Monday November 25 - Morton Bagot

 Scrolling briefly back to Thursday, I had a phone call from Mike Lane who was kind enough to let me know that he had seen a Great White Egret at Morton Bagot. Not so very long ago I would have gone to see it straight away, but this species is more regular locally these days. 

So I chose to spend Friday morning at Earlswood Lakes instead, where the modest highlight was a flock of 14 Goosanders.

The weekend was a complete wash-out, so I waited until today to go to Morton Bagot. I was pretty sure the Egret would have gone anyway because all the previous ones have been one day wonders.

As expected the site was inundated with water, all the scrapes being full and the old pool making a brief comeback. It was a sunny morning and I was delighted to discover that the local Tawny Owl was sitting in full view.

I was basically just ticking off the regulars when I reached the first spot that you can get a distant view of the flash field. It looked pretty quiet, but just beyond the back hedge a deep ditch bisects the next field. Anything that might be in it would have to be pretty big to be visible, but as luck would have it....

In case you're wondering, the yellow bill and long neck add up to a Great White Egret, no doubt Mike Lane's bird which has chosen to buck the trend and stay here for more than one day.

I moved on to view the flash field, where the extra water served only to deter the local Teal flock, only two or three remaining, and now supported 33 Mallard and 10 Lapwings instead.

Apart from that I counted three Stonechats across the site and had a fly-over Yellowhammer coming from the direction of Castle Farm, where I notice there is a big field of maize in the ground. I should check it out this winter.

Tuesday November 19 - A false sense of security?

 If you've been birding for a number years, experience tells you when you should and shouldn't go birding.

Now that I'm retired I should be in prime position to take advantage of the signs. But somehow I'm not listening, or at least not reacting quickly enough.

What I'm talking about is the weather. Yesterday the plan was sound enough. The day dawned fairly sunny, and it was still reasonably mild, so it was not a bad day to slip into winter birding mode and go exploring pastures new.

My theory is that birds have stopped migrating and your local patch is likely to contain the same birds as it had the day before, and the day before that etcetera. 

So I tried a random area of farmland between Aston Cantlow and Newnham at the south-eastern edge of my Circle of interest. The upshot was a substantial flock of Linnets (my figure of 179 was the result of a mixture of estimation and counting odd birds), plenty of Redwings and Fieldfares, and a fly-over Yellowhammer.

Linnet

Where I went wrong was not taking my scope. Years ago checking through Linnet flocks in the hope of finding a lost Twite was worth doing, but in the last twenty years Twites have gone from very scarce to virtually non-existent locally. I need to rediscover my old optimism.

Speaking of which, this morning we woke up to snow falling and settling. The wind has shifted to the north and my birding sense should have been on red alert. To be fair, we had been tipped off that friends were dropping in. So maybe I just switched off.

Come the afternoon, our friends had gone and I slumbered, literally, maybe lulled into a false sense of security by the time of year. 

When I finally glanced at the Birdguides app it was too late. Kittiwakes were turning up on Midland reservoirs, a Great Northern Diver at Draycote, and thousands of Little Auks were streaming into the North Sea. I needed to be out there.

The hastily arranged plan was to dash to Earlswood. It sounds as though no-one was looking today, but by the time I arrived there was only half an hour's light left. Gulls were flying off to roost. I'd blown it.

Even so, two drake Goosanders were immediately obvious on Engine Pool, along with two drake Wigeon. I got to the causeway and scanned in fading light. It may well be that there really was nothing much there today, but I wish I'd been there in good time to check.

Never mind, at least there was just enough light to photograph the Goosanders (well one of them), and a remarkably approachable Grey Heron.

Sunday November 17 - Morton Bagot

It's starting to feel a lot like winter. Not so much the weather, more the birds. Nevertheless today proved you can still have an excellent day's birding locally.

It was a largely sunny morning and I was joined by Dave for a stroll around the patch. We had no real expectations of the day, and were quite pleased when we spotted an immature Peregrine  on one of the pylons.

We had reached the area favoured by the ringers and could see that they had erected lots of well-stocked feeders. There was no sign of any actual ringers though, and this was a pity because we flushed two Hawfinches from a hedge right next to one of the feeders. The birds then perched above the small pool and we realised what they were. They disappeared again, but not for long. We found them in a birch a few metres beyond. Close enough for some photos.

The male Hawfinch

The other Hawfinch (thought to be female)

It seems very likely that these were the two birds we saw in flight last weekend. After a few minutes they flew off and after a brief search we resumed our circuit.

An alarmed Blackbird led us to a roosting Tawny Owl, once again the same bird as the one several days ago.

The remainder of the morning brought a steady procession of the regulars, the best being three Yellowhammers flying over, a pair of Red Kites, and two Stonechats.

We eventually accumulated 52 species, which was definitely above par.

Earlier in the week I had paid a visit to Earlswood Lakes, concentrating particularly on Windmill Pool and the scrublands beyond. The latter area produced a calling Water Rail which was an Earlswood tick, and fifty Siskins.

A brief look at Engine Pool proved worthwhile when I noticed a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull among the 170 or so gulls present.

I've submitted the details to the BTO Euring project, and have not yet received news of where it was ringed. However Matt G thinks he may have seen the same gull and believes it was ringed abroad. It could be a while before I find out its origin.

PS: Many thanks to Mike Wakeman for his help with the ring. The bird was ringed in Poland. Further details will follow in due course.

Wednesday November 13 - Morton Bagot

I've always considered myself to be a birder who takes photographs and not a photographer who takes shots of birds. This may seem a subtle distinction, but it's quite fundamental. Looked at from my perspective it means is that I go birding and if the photos I post aren't very good, well that's just the way its going to be. I set my camera onto auto (birdwatching) and off I go.

Occasionally I'm tempted to try to up my game. I'll read another blog with detailed instructions on what to do, and try to follow them.

The Whooper Swan shots were taken following such advice, notwithstanding that it was pointed out that other settings would be needed for flight shots.

This morning I was keen to try again, this time at Morton Bagot. It happened to be a sunny day, so what could go wrong?

Well something did, because my resulting photos all seem over-exposed. Fortunately there was very little to see, so my dreadful shot of a late (for Morton Bagot) Chiffchaff didn't really matter. To be fair the bird was not giving me much chance. Thank goodness it wasn't a Yellow-browed Warbler.

But even when birds did sit in full view, I was a bit disappointed by the results. Reed Buntings are usually pretty co-operative, and I've no complaints about this one.

The original shot looks terrible in the back of the camera, but can be rescued to a point on the computer.

When I got to the flash field I tried photographing the Teal flock and they came out perfectly sharp but with gleaming over-exposed breasts. I then tried with the camera on auto and the breasts were less bright, but the birds were more out of focus. I guess I need to keep trying.

However, a Cormorant which showed very well indeed was taken with the camera on auto, and it looks fine to me.

One thing I much prefer with the auto setting is that there is no camera noise, bleeps and clicks, at all when you press the shutter.

Incidentally I wondered whether this Cormorant could be identified as the race sinensis rather than the "British" carbo. My feeling is that the key feature, the angle of the rear end of the gular patch, is intermediate between the two. This could mean that the bird is a hybrid between the two races, which given that most of the inland breeding Cormorants are thought to be the continental sinensis would not be too much of a surprise.

Tuesday November 12 - Whoopers and Hawfinches from the garden!

 This stay at home birding could catch on. This morning I noticed a flock of 60 Woodpigeons flying south, so decided to station myself on our front drive in case something else turned up. There were a few Redwings and Fieldfares, but not much really until two Hawfinches flew west quite low, and I thought there was a good chance they'd land in the trees along Coster's Lane. So I grabbed my camera and went off in pursuit.

Ten minutes later I was returning empty-handed, but just as I reached our Close I spotted a flock of swans heading south-east over Winyates Green. They were certainly wild Swans and I had my camera to hand. Perfect.

I'm going for Whooper Swans on account of their long necks and triangular head shape. Also there are still only two Bewick's Swans at Slimbridge.

One of the birds has a damaged right wing, probably as a result of someone taking a pot shot at it rather than moult. 

I've tried zooming in on the computer at home, but it didn't add much detail.

I'd like to check Morton Bagot, but we're expecting a district nurse today so I have to stay in. Lyn is making good progress.

Sunday November 10 - Morton Bagot

I arrived at Morton Bagot ten minutes later than intended, but this tardiness resulted in Dave and I being in the right place at the right time to see two Hawfinches fly past, apparently bound for Clouse Wood. They were literally the first birds we saw as we stood around chatting and generally catching up. 

It started out another grey day with hardly any wind and a hint of mizzle in the air. This probably explains why, despite a decent morning's birding, the camera barely got any use at all.

Highlights after the Hawfinches included at least two and possibly four Yellowhammers, an adult Common Gull flying south (the first here this year), a Brambling flying south (the first here this year), and at least 40 Skylarks heading over at height. The first two Yellowhammers were actually perched in a hedge, a reminder of the days when they were common here.

It was generally a day with lots of birds flying out of cover or heading over. These included probably 100 Redwings and Fieldfares as well as double-figure estimates of Song Thrushes and Blackbirds many of which are very likely to be from northern Europe, a good smattering of finches including double figure counts of Linnets, Goldfinches, Reed Buntings, and Redpolls, and we noted the continued presence of at least two Stonechats.

The flash field and scrapes were slightly less productive, although the Green Sandpiper remains, and we counted 65 Teal, which was a decent count.

I really like early November, it's often really good for birds, but you know that in a couple more weeks the patch will be at its quietest as almost everything that made today exciting will have moved on.

Friday November 8 - A morning of surprises

 I had a definite plan for this morning. Part one was to be at St Mary's churchyard near Studley shortly after dawn in the hope that the Yews there will have attracted some Hawfinches, as they did in the last influx.

I was stuck with the same cloudy gloom that has characterised the last ten days, but at least there was very little breeze again. Sadly I was not able to find any Hawfinches, only Goldfinches, Chaffinches and a Greenfinch. But there was still a surprise or two in store.

Looking out towards the river valley I spotted a flock of ducks approaching, and it turned out that they were 23 Goosanders. The flock split, half returning downstream and the rest going upstream. A little later a single drake Goosander appeared from the north, and may well have been a new bird. Shortly after that I was under the cover of the trees when I heard the mournful call of a Golden Plover several times. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that this was a year-tick.

Back home to help Lyn rise to face the day I was staring out of the bedroom window when, irony of ironies, a Hawfinch flew passed. It wasn't a garden tick thanks to the last invasion year, but was welcome nonetheless.

Part two of the plan was to go to Morton Bagot to check out the area I had not had time to visit on Tuesday. At the flash field there were no real surprises, unless you count a single Wigeon which lurked behind the flock of 39 Teal. I also saw a few Snipe, Lapwings, and Greylag Geese.

Moving on to the scrape field I flushed a few more Snipe but didn't try hard enough to find any Jack Snipe. I also found a pair of Stonechats and flushed a Green Sandpiper.

But lady luck wasn't yet completely done with me. A flock of Woodpigeons emerged from the north side of Bannams Wood, and I know enough to make sure I raise my binoculars to look at them. Sure enough a Goshawk was in hot pursuit of one particular pigeon allowing an assessment of the size of the Gos to be made. It was clearly larger than the Woodpigeon, I would say about 15% bigger, which would make it a male Goshawk as females are larger still. I did attempt a photo, but it was too far away and the resulting image was of no use and will not be shown here.

Wednesday November 6 - Morton Bagot

 When the ringers tipped me off that they would be ringing at Morton Bagot this morning, I was keen to join them in the hope that the Hawfinch might reappear.

So I spent a couple of hours hanging around Tony, Leigh, and Ida as they patiently ringed whatever they could catch. Unfortunately the Hawfinch failed to put in an appearance, but on a gloomy misty morning there were plenty of thrushes in the hedgerows to keep us optimistic.

Only a small proportion of the Redwings and none of the Fieldfares (by the time I had to leave) had found their way into the nets, but I estimated there were 40 Redwings and 30 Fieldfares plus smaller numbers of Blackbirds and Song Thrushes keeping things lively.

Unfortunately there didn't seem to be much overhead passage going on, and all I could come up with was a Peregrine which flew to a more distant pylon while we were there.

Eventually I decided to take a stroll down the hedge before heading for home. This paid off when plinking Blackbirds led me to a sleepy Tawny Owl. Since the regular tree has been abandoned I've found it hard to see this species and this was only my second sighting here this year.

I only got as far as the scrapes (and didn't even check them) before my conscience got the better of me and I headed back home. There was at least a Stonechat visible on the hedge there.

The ringers' update is as follows:

Overnight Tony caught a Woodcock, two Redwings, and a Linnet.

Today's mist-netting produced:

Blue Tit 8 (6 retraps)

Great Tit 5 (2 retraps)

Wren 1

Redwing 2

Blackbird 1

Bullfinch 3

Lesser Redpoll 6

Goldfinch 2

Reed Bunting 1

Sunday November 3 - review of the week

 There are some encouraging signs regarding Lyn's recovery, and I was even able to go birding  this weekend. 

Earlier this week my efforts were confined to hour-long vizmigging from the driveway and a little bit of mothing. Most mornings produced very little, but I did count over 100 Fieldfares on October 31, and there were several 100+ counts of southward bound Woodpigeons. If I needed any encouragement that this wasn't all a monumental waste of time, that came from Dave Jackson vizmigging from his garden near Crabbe's Cross recording Hawfinches on successive days from November 1.

Meanwhile, Tony had been doing some nocturnal ringing at Morton Bagot, and this paid off with his successful capture of a Green Sandpiper on Thursday evening.

Green Sandpiper - Tony Kelly

On Saturday came news of a drake Red-crested Pochard at Earlswood. It was agreed that I could be spared the time to twitch it, and I duly did so.

The bird had been found on Windmill Pool by Joe Owens, and was still present if a little distant when I arrived and was only the third for the site. It took off shortly after the first boat set forth, but I gather it was seen subsequently on Engine Pool. I also had the bonus of a pair of Ring-necked Parakeets flying over as I headed back to the car.

Lyn managed so well that this morning we agreed I could spend two or three hours at Morton Bagot. In fact I hadn't even left the house before Mike Holley messaged me that he had heard a Hawfinch calling there. I arrived ten minutes later, and connected with the bird before I even found Mike. It had taken off from the hedgerow near the beehives. It quickly joined some Redwings and disappeared before Mike joined me. Dave arrived, unaware of the drama, and the three of us resumed the search. 

Mike relocated it half an hour later back near where it had been seen previously but it again flew off before anyone could get a record shot of it. Further searches proved unsuccessful, but I think it's likely that it's still there.

There were a lot more Fieldfares and Redwings in the area, along with at least one Stonechat. The flash field was a bit disappointing, but on my way back to the car I did see a Peregrine.

Finally, I mentioned moths at the start of this post. On October 28 I trapped ten moths. Most were Red-Green Carpets but I also had an early Winter Moth and a Black Rustic.

Black Rustic

PS: I understand the Red-crested Pochard could not be found at Earlswood this morning but there was ample compensation in the form of a first-winter Mediterranean Gull.

Sunday October 27 - The new normal

 I wasn't expecting to post anything more for quite a while, but birds have intervened. The good thing about the little blighters is that they fly, they migrate, they give you a chance even if you are confined to barracks.

So yesterday morning I couldn't help noticing that birds were moving. Flocks of Woodpigeons headed south every so often during the first couple of hours of daylight, and I eventually counted 275 of them, mostly from the bedroom window. 

As luck would have it that was exactly the right place to be when, at 08:40 I turned round from talking to Lyn and spotted three white birds approaching from the north. I grabbed my binoculars and confirmed they were swans. Within seconds I realised they were not Mute Swans, but were actually either Bewick's or Whooper Swans. I could see the yellow base at the base of their bills, and I tried hard to assess the shape of the yellow colour. They were soon lost behind the whitebeam growing to the left of our front garden. A dash downstairs to the back garden proved futile. Nevertheless a quick check of the Internet confirmed my suspicion that no Bewick's Swans have arrived at Slimbridge yet, so it seems very likely indeed that these birds were Whooper Swans which arrive a month or so earlier. In fact it may be relevant that three Whoopers were reported flying south over Seisdon near Wolverhampton just an hour and a half before my sighting.

For the rest of the morning I managed to watch from the driveway which was better for seeing birds which call as they fly over. This added 94 Redwings and a few Skylarks and Chaffinches to the morning's haul. 

Meanwhile Dave and the ringers, Tony and Leigh, have been visiting Morton Bagot over the weekend. They found the first two Jack Snipe of the autumn along with 15 Common Snipe, and two Stonechats. 

Greenfinch - Tony Kelly

The ringing totals included a Blackcap, four Redwings, five Greenfinches, eight Goldfinches, and three Reed Buntings.

The exciting day of movement was also noticed at Earlswood where John O and Matt G counted 4,310 Woodpigeons and a Hawfinch in the space of two hours. Two of the latter have returned to Tardebigge churchyard, and Birdguides is full of reports of them.

This morning by contrast, there appears to be no movement of birds going on over the house whatever. 

Things could be a lot worse.

Saturday October 26 - Getting out less

 Well the good news is that Lyn is back home. Now the hard work begins. It will take a while before she is able to regain some independence.

My last birding was at Earlswood on Tuesday, the highlight being 700 Woodpigeons heading south in just over an hour. It was a bit of a gloomy morning and the only bird I photographed was a Kestrel.

One thing I have allowed to lapse is my garden moth-trapping. I've not attempted to catch anything since the middle of September. This means I have missed a number of common species which only fly for two or three weeks. But now I'm housebound for the foreseeable, there is the opportunity to resume.

Last night, which seemed fairly mild and calm, the trap was set and I attracted just four moths. Two of these were new for the year; a Barred Sallow a species I catch every year in small numbers, and only my second Juniper Carpet (my last was in 2019).

Barred Sallow

Juniper Carpet

I even saw a few birds, the most noteworthy being a male Blackcap.

So for the next few weeks there's a patch in need of additional coverage if anyone fancies giving Morton Bagot a go.

Monday October 21 - Getting out more

Circumstances beyond my control continue to leave me with extra time on my hands, so rather than sit at home twiddling my thumbs waiting for hospital visiting hours to begin I've been getting out birding every morning.

The weather over the last few days has lurched from gales and rain to pleasant and mild, but none of it has produced any locally unexpected arrivals as far as I can tell. I've paid two visits to Earlswood. In thick mist on Friday I established that the Yellow-browed Warbler had gone and found almost nothing in compensation. Having said that, I do like the scrublands south of Windmill Pool and was moved to photograph some impressive lichen there.

Probably Ramalina farinacea

Next day I was at Morton Bagot at dawn, and joined the ringers who had had to furl their mistnets due to some persistent drizzle. Just as it eased I got news from Lyn that they might be moving her to another hospital (they didn't), so I aborted the visit and headed towards the car. Ironically this meant I was in the right place to see a male Goshawk powering its way towards Bannams Wood, and then to see and hear a Yellowhammer calling as it made its way south. Unfortunately, neither bird presented a photographic opportunity.

On Sunday I had a couple of hours at Earlswood in light drizzle before the wind pepped up and Storm Ashley blew in. It was quiet.

Mallard ignoring the storm

Today I was back at Morton Bagot, determined to give it a longer look. The cloudy weather and still conditions turned out to be not much use for encouraging visible migration, and the morning passed uneventfully. The birding highlight was a female Blackcap, while the usual species included five Stonechats dotted about, 23 Common Snipe, and more Song Thrushes than Redwings, though I only logged 11 of the former.

Stonechat

Reed Buntings seemed to be everywhere, and I counted 17 of them. My most interesting find, just because I hadn't seen them before, were some strange clumps of white stuff in the grass which my phone told me was a species of Slime Mould. Even better, when I got home and tried to find out what it was I came up with the wonderfully named Dog Sick Slime Mould, a description which I certainly wouldn't argue with.

Dog Sick Slime Mould

I suspect that as my phone app didn't want to commit to a full species name, other species of similar slime moulds are available.

Thursday October 17 - Morton Bagot

 I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and went straight to Morton Bagot, having had to miss out on Sunday.

The early start meant that I was in the right place at the right time to watch the visible migration of over 200 Redwings, a similar number of Woodpigeons, and 80 Starlings all headed south-west or west. I know it doesn't sound particularly exciting, but I find the spectacle thrilling to watch.

Also present in enhanced numbers were Reed Buntings, Goldfinches, and Song Thrushes. At least four Stonechats were present, along with two Green Sandpipers, 18 Teal, and 11 Snipe.

Redwing

Kingfisher with tiny fish

Meadow Pipit

There was nothing particularly unusual on offer, with the possible exception of two Peregines vocally disputing possession of a pylon.

The good news is that Lyn's operation was successful, but she is currently being monitored in hospital. When she comes out I anticipate that this blog will fall silent for a while as she'll need lots of t l c.

Sunday October 13 - Out of action

 Unfortunately I found myself unable to go birding over the weekend. 

Fortunately the birds don't care about that, and migration carried on regardless. I counted 34 Redwings heading west and two Swallows going south early on Saturday morning, so even from the house you can feel a part of it in some small way.

So this post is just a round up of the exploits of others locally. Tony was ringing at Morton Bagot on Friday, and was pleased to catch a Redwing among other birds.

Redwing - Tony Kelly

Dave put in a shift at Morton Bagot this morning, counting 17 Snipe, 52 Teal, two Stonechats and a few Redwings.

Meanwhile the Yellow-browed Warbler continued to frustrate would-be observers at Earlswood, showing well to the fortunate few, and just offering up occasional bursts of calling to the majority. I'm not entirely sure how many have been located in the West Midlands over the last few days, but I've heard of at least six.

I'll just count myself fortunate to have participated in the fun.

Friday October 11 - Earlswood Lakes

 Early this morning the temperature had plunged to zero, and I found myself scraping the frost off the car and wondering how I had missed the aurora borealis visible to so many overnight. I looked, it wasn't there.

The plan was to revisit Earlswood where both the Yellow-browed Warbler and the Lesser Whitethroat had been seen again yesterday. I was particularly keen to see the latter because John Oates' photographs showed a bird with plumage tones suggestive of the Siberian race blythi. Unfortunately without capturing it or obtaining a dropping to check its DNA there was little chance to prove it either way.

I arrived in bright sunshine and saw four Snipe and a Shoveler on Engine Pool.

I'd convinced myself that conditions overnight would have persuaded my target species' to head off to who knows where, and on reaching the pumping station there was nothing to suggest otherwise. A flock of 11 Redwings heading south was all I had to show for fifteen minutes of standing around.

John Oates arrived and offered to show me where he had seen the Lesser Whitethroat. Shortly before we arrived at the spot, a welcome "chi-wee" told us that at least the Yellow-browed Warbler was still present. More standing around ensued, followed by a little exploring, before the bird in question showed itself. Unfortunately it was in a sallow between us and the fierce morning sun, so my faint hope of getting a photograph in the thirty seconds or so available went out of the window.

There was also no sign of the Lesser Whitethroat. One good thing about standing around chatting, apart from the company, was the opportunity to record whatever was flying over. Thus we added several Skylarks, a Siskin, Meadow Pipits, and more Redwings to the morning's haul.

A few more birders arrived but by the time I had to leave, the Yellow-browed had fallen silent and could not be relocated. My final noteworthy record came from Malthouse car-park where I heard a Redpoll flying over.

Wednesday October 9 - Yellow browed Warbler at Earlswood

What is it they say? "I love it when a plan comes together." I visited Earlswood Lakes this morning with Yellow-browed Warbler firmly in mind. 

My plan was to study the bushes carefully and hope for the best, a bit like every October day to date. It never works.....until it does.

I'd reached the Scrublands at the end of Windmill Pool, and heard a Chiffchaff. Shortly afterwards I heard a different call. It was distant, but sounded like a Yellow-browed Warbler. I couldn't quite believe it, so chose not to. Instead I headed along the dog-walkers track towards the road hoping I would hear it again. There was nothing doing, so I returned to the pumping station where I almost immediately heard it again. The more it called, the more sure I was. I decided to take the plunge and inform the Whatsapp Group.

The occasional "che-wee" calls on this lovely video of a Sallow bush are made by the bird. The much closer calls are made by Robins etc. 

About half an hour later John Oates arrived, and he wasn't messing about. It started calling again, so we waded towards the sallows. He played a recording of its call at it and like magic the bird appeared. We had sufficient views to confirm it, big eyestripe, two wing-bars, the lot. What a star.

I couldn't have been happier. The only downside was that neither of us got photos. A little while after John Sirrett arrived I had to leave, but John Oates was still intending to get a shot so I'm hopeful of a result later on.

While we listened for it, a Siskin and seven Redwings flew over.

 

PS: Early in the afternoon John Oates managed a record shot of the bird which he has kindly allowed me to include on the blog. 

Yellow-browed Warbler - John Oates

I've also heard that John Sirrett saw the bird and also a Lesser Whitethroat. Interesting!

Sunday October 6 - Morton Bagot

 A cloudy morning with a little drizzle from time to time and a very light south-easterly.

I was joined by Dave, fresh from a holiday on Scilly, so it was probably down to earth with a bump for him. Tony was also on site ringing, and had caught a Treecreeper before we reached him.

As for us, it wasn't too bad. At least 65 Teal were on the nearest flash along with a single Green Sandpiper. We had earlier flushed about a dozen Snipe from the scrape field, and I suspect they were now on the flash field although we could only see one.

Also present in the scrape field were a pair of Stonechats, about 20 Meadow Pipits, and about 10 Linnets. We regularly saw Jays all morning, and at least four Kestrels. 

It wasn't the ideal weather for taking photographs, but the fact they are on display at least means that the blog is still working as it should.

We saved the best till last as five Swallows and 22 Redwings flew over. The largest flock of the latter were accompanied by a single finch or bunting, but they were too far away to give us a chance of identifying it.

Tony's results for the weekend were as follows:

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Blue Tit 47 (25)

Great Tit 13 (9)

Long-tailed Tit 3

Goldcrest 3

Treecreeper 2

Chiffchaff 5

Blackcap 5

Robin 2 (1)

Dunnock 3

Wren 2

Meadow Pipit 27

Chaffinch 2

Greenfinch 20

Goldfinch 8

Reed Bunting 4

Reed Bunting  - Tony Kelly

For the next few weeks one might expect loads of Scandinavian migrants to be darkening the skies. It's an exciting time of year.

Friday October 4 - Earlswood Lakes again

 This afternoon I found myself visiting Earlswood Lakes again, not on spec this time. Instead I was twitching a pair of Common Pochard. It seems crazy to an oldie like myself that Pochards require a special visit. Back in the day blah blah blah..yes I know, boring! 

Anyway this should have been a quick turn up, see them and leave kind of twitch. If I'd had any sense it would have been, but having not seen them on my initial scan I chose to walk to the causeway in case they'd flipped over to Windmill Pool. They weren't there either, so on my walk back I decided to do what I should have done in the first place and check the other side of the rafts.

And there they were, a smart drake and his dowdy companion.

 

Blogspot is playing up again, but I have managed to post my record shot of the Pochard this time.

I feel that the days of this Blog might be numbered.

Thursday October 3 - Earlswood Lakes

 With the wind still from the east, and after two or three days of drizzle this morning's sunshine encouraged me back into the field. The West Midlands still feels like the poor relation compared to almost every other part of the country.

Where to go? I opted for Earlswood, and began by checking out the scrublands at the end of Windmill Pool. Here I found three Chiffchaffs but nothing more exciting. 

Moving onto the lakes themselves, a couple of hours of reasonably careful birding added nothing better than a couple of Swallows and a trickle of Meadow Pipits heading south.

A Kingfisher posed on one of the rafts, so at least my camera made a brief appearance.

I didn't see any other birders, but evidently they were about because upon returning home I learned of a Stonechat, a Red Kite and some Redwings in various parts of the site.

Maybe I'll be luckier next time.

Lower Bittell Reservoir - A fool's errand

 Earlier this year I noticed that the BTO were asking people to volunteer to count gulls at gull roosts. I used to do this so thought I would apply to count the one "vacant" locality within my circle of interest; Lower Bittell Reservoir.

Now I know what you are thinking. Surely Lower Bittell doesn't have a gull roost. That's what I thought too, but maybe my knowledge was out of date.

I didn't hear anything after I applied, but I assumed that once I logged on to their website I would be able to enter data anyway.

It turns out I couldn't. Presumably my application went unnoticed. This was probably just as well because, guess what. There were no gulls whatsoever roosting (or even popping in for a look) at Lower Bittell this evening.

At least I got a Bittell tick out of it. Great White Egrets are semi-resident there nowadays, but in my very few recent visits I had managed to miss them until this evening. In poor light, photographed through a hedge, I managed a horribly out of focus record shot.

This may not have been the best bird recorded though. I also heard a Water Rail squealing from reeds below the locked entrance gates.

All in all it was an evening I'd prefer to forget.

Saturday September 28 - Morton Bagot

 This morning I was joined by Mike Holley for a walk around the patch. We arranged to meet at the church, and I was a little early so had the opportunity to assess whether there was much overhead migration going on.

The answer was a qualified yes. Meadow Pipits and Skylarks hinted at the winter to come, while a few Swallows headed south. Once Mike joined me, I suggested we start at Netherstead and inevitably it became more difficult to keep track of the numbers moving south. I totted up a modest 30 Meadow Pipits, eight Skylarks, and five Swallows at the end of the morning but I'm sure many more were missed. A single Siskin call represented the first of the autumn.

We met up with the ringers who mentioned catching Linnet as well as plenty of Meadow Pipits. After leaving them, having already seen a Stonechat near Netherstead, we added three more in the scrape field.

Other species which seemed more obvious than usual included Reed Buntings, Blackbirds, and Song Thrushes. I'm never sure whether the early autumn thrushes are simply local birds which have competed their moult and are now only interested in fattening up for autumn, or are actually the forerunners of an autumn arrival which will soon include Redwings.

We finally reached the flash field and were a little disappointed, but not surprised, to find that the water level had risen to the extent that there was virtually no exposed mud. As a result we saw only 17 Teal, one Snipe, and heard a Green Sandpiper.

During the morning we logged eight Chiffchaffs and three Blackcaps but nothing rarer. Mike professed himself to be quite content with the morning's list, while I had to admit my enjoyment of it would have been enhanced if we'd winkled out something a little less run of the mill.

Thursday September 26 - Not birding at Earlswood

 I'm not supposed to be birding at the moment. The latter half of the week has been taken up by a series of routine hospital appointments for Lyn (and therefore me), so I cleared all thoughts of birding out of my mind.

But yesterday a Whatsapp ping came from John Oates at Earlswood. He'd found a Rock Pipit at the bottom end of Windmill Pool. Thirty minutes later it had moved to the causeway, so I cracked and went for it. It was pouring with rain and I dipped. My only compensation was the first Snipe on the rafts there of the autumn.

This morning John confirmed it was still there, and after a brief bit of negotiation I went to try again. I arrived just before the Malthouse car-park gates had been opened, so parked in the lane itself. Shortly after I'd got out of the car two Ring-necked Parakeets flew over. 

I joined John and Janet on the causeway and John tried to point the Rock Pipit out. The problem was that it was walking along the bottom of the dam and was only viewable from the causeway looking into glaring sunlight. Eventually I spotted it and we tried walking down the dam to get a better angle. This failed and the bird was flushed by a dog-walker, allowing us to see it flying off towards Engine Pool.

Now I had to leave, so I'm doubly grateful to John who has allowed me to post a superb photograph he took of it before I got there.

The Rock Pipit - John Oates

Tuesday September 24 - Morton Bagot

 After several days of heavy rain and easterlies, the east coast of Britain has been reaping the rewards. Yellow-browed Warblers have been outnumbering Chiffchaffs at places like Spurn. So with the wind finally dropping and conditions set fair with a very light westerly this morning I was trying to figure out where a Yellow-browed Warbler might be if it made it as far as Morton Bagot.

It's a big if. I targeted Bannam's Wood first and then swung down into the scrub of the rest of the site. The result was 11 Chiffchaffs and three Blackcaps. Oh well, back to the drawing board. 

At least birds were moving. I logged 44 Swallows, 52 House Martins and 30 Meadow Pipits over during the morning. Other small wins were a calling Yellowhammer flying high overhead, and a Peregrine being mobbed by a Sparrowhawk.

The flash field continues to hold the usual Teal (41), Snipe (six), Lapwings 16), and Green Sandpipers (three). The only hint of the unusual being a drake Shoveler on the back flash, and a female Wigeon on the nearest.

It was quite mild, so insects remain on the wing. The most noteworthy being a very dozy Small Copper which refused to open its wings for the camera.

Looking back at the weekend, the ringers claimed the biggest prize with a fly-over Great White Egret on Saturday. I tried Earlswood in the rain on Sunday, but apart from a flock forty distant hirundines moving when the rain briefly abated I saw nothing unremarkable.

Typical Midlands birding.