Wetley Moor

Birds and birdwatching on Wetley Moor in North Staffordshire, England.

Photo by Andy Lawrence.
Wetley Moor from Kerry Hill area.

Overview

For the birdwatcher Wetley Moor is of interest, but not a place where rare birds can be expected (or perhaps even hoped for!) - you more or less know what you're going to see. Perhaps of most importance for wintering Reed Bunting, it also holds an assemblage of "rough-ground" breeders during the summer with Meadow Pipits a characteristic bird. Only Common Snipe and Jack Snipe are found on the ground within the moorland area, although Northern Lapwing and Eurasian Curlew are noted around the adjacent fields. Grasshopper Warbler on-site during the summer, with visiting Wheatear occasional. Linnets are summer birds, plus the usual array summer visitors with Willow Warbler totals probably well over 40 pairs around the edge of the site. Stonechats regular during the October and March movement period and has also overwintered.

Birds

Notable Species

Reed Bunting, Stonechat, Willow Warbler: good numbers in summer

Check-list

Current bird list runs as follows (additions to list would be useful):

Birds you can see here include:

Barn Owl, Black-headed Gull, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Curlew, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Garden Warbler, Goldfinch, Grasshopper Warbler, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, House Sparrow, Jack Snipe, Kestrel, Northern Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Little Owl, Long-eared Owl, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch, Pheasant, Raven, Redstart, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Sky Lark, Common Snipe, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Wheatear, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Incomplete total = 57

Please note: The only approved and complete list of birds for this site is held within the Staffordshire birds database - contact the Staffordshire County Bird Recorder for details.

Other Wildlife

To do

Site Information

History and Use

To do

Areas of Interest

Area has been split into biological recording areas largely according to natural boundaries - details with Staffs Moorland District Council I think

Access and Facilities

Google map for Wetley Moor

Main access from the car park near Armshead although access points around the site allow entry from several other points although these not well served for parking.

Survey work known

Three-visit Common Bird Census (CBC) performed in summer of 2007 - results with Staffs Moorland District Council.

One square included in the Breeding Bird Survey [any details?]

Possible commissioned survey in early 2000s [any details?]

Contact Details

Wetley Moor Joint Planning Committee [details?] help to manage this location.

Regularly watched by:

add names; jackhaye

Bibliography and further reading

No writing specifically on the birds known;

Some records placed within Birdtrack >> WMBC Staffs Database >> Staffs Record Centre.

Map published by Wetley Moor Joint Planning Committee - any details?

External Links

Please add if any reputable, non-commercial, sites are known.

Other sites nearby are:

within a few minutes travel: Park Hall, Berry Hill,

a little further afield: Tittesworth Reservoir, Rudyard Lake, Westport Lake, Apedale, Blackbank, Consall,

External Links

To do

References

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Reviews

Please add any visit details