I usually don't bother with a review of the year, but as my most recent forays into the lesser visited parts of the Circle (farmland north of Umberslade and around Shelfield Green) proved pretty dire I thought I'd give it a go.
My strategy for the year was to concentrate on 1km square bashing in winter and summer, and switch to Morton Bagot and Earlswood during the more potentially exciting spring and autumn periods.
Morton Bagot had its moments but failed to deliver anything new for the Circle, or indeed the site. However, it is still my main patch and there were some decent birds there. Back in January and February the Hawfinch influx of the previous autumn provided regular opportunities to see up to two birds there.
In fact Hawfinches were also seen in Winyates (where the above shot as taken), and Studley Churchyard among other places.
Spring at Morton Bagot produced a Whimbrel and a record count of 12 Avocets. That species even went on to make a breeding attempt (the first for Warwickshire) due to the low water-levels although the attempt was abandoned when the farmer who owns the land flooded it to ensure his cattle didn't go thirsty.
After the breeding season, migrants started trickling back. These included a Wood Sandpiper, a long-staying Garganey, and in November a Pink-footed Goose.
My final score for the site was 113 species. To these could have been added Spotted Flycatcher, Woodcock, and Turtle Dove seen, caught or heard by others. And don't get me started about the mystery warbler heard calling in November.
The three Circle ticks I saw in 2025 all came from Earlswood, and were all twitched. So I owe a debt of gratitude to the birders contributing to its Whatsapp Group. In chronological order the birds in question were two juvenile Little Stints in September, a Brent Goose in October, and a Scaup in December.
In fact, at the time of writing, the Scaup is still there, some I'm hoping it will remain into next year to give my 2026 year an early boost.
Other notable species I travelled to see at Earlswood included Ruff, Little Gull, Ring Ouzel and Black Tern. I don't keep an Earlswood list, but Birdtrack tells me my site list was 104 species. I missed a number of birds during the year including Twite (the rarest species seen this year), Mediterranean Gull and probably others I can't bring to mind.
The dominance of Morton Bagot and Earlswood is demonstrated by the fact that there were only four birds on my final Circle list (140 species) which I didn't see at either site. They were Cetti's Warbler, Little Owl, Redstart, and Woodcock.
Why do I waste my time wandering around the rest of the Circle? Well for a start I enjoy the challenge. I've also got the bit between my teeth having decided from the outset (in autumn 2021) to visit every single square kilometre. One thing I don't generally share with this blog are the little paper maps I add to after each visit, but to give you an idea this is my progress to date.
I'm sorry its low tech (no tech would be more appropriate), but my IT skills are practically non-existent. I live in south-east Redditch which is at the centre of the Circle. The purple 1k squares are all the ones I've recorded birds in during winter since 2021 (the grey ones are places I've been in summer but not winter) and the white ones remain to be bagged.
Bring on 2026.
No comments:
Post a Comment