RSPB Middleton Lakes (2 Viewers)

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

25/3/13 Dosthill lake 1st win male Long-tailed Duck, 6 Oystercatcher and 52 Shoveler.

Regards, John

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

Middleton Hall 50 Redwing in horse paddock.
Dosthill lake pair of Long-tailed Duck ( Water Sking will start on Sunday), also 7 Oystercatcher.

Regards, John

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

29/3/13 Dosthill lake 1st win Long-tailed Duck and 5 Oystercatcher. Regards, John

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

1/4/13 Dosthill lake 11 Oystercatchers in a group today, water sking (speed boat use) has pushed the pair of Long-tailed Ducks over to Dosthill NR Staffs.

Regards, John

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

5/4/13 Dosthill lake m and f Long-tailed Duck, 10 Oyst in a wintering type group (usually seen on the coast) and a pair that came over from Dosthill NR, so total 12 birds.
Also Goosander, Water Rail and Chiffchaff.
Middleton Hall Grey Wagtail in the farm paddock and a Chiffchaff singing along mill plantation.

Regards, John

 

[richarddavis30]

Hey

This is a bit daft, but I have been to middleton hall before, where is dosthill lake from there? I am new to birding and hear of this lake being talked about but dont seem to be able to place it.

Thanks for you advise in anticpation


Richard

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

Dosthill Lake

Hey

This is a bit daft, but I have been to middleton hall before, where is dosthill lake from there? I am new to birding and hear of this lake being talked about but dont seem to be able to place it.

Thanks for you advise in anticpation


Richard

Hi Richard,
There is no bridge access across the river Tame at present, you can drive in at the West Midland Water Ski centre on the Kingsbury Tamworth road, £3 day pass.

Regards, John

 

[richarddavis30]

Thanks John

Regards

richard

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

Dosthill Lake fem Long-tailed Duck and small pool north of here Female Beared Tit.

Regards, John

 

[Phil Andrews]

Hi John - the pager reports the Bearded Tit as being in Staffs but I cant quite picture the county boundary here

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

Bearded Tit

Hi John - the pager reports the Bearded Tit as being in Staffs but I cant quite picture the county boundary here

Hi Phil, Most of this pool is in Warks, the Warks/Staffs County Boundary cuts across the northern end of the pool, so the Beared Tit was seen in both Staffs and Warks today.

Regards, John

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

Bearded Tit

A number of birders looked for the Bearded Tit this morning but with no luck, however at 12:37 'pinging' was again heard from the small pool North of Dosthill lake. The Bearded Tit fed until 13:00 then climbed high in the reeds and then flew off along the Western edge of Dosthill NR.

Regards, John

 

[andyr]

A number of birders looked for the Bearded Tit this morning but with no luck, however at 12:37 'pinging' was again heard from the small pool North of Dosthill lake. The Bearded Tit fed until 13:00 then climbed high in the reeds and then flew off along the Western edge of Dosthill NR.

Regards, John

Hi All

There was no sign of the Bearded Tit at the small pool, or on any of the reed beds nearby, this morning or by early afternoon when I left at 1.30.

Cheers

Andy R.

 

[hughie king]

If the Bearded Tit has been claimed as a county tick for Warwickshire, this leaves no doubt that the White rumped Sandpiper flew into Warks airspace last year. It was seen by at least 5 observers to fly further south than this area, making it a county first. Cheers Hughie King.

 

[andyr]

If the Bearded Tit has been claimed as a county tick for Warwickshire, this leaves no doubt that the White rumped Sandpiper flew into Warks airspace last year. It was seen by at least 5 observers to fly further south than this area, making it a county first. Cheers Hughie King.

Hi Hughie

Other more regular Middleton Lakes/Dosthill birders are probably better qualified than me to comment ... but here goes with a few thoughts.
The Bearded Tit's "small reedy pool" (or Stonewash Pool as one of the locals confirmed it used to be called, when it's water was used by the nearby brickworks) has been mentioned by other forum users as being virtually all in Warwickshire, with a small fence line entering the pool on it's eastern side suggesting only a tiny part of it's "top fringe" therefore is in Staffordshire.
The key if you look at the land ranger version on Streetmap, by typing in Middleton and heading 'to the right' and zooming in, is that the county border
heads off westish from the reedy pool, but then heads south down to Fishers Mill Bridge over the canal. From here, as you probably know, the boundary heads slightly north of west, along the bottom of it's adjacent large field, to the boundary sign on the main road heading down from Tamworth past the Middleton Hall entrance.
Again, most of this may already be known to you Hughie ... in which case, I guess it comes down to the group of you knowing "over where exactly" the bird flew and being certain it was south of that Fishers Mill 'line'. I seem to recall you were all adamant it indeed was ... so presumably there is a protocol in place to judge it's "County countability" !
As I regularly read the Derbyshire OS site, I can confirm that local Joint County Recorder Rod Key mentions things like " the bird was seen to fly over the Trent into Derbyshire airspace, making this the Xth county record."... Suggesting the word of honourable, trusted, known birders is sufficient, even if there is no photographic evidence.
All this is just my humble take on your issue ... But as I have been birding for only six or seven years, I will now shut up and let others tear apart or agree with what I have said.
But hey, it should at least trigger a response Hughie, to your currently long unanswered very-valid query !

Cheers

Andy R.

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

White-rumped Sandpiper

If the Bearded Tit has been claimed as a county tick for Warwickshire, this leaves no doubt that the White rumped Sandpiper flew into Warks airspace last year. It was seen by at least 5 observers to fly further south than this area, making it a county first. Cheers Hughie King.

Congradulations Hughie on your joint County Record of White-rumped Sandpiper for Warwickshire.

Regards, John

 

[hughie king]

Thanks Andy R.
Your knowledge of the County boundary lines is far superior to mine. I can only equate to what visible point the bird was seen to fly that day. Obviously the Stonewashed Pool was not in our view but the high viewing mound was and the bird passed that almost lost to view before it turned round. This is south of Fishers Mill bridge so if you are correct on your boundary lines surely it must have entered Warwickshire.
I class myself as a West Mids/Staffs birder and out of the 5 or 6 people that saw this happen at least 3 were not Warks birders. It's a pity there were not more Warks birders present.
We can only leave it to the experts to decide.

Cheers Hughie.

 

[hughie king]

Sorry John.

You beat me to it with your post.
I know you saw the same as myself and the others present. We can only put forward the facts as we saw them on the day.

Cheers Hughie.

 

[andyr]

Sorry John.

You beat me to it with your post.
I know you saw the same as myself and the others present. We can only put forward the facts as we saw them on the day.

Cheers Hughie.

Sounds an absolute "cert" ... so has there been any comment from the County Recorders viewpoint ?

Andy R.

 

[JHDraytonbassettpits]

White-rumped Sandpiper record

Sounds an absolute "cert" ... so has there been any comment from the County Recorders viewpoint ?

Andy R.

Comments made by Steve Haynes on Warks Birds obs twitter messages at the time sounds like it's all Done and Dusted.

Observers Snapper Richards, Pete Hackett, Hughie King, Myself, Peter Burton and Jon Morgan, who said he saw it fly into Warwickshire whilst rolling a fag, that's what you call multi-tasking.