Birding In Staffordshire (14 Viewers)

[NickPomiankowski]

Silverdale

Headed to Silverdale this lunchtime - seeing a big flock of gulls flying off :-C Got on site to discover the culprit with a just handfull of gulls hanging tough - crowding together in the nearest puddle - a gulls best defence :-O

After pesky perry had flown off, you can see from pic 4 (with a YL Gull) that the rubber necks from pic 3 are much more relaxed.

Also there was a swift flying round with the house martinis.

 

[Rockbirder]

Headed to Silverdale this lunchtime - seeing a big flock of gulls flying off :-C Got on site to discover the culprit with a just handfull of gulls hanging tough - crowding together in the nearest puddle - a gulls best defence :-O

After pesky perry had flown off, you can see from pic 4 (with a YL Gull) that the rubber necks from pic 3 are much more relaxed.

Also there was a swift flying round with the house martinis.

Hey up Nick, bostin' photo's of my bird of the year

Andy.

 

[namron]

Owls

...the best I can do in the area with owls is Little Owl in the hedgerows up at Wedgwood's Monument! I've always thought that the rough grass on the back of the hill up there looked good for a Shoer-eared...!

Steve
That's nice to know about the little owl Steve. The nearest I've had around here was just over the border at Wychwood just before they started building the golf course - that's a few years ago now 8-P
I've thought that about the Monument area for short eared.The nearest I've heard around here though was on the Blackbank area in the fields,but I've never had any luck :-C

 

[Moulty]

Hi to the newcomers

Hi Lucybirder, Pat and Chris and Wadester,

Just been reading about your owl encounters Lucy, remembered seeing some photos of a pair living in the wild on land owned by the MOD in Yorkshire, so I googled it, didin't get to the same but came across an article in the Independent.
Monday 15th Sept 2008
independent.co.uk/environment/nature/largest-owls-in-the-world-thre... -

Dont know if you know anything about UK Eagle owls but this article has some interesting facts.

Chris.

 

[Upland Birder]

Went to Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire yesterday and saw:-

Ruff 5
Little Stint 2
Dunlin 10
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Wheatear 3
Linnet flock
Goldfinch flock
Whinchat with Linnets
Little Egret 1

Didn't manage to get to see the Spotted Crake

Today I visited Upton Warren, worcestershire and saw:-

Black Tern (Juvenile)
Water Rail 1
Raven 2
Kingfisher 1
Green Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Snipe 3
Little Ringed Plover 3
Little Egret 1

Had excellent views of the Black Tern in flight with the Black Headed Gulls and at rest on one of the Islands.

Went to look at the Gull Roost at the Flashes and had great views of the Sabine's Gull which came in at 7pm. Watched it land on the ground, take to the water and superb views in flight through my scope. It was interesting comparing the size of the gull alongside the Black headed Gulls, LBB Gulls and Herring Gulls. It was quite a moment when it came into view arriving with other Black Headed Gulls.

Dean :t:

Happy Birding

 

[jackhaye]

Interesting details from these long-distance LBBG movements, thanks, . . . . and reminded me of a report I had through a month or so ago of a male Blackbird ringed near Keele some while back. We ringed it in its second calender year in January 1999 and was it seen being beaten to death by two other male Blackbirds in the Westlands of Newcastle (sounds a rough area that) in May this year. Poor ole boy had managed a total of just 4 km in over 10 years - clearly not a traveller, (but I wonder how many chicks he's been responsible for in that time though)!
Andy

 

[Steve Turner]

Interesting details from these long-distance LBBG movements, thanks, . . . . and reminded me of a report I had through a month or so ago of a male Blackbird ringed near Keele some while back. We ringed it in its second calender year in January 1999 and was it seen being beaten to death by two other male Blackbirds in the Westlands of Newcastle (sounds a rough area that) in May this year. Poor ole boy had managed a total of just 4 km in over 10 years - clearly not a traveller, (but I wonder how many chicks he's been responsible for in that time though)!
Andy

A 10 year old Blackbird! That must be pretty good going for the species?!

Yes, I used to live on the Westlands...terrible area, that's why I moved to Red Street :-O

Steve

 

[russell toon]

Berryhill

11 Wheatear this morning -up from 4 yesterday.
Also 3 Redstart
Yellow Wagtail over
Green Woodpecker
3 Dunlin over west to east - if only there was a decent patch of water here.
Good southward movement of Swallows all morning flying in to the wind as they often seem to do.

Russell

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Silverdale Colliery

Adult Y-L Gull, juv Peregrine and Swift all still present today.

 

[GlynH]

Little owls were resident in the quarry at park hall this year had a nest at the top end of the quarry with good views when the sun was shining. Not so often then some may say.

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

last night up near seabridge had 3 swift heading south

 

[Rockbirder]

Poxey 1850-1950.

YLG 1 ad'
HG 1 ad'
LBBG c210
BHG c110

Just wish one of those sab's would wander up this way, what a bird! Glad you enjoyed it Dean:t:.

Andy.

 

[mosschops]

Black Terns

Evening folks,
A couple of Black Tern showing well at Doddington Pool today in front of the sailing club. Parkings a problem though, head up the drive towards Doddington Park Farm where i think it signposted pet supplies and furniture.

Jason

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

another swift today near lyme valley
also large group of lesser black backs and black headed gulls mobbing mc donalds

and thistley hough playing fields this morning were
2 wheatear
14 mistle thrush
30+ starling
24 black head gull

im off to dungeness bird observatory tomorrow for 4 nights hope for so early birds

 

[russell toon]

Berryhill 06:40-08:30

4 Grey Partridge
1 Whinchat
8 Wheatear
3 Redstart
27 Lapwing

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Blimey - Grey Partridges still hanging out there :eek!:

Berryhill 06:40-08:30

4 Grey Partridge
1 Whinchat
8 Wheatear
3 Redstart
27 Lapwing

Had another Silverdale colour ringed Lesser BB Gull return today: This one has been seen on at least 3 occasions by Steve and me in the past fortnight and it was also at Westport in January:

LBBG left BLUE-BTO Ring - Right YELLOW BLACK GREEN

had been ringed on Walney 16 May 2000 as a breeding male.

These are the first re-sightings of this bird since it was ringed.
Nick

 

[Steve Turner]

Blimey - Grey Partridges still hanging out there :eek!:



Had another Silverdale colour ringed Lesser BB Gull return today: This one has been seen on at least 3 occasions by Steve and me in the past fortnight and it was also at Westport in January:

LBBG left BLUE-BTO Ring - Right YELLOW BLACK GREEN

had been ringed on Walney 16 May 2000 as a breeding male.

Awaiting further info on any re-sightings.
Nick

Cool - so we've now had a Cumbrian, a Lancastrian, a couple of dudes from the west caaantry, and possibly some Glaswegians in our midst :-O Staffordshire is such a great melting pot of 'clans'!!

Steve

 

[Steve Turner]

Berryhill 06:40-08:30

4 Grey Partridge
1 Whinchat
8 Wheatear
3 Redstart
27 Lapwing

Good to see that a few more migrants seem to be moving through now...it's been a desperately quiet autumn so far. Perhaps the place is due a big rare?!

Steve

 

[russell toon]

Blimey - Grey Partridges still hanging out there :eek!:

Nick

Yes a bit odd why these have turned up,I flushed them up alongside the top track on the north side of the mast.The last birds I saw here were 2 in February 2007.
A local informed me he had heard one calling in April this year.

Russell

 

[Moulty]

Hi Russell,

Great to hear about the Partridges used to see them regularly years back when i was a kid there.
Shame the fields cant be made completely in to a LNR, just doing a sign for Ferndown LNR (site map) not a bad little spot ( off A500,Clayton) but not patch on BH.

What is the bh list standing at now anyway?

Cheers Chris