Tuesday January 31 - Studley

 As I intend to visit every part of the 10km Circle around my house, you sometimes get days when the prospects look grim but you go anyway. Today was one of those.

I started off at Green Lane near the hospital and headed toward the Arrow at Washford Mill. The footpath took me across a featureless field of pasture and on to one with tufts of sedge springing out of it. The first field was the one with birds in it; 23 Redwings, a Fieldfare, and a Pied Wagtail. The hedgerow abounded with Goldfinches and eight Greenfinches. All this avian mediocrity came to the notice of a Sparrowhawk which glided silently at speed across the field about six inches off the grass before bursting through an open gateway. Surprise! Birds scattered in panic and the Sparrowhawk eventually flew to the dense branches of an Oak tree where I tried to photograph it. When it finally decided to move again, it whizzed around the tree in an attempt to catch a single Blue Tit which it had obviously had its eye on. The tit escaped.

As a seasoned birder I need to remember that even a dull day can be lit up by an encounter like this.

I headed back to the lane and then on to Studley where I eventually found the Arrow again. The older houses along Castle Road have a healthy population of House Sparrows, and it is telling that many modern estates lack them completely.

Having established that the river was home to about a dozen Mallard, and the riverside contained more Goldfinches and a single Siskin I headed north along the river, now firmly in Warwickshire, without seeing very much else.

Well, there was this I suppose.

Common Buzzard

Sunday January 29 - Morton Bagot

This morning dawned grey, mild and almost windless. I was joined not just by Dave, but also by his brother Paul from Filey who I hadn't seen for over twenty years. Obviously you want to show your patch off to best effect, so Dave and I knew we would have our work cut out.

In fact, there was news from yesterday. John Chidwick had been round and as well as the expected Barn Owl and Pied Wagtail roost he had seen 100 Lapwings and a Golden Plover flying over. 

This morning we duly ticked off the Barn Owl before heading for the pool field where we were hoping to find another of the site's specialities. Eventually we located a single Jack Snipe and a Common Snipe. Attempts to film/photograph the former in flight can best be described as mixed. Paul has kindly sent me his photo which I have attempted to enlarge in my usual cack-handed way. Sorry Paul.

Jack Snipe - per Paul S

Moving on to the flash field we found that some of the ice has finally thawed and there were a few ducks and waders present; specifically 26 Teal, four Mallard, seven Lapwings, and three Shovelers.

Shoveler

We also saw five Jays and later heard another, making quite a good haul for the site at this time of the year.

Other than about nine Skylarks, a handful of finches, and 30 to 40 Redwings we didn't have much else to show Paul, so I felt he was being very generous when he said he thought the place was excellent as a local patch. Perhaps we don't always appreciate the familiar.

Thursday January 26 - Back to the Arrow.

 This morning I resumed my exploration of the Arrow Valley, on this occasion choosing the section from Ipsley Mill Pool to Washford Mill. Considering its only about a mile from my house its surprising that I have barely set foot here before.

The area is part of the Arrow Valley Country Park, and much of it is football pitches and parkland. However there are some interesting managed coppices, and a wonderfully unkept woodland mess along the Arrow itself. Inevitably human activity has resulted in a good deal of river-born litter but if you look past that there seems to be the potential for some decent wildlife.

The records suggest it was once held Willow Tits and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. I'm sure the former are long gone, but felt there was a chance of a Lesser Spot. In a couple of one kilometre squares I counted six Great Spotted Woodpeckers, including two males drumming, but none of their smaller cousins. Perhaps they are no more.

The Arrow is still pretty shallow, and runs across a substrata of pebbles in many places, looking ideal for Kingfishers and other river species. All I managed to see along its course today were two Little Egrets and a Grey Wagtail. As it approaches Washford Mill it broadens and becomes deeper.

Grey Wagtail

Starting to look like a proper river

The woodland was dominated by the usual Tits and Blackbirds with a significant presence of Redwings, and Robins. Siskins and Goldfinches fed in the Alders, and I counted 41 of the former.

Siskin eating alder seeds

At least one pair of Bullfinches, a Mistle Thrush, and a Common Buzzard were also winkled out. It may be that regular visits might reveal the presence of something more unusual, but today was not the day.

Its a nice resource for the people of Redditch and I saw plenty of walkers enjoying the winter sunshine.

Wednesday January 25 - all about dipping

 In case anyone is unaware of the term, dipping is part of the twitching vernacular. It means hearing about a rare bird and then failing to see it. With my expanded patch it comes with the territory, but I still hate it.

Yesterday was a classic. I was preparing to twitch the Hawfinches which have been visiting Tardebigge Church when I got a message from Mark. At first light he had discovered a Tundra Bean Goose and a Pink-footed Goose on the ice with Greylag Geese which had been roosting at Arrow Valley Lake. Unfortunately it was now 09.00 and I was aware that they may have gone, but I went anyway, and dipped.

Never mind, there was still the Hawfinches. Off I went, arriving at the church to find a birder/photographer staring into the trees. He had seen two birds twenty minutes earlier. I had a little short of two hours before I had to keep an appointment with the dentist, and used all of it seeing Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Redwings and nothing much else. Another dip.

I tried Arrow Valley Lake again at dusk, but the fog came down and the Greylags didn't.

This morning I tried again at the lake. A flock of Greylag Geese was on the ice, which is making cracking noises as it thaws. Mark joined me, and we counted 64 Greylag Geese before having to accept there was nothing with them. Dip three.

Time to do some proper birding. I counted 12 Little Egrets in the roost, a drake Goosander, and six Shovelers as I headed back to the car park. Then, a bit of luck. A Water Rail flew across a gap in the reedbed at the north-eastern corner. I repositioned myself and rediscovered it walking along the ice at the base of the reeds. I tried for some photos but the light was too poor. But it turned out to be adequate for filming.

That's the essential difference between twitching and birding. For the former the best you can hope for is relief (when the bird's there), but in birding you can only ever be delighted (when lady luck shines).

This is the first Water Rail I have seen (as opposed to heard) at Arrow Valley Lake.

Sunday January 22 - Hoar frost

 This morning was cold, very cold. Dave joined me for our usual stumble around Morton Bagot, and with everywhere frozen solid expectations were not high.

Nevertheless the Netherstead  access road brought us a Marsh Tit as a useful, if not unexpected, addition to the year list. The main feature of the day was the hoar frost clinging to every branch. We saw quite a few Bullfinches but they were frustratingly flighty, and the only shots I got were too distant, and invariably of females. We reckoned there were at least nine individuals on site.

Frost

The flashes were birdless apart from a party of 22 Lapwings flying over (which I missed), and a few Geese on the distant fields. However, we did discover a flock of 47 Siskins in the Alders along the brook. This equals the second-highest count ever for Morton Bagot. Some of them can be seen below:

We noticed that the dead Kittiwake was now represented by a few white feathers (a Fox no doubt found his luck was in), and added a Stonechat and 23 Linnets in the ridge field.

The ridge field

We also noticed that more trees had been planted in the field where the Ring Ouzels had paused on passage last spring, also a favoured area for passage Wheatears. 

The march of HOEF progress I guess.

Friday January 20 - The Arrow Valley

 This morning I started off at Arrow Valley Lake, which was partially frozen. It pretty much the usual suspects, with three Goosanders, three Shovelers, a Great Crested Grebe, and a Little Egret the most noteworthy.

Goosanders

Shoveler

Having circumnavigated the lake I then set off northwards along the the river, breaking new ground with every step. 

One or two Grey Wagtails were not unexpected, and neither were the two or three Little Egrets which were feeding on the river's edge. The Arrow is no longer a stream, and can justifiably be described as a river by the time it reaches Arrow Valley Country Park, about a kilometre north of the lake. Having heard one along the river by the lake, I was pleased to find a very obliging Kingfisher, a male, just asking to be photographed.

Male Kingfisher

The all-black bill proved it was a male, and different from the female I had seen on Tuesday. 

Speaking of Tuesday, I met Adey who I last saw searching for Marsh Tits in Pitcher Oak Wood last winter. We got talking, comparing notes, and he mentioned having heard a Water Rail recently. It turned out to have been in exactly the place I had heard a "probable Water Rail" squeal coming from the river Arrow earlier in the week. Adey reckoned the recent frozen weather had forced it onto the river. Good enough for a retro-tick I decided.

Robin

The Robins around here are obviously used to people feeding them, and on two occasions came and fixed me with a steely stare. Unfortunately I had nothing in my pocket but my camera, probably not the outcome they were hoping for.

Thursday January 19 - Earlswood

 I've been resisting the urge to go to Earlswood this year, preferring to get on with my stated aim of birding along the river valleys. However, there has been a bit of a build up of potential year-ticks there, and when a drake Pochard turned up today, I finally cracked. Well I did only see one for the whole of last year.

I was also interested in seeing the adult Yellow-legged Gull again because an old friend is visiting from Yorkshire in a couple of weeks, and he has never seen one (they are scarce on the coast up there). I thought I'd better get my eye in, they can be very tricky once all the adult Herring Gulls obtain summer plumage.

I quickly saw a good candidate on the water, and provisionally ticked it before it disappeared. Subsequently several other white-headed Herring Gulls were considered to be just that.

Yellow-legged Gull

I eventually reached the rafts and was pleased to relocate the Yellow-legged Gull devouring a dead fish on the deck. No more doubts.

Yellow-legged Gull

On a couple of occasions it took off and I got a shot of its wing pattern as it returned.

A good wedge of black on the primaries

Shortly afterwards I spotted it on the water, and confirmed that there was no longer one on the raft, so decided it must be the same bird.

Yellow-legged Gull

I did also get interested in a second adult grey-backed Gull, and wondered whether there were two present. But without seeing the legs of that one, I wasn't sure.

The Pochard was still present, and I also year-ticked a couple of Goosanders on Terrys before seeing three flying over the causeway (maybe the same birds).

Pochard

Goosanders

Finally I was pleased to see that the Kittiwake is still present, possibly chuckling to see me again after I had dashed there on the evening of its first day.

Kittiwake

Hopefully it will get strong enough to return to the coast.

PS: The other adult grey-backed Gull was also seen by John Oates, who was equally perplexed. After some Whatsapp chatter, there is a feeling that it could be a hybrid of some kind. My guess would be HerringXCaspian Gull based on a similar looking bird in the latest Gull field guide. I did photograph it, but John had a much sharper one.

Tuesday January 17 - Arrow Valley North

 Winter has returned. This morning I drove off with the temperature registering at -5 degrees C. I didn't go far. On the northern outskirts of Redditch the River Arrow flows past the remains of Bordesley Abbey and  I began my walk there, heading north to the Abbey Golf Course and then west to Bordesley Bridge.

In the bright sunshine there was plenty of incentive to get the camera out, and one or two birds were irresistible.

A female Kingfisher

Lesser Redpoll

Siskins

Two Little Egrets

There were double figures of Siskins and a handful of Lesser Redpolls. What I wasn't seeing was anything to move my year-list forwards, although a Little Grebe on one of the golf course ponds was unexpected.

Little Grebe trying to hide behind some Mallard

I do have some Morton Bagot news. Tony K was ringing at the weekend and caught a Jack Snipe in the marsh. 

Jack Snipe at Morton Bagot - per Tony Kelly

I also have some moth news. Nigel Stone took possession of the few specimens I had to take to prove identification and has confirmed that I could add five moths to the garden list including a Beet Moth Scrobipalpa ocellatella which turned out to be in the vanguard of an invasion of the species last year. At the moment it's the first for Warwickshire as it was caught on 9 August 2022 before the majority of them started turning up in traps around the county. However, there is every chance that I will be gazumped by an earlier one.

Beet Moth - 10/8/22

A truly tiny moth caught on 16 June 2022 which was some kind of leaf-miner turned out to be Ectoedemia heringella, only the fourth record of the actual moth in Warwickshire although the leaf-mines are more familiar apparently. They mine the leaves of Holm-Oak.

Ectoedemia heringella - 12/6/22

New for the 10 km square SP06 was Coleophora alcyonipennella, and also Spilonota laricana. New for the garden was Aproeremia (formerly Syncopacma) larseniella. The other three moths, Bryotropha terrella, Bryotropha domestica, and Epinotia nisella, taken were confirmations of earlier identifications which I had chosen to guess at.

Coleophora alcyonipennella - 19/7/22

Spilonota laricana - 19/7/22

Aproaerema larseniella - 8/7/22

Obviously it goes against the grain to take specimens, but for these tiny moths there is no other way of getting the record accepted.

PS: at about the time I was photographing the Redpolls and Siskins I heard what sounded like the squeal of a Water Rail, but it was coming from the fast flowing river. The atypical habitat put me off, so I shrugged and moved on.

Sunday January 15 - A grim day at Morton Bagot

 This morning was noticeably colder than lately, but started off with a light shower to make us feel at home. I persuaded Dave that we should try walking along the road initially to enhance our chances of finding me a Marsh Tit for my Local Year-list. This nearly paid off when we found a large number of tits visiting a feeder in the village. These included several Coal Tits, and a very brief flight view of what was possibly a Marsh Tit. Unfortunately after about 15 minutes we hadn't seen it again, and we gave up.

Back on the fields we were seeing very little indeed. The flash pools eventually gave up 32 Teal, a Lapwing, and a few Mallard but things were looking pretty grim.

Teal

Its not every day you find a first for your patch and still describe the experience as grim, but that was the case when Dave drew my attention to a Kittiwake in the field beyond the Morton Brook. It was clearly a Kittiwake and definitely dead.

An ex-Kittiwake

Seabirds can turn up inland because they are taking a shortcut on their annual migration, but more likely because they have been battered by storms at sea and, unable to feed, have been blown inland. Some find sanctuary, like the Earlswood bird, but many must die a sad death in a field in the middle of nowhere.

We left it where it lay and continued to the raptor watch point, which we noticed was now smothered in plastic. HOEF have, after a gap of several years, resumed their tree-planting programme here. 

It looks as though they plan to plant in the big field between the pool field and the Morton Brook. The chances of seeing passage Wheatears or Ring Ouzels here may have got that little bit slimmer.

Sigh!

Thursday January 12 (again) - Twitching a Kittiwake

 You know how it is. You've been out birding in the morning and have written everything up. Time for a nice relax on the sofa. The phone bleeps, but you don't really notice. An hour later it's getting gloomy, you look at your phone. It says Kittiwake at Earlswood a.t.m. The message is timed at 14.23, its now 15.35. Stick or twist?

I twisted. At the end of the road I considered turning round, there had been no news for an hour. I pressed on and arrived at 15.55. The lakes are full of water. My first visit this year, so I tick Great Crested Grebe.

I scan Engine Pool. Nothing. Two Black-headed Gulls are heading away. I must have missed it. I walk across the causeway and half way down Engine Pool. Further scans fail to produce the bird or any birders. I give up, it's obviously gone. Back at the causeway there's a Whatsapp message from the finder Matt. It says "it's the only gull still present, it's by the eastern floating island".

I turn around and gather pace. Half way down I scan the vicinity of the nearest floating island. Nothing. He must mean the other island. I hurry on and scan the area round the second island. Nothing. I spot Matt and walk towards him. "It's gone hasn't it" I say. Matt looks over my right shoulder. "No, it's still here". Good grief.

Kittiwake

I saw it at last, but I don't think I deserved it.

Thursday January 12 - Jurassic birding

 The big news this week concerns a Hen Harrier or two filmed near Morton Bagot, but not recently. 

The exciting discovery dates back to the winter of 1992/93 when film-maker Jeremy was active locally. The footage is fantastic and can be viewed here. It covers the period October 19 1992 to March 15 1993. The sightings began at Badbury Hill, a kilometre east of Morton Bagot, and resume at Lower Spernall and Middle Spernall, ending with the last sightings at Spernall Park. 

Exactly how many birds were involved is uncertain. All the footage is of female Hen Harrier(s), but Jeremy did also see (but not film) a male over nearby Stoopers Wood. What all this land has in common is that back then, in the Jurassic, it was farmland managed for shooting. No doubt Finches and Buntings abounded in the Quinoa planted with Pheasants in mind, and the profusion of small birds would have tempted the Hen Harriers to stick around. Nowadays it is all owned by Heart of England Forest, so its fantastic in the spring and summer for biodiversity, but maybe not quite as good in the winter. 

Many thanks to Jeremy for sending me the footage.

I wish we could have the best of both worlds, plenty of forest and also land for the Quinoa and other Pheasant-cover, but without releasing any Pheasants. Perhaps there would be more finches etc in the winter to interest birders (and Hen Harriers, Great Grey Shrikes etc) and fewer Foxes and Crows, so more Curlews and Lapwings could have successful breeding seasons. 

Anyway, jumping off my soap box, I resumed my exploration of the Arrow today. I manage to scramble my way to Alvechurch STW, approaching from the north. I needn't have bothered. It was hopeless. But half way back to the car was something which made it all worthwhile. I was counting Black-headed Gulls flying south and had just got past 150 when I noticed a goose in their wake. Assuming a Greylag for the day-list I dutifully raised my bins and discovered it was actually an Egyptian Goose. I didn't see one at all last year, so a scramble for the camera ensued. By the time I got a shot the bird was heading into the distance, so I got just one barely identifiable image. 

Egyptian Goose

I would contend that if you look very carefully you can just about make out the snow white upperwing coverts. Not my best effort I will admit.

Before the rain resumed, I had time to walk a footpath south-west from Lye Bridge which skirted a hitherto unknown fishery with just enough phragmites to support a couple of wintering Reed Buntings.

Reed Bunting

I also added a couple of Grey Wagtails to the local year list.

Sunday January 8 - Morton Bagot

 Another day of mild south-westerly breezes. Time for another patch visit. Dave joined me as usual, and we got off to a bright start when we located the Barn Owl just visible in its roosting spot. 

Between 30 and 40 Redwings were flying around, but year-ticks were awaiting us at the flash pool. A Little Egret was standing with 15 Teal on the furthest flash, and eventually a flock of 25 to 30 Lapwings joined them. The Egret later flew towards the Morton Brook where it showed extremely well.

Little Egret

A little further on we found another creature which was worth a shot or two. A Red Fox was patiently awaiting a movement in the grass from a small mammal it had evidently heard. I took some video hoping it would pounce, but after five minutes of non-activity I gave up. I won't subject you to that, but will show the moment it finally looked round. We were downwind so it was unaware that we were there.

Red Fox

We did quite well for mammals, seeing Brown Hare, Muntjacs, a Roe Deer, and more unusually four Fallow Deer, but that was about it for another weekend.

Friday January 6

Since my last post I've added just one new bird for the year, a female Blackcap in our garden. 

Tony has been doing a bit of ringing at Netherstead, targeting the top pool where all the Pied Wagtails had roosted. The morning he did it produced instead an excellent tally of eight Reed Buntings caught. He also saw a Grey Wagtail which remains stubbornly off my list for the year.

Female Reed Bunting - per T Kelly

Today I decided to stick to my guns and potter around in the next section of the River Arrow, just east of Alvechurch. Things started well when I had an excellent view of a Kingfisher, and was then invited by a friendly chap, Joe, to explore his garden and woodland where I'd just seen it. In a perfect world this would have led to the discovery of something unusual, but I'm afraid it did not. 

It's always nice to talk wildlife to people when you are out birding, and today was most notable for the number of friendly folk who stopped to chat.

The River Arrow at Alvechurch

Just south of where I took this photo lies the Alvechurch Sewage Treatment Works. Numerous Black-headed Gulls were commuting between it and Bittell Reservoirs five miles to the north. I've checked the map, and I can't see any way of getting close to it on public roads or footpaths.

I'm going to need a friendly sewerage worker!

Wednesday January 4 - The streaming begins

 Towards the end of last year I decided that this year would have a theme, and that would be river valleys...within the Circle of course.

This morning I made a start, at the beginning (nearly) of the River Arrow. It had never really occurred to me, before, that the tiny stream which trickles into the Mill Shrub just north of my Circle is actually the start of the River Arrow.

I decided to pick it up along the Old Birmingham Road just north of Alvechurch. I wasn't able to follow it north towards Lower Bittell as it flows across private land, but a short detour saw me rejoin it on the Canal Dam by the reservoir.

The Arrow as it flows under the Old Birmingham Road

My most unexpected find came in the field which last year hosted the Old Birmingham Road Flash. Today it was dry, but to my surprise it harboured 15 Common Snipe.

Common Snipe(s)

The reservoir proved a bit of a disappointment. A drake Mandarin was presumably the bird present last autumn, but I couldn't see any Teal, Wigeon, or Great Crested Grebes. Just a Gadwall and a few Little Grebes, Tufted Ducks, Coots, Grey Herons, and Mute Swans to move the year-list on. There was a lot of fishing activity.

A Kingfisher was calling from the canal moat which surrounds the reservoir. I then walked along the canal to Alvechurch and looped back to rejoin the Arrow just south of where I'd started.

About 20 years ago I twitched a juvenile Dipper which had been found by Mike Inskip along the road from Cofton Hackett to Bittell Reservoirs. It wasn't well and was picked up and released on the Arrow just north of the Mill Shrub. 

Maybe there is still a pair of Dippers lurking on the streams running into the Arrow north of Redditch. I aim the find out.

Monday January 2 - Unfinished business

 A sunny calm day passed without me setting foot outdoors....until just before 16.00 when I decided to return to Morton Bagot to try to see the Barn Owl.

Walking down from the road, along the Millennium Way, you reach a small metal gate. Step through that and you are faced with the Pool Field. There is no need to go any further.

The top pool, bordered by reed-mace

A pleasant 45 minutes was spent counting Pied Wagtails as groups of them flew in, and eventually dropped into the reed-mace bordering the top pool and a smaller one nearby. I counted 52 individuals which comfortably beats my previous record count for the site.

Eventually the Barn Owl appeared, although it spent most of its time out of sight, quartering the Chat Field. The hedgerows were also occupied by numerous thrushes; Redwings, Song Thrushes, and Blackbirds which were also trying to roost.

The evening was to have one final twist. Driving home I spotted a Woodcock as it banked prior to landing (probably) in fields at Haye Pasture near the Dog Island.

Sunday January 1 - Morton Bagot

 So here we are, another year dawns. As is traditional I spent the day at Morton Bagot, and as it was a Sunday, Dave was able to join me.

Unusually for an alldayer, I missed the darkness before dawn. However I still had an hour of birding before Dave rolled up, putting it to good use by ticking off Siskin, Redpoll, and Yellowhammer all as fly-overs.

The morning was mild and sunny with an increasingly irritating south-westerly breeze. We strolled to the pool field, where all the little scrapes are now full of water. A Stonechat popped up before we waded into the damper bits. We were soon rewarded with two Common Snipe, and eventually a small area containing five Jack Snipe, the most for several years. Needless to say, despite proceeding with great caution, we failed to see any of them before they took off silently at close range.

The Flash field initially looked birdless, but eventually we found 42 Mallard which looked suspiciously like cage-reared cannon fodder, and a flock of 27 very nervous Teal. A single Cormorant was sitting in a tree, and during the afternoon I saw two more.

As we walked back along the brook Dave glimpsed a Red Kite, so we detoured to the top of the ridge where we were pleased to see it still present.

Red Kite

The last day-tick before we got back to the cars was a single Linnet, species number 51.

After a couple of hours break, I was back in the field. The afternoon was cloudy, but at least the wind had dropped. I concentrated my efforts along the edge of Bannams Wood before heading down to the flash and then completing a huge circuit via Netherstead and Bannams again before returning to my car, which I'd parked at the church.

This considerable effort was rewarded with just six more species: Green Woodpecker, Jay, Coal Tit, Treecreeper, Kestrel, and finally a couple of hooting Tawny Owls in the half-light at about 16.30.

There was time for one unexpected discovery. At least 32 Pied Wagtails heading to roost over Netherstead. A previously unrecorded phenomenon here.

Last year I saw 60 species on day one, this time 57. So I'm a bit down, total-wise, but its a marathon not a sprint.

PS: While I was watching the Pied Wagtails heading to roost over Netherstead, John Chidwick was watching a Barn Owl hunting over the pool field and witnessed dozens of Pied Wagtails flying in to roost in the bulrushes...so that's where they were going.