Photos:
Pair of Peregrines at Upton Warren
Wheatear at Barrow Lane, Newton-Le-Willows
15th August
Early evening I managed to get out and about a few places locally. I started with a drive around the mosses at Rixton. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was an interesting find on Holly Bush Lane – a Red-legged Partridge and a covey of 8 Grey Partridges was also there. On the tip pool was a Green Sandpiper and large numbers of Swallows with a few Swifts were busy feeding nearby. 5 Kestrels were around the place, a small flock of 23 Canada Geese and the usual two Mute Swans were on Moat Lane pools.
HGF saw large numbers of Swallows and smaller numbers of Swifts feeding over the fields near Midhops. Four Little Grebes were on the pool. Finally there was a large build up of Black-headed Gulls in a ploughed field off Waterworks Lane but nothing more interesting with them.
16th August
Bit of a non-day. The only birding was a brief visit to HGF with nothing much to report and staring out of the conservatory window at a couple of Coal Tits on the feeders.
17th August
A few Swifts kicking around when I walked Bill to HGF this evening plus a few larger gulls in the ploughed field off Waterworks Lane. Quiet.
18th August
Today I managed an early evening visit to Seaforth in the rain (working nearby). Nothing much about and the rain didn’t help visibility. Birds seen on my brief visit were:
Common Sandpiper
130+ Common Terns
76 Cormorants
85 Tufted Ducks
17 Curlews
112 Lapwings
20 Teal
12 Grey Herons
40+ House Martins
4 Little Grebes
Nothing new at HGF late evening. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the garden today.
19th August
A Skylark, a Buzzard and a singing Chiffchaff provided a little variety at HGF today. A Teal was also present on the pool.
20th August
Dawn found me stood at Barrow Lane (NLW) with Jonathan. 22 Yellow Wagtails came out of their spud patch roost. A Sedge Warbler and a Corn Bunting also emerged while a Whitethroat was in the north running hedge. Three Kestrels were also seen.
We then headed off to Rixton so I could show Jonathan how to get to the pool on the landfill site and Moat Lane pool 3. The former contained a Little Grebe feeding a youngster and also, unusually, two young Tufted Ducks with no adults present. On Moat Lane pool 1 were a couple of Teal while nr pool 3 a Treecreeper and 2 Willow Tits were picked up. I left Jonathan then and headed off over the mosses. A female Sparrowhawk was observed flying into the middle of a potato crop! Two coveys of Grey Partridges (8 and 3), 9 Mistle Thrushes and a flock of 110+ Linnets completed the interest.
I then headed up to the van where a Jay and a Nuthatch were loitering. A Buzzard has also been hanging around for the last few weeks, constantly calling and I assume a juvenile. It was as usual making plenty of racket today with its plaintive wailing.
Mid afternoon on a rising tide I nipped over to Red Nab. The usual two Little Gulls were still present along with five Meds (3 adults, 2 juveniles) and 8 Sandwich Terns. I timed this a bit wrong as everything was flushed shortly after I arrived. I then headed up the coast stopping at various points. Teal Bay was disappointing with just a few Eiders and a single Red-breasted Mergansers on show. At Hest Bank the wader line up included 15 Bar-tailed Godwits and 6 Black-tailed Godwits plus a Little Egret. Bolton-Le-Sands had more action with the usual large flock of Oystercatchers joined by 1100+ Black-headed Gulls, 550+ Curlews, 80+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 180 Dunlin and 90+ Ringed Plover. Then some dick head (not dog walking) decided to walk right out to the roosting hordes and flushed them!
21st August
Not much birding today. Karen dragged me off shopping (the psychological trauma will probably affect me for ever). A Little Egret was on Teal Bay when we drove past. Later a Sparrowhawk flew past the van.
Late evening I managed to escape to HGF having arrived back home. The Teal from the other day was still present – interesting as they usually don’t stay on here longer than a day. Little Grebe numbers have increased to four.
22nd August
Early morning visit to HGF. The Teal is still present and a female Shoveler was a nice surprise. A Chiffchaff was singing in the south hedge and around 90+ House Sparrows were flitting around near the kennels. A couple of Swifts were also feeding over the pool.
At lunch I managed to nip out to Rixton. A Green Sandpiper was on Moat Lane pool 1 – Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats also seen briefly skulking. Two Buzzards circled over the pools.
A female Sparrowhawk was in the garden this evening. A little later I ventured out on an errand in Warrington and another Sparrowhawk flew over the A49. A late evening walk down Barrow Lane with Bill was largely fruitless though three Grey Partridge coveys were seen.
23rd August
Early afternoon visit to HGF today. The Little Grebes have increased to five and around 200 House Sparrows were hanging around Midhops, however the best bird seen was a Yellow Wagtail which flew around Midhops.
Late afternoon I took Bill for a walk down Barrow Lane. Six Buzzards were in the air and a single Yellow Wagtail flew over. By the concrete bollards was a male Wheatear with a further two (female/juvenile) birds down the track at the end of the south running hedge.
A build up of large gulls in the dropped field in Waterworks Lane which backs up to our garden today. 60+ Lesser Black-backs, a few Herring Gulls and 7 Common Gulls.
24th August
Barrow Lane at dawn. 12 Yellow Wagtails flew out of the roost and the male Wheatear from yesterday was still present though he dived into the spud patch and kept his head down. A Corn Bunting also emerged from here, a few Reed Buntings flew round and two Buzzards were stood in a distant field to the north. Four coveys totalling 20 Grey Partridges were also seen.
25th August
Back in Brum so this evening I escaped to Upton Warren for a bit. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the top of the approach path were two Peregrines which were continuously swooping at something in a field on the far side of the reserve. From my vantage point I couldn’t see what. Also here was a noisy and very ragged looking Willow Warbler. While watching it in some bushes a Garden Warbler appeared next to it.
When I got to the hide I could see the Peregrines now perched up in the stubble field opposite, staring at a Buzzard. According to another birder present, the Buzzard had stolen a kill from them. The kill turned out to be a woodie. The Buzzard completely ignored the Peregrines, even though they perched nearby and started at it for at least half an hour, and also ignored an accompaniment of corvids too.
It was strange to look out from the hide at sun-baked mud with not much on it. Just a few weeks ago there was plenty of water and Avocets and Little Ringed Plovers were everywhere. This evening the place was dominated by 282 Black-headed Gulls which had decided to roost on the mud, or at least they did so until the Peregrines got fed up of watching the Buzzard and flew over the ex-pool.
At the back where a muddy fringe remained 5 Green Sandpipers and 2 Common Sandpipers were feeding. A handful of Stock Doves flew down to feed and a Jay passed through, being hassled by Magpies. One of the other birders found a Spotted Flycatcher which was flitting about on a fence to the right of the hide. Apparently this bird had been present all day from the entries in the log book.
Early evening I managed to get out and about a few places locally. I started with a drive around the mosses at Rixton. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was an interesting find on Holly Bush Lane – a Red-legged Partridge and a covey of 8 Grey Partridges was also there. On the tip pool was a Green Sandpiper and large numbers of Swallows with a few Swifts were busy feeding nearby. 5 Kestrels were around the place, a small flock of 23 Canada Geese and the usual two Mute Swans were on Moat Lane pools.
HGF saw large numbers of Swallows and smaller numbers of Swifts feeding over the fields near Midhops. Four Little Grebes were on the pool. Finally there was a large build up of Black-headed Gulls in a ploughed field off Waterworks Lane but nothing more interesting with them.
16th August
Bit of a non-day. The only birding was a brief visit to HGF with nothing much to report and staring out of the conservatory window at a couple of Coal Tits on the feeders.
17th August
A few Swifts kicking around when I walked Bill to HGF this evening plus a few larger gulls in the ploughed field off Waterworks Lane. Quiet.
18th August
Today I managed an early evening visit to Seaforth in the rain (working nearby). Nothing much about and the rain didn’t help visibility. Birds seen on my brief visit were:
Common Sandpiper
130+ Common Terns
76 Cormorants
85 Tufted Ducks
17 Curlews
112 Lapwings
20 Teal
12 Grey Herons
40+ House Martins
4 Little Grebes
Nothing new at HGF late evening. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the garden today.
19th August
A Skylark, a Buzzard and a singing Chiffchaff provided a little variety at HGF today. A Teal was also present on the pool.
20th August
Dawn found me stood at Barrow Lane (NLW) with Jonathan. 22 Yellow Wagtails came out of their spud patch roost. A Sedge Warbler and a Corn Bunting also emerged while a Whitethroat was in the north running hedge. Three Kestrels were also seen.
We then headed off to Rixton so I could show Jonathan how to get to the pool on the landfill site and Moat Lane pool 3. The former contained a Little Grebe feeding a youngster and also, unusually, two young Tufted Ducks with no adults present. On Moat Lane pool 1 were a couple of Teal while nr pool 3 a Treecreeper and 2 Willow Tits were picked up. I left Jonathan then and headed off over the mosses. A female Sparrowhawk was observed flying into the middle of a potato crop! Two coveys of Grey Partridges (8 and 3), 9 Mistle Thrushes and a flock of 110+ Linnets completed the interest.
I then headed up to the van where a Jay and a Nuthatch were loitering. A Buzzard has also been hanging around for the last few weeks, constantly calling and I assume a juvenile. It was as usual making plenty of racket today with its plaintive wailing.
Mid afternoon on a rising tide I nipped over to Red Nab. The usual two Little Gulls were still present along with five Meds (3 adults, 2 juveniles) and 8 Sandwich Terns. I timed this a bit wrong as everything was flushed shortly after I arrived. I then headed up the coast stopping at various points. Teal Bay was disappointing with just a few Eiders and a single Red-breasted Mergansers on show. At Hest Bank the wader line up included 15 Bar-tailed Godwits and 6 Black-tailed Godwits plus a Little Egret. Bolton-Le-Sands had more action with the usual large flock of Oystercatchers joined by 1100+ Black-headed Gulls, 550+ Curlews, 80+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 180 Dunlin and 90+ Ringed Plover. Then some dick head (not dog walking) decided to walk right out to the roosting hordes and flushed them!
21st August
Not much birding today. Karen dragged me off shopping (the psychological trauma will probably affect me for ever). A Little Egret was on Teal Bay when we drove past. Later a Sparrowhawk flew past the van.
Late evening I managed to escape to HGF having arrived back home. The Teal from the other day was still present – interesting as they usually don’t stay on here longer than a day. Little Grebe numbers have increased to four.
22nd August
Early morning visit to HGF. The Teal is still present and a female Shoveler was a nice surprise. A Chiffchaff was singing in the south hedge and around 90+ House Sparrows were flitting around near the kennels. A couple of Swifts were also feeding over the pool.
At lunch I managed to nip out to Rixton. A Green Sandpiper was on Moat Lane pool 1 – Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats also seen briefly skulking. Two Buzzards circled over the pools.
A female Sparrowhawk was in the garden this evening. A little later I ventured out on an errand in Warrington and another Sparrowhawk flew over the A49. A late evening walk down Barrow Lane with Bill was largely fruitless though three Grey Partridge coveys were seen.
23rd August
Early afternoon visit to HGF today. The Little Grebes have increased to five and around 200 House Sparrows were hanging around Midhops, however the best bird seen was a Yellow Wagtail which flew around Midhops.
Late afternoon I took Bill for a walk down Barrow Lane. Six Buzzards were in the air and a single Yellow Wagtail flew over. By the concrete bollards was a male Wheatear with a further two (female/juvenile) birds down the track at the end of the south running hedge.
A build up of large gulls in the dropped field in Waterworks Lane which backs up to our garden today. 60+ Lesser Black-backs, a few Herring Gulls and 7 Common Gulls.
24th August
Barrow Lane at dawn. 12 Yellow Wagtails flew out of the roost and the male Wheatear from yesterday was still present though he dived into the spud patch and kept his head down. A Corn Bunting also emerged from here, a few Reed Buntings flew round and two Buzzards were stood in a distant field to the north. Four coveys totalling 20 Grey Partridges were also seen.
25th August
Back in Brum so this evening I escaped to Upton Warren for a bit. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the top of the approach path were two Peregrines which were continuously swooping at something in a field on the far side of the reserve. From my vantage point I couldn’t see what. Also here was a noisy and very ragged looking Willow Warbler. While watching it in some bushes a Garden Warbler appeared next to it.
When I got to the hide I could see the Peregrines now perched up in the stubble field opposite, staring at a Buzzard. According to another birder present, the Buzzard had stolen a kill from them. The kill turned out to be a woodie. The Buzzard completely ignored the Peregrines, even though they perched nearby and started at it for at least half an hour, and also ignored an accompaniment of corvids too.
It was strange to look out from the hide at sun-baked mud with not much on it. Just a few weeks ago there was plenty of water and Avocets and Little Ringed Plovers were everywhere. This evening the place was dominated by 282 Black-headed Gulls which had decided to roost on the mud, or at least they did so until the Peregrines got fed up of watching the Buzzard and flew over the ex-pool.
At the back where a muddy fringe remained 5 Green Sandpipers and 2 Common Sandpipers were feeding. A handful of Stock Doves flew down to feed and a Jay passed through, being hassled by Magpies. One of the other birders found a Spotted Flycatcher which was flitting about on a fence to the right of the hide. Apparently this bird had been present all day from the entries in the log book.
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