Rare and Scarce Birds in Staffordshire (3 Viewers)

[Richard Powell]

Eric's Bothdee

By the way, a big up to Staffs Bird News for the news yesterday :t:. Can I, and probably just like so many of us, would like to wish Mr E. S. Clare a very happy birthday for the 6th December. B B B

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 8th Dec

Great White Egret - Belvide 09.38-09.45 then flew SE also 1w Caspian Gull, Cetti's Warbler and Knot flew N
Great White Egret - Gailey c10.00-10.32 then flew E also ad Med Gull & Little Egret
Juv Great Northern Diver - Tittesworth
Juv Great Northern Diver - Chasewater on The Swag
2 Caspian Gull (ad & 2w) - Blithfield
Fem Common Scoter - Westport Lake
Ad Whooper Swan & Jack Snipe - Uttoxeter Quarry
Waxwings - max today 65 east of Tackeroo, Cannock Chase

Congrats to The Snapper on the first GWE for Gailey - as Mr Belvide will point out another 'sloppy seconds' but still much deserved for all his hard graft this year. Due to a combo of Xmas shopping, works party hangover and not having my phone on loud I was only on-route when it was flushed by a 'pikey on a scrambler' and took flight east...oh well that's birding - maybe next time...I'm hoping they continue to expand their range and become as regular as Little...I can only hope...

 

[The Snapper]

Cheers mucka,

A 'sloppy seconds' special indeed.

Many thanks to Steve N for his call saying it had headed SE. I was part way down the bridlepath so had to head back quickly to the res. It had already dropped in by the time I got there and was sat next to the Little Egret on one of the small islands on the fishing pool.

The GWE started to look settled and landed in the reeds for a few minutes until the idiot on the scrambler went all the way round the fishing pool making a right racket. Its the first time I have seen anyone on a scrambler at Gailey so can't believe it was today! This unfortunately spooked both egrets and the Grey Herons. Both egrets landed in dead trees just over the other side of the A5 at the Calf Heath fisheries but with excessive noise from the A5 traffic, the egret just 'did one'.

You never know, it may return to roost on the heron island. I couldn't check late afternoon due to a shopping trip with Paula.

 

[Kevin Clements]

"Large white egret" seen twice at Clayhanger around Saturday lunchtime. I checked 2.45-4.45pm and Gareth checked Pelsall North Common and Stubber's Green, but no sign.

Kevin

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Gull hybrid

Had an interesting ringing recovery of a 1W gull which was on the Void, Silverdale CP on 21/11/12 and 7/12/12. It has a yellow ring with H8J8 in black and was ringed this summer at Frankfurt as a hybrid Great Black-backed Gull x Yellow Legged Gull! Unfortunately when I saw it, I only had time to read the ring before it flew off so never got a good view of it and assumed it was just a 1W herring. Hopefully it will hang around for some better views - most of the gulls in the Silverdale / Walley's Landfill @ Keele area are assumed to roost at Doddington Park near Bridgemere as they fly in from that direction each morning.

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 10th Dec

1w Caspian Gull - Silverdale on The Void this pm
Juv Great Northern Diver - still Chasewater on The Swag
Fem Common Scoter - still Westport
Lots of Waxwing still - max 70+ Stoke at Longton

Did Gailey late afternoon til dusk in a futile attempt to see if Saturdays Great White Egret would roost - it didn't and neither did it's Little friend - in fact except for cold fingers all I got was a last gasp Woodcock...:-C

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 11th Dec

1w Caspian & 1w Iceland Gull - Silverdale on The Void this anoon also probable Glaucous Gull reported.
1w & prob adult Caspian Gull - Belvide roost also 16 Waxwing west & Cetti's Warbler again
Fem Common Scoter - Westport Lake
3 Ruff - Whitemore Haye

Still several flocks of Waxwings and a good movement of Pink-footed Geese NW over the north of the county today.

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 12th Dec

Juv Iceland Gull - Silverdale on The Void but no sign of 1w Caspian
Juv Iceland Gull - Walley's Landfill Site, Silverdale
Jack Snipe & Cetti's Warbler - Belvide
No sign of the Great Northern Diver - Chasewater
21 Waxwing - Penn on Fairview Rd off Warstones Rd
18 Waxwing - Fazeley at Mile Oak on French Ave
6 Waxwing - Yoxall
3 Waxwing - Wombourne at Canon Rd

 

[dwe]

Anbody seen any Pink-feet? Sue reckoned she had a flock of 100 flying high over Stone in a westerly direction on Tuesday.

Dave

 

[Nick Smith]

Anbody seen any Pink-feet? Sue reckoned she had a flock of 100 flying high over Stone in a westerly direction on Tuesday.

Dave

A bit of a passage on Tuesday. All the details on http://staffordshirebirding.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 13th Dec

Bittern - Barton Pits flew towards railway / argos factory area
2w Caspian Gull - Silverdale on The Void this pm
Juv Iceland Gull - Silverdale in field opp Walley's Landfill
Juv Great Northern Diver - Tittesworth still
and of course lots of Waxwings still!

 

[dwe]

A bit of a passage on Tuesday. All the details on http://staffordshirebirding.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks - gripped off by my wife!!!!!!! If only she had phoned I might have seen over Keele )

Dave

 

[terryeyre]

Thanks - gripped off by my wife!!!!!!! If only she had phoned I might have seen over Keele )

Dave

i had five skeins over on tuesday here is a very distant shot of one of them

 

[s.g.]

400 pink feet over t/worth yesterday going n. west.
a few shots of the brambling from last week and a jay.
s.g.

 

[The Moore-hen]

News for the 14th Dec

Juv Iceland Gull - Silverdale in field opp Walley's Landfill mid am also 2w Caspian Gull again

 

[Phil Andrews]

Any more detail re the Velvet Scoter reported at Blithfield?

 

[Nick Smith]

Any more detail re the Velvet Scoter reported at Blithfield?

It was looked for this afternoon but there was no sign. It was reported in the log book in the hide in Tad Bay.

 

[Martyn Yapp]

Who needs that?

It was looked for this afternoon but there was no sign. It was reported in the log book in the hide in Tad Bay.

 

[The Moore-hen]

It was looked for this afternoon but there was no sign. It was reported in the log book in the hide in Tad Bay.

Entered by someone with the initials KW. Don't know if it was claimed for Tad bay? Or the age / sex? (of the bird, not the observer!)

 

[Martyn Yapp]

Might be same person that photographed RN Grebe and didn't spread the word!

Entered by someone with the initials KW. Don't know if it was claimed for Tad bay? Or the age / sex? (of the bird, not the observer!)