rollingthunder
Well-known member
Tue 9th April..................
Withymoor ca1315
A quick stroll down pulled in a hunting female Sparrowhawk whilst on the pool itself were 9 pairs of Tufted Duck, the most i have recorded there since the Autumn. Gulls were thin on the ground with the ca10 BHG's being joined by another 25 or so, LBB's were represented by 3 adults and a 3rd Winter-type. In addition a solitary Fieldfare flew over calling.
During th lull i happend to be looking at a Police helicopter hovering somewhere over Brierley Hill (i think it would make more sense to base it around here, it's where it seems to spend an inordinate amount of time). Adjacent to it i saw a couple of birds, one looked Buzzard-sized the other a crow-type, this was with the naked eye. A quick raising of the 'bins revealed a Red Kite being mobbed by a Carrion Crow!
Now, a tick from the 'patch' is not the same as one either on or over the patch. This was at about 1347 and 2-3 mins later the pair had drifted towards the railway line and then over the pool, well inside the BirdDenudedTriangle.
This was possibly the same individual that has been seen both @ Warrens Hall and FensPools recently? Plumage details might establish this. The bird i saw looked an 'immature' type with the underside of the wings not as contrasty as a full adult imo. This must be a wandering non-breeder from wherever? As more sightings of this species occur and the breeding comes ever closer, at present pairs are in Clun/Herefordshire/Shropshire so it won't be long before Worcs/Staffs have breeding pairs if not already.
Leo Smith is co-ordinating records of breeding etc and his details can be found on the Internet by searching, below is a background info link also the Wiki page on RK. It's hard to believe that there is an estimated 2,000 breeding pairs in the UK and we are now 'exporting' them back to the areas where we had them from at the start of the scheme!
http://gigrin.co.uk/welshkitetrust/leosmith.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Kite
Laurie:t:
Below - a couple of pics from ystda. OK i know they will not win any prizes but they are from an Iphone, the lens' is made for close shots and landscapes. Distant or mid-distance objects always look much smaller.
Withymoor ca1315
A quick stroll down pulled in a hunting female Sparrowhawk whilst on the pool itself were 9 pairs of Tufted Duck, the most i have recorded there since the Autumn. Gulls were thin on the ground with the ca10 BHG's being joined by another 25 or so, LBB's were represented by 3 adults and a 3rd Winter-type. In addition a solitary Fieldfare flew over calling.
During th lull i happend to be looking at a Police helicopter hovering somewhere over Brierley Hill (i think it would make more sense to base it around here, it's where it seems to spend an inordinate amount of time). Adjacent to it i saw a couple of birds, one looked Buzzard-sized the other a crow-type, this was with the naked eye. A quick raising of the 'bins revealed a Red Kite being mobbed by a Carrion Crow!
Now, a tick from the 'patch' is not the same as one either on or over the patch. This was at about 1347 and 2-3 mins later the pair had drifted towards the railway line and then over the pool, well inside the BirdDenudedTriangle.
This was possibly the same individual that has been seen both @ Warrens Hall and FensPools recently? Plumage details might establish this. The bird i saw looked an 'immature' type with the underside of the wings not as contrasty as a full adult imo. This must be a wandering non-breeder from wherever? As more sightings of this species occur and the breeding comes ever closer, at present pairs are in Clun/Herefordshire/Shropshire so it won't be long before Worcs/Staffs have breeding pairs if not already.
Leo Smith is co-ordinating records of breeding etc and his details can be found on the Internet by searching, below is a background info link also the Wiki page on RK. It's hard to believe that there is an estimated 2,000 breeding pairs in the UK and we are now 'exporting' them back to the areas where we had them from at the start of the scheme!
http://gigrin.co.uk/welshkitetrust/leosmith.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Kite
Laurie:t:
Below - a couple of pics from ystda. OK i know they will not win any prizes but they are from an Iphone, the lens' is made for close shots and landscapes. Distant or mid-distance objects always look much smaller.