Upton Warren (17 Viewers)

[Abbeybirder]

Just a quick few pic's from today

1 - Whitethroat
2 - Common tern
3 - Great crested grebe (wot no chips)
4 - Redshank

 

[Phil Andrews]

At least 7 Common Terns feeding either over North Moors or around Amy's Marsh.
Gadwall (drake) chasing female Mallard.
LBBG with last of the GC's brood at first light.
At approx. 8.30 a Little Gull in flight low over the Moors towards east hide; went out to north east and did not re-appear for at least an hour. What appeared to be same bird from mid morning over the Moors (record shot below).
Cetti's singing in scrub along northern border of north moors.
Water Rail carrying food into wet area at east end of causeway.

Hi Alan - just to clarify, have the LBBGs now wipe out all of the GC Grebe chicks in Amy's Marsh?

 

[upstarts1979]

Tomorrow from 2pm

Andy from the Trust has asked me to put this on the forum.

A group ‘Barnt Green Women’s Register’ will be visiting Upton Warren from 2pm on Tue 4th June. We would very much appreciate your assistance in allowing space for the group in the hides and helping to make their trip enjoyable. Andy Harris will be leading the group around the Flashes. We are anticipating up to 12 people in the group.

Thank you

Andy Harris

North Reserves Officer

 

[upstarts1979]

.

Hi Adrian

Hopefully the weed is not - the New Zealand pygmy weed (crassula) that is covering the Broadmeadow pool. We will see tomorrow when.

Thankfully a closer look at the 'weed' proved it to be blanket weed, still not pleasant but better than 'crassula'.

 

[Abbeybirder]

@john I actually started and then they started moving rather quickly so gave up but did notice a remarkable difference in sizes of the chicks from one brood to another and with the BHG being so lively today it made it quite a problem but will try and update on Thursday

The Oystercatchers at the Flashes are now virtually impossible to see while they are sitting and hope the lrp's that keep getting chased off by the Avocets make a go of it in the cage.

Have started my own thread on UK & IRELAND BIRDS FORUM to try and make more people aware of the reserve.

 

[Woodchat]

Just a quick few pic's from today

1 - Whitethroat
2 - Common tern
3 - Great crested grebe (wot no chips)
4 - Redshank

No 1 is a Reed Warbler. :t:

 

[AlanSS]

Little Gull

Little gull 1st summer still present mid pm.

As reported - image below

 

[AlanH46]

Hi Alan - just to clarify, have the LBBGs now wipe out all of the GC Grebe chicks in Amy's Marsh?

Sadly t would appear so. In over three hours there were no sign of any young around Amy's Marsh. There was one young grebe, with adults, at north end of Moors Pool but this was larger than the young from Amy's.

There were a pair of GC's displaying in front of the east hide.

 

[Abbeybirder]

@Woodchat well noticed I had put some Reed Warbler images in the whitethroat folder and copied by mistake thanks for pointing out

 

[timmyjones]

Just to let everyone know, have sent photos of Sy's gull to a few gullers and they seem to think that it shows some good Caspian Gull features, but with these photos an aberrant Herring Gull can't be ruled out, a shame to have another close miss after John's bird, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Caspian can be added to the reserve list!

 

[Woodchat]

@Woodchat well noticed I had put some Reed Warbler images in the whitethroat folder and copied by mistake thanks for pointing out

No problem - female Whitethroats can look quite similar but have a number of fairly subtle differences.

 

[rollingthunder]

This might just clinch it?

Laurie:t:

 

[upstarts1979]

Just to let everyone know, have sent photos of Sy's gull to a few gullers and they seem to think that it shows some good Caspian Gull features, but with these photos an aberrant Herring Gull can't be ruled out, a shame to have another close miss after John's bird, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Caspian can be added to the reserve list!

Hi Tim, we'll save it for you when you are next visiting us. You might even find one for us.john

 

[upstarts1979]

Tern Raft launch

The job was all done in less than 45 minutes. Disturbed all the the gulls and waders. But afterwards I counted the oystercatcher chicks and they were all present and correct.
The rafts have been anchored just north of the pool island. Two are quite close together and the other further west.After just a few minutes a couple of common terns perched on the side of them.
Hopefully we have got the timing right and the presence of 10 birds would indicate as such, as there were only 7 before we put them out:smoke:
Paul M and the rest of the crew strimmed the North Moors trail and along the Salwarp track towards the Swan inn.
Species count Moors:
GCG 6 ads + 1 well grown chick, Little grebe 2 ads and 2 growing chicks on the Broadmeadow pool, gadwall female sadly I was hoping to see her re-appear with chicks but alas not to be. Tufted 30, coot now 10 broods, Oystercatcher 2 broods - 3:1. the 3 are now out along the grassy southern area. lapwing pr. Common Tern 10, herring gull 1st summer, kingfisher 2 along east side, cuckoo, swift 150, whitethroat 2 singing, plus lots of reed warblers but only 1 sedge by the east gate.

 

[upstarts1979]

Brief visit to the Flashes.
After cutting some of the nettles along the boardwalk spent an hour or so at the flashes.
Counted all 28 Avocet chicks, there is definitely an overcrowding issue in the 'saucer'/grassy knoll area. The youngest brood of 4 were forced to swim out of the area, but when I left they were still trying to find a refuge from the neighbours attacks. Although they were still feeding off the surface as they did so.
Early, Bob O and Terry N saw the 2 redshanks in the grassy area - I didn't but they could have been on the 3rd Flash shoreline.
The only migrants of the day were a pair of Shoveler on the 1st Flash - very unusual at this time of year.
Species count at Flashes:
Shoveler pr, shelduck 4, mallard a brood of 11 well grown chicks, tufted 12, avocet 25 ads + 28 chicks, LRP 4, Oystercatcher pr, stock dove, sedge warbler, plus the usual warblers. Linnet 2.B John
ps thank you Ian for the signs:t:

 

[upstarts1979]

algae on the moors

A closer look today, thankfully revealed that it was blanket weed and not CRASSULA

 

[upstarts1979]

pics from the Flashes

Today's sunshine, blue skies, warm easterly winds and the assembled avifauna made me feel like I was on a coastal lagoon on the east coast, more than a wet field in Worcestershire.8-P

pic 1 - the 'delta' to the right of the hide
2 - the central area
3 - the 'saucer'
4 - avocet central

 

[Phil Andrews]

Counted all 28 Avocet chicks, there is definitely an overcrowding issue in the 'saucer'/grassy knoll area. The youngest brood of 4 were forced to swim out of the area, but when I left they were still trying to find a refuge from the neighbours attacks. Although they were still feeding off the surface as they did so.

John - am I right in thinking that at least two of the "saucer" pairs are the ones that were forced off the sewage shore by the foraging badgers?

 

[keithr]

Today's sunshine, blue skies, warm easterly winds and the assembled avifauna made me feel like I was on a coastal lagoon on the east coast, more than a wet field in Worcestershire.8-P

pic 1 - the 'delta' to the right of the hide
2 - the central area
3 - the 'saucer'
4 - avocet central

Nice one....bit different from when we were waiting for Mr Bittern to show in January......:-O

Keith

 

[upstarts1979]

John - am I right in thinking that at least two of the "saucer" pairs are the ones that were forced off the sewage shore by the foraging badgers?

All 3 pairs forced off by the badgers have relaid and 2 have hatched the other is due soon. Even the pair that lost the first chick that hatched has relaid. :t: