Grimley and Holt (10 Viewers)

[Isaac2]

Tuesday morning , Holt no sign of smew but kestrel and buzzard by church and good numbers of pied wagtails and meadow pipits 400m passed church.
Camp Lane 2 goldeneye , a female goosander flying south, raven flying west, 3male and a female pochard and green woodpecker the best.
Wagon wheel flood has all but gone now ,dipped on the water pipit again but other birders had seen it earlier. 2 Egyptian geese flew through but carried on down river and lost to view.
Wagon wheel pits 40 + wigeon and 7 little grebe . Grimley brook 6 bullfinches the most I’ve seen together for some time and a single skylark over.
On checking the pool by grimley race track I flushed 7 wigeon while being entangled in a dog rose , may be still hope for the American wigeon yet.
58 species seen a good start for the year.

 

[Rob Williams]

Paid a morning visit to Wagon Wheel flash to try to get the Water Pipit. Complete waste of time and effort. Hardly anything there, even the lapwings had moved down towards the river. No pipit, no redwing and no wagtails. Why? Because some birder had either decided he needed a closer look or he needed an even closer look. So, together with his scope and tripod he'd set up camp on the flood right in the area where the redwing, wagtail and pipit had been feeding. Consequently, there was nothing there! You've got a scope. It gives great views from a distance. You don't need to sit in the bird's dining area to see one.

As it was nobody saw anything.

 

[wheatearlp]

... and who was this 'birder'?

 

[Rob Williams]

... and who was this 'birder'?

Not a clue I'm afraid. Whilst he was blundering round the field I drove off, frustrated that my time was wasted by someone so special and so selfish.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Was it the Smew-flusher?

 

[Isaac2]

Sunday morning first light Holt , drake smew feeding by the bank. Small flocks of field fare flying west .
Church farm fields and pools, stonechat in brambles , American wigeon North pool with c20 Eurasian , 5 little grebe. Field adjacent to village 2 red legged partridge all new for the year .
With 80+ lapwing at Holt I could see a further 2flocks flying over camp Lane c60 and c40 and another 60 grounded on the east side of the pools with the cows a respectable 240. Half hour later 30 + lapwings on wagon wheel but apart from 25 wigeon quiet.
Camp lane the Canada goose flock was here but no other goose species with them , 2goldeneye female still , 8 pochard (2female) and a chiffchaff south end with a calling water rail.
Lost my Panasonic pocket camera and case somewhere around grimley so there will be no more pictures .

 

[Rob Williams]

American Wigeon with Eurasian Wigeon on Church Farm pools then flew across to Camp Lane. 2 Goldeneye still.

 

[Isaac2]

Sunday morning ,Holt C3000 starling heading west in 5 groups + C150 fieldfares same direction. Feral pigeon and goldcrest by castle new for the year.
Wagon wheel kingfisher , Camp Lane 2 goldeneye females and American wigeon feeding on west shore down to 40m. Pair of stonechat north causeway with a pair of reed bunting.

 

[Isaac2]

Sunday morning heavily overcast Camp Lane 2 snipe on hippo pool a new addition to the year. Chiffchaffs south end bulrushes as was a kingfisher. From the lock upriver female goosander and a Male and female mandarin in the swamp. Grey lag goose with C 20 Canada’s adjacent field .
Just up from the shingle beach and looking into the strip grazed turnip field C15 pied wagtails with thewater pipit in attendance . At last ,lost count of the times I’ve tried to see this bird , a grimley first.
52 species seen 4 new for the year

 

[Isaac2]

Revised 58 species seen from the post 20/1/19

 

[Rob Williams]

Successfully managed a trip to see the Water Pipit near Wagon Wheel flash today. It was on the south side of the track flitting around the area between the kale field and the swamp near to the river.

 

[Isaac2]

Sunday morning 4c very blustery, Wagon wheel quiet but 2 red-legged partridges in adjacent fields and a pair of grey wagtails Grimley brook. Camp Lane female American wigeon north end and 3 goldeneye 1a stunning Male which was seen later at the south end. Pair of stonechat garden fence posts. C30 pochard 2/3 ‘s Male North and South end.
Sling pool C300 lapwing with numerous corvids in sheep grazed field. 40 goldfinches and Siskins 50/50 , in alders with some striking males amongst them.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Announcement by West Midland Bird Club:

A small field is being leased by the Club in Grimley as a focal point to provide Members with a safe parking area, when visiting/birding in the area. Envisaged to open Spring 2019, it will help avoid the area’s current parking problems. Details due soon

 

[Rob_S]

Announcement by West Midland Bird Club:

A small field is being leased by the Club in Grimley as a focal point to provide Members with a safe parking area, when visiting/birding in the area. Envisaged to open Spring 2019, it will help avoid the area’s current parking problems. Details due soon

And this:

WMBC News: A new Nature Reserve in Holt, Worcs, has become a step closer to opening, with an agreement between Rural Wildgoose Training & WMBC, currently under consideration by Wildgoose NR focus group. Details in due course, on the WMBC website & Spring Newsletter

 

[Brian Stretch]

A few minutes of video of the American Wigeon which continues to perform well on Church Farm Pits: https://youtu.be/FMTVpsrWqh4

Brian
________________
Worcester Birding

 

[luckyosprey4]

Could someone please tell me the directions to Church Farm Pits from Wagon Wheel Lane Pits or Camp Lane?

Thanks in advance,

Chris

 

[Pete Lewis]

Lots of birds around from Church Farm to Wagon Wheel Lane this afternoon. Some to mention: female Am. Wigeon still with Wigeon flock(on Church Farm south pit); male Blackcap amongst Mistletoe in poplars nearer to village; 71 Linnets, c.40 Skylarks, 3 meadow Pipits in market garden field west of village; pair of Stonechats by Church Farm pits; 2 male Pintails on WWLane south pit and 2 Common Snipe; Water Pipit associating with about 25 Pied Wagtails in sheep/forage field south of WWLane, where also 30+ redwings,2 Song Thrushes, 2Blackbirds, 1 Fieldfare with Mistle Thrush singing briefly near river------ many more birds were around but this gives the flavour of some pleasant hours birding in winter sunshine

 

[Rob Williams]

Could someone please tell me the directions to Church Farm Pits from Wagon Wheel Lane Pits or Camp Lane?

Thanks in advance,

Chris

I believe Church Farm are the pits on the other side of the road to the camp lane pits where the driveway to The ark comes onto the lane

 

[Dick-E-Dipper]

Could someone please tell me the directions to Church Farm Pits from Wagon Wheel Lane Pits or Camp Lane?

Thanks in advance,

Chris

Also, go to worcester birding on twitter and refer to Steve Preddy tweet of Jan 19th, which gives a very good map, highlighting Church Farm North Pit. There is a public footpath which runs from the Rectory between the 2 ponds.

Hope of some use
Richard

 

[Isaac2]

Church farm pits have only been recently dug (3 years) so are unlikely to be shown on standard maps . As stated above can be viewed from the metal gate opposite the entrance to Camp Lane pits North.