No. 478 Autumn 2015
Windmill Pool - Earlswood photograph Matt Griffiths This front page is sponsored by the Birder’s Store, Worcester
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 1 11/09/2015 11:40 WMBC News Is published in March, June, September and December each year to link the membership with each other, what’s been happening, current issues and forthcoming events on the bird scene in our area and further afield together with a comprehensive summary of the recorded bird sightings in our area I can hardly believe that it’s three months since I collated my first WMBC News and waited anxiously to see it in print yet here we are with autumn upon us and the September issue due. Huge thanks go to those members who have contributed what I think is a very interesting and varied selection of articles which I hope you will enjoy reading as much as I have when collating them. Thanks also go to those who have allowed me to include their stunning photographs.
I am also grateful to those who have suggested new threads, including what you might look out for in the next three months, your own accounts of seeing a rare or scarce bird or simply a memorable birding day. As our next issue is just pre-Christmas it would also be good to include your suggestions for stocking fillers for a birding friend. I am happy to receive your contributions in any format, including handwritten by post, so no excuses if you don’t use a computer, as always the quality of the next Newsletter is in your hands.
I look forward to reading your contributions as they arrive. In the mean time happy birding
Sue In this issue
Page 3 Membership Matters - John Hoyle Page 4 Call for Projects - Kevin Clements Page 5 Notes from your Management Committee - Humphrey Miller Page 6 Our Tamworth Branch - Kevin Clements Page 7 Summary of the Nesting Birds at Bodenham Arboretum and farm - Brian Rickett and Doug Wall Page 8 Birding in the Kingdom of Heaven - Colin McShane Page 9 Blythe Valley Countryside Park Nestbox Scheme - Humphrey Miller Page 10 Black Redstart Survey - Jim Winsper Pages 11-13 Our Branches - Autumn Programme Pages 14-18 My Patch - The Earlswood Area - Matt Griffiths Pages 19-22 Bird Notes - April to July - Humphrey Miller Page 23 Birmingham Branch - Field meetings reports - Ray Davies Pages 24-25 My First Rare Bird - Roger Broadbent Pages 26-27 Something different for September - Colin Mcshane Pages 28-37 Birding trip to Canada - Rob Swift Page 38 Belvide Bird race and Stop Press Page 39 And Finally - Snippets of information Page 39 Officers of WMBC and their contact details 2
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 2 11/09/2015 11:40 Membership Matters We are pleased to welcome the following new members of the Club, who have joined since the last list was published. Please note the names shown are as on the membership forms but that all family members at each address are included in this welcome.
Mrs M Tweddle of Dorridge; Mr B Stretch of Worcester; Mr A Phillips of Wednesfield; Mr B Jones of Brewood; Mr S Roulstone of Bednall; Ms E Featherstone of Claverdon; Mr C Hunt of Tong; Mr D Palmer of Brewood; Ms M Greer of Salt; Mr N Jones of Newport; Mr T Christian of Sutton Coldfield; Mr. M Derbyshire of Penn; Mr D Evans of Newcastle under Lyme.; Mr M Hetherington of Tettenhall; Miss T Knowles of Wednesfield ; Mr K Bradshaw of Forsbrook and Ms A Bentley of Newport.
All club memberships are due for renewal on 1st January each year. To process 1500 memberships takes four weeks so for this reason the gate code at our reserves doesn’t change until the 1st March to ensure members get their membership cards showing the new code in good time. There is always a last minute rush as members realise they have forgotten to renew and risk being without the new code at the start of March. This can be avoided by paying by standing order. If you would like to use this option please complete the form below and forward it directly to your bank making sure you enter your WMBC membership number as the reference. John Hoyle - Membership Secretary WEST MIDLAND BIRD CLUB - STANDING ORDER
To: The Manager ...... Bank (Your Bank)
Address......
...... Please pay to Barclays Bank plc. Jewellery Quarter Branch, 35 Frederick Street, Birmingham B1 3HH Sort Code 20-07-71 for the account of West Midland Bird Club, Account No. 00928054 quoting reference...... the sum of £...... on 1st January 2015 and then annually
Your Account Number...... Sort Code......
In the name of...... (CAPITALS)
Your Signature...... Date......
Your Address ...... This order cancels any previous order to the same payee 3
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 3 11/09/2015 11:40 Call for Projects Kevin Clements You will know from this year’s AGM or Annual Activities Statement that the Club currently enjoys a healthy financial position. As I asked at the AGM, if members have any ideas for projects that the Club could carry out or get involved with, please let us know. Clearly, we cannot overcommit and any proposals would need to contribute towards the our overall aim of studying birds in Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. Proposals need not be restricted to our reserves, they could involve one or more species, or relate to part or all of the region. Your idea could be a one-off project or longer term initiative, though we would obviously need any necessary consents. All proposals will be considered by the Executive Committee, so please do get involved and submit your ideas. Thank you. Kevin Clements [email protected]
If you have visited our Belvide reserve this summer you may have been lucky enough to see this Juvenile Cuckoo ‘chick’ being fed by its Reed Warbler foster parent. Photograph Martyn Pitt 4
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 4 11/09/2015 11:40 Notes from the Management Committee by Humphrey Miller 1. Annual General Meeting The Club’s Annual General Meeting was held at Tamworth on 23rd June The evening’s proceedings were chaired by Frank Gribble, one of our three Vice Presidents.
There was just one change to the composition of the Management Committee. Rob Swift, who has done a splendid job in leading the management team at Belvide in recent years, stood down as an Elected Member, and Sue Judge was elected in his place. Sue too is a prominent member of the Belvide team, and, as you know, has recently taken on the position of Newsletter Editor.
There were again no nominations for the post of Deputy Chairman. The other officers were all re-elected, so the composition of the Management Committee for 2015-6 is as follows
Chairman Kevin Clements Deputy Chairman (Vacant) Secretary Mark Rickus Treasurer Andy Thomas Membership Secretary John Hoyle Elected Members Roger Broadbent, Sue Judge Branch Representatives (elected at branch AGMs) Birmingham – Paul Bateman Kidderminster – Brian Rickett Stafford – David Dodd Solihull – Humphrey Miller Tamworth – (vacant) After the conclusion of the formal business, an interesting and informative talk on the Tame Valley Wetlands Landscape Partnership, of which the Club is a partner, was given by Tim Haselden, the manager of the operation.
2. Outdoor Events During the spring the Club has been represented at outdoor events staged by Tame Valley Wetlands Landscape Partnership (Tamefest, Coleshill), Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (Wildlife Fair, Wolesley Bridge), Earlswood Wildlife Partnership (Earlswood Springwatch, Clowes Wood) Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (Bioblitz, Brandon Marsh) and at the Hay Festival (Wheaton Aston). We shall also be at Lower Drayton Farm, Penkridge, Nr Stafford for their Autumn Nature Watch on Sunday 20th September.
3. Life Membership We are very pleased to announce that Andy Lawrence has accepted the offer of honorary life membership, in recognition of his long and distinguished service to the Club in many areas.
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 5 11/09/2015 11:40 Tamworth Branch Kevin Clements Firstly, thank you to the members who attended this year’s Annual General Meeting at our Tamworth Branch on 23rd June and to those who gave their apologies. Ironically, the Club’s AGM currently stands to be the last meeting at the Tamworth Branch. After several years of dedication to the Club’s interests and organisation of meetings, the Committee stood down at the Branch’s own AGM in April. However, that need not mark the end of our Tamworth Branch. Whether you live in the Tamworth area or further afield and are willing to offer a few hours to support the Club in continuing to run the Branch please do get in touch. You need not have any previous experience, as we will offer as much help and support as requested. Thank you. Kevin Clements [email protected] A Blast from the past
Dave Smallshire, who now lives in Devon and was the original warden of our Belvide reserve is, this year, celebrating 50 years in birding and decided to celebrate this landmark by revisiting ‘his’ reserve and it was my pleasure to escort him, together with his wife Sue, Bev Craddock, Frank Gribble, Peter Dedicoat and June Taylor around the reserve and show them what we had been up to and our plans for the future. If you don’t recognise Dave from his WMBC days you may know him as one of the authors of Britain’s Dragonflies, a highly respected field guide to Damselflies and Dragonflies. We started the walk on the reserve car park at 10.00am and met up with Steve Nuttall in the West end hide at 2.00pm, finally leaving the reserve after 5.00pm which shows the level of interest taken. I will ask Dave to do us an article about those early days for a future newsletter as I am sure you will be as facinated as I was. Photograph from left to right: Steve, Dave, Peter and Bev.
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 6 11/09/2015 11:40 2015 Summary of the Nesting Birds At Bodenham Arboretum & Farm SO8081 Brian Rickett and Doug Wall Project Leaders
Nest Boxes The 2015 season turned out to be quite unusual in some aspects of behaviour. The initial occupation was very good at 90%. However some 22% of the boxes failed to reach the egg laying stage and were deserted at stage N1 through to stage N4 for reasons it was not possible to ascertain with any certainty. It may well have been that the adults were predated during nest building! This, of course, had the effect of reducing the figures for this year.
Total Boxes 60 Not occupied 6 = 10% Occupied 54 = 90% Eggs-Hatching-Fledging 41 = 68% Deserted during building 13 = 22% Total eggs 348 Hatched 309 = 89% Fledged 289 = 94%
There was some good news in respect of our two pairs of Nuthatches who produced 13 young between them with only 1 infertile egg.
Predation was not too significant with only 1 nest of 4 eggs broken with empty shells and 1 nest completely emptied of 2 day old chicks.
Open Nests Data was also collected on 70 nests, our highest total so far. These includeCommon Buzzards; Jays; Sparrowhawks; Siskins and Tawny Owls, together with Blackbirds; Dunnocks; Mistle Thrushes; Song Thrushes and Robins doing particularly well. These results were pleasing when added to the successful nesting of our other residents and summer migrants.
This produced, in our opinion. a very good effort by all the staff our visitors and casual walkers who took time to send in their observations.
In addition pairs of Goldcrests; Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers; Spotted Flycatchers and Wood Warblers were seen in good habitats but despite best efforts no nests were found.
The detailed reports will be included in a future newsletter as soon as they are available and will also be published on the Club’s website.
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 7 11/09/2015 11:40 Birding the Kingdom of Heaven - Colin McShane Imagine you have just spend a full day in the field, you have bagged a number of good birds, and you are snuggling up in a clean, warm bed after a pub meal followed by a couple of drinks. Just as you are dropping off, the unmistakeable calls of Manx Shearwaters coming into their burrows rounds off a wonderful day; with another similar day to follow……..where could this superb place be? In the 19th century, Lundy Island in the mouth of the Bristol Channel was owned by a clergyman with the wonderfully apt surname of Heaven. The Heaven family owned the island for some years and unsurprisingly it is often called ‘’The Kingdom of Heaven’’. I have been visiting Lundy almost annually for the past 35 years, and for me, it’s one of the best places that I know to spend a week (shorter rentals are available—but go for a week if you can). Over the years I have had some amazing birds Collared Pratincole, Common Rosefinch, Rose Coloured Starling, Golden Oriole, Wryneck, Ancient Murrelet, among many others with the absolute icing on the cake being Britain and Europe’s first and only Eastern Phoebe! Up to 1974 when Lundy last employed a full time bird warden it boasted the best list of firsts for Britain of any observatory— since then there has been no resident birder, so there is plenty of opportunity to find your own superb birds. Accommodation is in well maintained cottages and apartments, with a well-stocked shop and a pub with restaurant.
Transport is usually by boat from Ilfracombe, with a helicopter service in stormy weather.
Migration periods are obviously best for rarities-I especially like the Spring period—any time from early April to late May, then mid-August to late October should see you encountering a range of common migrants at least, with always a chance of the big one. For non-birding partners and friends there’s plenty of things to do so long as you enjoy being outside, walking, exploring, looking for archaeological artefacts, listening to silence and peace—I guess you can see where I’m coming from. So, in short, if you are looking for somewhere new and potentially very exciting for a birding holiday, then look no further. Please think seriously about giving Lundy Island a try—I’m sure you won’t be disappointed- all of my family and friends who have been have returned for more. 8
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 8 11/09/2015 11:40 Have a look at the Landmark Trust website then the Lundy link for details of prices and availabilities. The definitive book to check out is The Birds of Lundy by Tim Jones and Tim Davis, and if you want some more details from me feel free to email me on jandcinbrewood@btinternet. com All you need to do then is have a great time!
Colin McShane
Blythe Valley Countryside Park Results of the nestbox scheme for the 2015 breeding season - Humphrey Miller
As in previous years, we monitored 24 tit boxes. All but one were used, though a further four did not proceed beyond the nest-building stage. It was a pity that use by Eurasian Nuthatches was not repeated, but the season’s performance by Blue and Great Tits showed an improvement over 2014, when cold, wet weather late in the season resulted in a high level of mortality. Blue Tits fledged 110 young from 13 nests, with a further two nests failing at the chick stage (2014: 108 from 15) and Great Tits 28 young from 4 nests (2014: 20 from 3). Our report to the BVP management and appendices can be seen on the website in the Solihull branch section.
Members participating in nestbox monitoring were Barbara Oakley, Raymond Brown, Ray Davies, John Reeves, Clive and Sheila Williamson, Jim Winsper and Anthony Reynolds. Paul Bateman again looked after removal and re-erection of boxes in the winter cleaning and maintenance sessions, and Tony and Leigh Kelly ringed the majority of the nestlings. My thanks to everybody for their involvement, and particularly to Barbara, who retires from the team in anticipation of a house move away from our area, and has, since the project began, been responsible for the bulk of the procurement work, purchasing nestboxes and consumables. Humphrey Miller 9
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 9 11/09/2015 11:40 Black Redstart survey Commencing January 1st 2016 Jim Winsper Having announced this joint survey, a collaboration between the West Midland Bird Club and Regional BTO, in the April issue of our Newsletter, I feel that it’s important to provide updates on the project in order that we maintain a momentum in the build up to the launch date. As stated in the initial announcement, it is vital to the success of this survey in that we achieve adequate coverage of the entire region (the region being, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the metropolitan county West Midlands, otherwise known as the West Midland Bird Club region). It would be of great assistance if all those who wish to take part in the survey would inform me of their intent. Clearly the main focus of this survey will centre on breeding birds and we have to avoid the probability of observers converging at known hot- spots in traditional breeding zones, in the hope of recording birds. It is of equal importance that in what is considered to be suitable breeding habitat, we establish the absence of birds as well as recording their presence. This maybe an old quote, particularly to those who have been involved in survey work for a long time but, a nil count is equally as important as any other value when surveying an area in order to provide accurate statistics. A successful survey will entail visits to as many potential breeding sites in the region as possible, whether they have a history of breeding birds or not. Do Black Redstarts breed in Coventry, Stoke, Walsall, Warwick, Wolverhampton or Worcester and elsewhere? There is very little in our annual reports that suggests that this might be the case, nor is it reflected in the Rare Breeding Birds Panel reports where there is nothing more than a sparsity of information available for our entire region. This prompts the questions, have we taken a good enough look in the right places in these towns and cities and all other suitable areas? Have we done enough to warrant our current assessment of the birds’ regional status? This survey provides us the opportunity to establish some real facts that in turn will provide an invaluable bench mark to all future studies of this bird, both at regional and national level. There are no special requirements involved in taking part in this survey, simply a commitment to visiting a location that we consider to be suitable Black Redstart territory. If it is your wish to take part, please contact me at [email protected] so that a strategy can be formed that will offer us the greatest opportunity to achieve our aim. An information and guidelines paper that will assist with your observations, together with instructions, will be provided to all participants. Having a good chat with regard to planning our approach to the survey or offering any assistance is no bad thing either! Jim Winsper
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 10 11/09/2015 11:40 Branch Meetings Indoor and Field Meetings Please note that all members and their families A mix of fresh and saltwater marshes, sand dunes are welcome to join all meetings organised by and shore on the northern edge of the Wash and any WMBC Branch beside the North Sea attracts waders,wildfowl and seabirds as well as passage migrants and rarities. Reserve entrance fee is included in the BIRMINGHAM BRANCH cost.
Indoor Meetings Friday 30 Oct 2015 Norfolk Weekend No further Indoor Meetings are being held by Cost is £67.00 per person db&b per night. No the Birmingham Branch. supplement for first 9 singles, thereafter £15 pn extra supplement applies. Full payment Field Meetings of £134.00 (or £164) for the 2 nights will be Coaches for these depart from Cambridge Street, required to confirm a booking. Cheques to be Birmingahm City Centre, promptly at the time made payable to West Midland Bird Club (WMBC) stated. Food and drink should be brought as and sent to Ray Davies at 140 Bradbury Road, required. Appropriate clothing and footwear to Solihull, West Midlands, B92 8AL, to be received guard against the elements is recommended. To no later than 13th September, the latest date book or for further information please contact for bookings to be taken to meet the conditions either Ray Davies 0121 682 4375 or 07762 061603 necessary to meet the terms and conditions of [email protected] or the hotel and assist our adminstration of the cost Judith Gerrard 0121 427 3779 or 07975631430 [email protected] Sunday 06 Dec 2015 Please Note: the coach can become fully booked Mere Sands Wood/Marshside RSPB (48 is possible) but non arrivals on the day can Depart: 07:00hrs Expected return: 19:00hrs prevent those on a waiting list the chance to Cost: min £16, max £21 Mere Sands Wood, a enjoy the day. Could members please contact new venture and our morning site, features as Ray or Judith, however late, if they have to cancel the name suggests, habitat promising a wide their booking. On Sunday morning ring Ray’s range of woodland, water and open area birds. mobile: 07762 061603 with any late cancellations, These are likely to include Kingfisher, Goosander Thank you. and a wide range of finches. At Marshside the extensive freshwater marsh and saltflats attract Sunday 13th September, 2015 a wide range of wildfowl - ducks and geese - and Frampton Marsh RSPB herons. Ever present birds of prey e.g marauding Depart: 07.00hrs Expected return 19.30hrs Peregrine, quartering Harriers and maybe Short- Cost: min £14, max £20 eared Owl take advantage! A further visit to this coastal wetland reserve with reedbed, large freshwater scrapes and wet Sunday 10 Jan 2016 grassland that was enjoyed by all. At migration time a wide range of wader species and Rutland Water Depart: 07:00 AM. Expected return: 06:30 PM. interesting passerines can be expected. Cost: min £17, max £24 Prime inland reservoir with lagoons, marshy Sunday 11 Oct 2015 margins, fields and woodland to provide a wide Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire range of species to start the year. The cost Depart: 07:00hrs Expected return: 19:30hrs includes reserve entrance fee. Cost: min £17, max £25 11
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 11 11/09/2015 11:40 Sunday 07 Feb 2016 look at his local patch. Meet at Perkins Sports & Social Club, Tixall Road, Bretton Country Park/Old Moor RSPB ST16 3PU - 7.30 for 7.45 start. Depart: 07:00 AM. Expected return: 07:00 PM. Cost: min £14, max £22 The remainder of the winter programme is being The Lakes in the Dearne Valley offer birding in completed and will be in the next newsletter and parkland, woodland and around lakes with a on the club website. range of winter visitors and woodland birds. Old Moor RSPB, a short distance away, has potential for winter swans, wildfowl, and waders. Entrance Field Meetings fee for non members so bring your RSPB While the Stafford Branch has no formal field membership card! trips arranged at present for 2015 the Committee is aware that there are new members who consider themselves as beginners or novices and Sunday 06 Mar 2016 who would like the opportunity to go birding Forest of Dean with more experienced bird watchers. This also Depart: 07:00 AM. Expected return: 07:00 PM. applies to more experienced bird watchers who Cost: min £12, max £20 may wish to come along as well to share the social The regular visit to this Gloucestershire site at chat and, maybe, excitement. The Committee the time of peak activity offering prospect of wants to gauge the level of interest in this sort of displaying Goshawk, finding Hawfinch, Dipper activity and urges everyone interested to make and Crossbill, admiring spectacular Mandarin, contact. and what chance of Great Grey Shrike again?
Friday 01 Apr 2016 SOLIHULL BRANCH Devon Weekend Branch contact on 0121 705 8507 We will stay at the Best Western Passage Hotel at Email: [email protected] Kingsteignton The cost is £47.00 per person per night for half board for those sharing a room and Indoor meetings £62 for singles. Payment in full for the 2 nights is Indoor meetings are held in the Guild House, required by February15th - by cheque made Knowle B93 0LN, commencing at 7.30 p.m. out to West Midland Bird Club (WMBC) and sent Admission: WMBC members £2.00, non- to Ray Davies at ‘140 Bradbury Road, Solihull, members £2.50. West Midlands, B92 8AL’. February 15th is also the latest date for bookings to be taken. Travel Please note that access from the eastern car park by own transport to meet at 6.30pm for dinner via the churchyard is unlit and those who are not at 7.00pm. Centred near Kingsteignton we confident about their night vision should either will search for local specialities and lingering bring a torch or take the slightly longer route via wintering species, as well as the first summer the High Street. migrants and rarities that may be present.
The programme for the remainder of the year is: STAFFORD BRANCH Branch Contact: 01543 490096 Friday 2nd October: Email: [email protected] Ashley Grove: “Lammergeiers of Indoor Meetings the Spanish Pyrenees”. Tuesday 3rd November 2015 Ashley’s renowned photographic skills in one of Jeff Clarke - Merseybeat Europe’s finest mountain ranges. This meeting We look forward to another visit from Jeff and a has kindly been sponsored by Roger Skan, Esq. 12
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 12 11/09/2015 11:40 Friday 6th November: Wednesday 28th October Mark Sisson: “The Secret Lives of Wendy Conway Puffins”. Spring in Hungary and Bulgaria Mark, a professional photographer and tour Birds and Butterflies in these central European leader, gives an insight into one of our favourite Countries. seabirds. This meeting has kindly been sponsored by BVP Management Company Limited. Wednesday 25th November John Robinson Friday 4th December: Natural History of the Wyre Forest Jim Winsper: “Breeding Gulls and He knows more than anyone about the forest other birds of central Birmingham”. having lived there for many years. Jim’s recent study of Birmingham’s gulls also covers the other interesting species in the city Wednesday 16th December centre. Jim Almond Field meetings Jim’s Big Year A year in the life of the Shropshire Birder. Sunday 20th September: Middleton Lakes (SP194983) Other dates for your diary Meet in the car park at 10 a.m. (access off Bodymoor Heath Road). This R.S.P.B. reserve has become a good site for passage waders, and has BELVIDE RESERVE a good all-round range of species. Work Parties Autumn and Winter is the time when we do Please note: any changes to arrangements will our annual, necessary, habitat maintenance be posted on the “Late changes/news” section work, much of it done through our volunteer of the website: you are advised to check shortly work parties on Sunday mornings. Much of before the dates of meetings. the voluntary work revolves around habitat improvement by cutting back shrubs, coppicing willows, clearing scrub, burning brash (a popular KIDDERMINSTER BRANCH job on a frosty morning) etc but also jobs such Contacts 01562 824615 (Branch Chair, Brian as hide, sign and path maintenance. As always Rickett, 1 Russell Road Kidderminster) or 01384 Nigel Talbot the Belvide work party manager has 839838 an enjoyable and rewarding work programme organised for the coming season so why not Indoor Meetings come along to a volunteer work party and ‘do Meetings are held at St. Oswald’s Church Centre, your bit, for your reserve’? Everybody is assured off Broadwaters Drive, Kidderminster DY10 2RY a warm welcome and tools and gloves are Commencing 19.30. A charge of £2.00 per provided. We meet at the Scott hide at 9.30am person for WMBC members and £2.50 for non- and usuually finish around 12noon when the members is made, which includes refreshments sandwiches and binoculars often come out. The dates for 2015 are September 27th Wednesday 23rd September October 4th, 11th and 18th Keith Offord November 1st, 8th and15th December 6th, 13th and 20th Namibia Land of Contrasts Any extra dates will be published on the Belvide Birds and Mammals from a wide range of habitats. News site - belvidenews.wordpress.com
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 13 11/09/2015 11:40 My Patch The Earlswood area Matt Griffiths I’ve been birding Earlswood Lakes and the surrounding area on a regular basis for nearly eight years now, and I absolutely love it! My first ever twitch was a Grey Phalarope at the lakes found by Alan Dean in October 2007, a really confiding, endearing little bird. My fate was sealed: with Earlswood being very close to where I live, and the possibility of seeing a wide variety of bird species there including rarities like the phalarope, I quickly adopted it as my local patch. Initially my visits were occasional but soon grew to become near- daily, with many rewards for my efforts as a result, such as finding site firsts and rarities, recording record numbers of certain common species, satisfaction at doing something useful and enjoyable, physical and mental exercise, fresh air, meeting like-minded people and reducing anxiety.
It’s fair to say that my patch-birding has been life-changing, so I’d like to encourage more of the membership to adopt their own local patches and reap the benefits of finding birds. Members living in Solihull or south Birmingham could certainly do worse than choose Earlswood as their local patch, whilst those living further away might like to try their luck too. Earlier this year, for example, a visiting birder from Peterborough found a Little Gull at the lakes.
The Earlswood area is situated south of Solihull on the West Midlands county / Warwickshire border. With a wide variety of habitats to be found on the patch, perhaps it’s unsurprising that just over 200 bird species have been recorded there over the years. Without doubt the most productive part of the area in terms of bird diversity are the lakes, which comprise three man-made pools totalling nearly 70 acres in size, constructed during the 1820s to supply water for the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. The lakes are surrounded on most sides by trees and scrub, backed by fields and gardens. With almost no open, natural shoreline at normal water levels, waders can be hard to find apart from Common Sandpipers and fly- over Lapwings. The lakes are, however, good for terns, with Common Terns present throughout the summer, and Arctics and Blacks occurring annually on passage in recent years. Mandarin Duck have visited annually recently too, and Goosander occur regularly from November to March, whilst other winter duck species like Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler and Pochard also drop in on passage and during the winter but in very small numbers. Greylag Geese are 14
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 14 11/09/2015 11:40 regular visitors, again usually in very small numbers, and Great Crested Grebes are breeding residents. The feeder channels that surround the lakes on most sides often hold one or two Water Rail outside the summer months. Some gulls, mostly Black-headed, hang around during the day with numbers usually peaking during the evening to form a pre-roost gathering, amongst which the odd Mediterranean, Little and Kittiwake have been picked out. Good numbers of hirundines and Swift can be seen hawking over the lakes at passage times, especially during wet weather, sometimes at very close quarters; amongst these a Red-rumped Swallow was found back in 2004. In winter, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll flocks are attracted to the many alders that surround the lakes.
The lakes are popular with fishermen, dog-walkers and the general public so disturbance can be a problem, especially at weekends and on bank holidays, so early morning visits for birding are recommended. Engine Pool, which is the middle lake, is bordered by a surfaced path and over 100 fishing pegs, so is generally the most disturbed of the three lakes but the water surface, floating reed islands and feeder channels are always worth checking. The eastern lake, Windmill Pool, is slightly less disturbed, with paths that can be rather muddy, but there is sailing and some fishing here too; however, the western side south of the sailing club is well worth checking as the thick belt of willows along there are good for warblers, whilst further out in the water is a large bed of Amphibious Bistort which provides further shelter and feeding opportunities for waterbirds. Looking south from the brick bridge near the southwest corner of Windmill Pool into the horse pasture there is also worthwhile, as this field and its hedges has attracted Ring Ouzel, Redstart, Wheatear and Spotted Flycatcher in recent years. Immediately 15
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 15 11/09/2015 11:40 east of this field is a scrubby field lying beside a brook which is another good area for warblers including the odd Grasshopper Warbler, and last year attracted a Yellow-browed!
Dividing Engine Pool and Windmill Pool is the Malthouse Lane causeway, and it is along here that I usually begin my visits , scanning for anything resting on the water or flying over. As it and the adjoining main dam are treeless, the causeway affords panoramic views of the patch’s two largest pools, so it’s useful for brief visits, stakeouts, quickly locating anything unusual that you can then move closer to, or counting waterbirds from. It’s also a great spot for vismigging – watching bird migration in action – with for example dozens of Arctic Terns arriving and departing in spring during good years, and thousands of Woodpigeons flying over each autumn. Many of the scarcer birds to have graced the lakes have been first located from the causeway, species such as Night Heron, Whooper Swan, Garganey, Smew, Avocet, Sanderling, Ruff, Black-tailed and Bar- tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Turnstone, Kittiwake, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Short-eared Owl, Rock Pipit and Crossbill. If water levels fall sufficiently, a shingle island at Engine Pool appears, conveniently close but not too close to the causeway. Clearly then the causeway is one of the best spots to check on the patch and it’s certainly my favourite place, but it does pay to wander from there – don’t be lazy! ;-)
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 16 11/09/2015 11:40 Terry’s Pool, the western lake, is thickly surrounded by trees with just a handful of gaps to view from, so when in leaf it can be difficult to check thoroughly. Fishing is restricted to the bank adjoining Engine Pool, and with shelter in the form of several islands with trees on surrounded by Amphibious Bistort, it is the least disturbed of the three lakes. The infamous, super-muddy path along the north side was repaired and nicely surfaced a few years ago, but the south side can still be a little muddy. Mandarin Duck and Goosander favour this pool more, and many of the visiting winter duck are found here too. It’s done quite well for scarce passerines over the years, with Golden Oriole, Pied Flycatcher, Firecrest, Wood Warbler and Mealy Redpoll all recorded in the surroundings.
West of Terry’s Pool is Clowes Wood and New Fallings Coppice SSSI, managed and partly owned by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, 110 acres of mostly ancient broadleaf woodland plus an unimproved meadow and a patch of heathland. The dawn chorus is a joy to behold, and among the resident species there are Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Jay, whilst Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, wintering Woodcock and passage Wood Warbler are occasionally recorded. Again, there can be a lot of disturbance by dog-walkers in here at weekends.
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust manage another nature reserve on patch, Earlswood Moathouse, which is a smaller and much younger piece of woodland but less disturbed. It holds small numbers of common woodland species, and once had a passage Firecrest. It’s best accessed by taking the footpath east from the southern side of Windmill Pool to Earlswood Common (B4102) and then walking a short distance south, the reserve entrance being at the roadside on the left. There are several other privately owned woodlands in the area which can be checked from public rights of way. All of the woodlands including both reserves are very under-watched!
Another good area to check, particularly at passage times, is the Springbrook Lane area, situated south of Windmill Pool in-between Earlswood Common and Malthouse Lane. A feeder channel flanked by fenceposts, and the nearby railway embankment and hedges can be checked looking south from Springbrook Lane for Whinchat, Stonechat and Wheatear, all three of which are recorded there most years. The horse pastures along the north side of Springbrook Lane have attracted occasional Yellow Wagtails too. There are various other spots on patch that have attracted the odd notable bird or could do in the future, so it pays to explore and I would be happy to show these and the above spots to anyone interested in taking on Earlswood as a patch. 17
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 17 11/09/2015 11:40 Earlswood is easy to get to by car, being located in-between Junctions 3 and 4 of the M42, with car parks near the lakes at Valley Road (postcode B94 6AJ), Wood Lane (B94 6AD) and Malthouse Court off Malthouse Lane (B94 5RU), and another car park beside New Fallings Coppice at Wood Lane (B94 5JP). All car parks are free. Buses going from Solihull and Redditch stop at Earlswood, and there are two train stations along the Birmingham-Stratford line (Earlswood and The Lakes).
For daily bird and other wildlife sightings news for Earlswood, please check out www.twitter.com/earlswoodbirds
I’m always grateful to receive others’ Earlswood sightings, both recent and past. Older records and memories will be really useful for a book I’m writing on the birds of Earlswood, which will detail the past and present status of all species recorded there, its habitats and birders’ memories. I’d love to hear from more people who used to visit the patch, no matter how long ago that was. Many thanks to those of you who have already helped with various things!
For further information or to send sightings I can be contacted at: Email: [email protected] 422 Tilehouse Lane, Tidbury Green, Solihull, West Midlands, B90 1PX
Thanks to the following for permission to use their photos: Vince Garvey (Ring Ouzel), Dave Hutton (Firecrest and Night Heron) Tony Philp (Clowes Wood, Engine Pool in snow, Kittiwake and Sandwich Tern) and John Oates (Caspian Gull). Matt Griffiths
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 18 11/09/2015 11:40 BIRD NOTES – APRIL TO JULY Compiled from your records by Humphrey Miller Following the publication change to four notable feature of the Grey Phalarope at issues per year, these notes cover a four-month Brandon Marsh on 2nd June was that it was, period, covering both the spring migration unlike most birds of this species seen in our and the breeding season. As always, they are region, in breeding plumage. Brandon Marsh compiled from unchecked reports and I am also had a brief visit from a Spotted Crake grateful to all who sent in their records, either on 30th July. A Black Kite was reported over to me personally or to one of the sightings Piccadilly on10th June and nearby at Dordon blogs. the next day. Records of Night Heron come from Lower Penn and Ryton on Dunsmore. RARITIES Hoopoe reports are from Redditch, Grimley, The former West Midlands county has had up the upper Leam Valley and Stratford-on- to three first records. The most watched and Avon. A Honey-buzzard was reported from publicised was the Melodious Warbler north- Iverley on 15th June. A Green-winged Teal west of Berkswell and across the A452 from was at Radford Meadows (Stafford) from Marsh Lane reserve, which was present for 19th-24th April. An unseasonal Long-tailed about a month from 11th June. A Great Reed Duck was seen at Gailey on 16th June. Three Warbler was reported from Sandwell Valley Great White Egrets were at Ryall on 11th on 18th May. A Black Stork reported over July. Common Cranes have been recorded at Kingswinford on 8th June was not publicised Grimley, Kemerton Lake/ Bredons Hardwick, until nearly two weeks later, so whether this Upton Warren and Hales. The long-staying record will be substantiated remains to be Velvet Scoter at Belvide was last seen on 10th seen. Another report of this species (perhaps May. the same bird) was of a bird over junction 11 of the M6 (near Shareshill) on 10th June. From 9th July a Red-footed Falcon at the former Chatterley Whitfield colliery site has been very popular. There was an earlier report of this species at Priors Marston on 30th May. Two Black-winged Stilts were reported from Middleton Lakes on 18th April. Two notable passerine records were of a Golden Oriole in a Barbourne garden on 16th May and a Red-backed Shrike at Lower Smite on 11th July. A European Bee-eater was seen on 27th June at Meerbrook and Uttoxeter Quarry, HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BREEDING and another was reported from Polesworth SEASON on 18th July. White-winged Black Tern The stand-out record of this year’s breeding records come from Blithfield (15th June) and season must surely be the two broods of Middleton Lakes (3rd July). Dotterel reports Avocet at Middleton Lakes, with four (of come from Bredon Hill and Crimscote. The which one was lost) and two young. This is 19
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 19 11/09/2015 11:40 the first breeding record for Staffordshire and the highest counts of Arctic and Common and is also (in contrast to the established Tern were seven and 24 respectively. A Little site at Upton Warren, where about 25 young Gull was seen on 3rd July, and there have were hatched) a freshwater location. There been several reports of Mediterranean Gull was also a first regional breeding record, of and a couple of Great Black-backed Gull. A Eurasian Wigeon at Belvide, but there was Common Quail was heard on 5th July. 1-2 only one duckling, and regrettably it does not Black-necked Grebes were present between appear to have survived more than a day. A 28th May and 18th June. Passerine sightings Spotted Flycatcher was seen feeding a newly- included Common Redstart, Whinchat, fledged juvenile in Clowes Wood on 30th Yellow Wagtail (including juveniles bred in May, and other reports of breeding come adjoining fields) and Grasshopper Warbler. from Stanford Bridge, Belvide and Woolscott A total of 22 Common Scoter was recorded (in the Upper Leam Valley). There is a very on 15th July.Two Garganey were reported attractive photograph on the Belvide blog on 21st April and from 29th July. A Greater of a juvenile Common Cuckoo, as shown Scaup was present until 17th April. 1000 on page 4, being fed by a Reed Warbler. Common Swifts were recorded on 5th May. Although the decline in Willow Tit is not as pronounced in Staffordshire as elsewhere in the region, it is good to read about successful breeding at Chasewater and Silverdale Country Park. Little Ringed Plovers have bred at Marsh Lane, Blithfield, Middleton Lakes, Sandwell Valley and Brandon Marsh. 3-4 broods of Goosander have been reported along the middle Tame Valley. Visitors to Brandon Marsh will have noticed the Barn Swallow nest built in a roof truss at the rear of the visitor centre. According to the birding press, Red Kites have nested at three sites in Black-necked Grebe - Photograph Steve Nuttall South Warwickshire. Though not certainly a regional breeding record, the adult Common BLITHFIELD Gull with three fresh juveniles at Belvide on Two high wader counts were 61 Little Ringed 27th July is a most unusual occurrence. Plovers on 12th July and 58 Dunlin on 25th. Other species included Avocet (18th April), W.M.B.C. RESERVES Little Stint (three dates in July), Turnstone BELVIDE (maximum four), Red Knot (25th July), A Northern Goshawk was recorded on 8th Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit (maximum April. Two days earlier a Merlin was seen. There 22), Sanderling, Ruff and Common have been many reports of Osprey and Red Greenshank. A Little Tern was recorded on Kite. Wader counts included 46 Black-tailed 20th July, the highest count of Common Terns Godwits, six Sanderlings and five Whimbrel. was 67 and Arctic and Black Terns made a Other species reported included Little Stint, few visits. The highest count of Yellow-legged Turnstone, Common Greenshank and Ruff. A Gull was three, and there were a couple of Little Tern was recorded on 26th June, there reports of Great Black-backed Gull. A Brent have been a couple of reports of Black Tern, Goose was recorded on 15th April. There 20
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 20 11/09/2015 11:40 was a count of 60 House Martins on 30th 1-2 Common Cuckoos. May. Other passerine species included Tree SELECTED RECORDS FROM Sparrow (20 on 16th July), Common and OTHER MAIN SITES Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher, UPTON WARREN Northern Wheatear and Siskin. There were The most noteworthy record was of a Red- occasional reports of Little Egret. Raptors necked Grebe on 22nd and 23rd April. included Osprey, Red Kite, Hobby and Sandwich, Arctic and Black Terns have all Common Kestrel. been reported. 1-2 Mediterranean Gulls have been present for most of the period, and there have been a couple of sightings of Little Gull. HARBORNE Merlin, Hobby, Osprey and Red Kite have all Local residents have reported Osprey and been reported. A Grasshopper Warbler was Red Kite over the reserve. There have also recorded on 9th April and a Whinchat on been two sightings of Common Raven. A 22nd. Waders include Whimbrel, Black-tailed female Mallard and 11 downy young were Godwit, Ruff and Common Greenshank. A seen on the brook on 29th April. The first Garganey was recorded on 21st May. record of Common Chiffchaff was on 1st April. Two Willow Warblers were heard in CANNOCK CHASE song on 18th April, but did not stay to breed. On 24th June European Nightjar, Long-eared Common Swifts, which historically have bred Owl, Woodcock and Hobby were all present. on surrounding houses, have been irregular. A Short-eared Owl was seen on two dates in Parties of Eurasian Jays, Wrens, Blackcaps and April. The area continues to be a leading site Bullfinches have been seen. Song Thrushes for Common Cuckoo, with seven recorded and Blackcaps were still singing well into July. on 26th April. The highest count of Tree Pipit was eight and of Common Redstart LADYWALK six, and other summer-visiting passerines A Marsh Harrier was recorded on 1st April. included Spotted Flycatcher, Garden Warbler, There have been a few sightings of 1-2 Willow Warbler and Northern Wheatear. Hobbies. Three juvenile Peregrine Falcons Counts of other passerine species included 20 were seen at the end of July. Ringed birds Yellowhammers, 10 Common Crossbills and include several Cetti’s Warblers, mostly six Stonechats (confirmed to have bred). juveniles. Two Common Crossbills flew over on 27th July. Passerine records included PRINCIPAL RECORDS Stonechat, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, ELSEWHERE - NON-PASSERINES Yellow Wagtail, Sand Martin (100 on 13th Reports of wildfowl species more associated April), Grasshopper, Reed, Sedge and Garden with winter were a White-fronted Goose at Warblers, Lesser and Common Whitethroat Kemerton Lake, Northern Pintail at Draycote and Marsh Tit. There have been many records Water and Marsh Lane, and a Common of good numbers of Little Egret, with a Goldeneye at Clifton Pits. A Red-breasted highest count of nine. The Common Scoter Merganser was reported from Lydiate Ash which visited on 15th July is thought to be on 22nd April. 12 Red Grouse were seen on the first reserve record for over 40 years. A the Roaches on 6th April. Grey Partridges Garganey was recorded at the end of April. were recorded at six localities. Common A late Eurasian Bittern was reported on 6th Quail have been reported from nine sites. April. There have been occasional reports of 21
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 21 11/09/2015 11:40 Additional reports of Black-necked Grebes Tiddesley Wood, Draycote Water and the come from six localities. Marsh Harriers North Staffordshire Moorlands. A Siberian have been recorded at eleven further sites. Chiffchaff was recorded at Grimley on 22nd There have been sightings of Hen Harrier and 23rd April. Reports of Dipper come at Besford on 4th April and Marsh Lane on from Nafford, Wyre Forest (bred), Eastham, 22nd April. Osprey reports were numerous. Oakamoor, Cotton Dell, Ellastone and the Further records of Merlin come from Besford, North Staffordshire Moorlands. In a good Marsh Lane,Wishaw and Silverdale Country spring passage for Ring Ouzel, the highest Park. 30 European Golden Plover were count was 21 on the North Staffordshire seen on the edge of Redditch on 11th April. Moorlands, and other leading sites were Little Stints have been seen at Chasewater Bredon Hill (highest count 16), Berryhill and Salford Priors G.P. The latter location Fields and the Malvern and Clent Hills. A also had a Pectoral Sandpiper on 31st May. report of Common Nightingale at DMC Kineton appears in the national birding Curlew Sandpipers have been reported from press. Black Redstarts have been recorded Middleton Lakes and Clifton and Ripple Pits. at Chatterley Whitfield (many dates), Upper The last Jack Snipe was at Doxey Marshes Welland, Silverdale Country Park, Woolscott on 28th April. Bar-tailed Godwits have been and Smestow Valley. Other Whinchat records recorded at Clifton Pits and Tittesworth. included two on the edge of Birmingham, Wood Sandpiper reports come from Radford at Bartley and Woodgate Valley. Up to six Meadows (Stafford), John Bennett Reserve, Pied Flycatchers have been recorded in Tucklesholme, Grimley, Brandon Marsh the Wyre Forest and Coombes Valley, and and Middleton Lakes. A Caspian Gull was passage sightings have occurred at eight reported from Middleton Lakes on 21st May. other localities. Other Yellow Wagtail records Further records of Little Tern come from include a bird on territory at Barford for Clifton Pits, Shustoke and Bartley. Sandwich the third consecutive year. A Hawfinch was Terns have been reported from Marsh Lane, seen at Coombes Valley on 7th June. Corn Gailey, Tittesworth and Yoxall. Turtle Doves Buntings have been reported from seven sites. have been seen at Norbury Junction, Salford Humphrey Miller Priors G.P., Wormleighton, the upper Leam Valley and eight sites in Worcestershire. Bird Notes Barn Owls have been reported from Morton Any bird notes for inclusion in the next Bagot, Bartley, the upper Leam Valley and newsletter should be sent to Humphrey Miller, by the A34 north of Cannock. An injured 29 Dorcester Court, Dorcester Road, Solihull, Long-eared Owl found in the Upper Leam West Midlands, B91 1LL by 1st November, Valley unfortunately died. A Wryneck was 2015 please. recorded in Evesham on 2nd May. Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have been reported Please note: references to any location in from Middleton Lakes, Sutton Park, Radway this newsletter are no guarantee of right of and Shustoke. entry. The appropriate permit should be obtained or permission sought from the PASSERINES landowner or such authority as necessary for Firecrest reports came from Stanford Bridge the privilege of birdwatching on the land in and Earlswood Lakes. The firstWood Warbler question. Views expressed in this newsletter was reported on 15th April in the Wyre Forest, are not necessarily those of the Editor or West and other records were from Westwood Pool, Midland Bird Club Officers. 22
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 22 11/09/2015 11:40 BIRMINGHAM BRANCH Field Meeting Reports - Ray Davies Titchwell RSPB - Sunday 07 Jun 2015 The coach arrived at Titchwell after a slight delay following a minor accident at a local roundabout. We set off and headed to Patsy’s Pool where a significant group of Red- crested Pochard delighted us. On the Freshwater lagoon there were many Avocet with some Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwits, a few Little-ringed Plovers, and Grey Plover in confusing plumage! Among the common wildfowl a male Garganey was found and a few first year Little Gulls roosted on an island. Meanwhile Marsh Harriers quartered the reedbed. On the Thornham saltmarsh were Redshank and a few Little Egret and a distant Spoonbill just visible in the heathaze! It was seen later flying over the reserve. Over the sea there were many Sandwich Tern fishing and a good number of Little Terns moving just off-shore. On the sea was a solitary Great-crested Grebe, and Bar-tailed Godwits foraged on the shoreline. As we were passing the reedbed, on our return to the coach, we were delighted to see Bearded Tits flitting across an open channel which rounded the day off well having recorded 78 species.
Minsmere RSPB - Sunday 05 Jul 2015 After leaving at 07.00 we arrived at Minsmere at 11.00 to be met by RSPB staff to issue permits and tell us ‘what’s about’. We set off in light rain! After a look over the Sand Martin colony of nestholes a search over the reeds from the ‘North wall’ showed Reed and Sedge Warblers but no Bearded Tits despite calls being heard. A lucky few had sightings later with one party having birds fly over their heads. A Bittern took a short flight over the reeds to land by the distant East hide. We made our way to the hide and the rain got HEAVY! We sheltered and had lunch while we looked through the Avocets, Common Terns, Black-headed Gulls and Black-tailed Godwits for less common species. A summer plumaged Mediterranean Gull was soon found, a single black plumaged Ruff masqueraded as a summer plumaged Spotted Redshank, of which 3-4 were found feeding at the back of the pool with a single Knot. A group of four Little Tern flew through and a Kittiwake joined the Gulls. The rain abated at about 13.45 so we walked on to South Hide. On the way a group of some 8 Little Egrets sheltered beside a reedbed and from the hide were Little Gulls and a Little Tern roosting on an island. The walk through woodland to Bittern Hide was uneventful. We watched from there seeing Red Deer and Marsh Harriers and when the rain finally stopped, and the sun showed, a Hobby hunted over the reeds. We returned to the coach to leave at 16.00 having recorded a notable 74 species which brightened a day of inclement weather! Ray Davies 23
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 23 11/09/2015 11:40 Melodious Warbler My First Rare Bird By Roger Broadbent
“Surely not? ” I hear many of you cry but read on. I enjoyed the wonderful photographs on the Club website and the account of the finding and identification of the recent Melodious Warbler near Marsh Lane Nature Reserve, it brought back memories of an exciting time on Skokholm Bird Observatory. Our biology teacher Ernest Swain had arranged for myself and a school friend John (known as Danny) Campbell to spend a week in August on Skokholm Bird Observatory. In those days Skokholm was almost as remote a place as Ascension Island is today! Nevertheless we enjoyed seeing our first Gannets, Fulmars and Puffins. The sound of Manx Shearwaters coming to their burrows each evening has stayed with me ever since. Handling Storm Petrels was also a special thrill. We also flushed a Corncrake not knowing that I would not see another for over thirty years! On the evening of August 14th Danny and I scrolled through the log book to look at past records of birds trapped and ringed on Skokholm . Our eyes became fixed on one particular entry of Melodious Warbler. We chuckled about the name. Certainly neither of us had ever heard of Melodious Warbler although we quickly found it in an available field guide. We discovered that it looked superficially like a large Willow Warbler with a stronger looking bill and that it could be confused with another unfamiliar bird Icterine Warbler. That evening Melodious Warbler was simply a mystical pipe dream and in all probability not likely to cross our paths anytime soon. Less than twenty four hours later another visitor who was about our age, Simon Cox drove the Heligoland Trap as he saw that there were some Pipits and a warbler in the vicinity. We walked with Simon towards the ringing room where the warbler was assessed and the announcement was made “Melodious Warbler”. The Skokholm Bird Observatory Report for 1958 reads: Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta One trapped August 15th - present 16th. One trapped September 9th, another 21st; all birds of the year. Fourth, fifth and sixth records. In 1958 separation in the field of Melodious and Icterine Warbler was deemed to be difficult. The South west, Skokholm and possibly Bardsey Observatory had a monopoly of Melodious Warbler records. Even though it was more regular on the East Coast and Scilly Icterine always had to be considered. Little was known about wing panels and the importance of primary projections over fifty years ago. The advance of optical equipment was yet to happen. Neither species in 2015 is considered a national 24
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 24 11/09/2015 11:40 rarity although singing birds inland remain genuinely rare. Overall annual records in the U.K. are in decline Since 1958 I have seen a few Melodious Warblers. My most recent records were on Fair Isle Bird Observatory in 2011 and my first ever singing bird in Nottinghamshire in 2013. For me Melodious Warbler remains a very special bird indeed. I was not in England for much of June 2015 and when I was I had family committments so finally I managed to stray from Staffordshire and into West Midland’s territory on June 29th which was the bird’s eighteenth day. The well photographed Melodious was singing from the moment that I got on site and showing well raising its feathers on its crown almost Skylark-like. The rather broad based orange lower mandible was a feature with a more reddish gape. I also commented on the pink legs which could change colour if the sun went in! The lores appeared pale as I zoomed up to 60x. The throat was more yellow than the lower belly and the flanks were only finely feathered. As a result they seemed greyish. The base colour for the upperparts was brown with no hint of a wing panel. The dominant feature of the whole experience however was the virtual continuous singing. At no time did I see it feed and I wondered where on earth it managed to burn off so much energy? Never in my wildest dreams on August 14th 1958 did I ever think that I would one day see never mind hear a Melodious Warbler in the West Midlands. This was a “back to the future” moment! Simon Cox became the Essex Bird recorder for many years seeing many rarities there and around the UK. Skokholm Bird Observatory lost its Observatory status in 1976 but happily the Observatory was reinstated in 2014. It is run by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (www.welshwildlife.org) I understand that two volunteers from Stoke have been on the island this year and that some Staffordshire birders recently made the trip to Skokholm to see a Swainson’s Thrush(ref njssmith58.blogspot.co.uk
Roger Broadbent
Melodious Warbler Photograph Steve Nuttall
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 25 11/09/2015 11:40 Something different for September - Colin McShane
This feature was suggested by a member and I am grateful to Colin for doing what I am sure that you will agree is a splendid job. Sue
My first thoughts when approaching this short piece was to try to give readers a brief run-down on some of the likely species you could encounter in the West Midlands area during September. However, it quickly became apparent that I had set myself an almost impossible task. Why? because almost anything can turn up anywhere during this month of peak migration.
So, what to do? Well how about trying something a bit different this year? I have two suggestions which I encourage you to have a go at, because if successful they will prove both rewarding and exciting.
Many of you will be very familiar with the winter antics of roosting Starlings, and how exciting these murmurations are to watch. But how many of you have seen a September Swallow roost? These can be almost as exciting, as anything up to 10,000 birds spend the last hour or so of daylight wheeling around, disappearing for a few moments while they seek out more friends, until finally dropping into their roost for overnight safety. Such roosts often start in early August but reach a peak during September as birds from points north filter down the country in increasing numbers.
So where to go to find such a roost? Until about 25 years ago, the answer would have been simple. Find your nearest reed-bed and sit and wait. Things have changed these days and although some reed-beds are used, Swallows in the Midlands have changed their roosting behaviour to exploit the increased planting of maize by farmers mainly as winter feed for cattle. So find yourself a maize field where you can safely stand or sit in the car, and from about 7pm keep your eyes and ears peeled. At first Swallows will appear in small numbers from different points, often calling as the first indication they are about. Look high in the sky and you will gradually get used to finding the birds as they gradually build in larger numbers. Don’t despair if they disappear from view because they often travel around encouraging others to join them. Eventually you will be rewarded by a large flock of birds gradually getting lower and lower until one bird somehow signals that its time and they all whoosh down, race across the top of the maize plants then drop in to roost—an absolutely fantastic and moving sight. I urge you to give it a go. 26
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 26 11/09/2015 11:40 Now to the other end of the day. I’ve already alluded to the high level of migration going on during September, but how many of us have actually made an effort to see it happening? Much bird migration does take place at night and makes life really exciting as the quiet local patch one day suddenly becomes alive with birds the next. However, not all species are nocturnal migrants, many are diurnal, ie they migrate during daylight hours. Personally, I find the experience of such visible migration (vis mig in birding parlance) one of the most exciting aspects of my hobby—and it’s easy!!
Well, quite easy…..Your best chance is to first of all find a good venue. Somewhere which is raised above the local area, and with a good amount of open land around to give you good visibility and hence a better chance of picking up the migrating birds. Then you need the right weather conditions. The best conditions are light, high continuous cloud (easier to see birds against cloud than blue sky), and a gentle wind. Any direction from south-west to south-east is usually good because birds seem to enjoy migrating into a gentle headwind. Finally, most migration tends to happen in the first few hours of daylight.
At its simplest just seeing a steady stream of birds going over—usually southwards is fun. But to get the real buzz from vis mig why not rise to the challenge of both identifying and counting the birds. Identifying them can be frustrating and it’s often best to have a small group of you who between you can pick out flight calls as well as more eyes for identifying birds. A designated counter who isn’t focused on the sky, but on a notepad, can be invaluable.
What a thrill then, when migration tails off and you review what’s been past. Dozens if not hundreds of hirundines, meadow pipits, wood pigeons and finches can easily be logged, with something a bit special like a tree pipit, skylark or even a woodlark adding some spice to your morning. I guarantee that after a successful vis mig session you will be hooked—so be warned!! Colin McShane
If you have never seen a starling murmuration you may wish to keep your eye on Steve Nuttall’s Belvide Birding blog to see if we get a repeat of last year’s gathering of over 10,000 birds at its height. Steve first reported 1,100 birds on 26th November in 2014 rising to 5,000 by 29th quickly mounting to 10,000 by 9th December. You can sit in comfort in the Scott hide and watch them perform before they drop into the reedbed. However you need to time it right because by 11th December last year the reedbed had been flattened by the shear weight of birds and they had moved on. Sue
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 27 11/09/2015 11:40 Birding Trip to Canada May 2015 - Rob Swift
This self organised and planned itinerary trip, was undertaken by West Midland Bird Club members & Belvide birding regulars, Steve Norton, Nigel Talbot, Dave Bate and Rob Swift, along with Newport based birder Ken Hall. The trip lasted 2 weeks from the 7th to the 21st of May 2015 and was based around five locations, staying for varying lengths of time in each place. The accommodation consisted of prebooked guest houses and motels and transport was by a prebooked 7 seater MPV, with a self pre site loaded Sat Nav, that we took with us. Flights were with Air Transat from Manchester/Toronto.
The purpose of the trip was to experience and observe the bird migration at the famous Ontario hotspot peninsulas of Long Point and Point Pelee on the northern shore of Lake Erie and also visit some other specific habitats in the province, to see other various bird species.
Day 1 Flying from Manchester at 12.00 mid day, we arrived at Toronto at 2.30pm, local time. We soon collected our hire car and set off for a night at Niagra to see the famous Water Falls and start our birding adventure! The evening saw us at the falls, taking in the magnificent spectacle (including 10m high pillars of ice still in situ) and our first trip birds... on the river included Ring- billed & American Herring Gulls, Double crested Cormorants, Common Merganser (Goosander) and Great Blue Heron. Around the Falls viewing points, we picked up Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, Mourning Dove and Black-capped Chickadee before darkness descended.
Day 2 On a sunny morning we walked the 10 minutes to the falls again and took in a similar selection of birds down-river of the falls, on the water, as on the previous evening, plus 3 Common Loons, (Great Northern Diver) Canada Geese and Mallard. From one of the viewing points we looked down on a Peregrine tucking into an unfortunate Mourning Dove. In the manicured garden areas, adjacent to the Falls, down river viewing points, we added House Finch, Common Grackle and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
We collected our car from the hotel and drove the short 2km distance up river from the falls to an area called Dufferin Island- an area of park woodland and trails, virtually encircled by a tributary to the main river. The birdlife was abundant, in fact, in one and half hours we had moved no more than 50m from our parked car! The trip list was expanding rapidly and the SD cards started to fill with close views of Tree Swallow, Baltimore Oriole, Chipping Sparrow, Gray Catbird, Hairy & Red-bellied Woodpecker, nest building Northern Cardinal, while overhead Turkey Vulture soared and Great (White) 28
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 28 11/09/2015 11:40 Egret flew by. As the temperature rose to the early twenties, we continued to walk the shady trails of the park collecting our first American Wood Warblers of the trip in Cape May and Yellow-rumped respectively and also a vocal Warbling Vireo was seen. In the dense shoreline vegetation, a roosting Green Heron was a good find.
A short walk to overlook the up river section of the falls, revealed a mixed breeding colony of Double- crested Cormorant, Great Egret and Black-crowned Night Heron on a mid-river, standing tree island and Ring-billed and American Herring Gull colony on a long since grounded freight boat. Several Common Terns fished the calm areas of the river and a small colony of Cliff Swallows were building nests under a concrete bridge adjacent to the head of the falls.
Mid afternoon saw us leave Niagra and take the two and half hour drive to Tillsonburg, our base for birding Long Point and the surrounding area. After checking in, we quickly drove to Big Creek Marsh (near Long Point) for an evening birding session. From the viewing Tower over looking the hectares of reedbed and pools we added American Coot, Common Yellowthroat, Sandhill Crane, quartering Northern Harrier and heard booming American Bittern. Back at the car park, the trees held our first stunning Yellow Warbler of the trip.
The following morning on day three, we would make an early start at the World famous ‘Old Cut’ Bird Observatory at Long Point, little did we know at this time, but this day would blow our ‘birding brains out’!
Day 3 On arriving at the Old Cut Observatory car park at 6.30am it was apparent that many birds had descended on the area during the night. The woodland and mature gardens were ‘dripping’ with birds, especially Warblers. Many Warbler species could be seen in the tree tops and under-story. Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Cape May, Palm, Bay-breasted, Chesnut-sided and Northern Parula were all ticked off. Scanning the lower levels of the Observatory woodland revealed crippling views of an orange and black American Redstart (dubbed the Wolves bird by our Wolverhampton Wanderers supporting member of the group) and also Veery and Gray Catbird showed themselves. Returning our attention to the tree-tops revealed Baltimore Oriole, Philadelphia Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo and a breathtaking male Scarlet Tanager.
Scrutinising the peripheries of the surrounding woodland edges and mature gardens revealed our only Wood Thrush of the the trip, plus American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, House Wren, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Baltimore Oriole, nesting Green Heron and many more Warblers were observed. Returning to the Observatory, the group were greeted by a leading member of Staff and we observed many birds being banded (ringed) and data being taken.
After many hours in the Observatory area, we departed and called in at Big Creek Marsh...species seen were much the same as the Day 2 evening visit, but we added a distant American Black Tern, Song Sparrow and Cowbird to our trip list. A rather large, unfriendly looking Snapping Turtle was on the grass trail! 29
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 29 11/09/2015 11:40 Our last visit of the day was Port Rowan Harbour, which revealed a male Ruddy Duck (remember them) in the inner harbour. A session scanning the inner Long Point Bay, revealed our first fishing Ospreys of the trip and scrutinising the large Wildfowl flock, rewarded us with American Black Duck, Redhead, Canvasback, Greater Scaup, a pair of Long-tailed Duck, a Red-necked Grebe and many more Ruddy Duck. We returned to our digs for a well earned beer after over 12 hours of brilliant birding.
Day 4 The morning, again saw us arrive at the Old Cut Bird Observatory area. The banders were again busy processing birds from the mist nets and the woodland was again the centre of our attention. Wilsons, Blackburnian, Black and White, and Nashville Warbler were new trip ticks, as were Blue Winged Warbler and Lincoln’s Sparrow, both being seen in the hand and after release.
News reached us of a Black-billed Cuckoo, showing well near the observatory buildings and we eagerly added that to the list, as was the Flycatcher spieces we found shortly afterwards, which we pinned down to be an Eastern Phoebe. Our first Purple Martins flew overhead, as did a trip tick Cooper’s Hawk.
Moving on to the old Provincial camping ground on the point we had good views of Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole and we added a smart Blue-headed Vireo to our total. A saunter on the beach didn’t yield much until a Forster’s Tern decided to fish right opposite us!
After a quick lunch we moved on to the ‘causeway’ to scan Long Point Inner Bay where we observed a close flock of Purple Martins and picked up several new species in Caspian Tern and American Black Tern feeding low over the calm water of the bay. A scan along the waters edge revealed several Great Blue Heron, a pair of Wood Duck and Mute Swan put in an appearance. In the distance a Northern Harrier quartered the reedbed. As the temperature was nearing the late twenties, we decided to take in some shady Woodland habitat and we drove inland to a large area of such, known as Bachus Woods. On arrival we ticked Brown Thrasher, almost straight away. The warm temperatures had the effect of quietening the birds somewhat, but our lengthy jaunt through the woodland trail, yielded us some new species in Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hooded Warbler and a probable Swainson’s Thrush. In addition we again had views of Red-bellied Woodpecker, Scarlet Tanager and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. On nearing the exit of the Woodland we found a Warbler species that we struggled to identify in the tree tops, but pinned it down to being a Orange-crowned Warbler from matching it’s call, on the invaluable Sibley bird guide App.
Day 5 Early morning saw us again arrive at the Observatory, but ther’d been an obvious clear out over night, but our probable Swainson’s Thrush from the day before turned into a solid tick, when we found one in a mist net, which we watched being processed and after release. An array of Warblers were again in the tree tops, but bird of the morning was a male Indigo Bunting, which was only seen by one of our group... a case of looking in the right direction, at the right time!
After a brief call in to Big Creek Marsh look out tower, where we had better views of American Coot and Sandhill Crane, we moved onto Bird Studies Canada headquarters & Reserve. Within a few minutes the ticks started to materialise, with a scan of the wetland, revealing Least Bittern, American Wigeon, and several Willow Flycatcher. The temperature was now hitting the late twenties, thus ensuring plenty of thermals, which delivered immature birds of both Broad-winged and Rough-legged Hawk onto our trip list, over a couple of hours. One member of our team, picked up a personal trip tick in Blackpoll Warbler and several more of us clocked a skulking Ovenbird...a good tick. A productive scan from the Reserve 30
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 30 11/09/2015 11:40 view point overlooking the Inner Bay, added a family party of Tundra Swan, a small flock of Willet (which desperately tried to find a place to land) and a Spotted Sandpiper to the list. As we arrived back at the car, several smart male Orchard Oriole showed well, and made it on to our list.
The afternoon ensued and we drove south-west along Lakeshore Road, inland of Long Point peninsula, stopping at a few different sites. A call at Port Royal river bridge, resulted in a trip tick of Cliff Swallow for three members of the team and superb views of Scarlet Tanager were had. On the way to Hahn Marsh, alerted by a roadside birder, we had good views of a pair of resting Bald Eagles at 300m distant. An hour at Hahn Marsh resulted in a new Sparrow, which we worked out to be a Swamp Sparrow, from it’s song. Northern Flicker and Marsh Wren were logged, flyover views of Sandhill Crane & Osprey were had and we observed with fascination a female Baltimore Oriole constructing its masterpiece, hanging nest.
Thirty minutes later and we arrived at Port Rowan Lagoons, an ex sewage plant being turned intoa wetland reserve. Within minutes, Bufflehead was ticked off and close views of Black Tern and Redhead Duck were enjoyed. A walk to the far lagoon turned into a Shorebird fest’, on site Killdeer & Spotted Sandpiper were added to, by trip ticks of Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper and Semi-palmated Plover...a brilliant couple of hours. On returning to our car, we found a written note, under the windscreen wiper, informing us of a rare Harris’s Sparrow, frequenting some roadside garden feeders, a few kilometres away. We had a 30 minute, ‘no luck’ vigil, before having to scarper as we were caught up by a rather ‘angry’ looking storm front, all of us agreed, the likes of which, we had never seen before!
Day 6 We departed Tillsonburg and the Long Point area and headed for our next location of Point Pelee. On route we visited Rondeau, another smaller peninsula on Lake Erie, to particularly search for the rare Prothonotary Warbler. After waiting for 30 minutes in the advised area, we gained superb close views of this absolutely stunning Warbler. Further time spent digiscoping at the large feeding station added Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch and Ruby-throated Hummingbird to our list. A two hour walk along the woodland, Harrison trail, rewarded us with further close views of different Warblers and Red-headed Woodpecker, Brown Creeper and Winter Wren were ticked.
The weather took a turn for the worse and we decided to move on, but not before we had purchased a permit to visit Blenheim Sewage Lagoons, about 30 minutes distant. On arrival we were met with blustery & rainy conditions, but this had the effect of concentrating feeding, sheltering migrating birds on/over the lagoons. Thousands of Barn, Tree and Cliff Swallow were present, along with a few Purple Martin and Bank Swallow was added to our list. A walk around the various lagoons and filter beds yielded a nice shore (wading) bird selection of Solitary Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, (trip tick) Semi-palmated Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, Dunlin, (trip tick) Lesser-Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper. A Peregrine marauded overhead and the grassland areas of the site added Bobolink and Savannah Sparrow to our expanding trip list. Amongst the Waterfowl on the lagoons, Northern Shoveler, Blue-winged Teal and Lesser Scaup were new species for the trip. After a very satisfying late afternoon’s birding at Blenheim, we drove to Wheatley, our new base for the next four nights.
Day 7 After rising at first light for breakfast, at the Blue Heron B&B, the day got off to a great start with Baltimore Oriole, Northern Cardinal and Ruby-throated Hummingbird at the garden feeders, plus a Racoon slept in the fork of a large tree and a dozen Turkey Vultures departed their roost in tall pines, adjacent to the garden! 31
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 31 11/09/2015 11:40 We arrived at the world famous, Point Pelee National Park at 6.30 am and found our place amongst the other hundred odd cars in the parking lot, never before had we seen so many birders in one place, all there for migrating birds. On the woodland trails we were enjoying great views of Magnolia, Blackburnian, Yellow, Bay- breasted, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, Cape May and a raft of other Warbler species, including a Black-throated Green Warbler which was a new American Wood Warbler, for the trip. Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, Vireo’s were in abundance and we ticked a superb, Great-crested Flycatcher and Rusty Blackbird on the the ‘Woodland Trail’. A walk down to the tip saw us add Cowbird, Sanderling and a Ruddy Turnstone residing on the beach and several pairs of Red-breasted Merganser on Lake Erie. The peninsula tip, the southern most point of Canada, delivered Bonaparte’s Gulls (trip tick) Ring-billed Gulls, Eastern Kingbird, Common and American Black Tern, while hirundines flew in off the water and headed north up the tip (and several heading south!) A tip off, saw us heading a kilometre back up the tip, onto the ‘Tilden Wood’ Trail, resulting in us collecting a skulking Louisiana Waterthrush and a roosting Eastern Screech Owl for the trip list.
Mid afternoon and we drove the short distance inland to make our first visit to Hillman Marsh...a large area of marsh, reedbed, pools and seasonal, deliberately flooded crop fields. The walk up to the flooded fields, yielded a trip tick Eastern Blue Bird, Bobolink and White-throated Sparrow before we were met with a spectacle of Shorebirds on mass. A rare for the area, American Avocet, was a superb record for the trip, supported by a cast of hundreds of Dunlin, plus many Least Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover (list addition), Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Semi-Palmated Plover, single Ruddy Turnstone, single White- rumped Sandpiper (trip tick) and a handful of Short-billed Dowitcher. On the deeper areas of the flood were trip addition Green-winged Teal and good views of Blue-winged Teal, Gadwall, American Wigeon and Pied-billed Grebe. A large flock of Bonaparte Gulls were present and four Caspian Tern, stood out amongst them. As evening arrived we observed many Great Blue Heron and Great Egret and possibly the bird of the day, which was a calling King Rail, that most of us were lucky to see, as it stretched its upper body and neck above the grass height, to call. A superb day!
Day 8 We once again arrived early at Point Pelee, where this time we met up with fellow WMBC members Ian Grant and Richard Powell, for the day, they were also on a birding trip to Pelee. We headed to the Louisiana Waterthrush site again, where we had improved views from the previous day, also on the trail we picked up Swainson’s Thrush and Veery once again. On the Woodland Trail we had a small feeding flock of Cedar Waxwing in the tree tops and likewise a pair of Wood Duck 15m off the ground... weird! a large assortment of Warbler species was again present and there was a noticeable influx of hirundines and we spotted our first Chimney Swifts of the trip, through the breaks in the Woodland canopy. Towards the tip, in an area called ‘Sparrow Field’ we indeed had Chipping and Field Sparrow, plus Eastern Kingbird and our second Black-billed Cuckoo of the trip. Broad-winged Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk flew overhead.
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87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 32 11/09/2015 11:40 We moved on to the Marsh boardwalk trail where Common Yellowthroat and Red-winged Blackbird were in abundance and Osprey was in the distance. The trees surrounding the car park were alive with birds including several stunning Orchard Orioles and an even more superb, trip tick Canada Warbler.
The remainder of the day was spent at Hillman Marsh, where the plethora of yesterdays selection of shorebirds was added to by a trip tick, Semi-palmated Sandpiper, plus Solitary and Spotted Sandpiper and a large flock of Black-bellied Plover. Peregrine marauded overhead and a Red-shouldered Hawk was observed soaring high. Ring-necked Duck was an addition to the Wildfowl of yesterday and made it on to the trip list. After an ‘early’ dinner we returned to Hillman Marsh in the evening, where we tried for Sora and Virginia Rail (heard both) but didn’t see them, but this was more than made up for by good views of displaying, American Woodcock, plummeting from the sky, in the last throws of daylight.
Day 9 It was forecast and we awoke to heavy rain, for our last full day in the Pelee area, so we decided to return to Hillman Marsh, where we could bird from the hides out of the worst of it. There had been a change over of Shorebirds overnight, with many Dunlin having departed and being replaced partly by Short-billed Dowitchers. The American Avocet was still on site but the Wildfowl were depleted in number. A striking spectacle of hundreds of Hirundines, mainly Tree Swallows trying to feed/shelter over/on the shrubby areas was evident and Barn Swallows literally sat out the worst of the weather on the ground.
At lunchtime, the weather cleared up somewhat and we headed down to the Pelee peninsula once again. The woodland was quieter, but we picked up a Willow Flycatcher and it seemed to be the afternoon of the Woodpecker, with a superb Red-headed, Hairy, Downy and Red-bellied being seen. The temperature was warming up again and a trail walk led to close views of Wild Turkey, a pair of nest building Gray Gnatcatcher and Gray Catbird. Red-tailed Hawk soaring, was identified by its obvious feature. After a fruitless walk on the east beach trail, we received information of a roosting Chuck-will’s Widow, near the point, so we quickly jumped on the park, road train and arrived at the mid woodland site, to crippling views at 10m distance...what a bird. Before departing the site, we just had time to fit in the ticking of a Blackpoll Warbler (for four of the group).
Heading for our B&B at Wheatley, we called in at the town Harbour in the early evening, as Iceland Gull had been seen the previous evening. No luck this time, but we added Great-black backed Gull to the trip list and we had good views of American Herring and Bonaparte’s Gull, Common Tern and Ruddy Turnstone. Back at the Blue Heron accommodation we watched over twenty Turkey Vultures come in to roost.
Day 10 Early morning saw us leaving the Point Pelee area, for the four hour, northerly drive, to our next birding destination of Carden Alvar, where we based our two night stay at the town of Orillia. Carden is a large area of limestone soil influenced habitats of natural plains, marsh and interspersed with lakes.
We arrived lunchtime, at the site of Wylie road (an 8km long rough track) and within minutes we were watching Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Meadowlark, Bobolink, displaying Wilson’s Snipe at the commencement of the road and we had superb views of a male Northern Harrier as it flew right past us. Driving along Wylie road we stopped off at various spots to scan, in doing so picking up several raptors, including Broad-winged Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk and a trip tick, American Kestrel. Chipping, White-crowned and Field Sparrow were noted, then we came 33
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 33 11/09/2015 11:40 across a sought after, area speciality tick, in Upland Sandpiper, which reluctantly moved off a muddy track puddle, to let us past. Tree Swallows vied with the Bluebirds for the nestboxes along the road fenceline and Killdeer walked their youngsters across the road. On reaching the hide, over viewing the Loggerhead Shrike habitat (no luck this time) we became aware of a Flycatcher at close quarters...a pair of Eastern Phoebe were nesting in the hide and were not perturbed by human presence at all. Moving onto Sedge Wren Marsh, we indeed found an obliging Sedge Wren for the list and Common Yellowthroat and Yellow Warbler were all around. In addition, whilst at the Marsh good views of two American Bittern in flight together, were had. The next stop on the road, overlooked Windmill Ranch reserve, Northern Flicker and Hairy Woodpecker were quickly noted, Eastern MeadowLark & Bobolink were in full voice and we had good views of and added a well found Purple Finch. We were frustrated by a probable Least Flyatcher (as we didn’t hear it call) Driving a little further down the road to an area for Golden-winged Warbler, we had close views of a cracking, trip tick, Eastern Towee, but only heard, but didn’t see the Warbler. With a cracking few hours behind us and as the light started to fail, we headed the 20km to our accommodation at Orillia
Day 11 Our full day in Carden, dawned to sunshine and we started at Prospect Marsh Reserve, where we parked up and walked the track to the Marsh. Orchard Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch, Field & Savannah Sparrow, Brown Thrasher and Bobolink were all promptly located in the scrub. Upland Sandpiper sat out in the open on the fence posts and Wilson’s Snipe hummed around the heavens before diving to the ground!
On reaching the Marsh we came aware of the various sounds coming from the well hidden marsh dwelling species.. at least ten American Bittern, plus Sora and Virginia Rail. Although we put in a lengthy vigil and they were just a few metres from us, the latter two species would not reveal themselves! As our attention was drawn away, we found two Least Flycatchers, calling, diagnostically this time, which we were happy to add to our trip list and a smart Wilson’s Warbler appeared right in front of us.
Late morning, we moved on to our next chosen site of Curls road, specifically to look for Loggerhead Shrike (no luck again) and on the way, we came across a handful of Turkey Vultures on a long since dead, road kill Racoon....with only faces a mother could love, plenty of photo’s and footage was taken at close quarters. Not lingering at Curls road for long, we moved onto a lunch stop at nearby Raven Lake, where we had Red-eyed Vireo and Eastern Phoebe in the car park. The large lake appeared birdless but suddenly the fantastic, haunting calls of Common Loon were heard and a pair were quickly located and enjoyed over the following thirty minutes or so. Several Mallard and Black Duck put in an appearance and Sandhill Crane were calling and observed at distance.
It was becoming very warm and we headed once again, for Wylie road, a few kilometres away. The site delivered straight away again, with both male and female Northern Harrier being seen and good views were had of most of the previous days species. We latched on to some local birder info and this time we managed to gain underwhelming, distant views of Loggerhead Shrike in the heat haze of early afternoon. A walk along a section of the track revealed Black-billed Cuckoo, Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Magnolia and Tennessee Warbler and many displaying Red-winged Blackbirds. We paused at Sedge Wren Marsh and as we were about to drive off, we heard a new, explosive Woodpecker call. A quick scan revealed a magnificent Pileated Woodpecker on a dead tree at the far side of the Marsh, good views turned into a very good view, as the bird took off and proceeded to fly over the marsh, towards and past us. We tried our luck again at the Golden-winged Warbler site, taking our time with a concentrated vigil 34
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 34 11/09/2015 11:40 in the area. Over the next hour or so we heard brief song, got fleeting glimpses of the bird in the foliage and finally we nailed a pretty good view of the Warbler in a mature Aspen. White-throated Sparrow and Eastern Towee were again present, late afternoon as we headed away from Wylie road.
After dinner we headed back to Wylie road for some evening birding. With the temperature cooling and viewing conditions improved, we secured more satisfying views (than earlier) of a pair of Loggerhead Shrikes, from the designated viewing area. We were now waiting for the light to fade, to look for the emergence of a particular species, but as we did so, we were surprised by a Belted Kingfisher which flew right past us, over the car park. (unfortunately one member of the team was in the car park porta-loo at the time and missed our only BK of the trip!) We waited patiently for our target bird, the Common Nighthawk, they were calling but we couldn’t seem to locate them, until we applied the correct technique of looking high in the sky where we picked them up. The display flight was simply stunning, emitting a wheeeez call as they climbed, then dropping like a stone and emitting a call like blowing down a plastic pipe, as they swooped up at the last minute, out of the dive. We easily agreed this was a high point of the trip.
Day 12 The final morning at Carden, saw us arrive early again at Prospect Marsh Reserve, where the cacophony from American Bittern, Sora and Virgina Rail had to be heard to be believed, again the latter two proved to be elusive to us. Wilson’s Snipe, Upland Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs showed well, Least Flycatcher was on view once again and Northern Flicker, Hairy Woodpecker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker were in the dead trees. The scrub areas held yesterdays raft of species, plus American Redstart, American Kestrel and a fly by Green Heron.
We moved on, driving the short distance to the causeway over Canal lake where we paused to view the roadside Osprey platforms/nests a top of the electricity poles, finding a female occupying one. A quick scan of the lake, secured a pair of distant Common Loon, American Herring and Ring-billed Gulls and a close Caspian Tern. Next stop was Turnbull Ranch Reserve, viewed from Rohallion road, Good views of Eastern Meadowlark were had, plus Bobolink, Field & Savannah Sparrow and the ever present Red- winged Blackbirds, Killdeer and Common Grackle. Further along Rohallion road, we scanned a sandy, scub area and picked out a new Sparrow for the trip, after consulting the Sibley App’ bible, we pinned it down to being a Grasshopper Sparrow and to confirm the I.D it started singing! Our final couple of hours at Carden, was once again spent at Wylie Road, where we made a bee-line, 5km down the track, to the Golden-winged Warbler site. The species was again being its elusive self with glimpses amongst the foliage and snatches of the ultra high pitched song, being heard on the breeze. We then became aware of the call coming from behind us 30m distant and picked up a bird in an Aspen. But something wasn’t quite right about this Golden-winged, with it having a white throat, breast and two silvery wing bars (instead of yellow)..a local birder looked at the bird for us, and was extremely pleased that we had in fact found, a rare “Brewster’s” Warbler, a hybrid cross between a Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warbler and a recognised tick in Canada...that will do for us! A great mid afternoon, culmination to our time in Carden, we drove north in 30c to our next location of Algonquin Park Uplands.
Day 13 Up early, to fleece and hat requiring temperatures, a pre-breakfast walk around the motel grounds yielded Northern Cardinal, Chipping Sparrow and Yellow-rumped Warbler, Whilst eating breakfast, many Blue Jays fed on provided seed and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird visited the nectar feeder and the only flowering shrub in the ‘garden’! Post breakfast, a trip 35
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 35 11/09/2015 11:40 list addition, Red-breasted Nuthatch, was tracked down from its call and observed in the roadside trees, opposite the motel.
We headed for the east gate visitor centre to view the famed feeding station, only to find that it’s removed at this time of the year, before the Black Bears save the wardens the job! On to the Spruce Bog walk, which delivered Marsh Wren, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay,Yellow- bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, plus Yellow-rumped, Chesnut-sided and Nashville Warbler were in the car park trees. A visit to Costello Lake, off the Opeongo road found us digiscoping and observing a fine pair of summer plumaged Common Loons at close quarters and another pair were seen from the Old airfield. on the Lake of Two Rivers. By mid afternoon the weather was not that conducive to good birding, with a northerly blow and sporadic showers, so we cut short the Old Airfield session and headed for the well known Mizzy Lake trail. Parking up at the head of the trail, off the Arrahon road, we were encouraged by American Redstart, Magnolia and Black-throated Blue Warbler being present. We walked the trail to Wolf Howl pond, which provided us with Common Merganser, Mallard, Black Duck and three Ring-necked Duck, Canada Goose, plus Red-winged Blackbird and several Turkey Vulture flew over. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Northern Flicker were noted. We decided to walk on a kilometre to West Rose lake, as we did so, the trail entered a section heavily enclosed with trees and suddenly a new ‘Blackbird’ appeared in the trailside foliage and took great interest in us. For a moment we wondered on the identification, then we realised it was in fact a juvenile Gray Jay. One of our team, was quickly relieaved of his packet of nuts/dried fruit mix and within minutes a family of two adults and three juveniles were feeding off the scattered mix. Once they had gained our trust they went onto alight and feed willingly on our out-stretched hands. We all agreed that it was a fantastic, humbling experience for these wild birds to trust us enough, to feed on the hand! A superb trip tick, to end the day! Day 14 Our second full day in Algonquin, dawned to full sunshine and 1c. A few birds were quickly logged around breakfast time, including a Red-eyed Vireo, ‘motel tick’ and the Red-breasted Nuthatch again, across the road. a Common Merganser flew past. We returned to the Mizzy Lake trail. We again picked up a few Warblers on the way to Wolf Howl Pond, including Magnolia, Yellow-rumped and Black & White Warbler. Ruby-crowned Kinglet showed well and Hairy Woodpecker was noted. On the dead trees adjacent to the Pond, a new list addition materialised in the form of a smart Olive-sided Flycatcher and we went on to see several more in the area. Several Northern flickers were observed and a Great Blue Heron posed well on a boardwalk handrail. A scan of the Wetland again, revealed Ring-necked & Black Duck, Mallard and two Common Merganser, but this time there was an additional species in the form of a pair of Hooded Merganser, a much sought after species, new for the trip. We paused for a good trailside view of Blue Jays and up popped an adult Gray Jay...we couldn’t resist..... an impromptu stump feeding station was set up, and within minutes we were digiscoping about five Blue Jays and seven Gray Jays in superb light. The Gray Jays (all adults) willingly fed from open palms, once again! The return walk to the car delivered a singing Swamp Sparrow, Veery and a colourful pair of confiding, Golden-crowned Kinglet...another trip list addition. 36
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 36 11/09/2015 11:40 From a ‘tip off’ and discussion with a local birder at Mizzy Lake Trail, we now headed for the Whisky Rapids Trail to have a go for Black-backed Woodpecker. On arrival we had a nice start with Blackburnian and Black-throated Green Warbler in the car park. Entering the woodland we heard drumming and matched it to the Sibley App samples, as a Black-backed Woodpecker. The bird(s) went on to give us the run around with glimpses and lightning fast flybys, but not good enough views that we were happy to tick it! The trail was far from fruitless though, Veery and Swainson’s Thrush were seen and the river side section held, Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped, Chestnut-sided and a super smart looking Canada Warbler. Broad-winged Hawk and Turkey Vultures flew over the woodland clearing, plus Red-eyed Vireo, Winter Wren, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat and Black-capped Chickadee added to the mix. On the return trail we listened to a new song, the owner of which eventually revealed itself as a Yellow-throated Warbler, a new Warbler tick for the trip, and a nice ending to the afternoon.
Day 15 The last day of our birding adventure to Canada, but we still had a few hours birding to go, so we returned to the Whisky Rapids Trail, on a Black-backed Woodpecker mission.
Following the trail, we again spent time at the ‘likely’ spot from the day before, Northern Flicker, Hairy Woodpeck and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker were noted but alas no Black-backed. Two birds were calling to each other, several hundred metres away, but could not be tracked down. A new, distant sound did travel through the Woodland though, that of drumming Ruffed Grouse, which could have been 2km away, on the other side of the river!
We continued around the rapids trail and there seemed to be an increase in the number of birds from yesterday. Once again, all the Warblers were noted from the previous day and in addition Northern Parula and Black & White Warbler were seen. A new repetitive song gained our attention and turned out to be a cracking, Northern Waterthrush which showed really well and was a pleasing trip tick, to go with the Point Pelee, Louisiana Waterthrush. Whilst enjoying the species, another bird flew into view and was quickly identified as an Ovenbird, which was again pleasing as several members of the group had missed the one at Canada Bird Studies Reserve, Long Point, earlier in the trip. The trail back to the car, again kept revealing similar and good views of the birds from the day before and we finished off with another superb Blackburnian Warbler in the car Park.
In the early afternoon, we returned to our digs to bring our car interior and exterior back tosome resemblance of being clean, did a bit of touristy gift shopping, then headed to Toronto Airport, for the evening flight, back to England.
The species total for the trip was 188 observed, with a further 4 species only being heard. There were too many high points to single any particular experiences out. The birding locations we were most impressed with were Long Point, Hillman Marsh and Carden Alvar area.
If any WMBC members are interested in a Birding Trip to Ontario, we can thoroughly recommend it. I will keep all our trip info and details on file. Should any member be interested, feel free to contact me for it at: [email protected]
All photographs accompanying this article by Nigel Talbot and Rob Swift Rob Swift 37
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 37 11/09/2015 11:40 Belvide Birding Blog - 5.9.15 - Steve Nuttall
Today a team of 6 took part in the autumn all day list. Although it wasn’t a classic day passage wise, we still managed 91 species. Upton Warren scored 89, Grimley 88, Middleton 77 and Clayhanger/Ryders Mere 81.
Highlights included 8 Yellow-legged Gulls in this evening roost, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 LRP, 4 Common Sandpiper, 5 Snipe, 3 Shelduck, 1 Goldeneye, 391 Tufted Duck, 84 Shoveler, Hobby, Peregrine, 25 Meadow Pipit, 1 Redstart, 6 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 6 Lesser Whitethroat. There was further interest with a drake Ferruginous x Pochard hybrid at the west end.
The final list 1 Mute Swan, 2 Greylag Goose, 3 Canada Goose, 4 Shelduck, 5 Mallard, 6 Gadwall, 7 Shoveler, 8 Teal, 9 Pochard, 10 Tufted Duck, 11 Goldeneye, 12 RL Partridge, 13 Pheasant, 14 Little Grebe, 15 GC Grebe, 16 Cormorant, 17 Grey Heron, 18 Buzzard, 19 Sparrowhawk, 20 Kestrel, 21 Hobby, 22 Peregrine, 23 Water Rail, 24 Moorhen, 25 Coot, 26 LRP, 27 Lapwing, 28 Common Sandpiper, 29 Black-tailed Godwit, 30 Snipe, 31 BH Gull, 32 Common Gull, 33 Herring Gull, 34 YL Gull, 35 LBB Gull, 36 Feral Pigeon, 37 Stock Dove, 38 Wood Pigeon, 39 Collared Dove, 40 Tawny Owl, 41 Kingfisher, 42 Green Woodpecker, 43 GS Woodpecker, 44 Skylark, 45 Sand Martin, 46 Swallow, 47 House Martin, 48 Meadow Pipit, 49 Pied Wagtail, 50 Yellow Wagtail, 51 Grey Wagtail, 52 Dunnock, 53 Robin, 54 Redstart, 55 Song Thrush, 56 Blackbird, 57 Garden Warbler, 58 Blackcap, 59 Whitethroat, 60 Lesser Whitethroat, 61 Sedge Warbler, 62 Reed Warbler, 63 Willow Warbler, 64 Chiffchaff, 65 Goldcrest, 66 Wren, 67 Spotted Flycatcher, 68 Great Tit, 69 Coal Tit, 70 Blue Tit, 71 Marsh Tit, 72 LT Tit, 73 Nuthatch, 74 Treecreeper, 75 Magpie, 76 Jay, 77 Jackdaw, 78 Rook, 79 Crow, 80 Raven, 81 Starling, 82 House Sparrow, 83 Tree Sparrow, 84 Chaffinch, 85 Linnet, 86 Goldfinch, 87 Greenfinch, 88 Siskin, 89 Bullfinch, 90 Reed Bunting, 91 Yellowhammer.
STOP PRESS - Message received today from Mike Crutch which may be of interest I run A9Birds, offering various trips for birders and birder/photographers mostly around Strathspey and Moray but occasionally further afield such as the Isle of Skye. I would like to extend the offer of a discounted rate to WMBC members for my services should they be interested. My website www.a9birds. com gives fuller details of what I provide. The discounts I would be offering to your members would be 15% off of full and half day birdwatching trips for solo birders (my basic charge is £10 per person per hour), or - if travelling with a friend/partner (I can take up to three people in my 4x4) - then the discount of half price rates (i.e. £5 per person per hour) apply to any 2nd and 3rd person. The rates are the same whether the customer is a birder, birder/photographer or photographer. Specific charges apply to any private access hide photography, such as the fishing Ospreys, and these are not currently discounted as I charge the absolute minimum for these, and I guarantee tuition for such is one- to-one (unless the customer comes with a friend/partner). Over this autumn/winter I’ll be expanding some of my hide access for 2016, to hopefully include Short-eared Owl and Black Grouse. I’ll also be offering guiding for any customers taking in the Isle of Skye for Sea Eagle, Great Skua and Corncrake photography. 38
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 38 11/09/2015 11:40 And Finally Gate codes - We understand that our gate code is giving some members problems. At Belvide start with C (which stands for clear, so press it firmly) then enter the current four number code. At Ladywalk and Harborne the locks have five numbers so at Ladywalk enter the current four number code with 0 on the end. At Harbourne start with 0 then enter the four number code. Sorry that this is different but it will be standardised next year when the code changes.
Suggestions - The officers of the club welcome suggestions from the membership regarding any aspect of our club. Please send them to the most appropriate officer or, if in doubt Mark, our Secretary who will pass them on.
Belvide new hide - The additional hide overlooking the newly created scrapes at the west end is scheduled to be installed during the first week of October and should give splendid and much closer views of this area which has attracted quite a range of waders recently.
Next Issue - The Winter issue of your newsletter will go to press on 1st December and should be on your door mats by mid-December. Please send your contributions to the editor by 1st November at the latest. Anything received after this cut off date will be held over until the Spring issue. WMBC Officers Membership Secretary - John Hoyle, President - W.E. Oddie O.B.E. 16 Brendan Close, Coleshill, Birmingham, B46 3EF Vice Presidents - F.C. Gribble M.B.E. Email: [email protected] A.J. Richards, G.R. Harrison Annual Report Editor - D.W. Emley, Chairman - Kevin Clements, 23 Leacroft, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 8GF 26 Hambrook Close, Dunstall Park, Email: [email protected] Wolverhampton, WV6 0XA Email: [email protected] Newsletter Editor - Sue Judge 3 Fennel Close, Cheslyn Hay, WS6 7DZ Deputy Chairman - Position Vacant Email: [email protected] Honorary Secretary - Mark Rickus, Enquiries regarding advertising in this 27 Ringmere Avenue, Castle Bromwich B36 9AT publication should be addressed to the Editor. Email: [email protected] Small ads of direct benefit to members and ‘for Press Officer - As Honorary Secretary sale’ items from members will be normally be Email: [email protected] included free of charge, space permitting. Permits Secretary - As Honorary Secretary The WMBC is a Registered Charity (number Email: [email protected] 213311), serving birdwatchers, ornithologists Honorary Treasurer - A. Thomas and all who have an interest in the birds of 24 Awbridge Road, Dudley, West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and DY2 0JA the West Midlands Counties. Email: [email protected] Website - westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk Twitter account @WestMidBirdcClub 39
87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 39 11/09/2015 11:40 87TBC WMBC Brochure 11/9.indd 40 11/09/2015 11:40