwing 450, curlew 13, redshank, green sand 2, BHG 165 roosted,
goldcrest 2,
the mystery blob ....otter8-P taken by Sam with my camera:t:

Usual question John - how many Shoveler in total across the reserve?

 

[Sam09]

It was a pleasure working with you all today, I'll be sure to attend the next work party. Sam

 

[Phil Andrews]

Nearing the middle of the month and December's list is already a decent 82 species. Potential additions in the next 16 days include (year ticks in bold):

Pintail, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Mandarin Duck, Red Kite, Golden Plover, Woodcock, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Tawny Owl, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Rook, Blackcap, Mealy Redpoll, Brambling, Yellowhammer

 

[Phil Andrews]

There have been a couple of recent requests for an Upton Warren tick list so please find attached the latest version.

Further to the above post a number of people have questioned the exclusion of Common Crane from the list.

To date we have yet to have a definitively wild bird at Upton Warren and none have been accepted by the County Recorder as such. With several birds noted on the west side of the country carrying leg rings associated with the Somerset Levels / Slimbridge reintroduction scheme I suspect the burden of proof in any submission to the County Record is now to prove that its an unringed wild bird

 

[geoffw1946]

Nearing the middle of the month and December's list is already a decent 82 species. Potential additions in the next 16 days include (year ticks in bold):

Pintail, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Mandarin Duck, Red Kite, Golden Plover, Woodcock, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Tawny Owl, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Rook, Blackcap, Mealy Redpoll, Brambling, Yellowhammer

A male Blackcap was reported in the Flashes logbook for last week.

 

[Phil Andrews]

A male Blackcap was reported in the Flashes logbook for last week.

Cheers Geoff - can't believe there haven't been any Rook records this month; perhaps a target species for the Wednesday crew today

 

[upstarts1979]

Usual question John - how many Shoveler in total across the reserve?

I would say 50. the flashes birds come in late on at dark usually with a handful already there. Strangely this year I haven'tseen the gyrating group action at the Moors.

 

[upstarts1979]

It was a pleasure working with you all today, I'll be sure to attend the next work party. Sam

It was nice to have another young one in the 'crew' today. As you and me were the youngest8-P. Although there are 44 years between us:eek!: :-O

 

[upstarts1979]

Further to the above post a number of people have questioned the exclusion of Common Crane from the list.

To date we have yet to have a definitively wild bird at Upton Warren and none have been accepted by the County Recorder as such. With several birds noted on the west side of the country carrying leg rings associated with the Somerset Levels / Slimbridge reintroduction scheme I suspect the burden of proof in any submission to the County Record is now to prove that its an unringed wild bird

The crane I saw last year appeared to have no rings and I saw it fly past less than 150 yards away. Subsequent photos proved it did have rings. So a high fly over job will be difficult to prove it has no rings:eek!:

 

[UW82]

Great White Egret still at the Moors.

Des.

 

[Phil Andrews]

The crane I saw last year appeared to have no rings and I saw it fly past less than 150 yards away. Subsequent photos proved it did have rings. So a high fly over job will be difficult to prove it has no rings:eek!:

It's a difficult dilemma for the County Recorder and not one I envy; I am sure each case will be judged on its individual merits. However when there are known colour-ringed birds circulating in the vicinity it does make the assessment of any record tricky. For the Upton list I will be following the decision of the County Recorder (as I do for other assessed species)

 

[upstarts1979]

Golden Plover at Flashes text just received off Andy A (peregrine Trousers):t:

 

[UW82]

Today's highlights:

MOORS: a.m and p.m until 16.00
Great White Egret. Spent the day at the Moors feeding in various areas until 16.00 at least.
Shelduck---------------------Pochard (20)
Teal (95)---------------------Shoveler (45)
Tufted Duck (26)-------------Curlew (13)
Lapwing (c250)---------------Water Rail (2)
Cetti's Warbler (2)------------Kingfisher
Little Grebe (2)---------------G C Grebe (1)
Kestrel------------------------Siskin (3)
Coal Tit-----------------------Cormorant (28)
Grey Wagtail (1)--------------Mute Swan (4)
Little Egret (1) reported mid morning.

SAILING POOL:
Smew. Showed in open water on a few occasions after being disturbed from the NW corner by boats.
Tufted Duck (9)---------------G C Grebe (8)
Little Grebe (1)---------------Goldcrest (2)

FLASHES:mid a.m and early p.m
Golden Plover (1)--------------Redshank
Lapwing (455)-----------------Raven
Kestrel-------------------------Grey Wagtail (2)
Siskin (1)----------------------Kingfisher

Peregrine Trousers might like to report on his very early morning fly through Goosander.

Des.