No 491 Winter 2018

Photograph - Jay in December - Penn, Wolverhampton Photographer Ellis Partridge This front page is sponsored by The Birder’s Store, Worcester WMBC News Is published in March, June, September and December each year to link members with each other, what’s been happening, current issues and forthcoming events on the birding scene in our area and further afield together with a selection of your articles and a comprehensive summary of the recorded bird sightings in our area This issue of your Newsletter has, for me, been an “embarrassment of riches”, so much news, so many issues your Management Committee want to inform you about and so many fascinating articles on your birding exploits, thank you all so much. When compiling I have to limit myself to 44 pages as to include more would put us over the 100g limit for second class post (which when you are sending out 1700 copies is quite significant). Faced with this dilemma decisions had to be made about what to leave out. My decision was to include all the text, so you will find less photographs than usual this time, and my apologies therefore go to those whose shots I have had to leave out this time. There are two main reasons for the increase in copy. The first, of course, is the number of excellent articles being written by our members - please keep these coming, I am quite happy to face this problem again next issue and I am constantly being told by members I meet how much they enjoy your articles. The other reason for the extra copy is all the work members of your Management Committee and other non-executive officers of the Club are involved in both directly and in supporting others with conservation matters. Again long may this continue. Whilst I am delighted to receive all contributions I have been amazed by Gary, our Green Correspondent, who has sent me his copy faithfully direct from Peru for each issue from the start of his trip. His exploits have been fascinating and entertaining to read about so it is sad that the only disappointment for him about his trip is not to have raised more for his chosen charities. Gary is one of us and would really appreciate the support of his fellow Club members so if you would like to make his day you can find links to a Justgiving page on his blog (details at the end of his article). Sue In This Issue Page 3 Membership Renewal 2019 - Michael Bevan Page 3 Parking at Grimley Page 4 Membership Matters - Michael Bevan Page 5 Broadly Speaking - Roger Broadbent Page 6 Submitting your Bird Records - Jim Winsper Page 7 Our Annual Bird Report - An Update - Dave Emley Pages 8-10 Conservation Matters - Dave Jackson Page 10 WMBC Field Trip Organiser retirement - Ray Davies Pages 11-14 Plight of the Curlew Globally and Locally in Worcestershire - Ian Duncan Pages 15-19 The Biking Birder - Peru Trip - July Report - Gary Prescott Page 20 Parking Advice at Grimley, Worcestershire Page 20 Book Review Pages 21-27 Birding Western India - Brian Stretch Pages 28-30 West Midlands All Day Bird Race, Autumn 2018 - James Kenny Page 31 ‘All Dayer’ - Sandwell Valley - September 2018 - Dave Saunders Pages 32-34 Club and Branch Field Trips and Indoor Meetings Page 34 Our Ladywalk Reserve - Richard King Page 34 Belvide Work Party Dates Pages 35-38 Bird Notes August - October - Humprey Miller Pages 39-40 Field Trip Reports - Ray Davies and Liz Palmer Page 41 BTO - English Winter Bird Survey, Suggestions and Next issue - Cutoff date Page 42 WMBC Officers and their contact details 2 Membership Renewal 2019 This year a renewal form will only have been included with your Newsletter if you are a cheque or one-off direct bank transfer payer. If you pay by standing order you will not receive a renewal form, as they are not required, and this has caused some confusion in the past. As you are probably aware we are not currently able to support payment by Direct Debit. All membership subscription payments are due on 1st January, 2019 unless you joined on or after 1st October, 2018 and paid by standing order, in which case you should receive your new membership card and Blithfield car pass automatically during January with everyone else who has paid by cheque. The remaining standing order payers should receive their cards and passes by the third or fourth week in February, once I have received and checked the Club’s January bank statement. If you have paid before or during January and have not received your new membership card by the end of February please let me know, preferably by email, and I will investigate. If your Standing Order or Direct Bank Transfer is scheduled later than January, I will be unable to send out your 2019 membership card until I have received the WMBC bank statement for the month it is paid in. This usually arrives in the second week of the following month. If you are aware this is the case, I would ask you to reschedule your standing order for 1st January to ensure you receive your membership card before the reserve access codes expire on 1st March. If you amend your standing order please quote a reference using the format below WMBC Surname Membership No. (e.g. WMBCBEVAN1234). This will enable me to accurately identify your subscription payment on the Club’s bank statement. 2019 membership cards From 2019 all membership cards will only show one name, the name of the member. Joint members will receive their own separate membership card and in addition, if requested, their own Blithfield car sticker. No second Blithfield car stickers will be sent to individual members. Did you take out Joint Membership this year? If so those paying by cheque should simply ensure they pay the additional £5 membership fee. Those members who pay by Standing Order are reminded that they need to inform their bank and change the amount of their payment, if this hasn’t been done already. You can find the 2019 renewal form on the Join page of the Club website for this purpose, if you need it. No cards for Joint Members can be sent out until the correct payment has been received.

Thank you Michael Bevan WMBC Membership Secretary 64 Brookfields Road, Ipstones, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire ST10 2LY Email: [email protected]

3 Membership Matters We are pleased to welcome the following new members of the club who have joined since the last newsletter. Please note the names shown are as on the membership form but that all family members at each address are included in this welcome. Mr G Babb & Mrs J Babb of NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME, Ms J Bell of TELFORD, Ms K Benzing of WOLVERHAMPTON, Mr S Brown of MALVERN, Mr V Bunn of TELFORD, Mrs A Butler of DERBY, Mr M Chapman of GLOUCESTER, Mr H Dempsey of STAFFORD, Mr P Durnall of HAGLEY, Ms L Dykes of BIRMINGHAM, Mrs S Emley of STAFFORD, Ms A Glaisher of WOLVERHAMPTON, Mr R Hodson & Mrs J Hodson of RUGELEY, Mr P Hopcroft of WORCESTER, Mr R Hunt of BIRMINGHAM, Mrs C Irwin of BIRMINGHAM, Ms G MacKinnon of COVENTRY, Mr A Male of BIRMINGHAM, Mr G Marlow of WILLENHALL, Mr S May of CANNOCK, Mr S May & Ms D Weston of WOLVERHAMPTON, Mr K McManus of LICHFIELD, Ms J Palmer & Mr R Palmer of CANNOCK, Mr P Poulson of WOLVERHAMPTON, Ms E Rawson of SUTTON COLDFIELD, Ms S Richards-Perry of WILLENHAL, Mr I Sansom & Ms R Hughes of STRAFFORD UPON AVON, Mr P Scofield & Ms S Scofield of BIRMINGHAM, Mr Y Song of BIRMINGHAM, Mr R Strong of BIRMINGHAM, Mr J Taylor of BURTON ON TRENT, Mrs S Tilt of REDDITCH and Mr D Viggars of BIRMINGHAM. Mr K Goodall & Ms S Goodall of SOLIHULL, Mr I Griffiths of WILLENHALL, Mr D Harris & Mrs D Harris of KINGSWINFORD,

GDPR Consent Update Sincere thanks to all have responded by completing and returning the GDPR Consent form. We have had responses from 1148 (70%) members. This leaves 544 (30%) members from whom we have not had a response. We respect the right of members not to respond. However, under the GPDR Regulations we will not be able to send out any further communications, other than the Membership cards, Newsletters and Annual Reports, which are part of the Membership package purchased through your membership fee. As well as the recently introduced reminders for meetings and events we plan to expand the use of email to keep members informed of club matters where they have given their consent for us to do so. This is particularly relevant next year as there are several events being planned in celebration of the Club’s 90th Anniversary. We will not be sending out any further requests for consent to existing members. Those who have not yet responded are welcome to do so at any time in the future. Please just email me at the address below for a consent form, or download one from the join section of the club’s website, complete and post it to the address below. Kind Regards Michael Bevan WMBC Membership Secretary 64 Brookfields Road, Ipstones, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire ST10 2LY Email: [email protected]

A report from our Solihull Branch The Solihull Branch started the new season with its new committee in October. We kicked off the programme with a delightful presentation by Paul Wilkinson on the Natural History of the Midlands waterways. We were treated to a low key, but masterful and entertaining, illustrated talk on the flora and fauna of the regions canals and natural waterways. We had 27 in attendance of which 11 were first timer “walk ins”. We are looking for numbers to increase as regular attenders are now back from vacation. Richard Harvey Chairman Solihull Branch 4 Broadly Speaking Report from your Chairperson It will not have escaped the notice of some of you that I have been spending some time in the south of our Region recently. This has been in pursuance of the ambition that the Club has, to improve conditions and facilities for birds and birdwatchers south of Birmingham. I have recently been to three sites and made a brief visit at another. At one site the Club has expressed an interest to the future landowner. At two other sites ongoing discussions are taking place. We may be able to make some positive announcements early in the New Year. At another site the Club still needs to respond to information given by an interested party. What we need now from the birding community of Warwickshire and Worcestershire is greater commitment to what the Club is setting out to achieve. If you are an active birder anywhere in the WMBC area, then membership of this Club is the best way of supporting that ambition. We are unfettered by the restraints of other groups and I believe that our independence is our strength. You will read elsewhere in this issue about the excellent work of the Club’s Conservation Officer Dave Jackson regarding a number of sites across our four counties. Dave has also been especially active in Worcestershire regarding the Curlew Survey which we hope will ultimately include Warwickshire and Staffordshire. The Management Committee is serious in its desire to play its part in the preservation of special bird habitats across the Region whilst at the same time improving facilities for its members. If your local patch is threatened by a development, especially if it has red or amber listed birds, please contact Dave Jackson by emailing [email protected] Last month saw the publication of the WMBC 2016 Annual Bird Report. This is the second time this year that the weighty four County Report has crashed onto our doormats. Completing eight County Reports in one year is no mean achievement. In truth I believe that we are the only bird Club ever to achieve such a wonderful task. Congratulations, once again to our editor Dave Emley BEM, the County Recorders Nick Pomiankowski, Kevin Clements, Steve Haynes and Steven Payne together with their splendid teams of writers, our printers Swallowtail in Norwich and our excellent distributors, Cheshire’s Laser Mail. Importantly though special thanks go to all those who submitted their records to their respective County Bird Recorders via BTO Birdtrack (www.bto.org/birdtrack) or by other appropriate means. Please read the excellent article by our Vice President Jim Winsper on recording your submissions. Please note that it is totally inappropriate to expect our recorders to trawl through thousands of tweets looking for bird reports. Our Branches at Solihull, Kidderminster and Stafford have all commenced their winter indoor meetings. Reports that I have received suggest that all have been well attended. Please support your local Branch if you can. I am delighted to report that Kevin Clements, my predecessor as Club Chairperson, has accepted an invitation to act as health and safety consultant to the Club. Welcome back Kevin. I did not think that it would be too long before we saw you again and thank you. I hope that in the next WMBC News I will be able to tell you more about our plans to celebrate the Club’s ninetieth anniversary. We are still open to ideas so if anyone out there can think of something, or would like to help please let me know by email [email protected] Finally, this is my first and final chance to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully Happy and bird filled 2019.

Roger Broadbent 5 Submitting your bird records Jim Winsper The thought of finding a special bird is something that inspires us all. Given such an occurrence, it would be a pity if the event was lost to posterity due to inadequate recording. A report of a rare or unusual bird should be accompanied by a detailed description and supporting evidence. Without this necessary information being submitted to the relevant authority, reports can only be regarded as unsubstantiated. Using a social media site or birding blog is an excellent method of broadcasting news of rare or unusual birds, such postings however, do not constitute a true record submission. In order to validate your findings, all reports should be sent to the appropriate County Recorder, irrespective of any other postings. The most helpful and productive way of going about this is to register with the BTO online facility BirdTrack - www.bto.org/birdtrack . This site not only keeps your records on file in a protected database but provides unlimited access to all County Recorders in their investigative searches. BirdTrack provides an on-line form comprising questions in relation to those species that require descriptions together with a text box for writing your own description. The completed automated form and your personal description are then sent forward to the appropriate County Recorder. Alternatively, records can be sent electronically to County Recorders using Excel or Word files that contain all necessary details or, by hand written record slips. To obtain handwritten record slips please contact your County Recorder for advice. The most important factor in all of this is to make sure that the relevant County Recorder receives this information. The exercise of providing accurate records performs the task of gathering vital information on the occurrence and whereabouts of birds, information from which we all benefit. The WMBC website - www.westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk offers important information on record submission to all those who wish to submit records from the West Midland Bird Club recording region. When using the Club website visit the Record Submission page. Here you will find current information on contacting our regional County Recorders, accessing BirdTrack and record submission information. The ultimate guide to submitting your records can be found in the West Midland Bird Club publication, A Checklist of the Birds of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands and Guide to Status and Record Submission. Members of the West Midland Bird Club are provided with a copy of this publication (appropriate while stocks last). Anyone wishing to obtain a copy, again appropriate to availability, should visit the ‘Our Publications’ page of the WMBC website for details. All those submitting records are encouraged to follow the guidelines set out in this booklet. Good luck in your findings and make sure your records get their deserved recognition. Jim Winsper

We are delighted to welcome Craig Reed to Steven Payne’s writing team in Worcestershire for the Annual Bird Report.

6 An update from our Annual Report Editor - Dave Emley Hopefully by now you will have received your 2016 Report. Thanks to all for submitting records or photographs; it is very much appreciated. Work on the 2017 report is underway but this time we will be using the updated sequence of species as found on the British Birds website. This involves some major changes to the order that many of us are used to. As this is based largely on DNA studies it is hoped that it will settle down from now on! Each year the Rarity Committees of the four counties consider which species require some form of confirmation when records are submitted – these are the Category A species as listed in the back of the Annual Report. The requirements for confirmation can change as species become commoner or rarer. In order to keep you better informed of changes to status, a list of Category A species can be found on the club website and this will be updated regularly. It can be found at www.westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk/record-submission/ As of 2017 the following changes have been made: Staffordshire Removed: Bittern and Rose-ringed Parakeet Added: Ruddy Duck Warwickshire Removed: Egyptian Goose, Bittern, Ring Ouzel and Rose-ringed Parakeet Added: Wood Sandpiper, Ruddy Duck, White Wagtail (autumn only), Greenland Wheatear, Willow Tit, Grey Plover, Kittiwake, Merlin, Turtle Dove Worcestershire Removed: Cetti’s Warbler and Rose-ringed Parakeet Added: Ruddy Duck West Midlands Removed: Rose-ringed Parakeet, Red Kite and Black-tailed Godwit Added: Ruddy Duck, Ruff, Kittiwake, Wood Warbler, Ring Ouzel and Pied Flycatcher Annual report 2017 The next report is now under construction. If you have any photographs, especially of rare or scarce birds, taken in 2017 then do get in touch. I seem to recall a lot of Hawfinches around then! For those of you who do not take bird photos, do not feel left out. You will probably have noticed the section headers in the Report. I need shots of your favourite birding spot for the Gazetteer, ringed birds for the ringing section and groups of birders for the Contributors section. They do need to be good quality and capable of me cropping them to a letter-box size. Dave Emley Please Note: Photographs for both the Annual Bird Report and WMBC News should be sent without cropping please at the largest file size available. A full page shot needs to be at least 3MB to print successfully. Photographs for the report should be send direct to Dave at [email protected] 7 Conservation Matters Dave Jackson Earlier this year Roger Broadbent, who knew of my background, asked me if I would consider becoming the Club’s new Conservation Officer, a post that had become vacant by the retirement of Mike West. I was only too pleased to agree and was appointed to this post by the Club’s Management Committee at their next meeting and at the 2018 AGM I became an Elected Member of that committee. My working life involved interacting with both Local Authority Planners and Solicitors and I have always been a committed zealot when it comes to seeking to protect wildlife. It’s been a busy six months, but also very rewarding. On behalf of the Bird Club, I have made representations and objections to two planning proposals, where specific bird species, and/or important habitats, are under threat from development. The conservation of birds and their threatened habitats matter to us all, and I will be happy to advise and assist on conservation issues, when such matters are brought to the club’s attention by our members. I will make representations and submit objections to local Council’s and landowners when the Club’s Executive consider it necessary. Your record submissions to our County Recorders are vital, as without them we would not be able to assess the state of bird populations at specific locations, over any given period, as evidenced below. Brian Rickett has recently informed the Management Committee that:-“ WMBC members, the RSPB and residents objected to the original Wyre Forest Local Plan due to the catastrophic affect it would have on the main breeding area for Corn Buntings in Worcestershire and other wildlife around Captains Pool. I’m very pleased to report the new Local Plan Revision expected on the 1st of November does not now include the area both sides of Stanklyn Lane from the A449 to the A448. The Relief Road and the 650 houses originally in the plan are not included A very good result so far!!!!” Over the past few months the Club have been supporting the Save Berryhill Fields Action Group, with grateful thanks for the extensive local information supplied by David Burgess, Russell Toon and Nick Pomiankowski, Staffordshire County Recorder. I have made representations and submitted an objection on behalf of the Bird Club to Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Chief Planning Officer, and copied in their Cabinet Members, on the basis that this principal birding site, with its mosaic of superb habitats, was not included in the Council’s recent draft Green Space Strategy. Berryhill Fields (Area 292 on the current draft of the Joint Local Plan) is shown as an inset plan on the Action Group Leaflet, which accompanied the previous WMBC Newsletter. We have asked for the inclusion of Area 292 in the Council’s recently revised Green Space Strategy, and for the recognition of this important location as Green Space. We have also made a pre-emptive objection against the Council’s Joint Local Plan (nearing its public consultation stage) as the draft shows Area 292 as a “preferred option,” which could lead to more than 1300 houses being built upon 50 hectares (125 acres) of Green Space, which immediately abuts the Local Nature Reserve. Berryhill Fields and the Local Nature Reserve collectively provide the biodiverse habitat for birds and other wildlife to thrive. Birders have recorded 163 species (55 nesting species) over the past few years on Berryhill Fields, LNR and horse paddocks, over thirty species of which are RSPB Red Listed, and there are records of a similar number of Amber listed species of national conservation concern being seen at the Fields. The Club’s Management Committee and the Action Group strongly maintain that there is sufficient cleared and vacant brownfield land elsewhere in Stoke on Trent to meet the Government’s housing targets. 8 Following objections made by WMBC & local residents, on 31st October 2018, Stoke on Trent City Council posted the following communication:- “The timetable for the production of the Draft Local Plan has been changed to Autumn 2019. This is necessary given the publication of the new revised National Planning Policy Framework, and changes to the new Government standard methodology for housing need. Therefore, in order to assure the plan is sound and robust, further work needs to be undertaken.” A Peregrine site under threat In September I submitted an objection to Wyre Forest District Council, on behalf of the Bird Club, against a private re-development which would affect Peregrines, which in the past few years have occupied a ledge immediately above the proposed re-development. Thanks to Hugh Fletcher who brought the Application to our attention. Both Hugh and Worcestershire Wildlife Trust have also lodged objections to the Application. We are currently awaiting the Council’s decision on our respective objections. Worcestershire’s Breeding Curlew Project In September I attended a Curlew project meeting hosted by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, where a group of enthusiasts met to discuss the plight of Curlews in Worcestershire. There were no successful breeding records in the County in 2017, despite birds holding territories at several locations. Predation and early grass cutting are the main reasons for unsuccessful breeding. Next Spring I will be visiting several farmers to ask for their assistance in protecting Curlews on their land, and to this end, the Management Committee have assisted the group by paying the printing costs of a leaflet to hand to farmers asking for their co-operation. The M.C. have also been asked to consider contributing towards public awareness signage and, “predator proof” electric fencing at the most vulnerable locations. Other Curlew Group members will be monitoring their allocated sites on historical lowland breeding meadows in Worcestershire. I would particularly like to hear from Bird Club members in lowland Staffordshire and Warwickshire if they know of Curlews attempting to breed. Please contact me if you can assist by monitoring Curlews in your area. I will be happy to visit other farms when birds take up territory. Ian Duncan’s article (pages 9-14) paints a very sobering picture of the Curlew’s ongoing regional and national demise. With the help of farmers and Club members we may hopefully seek to reverse this decline on a local level. Alrewas Gravel Extraction After being tipped off by member Stuart Collins, a local birder, that new large scale gravel extraction had commenced at Alrewas, Roger Broadbent and myself met with Tarmac representatives to discuss how this will affect Red and Amber Listed birds, and to seek what mitigation measures we could expect to protect breeding species. Phased extraction works will be taking place up to 2027. We request visiting members to assist by monitoring what they see when at this location. The Ecologist engaged by Tarmac informed me that they would make efforts to cease works temporarily around any Lapwings, Little-ringed Plovers or other species, if they commenced nesting. When members view any of the accessible areas of the workings please let me know as soon as possible if any displaying or breeding birds are in situ. Hs2 Pylons proposed beyond the dam at Blithfield Reservoir! Bird Club members, nearby residents and landowners are currently assessing the possible impacts of how a proposed line of pylons, intended to provide power to the future Hs2 route, might affect birds flying to and from the reservoir. We will look at making a formal objecting petition and/or recommending suitable mitigation measures in due course. Environmental Impact Statements should be available from Hs2 Ltd early in the New Year. I will keep you updated in future editions. 9 Barn Owl boxes Lastly, as mentioned in previous issues Roger Clay is providing owl boxes, funded by the Club. These ‘des res’ abodes are superbly made. I met Roger to install two boxes, after I had arranged permission with a farmer and landowner to put up the boxes, one in Staffordshire and the other in Worcestershire, where we know Barn Owls have recently been seen. One box has already been visited by a Little Owl.

If you have a known Barn Owl site in need of a box please let me know, as we still have seven available to install. Dave Jackson, WMBC Conservation Officer Penn, Wolverhampton e-mail: [email protected]

Photograph - Roger Clay installing one of his Owl Boxes

WMBC FIELD TRIP ORGANISER Ray Davies As many of you will be aware I have filled the role of Field Trip Organiser for 16 years, since I took over from Phil McBride in 2003 however after much thought, I have decided to hand over this task to a keen (and younger) person. I shall be standing down officially at the Club’s AGM in May 2019. I am very pleased and relieved to announce that to replace me a new team has been established. • Liz Palmer, my current deputy, has agreed to become the designated organiser and will overlap with myself to ease the transition • John Palmer has also volunteered to look after the money/financial accounting • Chris Clements has agreed to be Liz Palmer’s coach deputy for those trips where she and John are not available. • Paul Bateman and Dave Corfield have undertaken to help Liz with setting the programme for the visits from 2020 onwards as well as any possible reconnoitring of ‘new’ reserves which may become necessary . Apart from the Norfolk Weekend, planning for the 2019 trips is complete - the reserves contacted and the coaches booked and the new team will take over running them from June onwards. They will also plan the trips from 2020 onwards, which needs to be done during June and July 2019. I do hope that you will support the new team as you have supported me over the years. During my tenure I have found the job very fulfilling and I have enjoyed the trips, company and the challenge immensely. I especially want to thank Sheila Bocock, Judith Gerrard and Liz Palmer for their help over the years which has been invaluable to me and exemplifies the benefits of group organisation. I also hope that I will be welcome on any future trips!! Ray Davies 10 The Plight of the Curlew Globally and Locally in Worcestershire Ian Duncan

Decline The haunting, bubbling call of the Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) is one of the most evocative sounds in the natural world. It is the call of the wild and one of the harbingers of spring but sadly it is becoming heard much less often as Eurasian Curlew numbers plummet both in the UK and throughout the rest of its breeding range. For example, since the 1980s numbers in the UK have dropped by more than 50% i.e. circa 120,000 birds representing over 5,000 each year, Colwell(2017). In the same time the population in Wales has declined by over 80% with fewer than 400 pairs now remaining. In southern Ireland the situation is even more dire with a 97% decline and around only 150 pairs remaining. In southern England it is estimated fewer than 300 pairs remain with strongholds in the Somerset Levels, the Brecks and Upper Thames. In the UK there are an estimated 66,000 breeding pairs in upland areas in northern England and Scotland but this represents approximately 25% of the total world breeding population. Clearly the UK has a particular global responsibility for the conservation of the Eurasian Curlew. Due to these steep declines the Curlew has now been designated as a species of the highest conservation concern in the UK and is on the IUCN red list of threatened species. Genus Numenius Sadly, it is worth highlighting that the genus Numenius is no stranger to extinction with two of the eight species believed to have become extinct in the last few decades. The Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) which bred in Siberia and wintered mainly along the Mediterranean coast was last sighted in the late 1990s/early 2000s and despite extensive searching has not been positively recorded since. The Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis) bred in the North American Arctic and wintered in southern South America. In the 19th Century it was one of the most numerous waders in the Americas but declined rapidly and the last reliable sighting was in 1987. In both cases, habitat loss or degradation of wetlands as well as widespread hunting, particularly in the case of the Eskimo Curlew, led to their demise. The recognition that two of the genus are almost certainly extinct focuses attention on the alarming declines of the Eurasian Curlew. It should also be noted that the population of Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis) is now down to only 7,000. Worcestershire In Worcestershire, Curlew may return to their breeding grounds as early as February, with egg-laying typically beginning in late April. Incubation lasts around 28 days. The chicks quickly leave the nest vicinity but are unable to fly for a further four weeks and during much of this time the male alone is responsible for rearing the chicks, the female having quickly left the area. Young birds may be found on the breeding grounds well into July. Curlew do not breed in their first year mostly staying in their wintering areas. 11 Curlew are also found on passage in Worcestershire in spring and autumn. Small numbers are recorded in the south of the county at sites such as Ripple and Bredon’s Hardwick (A. Warr personal communication). In addition, at Upton Warren a number of Curlew are usually present from March until the onset of winter, however in recent years 10-12 birds have over-wintered (J. Belsey personal communication). Most of the UK breeding birds winter here, with the majority heading westward to the British west coast and Ireland while some winter on the Atlantic coast of France and Portugal. These birds are supplemented by around 150,000 birds from northern Europe with Morecambe Bay, The Wash and the Severn Estuary as important sites. This is a very significant percentage of the global population and further adds to the UK’s international responsibility for this species. Worcestershire Historically Nationally and in Worcestershire, the distribution and abundance of the Curlew has changed considerably in the last 150 years. Accounts in the 19th century make little reference to Curlew and in the Worcestershire Victoria History of 1901 Curlew are reported as “occasional visitor”. At this time Curlew bred mainly in northern upland areas. During the first half of the 20th century they began to spread southwards and eastwards with breeding first proven in Wiltshire in 1916 and Oxfordshire in 1925. Harthan (1946) notes “There has been an increase since 1920, and a few pairs appeared in the large river meadows around Tewksbury about that year. The colonisation of the hilly north-western part of the county began about the same time. It has nested in the Tenbury district since 1917. The Curlew was first seen in the Powick Meadows near Worcester in 1929 and has bred there since 1933”. There was a steady build-up of the population along the Severn, Avon and Teme and in the 1940s pairs began breeding on farmland away from the rivers with breeding at Chaddesley Corbett, Crowle and Honeybourne in 1943. Harthan (1961) commented “now also breeds on farmland throughout the southern half of the county”. Furthermore Green (2015) stated “My own personal notes made in 1953 and 1954 record 12-14 calling pairs of Curlew by the River Avon between Bredon and Great Comberton”. The 1950s were the heyday for Curlew distribution and the increase in numbers continued until the early 1960s. The reasons for this expansion are not readily apparent but changes to the breeding habitat in the upland areas coupled with high levels of predator control are both thought to have contributed. The excess birds in these core areas then moved to colonise suitable habitat in the lowland areas. Beginning in the late 1950s the situation started to change with agricultural intensification, urbanisation and the drainage of many of the wet lowland areas. The number of breeding pairs started to drop and the range contract and this trend has continued to the present day, to the extent that in 2018 there was no confirmed successful breeding in Worcestershire. Curlews in trouble Curlews can live up to 30 years, so the problem with declining numbers may be even more serious than appears, as the same birds may be returning to breed each year but without adding new birds to the population. We may only be recording a diminishing number of ageing birds. A wide range of organisations including the BTO, RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust are investigating the reasons behind the declining numbers. The data suggests that there are three main reasons, poor breeding success, habitat loss and farming practices. Curlew are ground nesting birds and the eggs and chicks are vulnerable for around two months until the chicks are able to fly. At this time predation by foxes, badgers and crows is a major problem. Until the chicks fledge they are also at the mercy of agricultural works, such as the early cutting of hay and silage. A further problem is the site-faithfulness of Curlew both to their breeding and wintering 12 grounds. Any changes to either of these areas can have profound implications. A good Curlew - Site faithfull example of this in Worcestershire can be seen in the photo’s where Curlew returned to nest in a recently ploughed field. Not surprisingly the nest was predated. Curlew prefer to breed in environments with wet areas for feeding and drier areas for nesting with a mixed and with a medium length vegetation structure. Such habitats can be found as semi- natural grassland and moorland, both of which are becoming increasingly scarce. Afforestation is reducing the amount of suitable upland while modern farming methods and urbanisation are problems in lowland areas. Drainage, the application of pesticides and fertilisers and more intense grazing are producing drier grassland much less able to provide the invertebrates required to support Curlew. What can be done about it? Having recognised the issue and the likely causes a number of organisations have been set up to tackle the problem. The Curlew Forum has been established and their mission statement is as follows: “To work with farmers and land managers to reverse the current decline, and continue monitoring the status of breeding Curlew across lowland and southern Britain. We will do this by sharing knowledge and expertise, raising awareness and securing funding to implement effective conservation measures.” Details of this forum can be found at www.curlewcall.org. It should be noted that Curlews are faring much better on some grouse moors where predator control is managed (Colwell 2018). This fact cannot be ignored and the controversial and complex issue of controlling predators such as crows and foxes has to be addressed. On our doorstep, in Shropshire, an innovative project called Curlew Country led by Tony Cross and Amanda Perkins is taking action to save the local Curlew population. In the first two years, 2015 and 2016, over 30 nests were monitored and no chicks were fledged, most of the nests being predated by foxes and badgers. To address this hopeless situation, in 2017 the group installed electric fencing to deter predators along with trial predator control. This resulted in the fledging of a small number of birds but insufficient to sustain the population. To further boost the number of fledged birds they received the approval of Natural England to “headstart”, a first for the UK. This technique involves removing eggs from nests, incubating them, then rearing the chicks to release back into the wild. 15 eggs were collected of which 11 hatched. Some of the chicks were returned to the wild nests while others were reared in captivity and then released once they had fledged. In 2018, further head-starting and nest protection was implemented. It is still early days for this ground-breaking project but it has already demonstrated that head-starting with all its risks gives the Curlew a better chance of successfully recruiting youngsters to the population. 13 Further details can be found at www.curlewcountry.org, as well as a link to the webcam installed in 2018 which followed a Curlew nest from the egg stage to hatching. In recent years another group, led by Mike Smart, has been monitoring breeding Curlew on the Avon and Severn meadows in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. In 2017, I became the coordinator of the survey for Worcestershire and this year an enlarged group extended the monitoring of breeding Curlew across the entire county to establish how many pairs remain. Disappointingly no Curlew were confirmed to have successfully fledged. Three nests produced young but all were believed to have been lost. There were a further seven probable and five possible breeding attempts but again with no confirmed success. Nine of these attempts were in meadows adjoining the Avon and Severn with the other six scattered in rough pasture away from the rivers, in north Worcestershire.

Curlew habitat - rough pasture The intention in 2019, aided by the West Midlands Bird Club and the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, is to enter discussions with the owners/managers of the main breeding sites to discuss how these areas can be best managed for Curlew breeding. WMBC members can help by reporting sightings during the breeding season, February to July. For Worcestershire please send records to me at ian.duncan28@ btinternet.com and for the rest of the club area to the county recorders. Conclusions The Eurasian Curlew is in real trouble and a desperate situation requires desperate measures. There is a real possibility of losing the Curlew as a breeding bird in the West Midlands and in southern England. We cannot afford to sit back and monitor another species to extinction. Pro-active conservation, such as shown by the Shropshire project, is necessary. We must not forget the ghosts of the two related extinct Curlew species. There is no simple solution and this challenging conservation requires the cooperation of a large number of groups and individuals and will only succeed if everyone engages, puts aside differences and agrees to focus on the main objective, saving the Curlew. It is important to end on a positive note as we know there is a problem, we know the causes and the possible solutions and to quote Mary Colwell (2018) “until the last Curlew sings there is still hope and the story is far from over”. Ian Duncan References and Further Reading Balmer, D.E. et al (2013) Bird Atlas 2007-11. Curlew pp 376-377. BTO Books Thetford. Brown, D. et al (2015) The Eurasian Curlew – the most pressing bird conservation priority in the UK? British Birds 108, number 11 pp 660-668. Colwell, M. (2017) Curlews in crisis. British Wildlife 29, number 1 pp 10-16. Colwell, M. (2018) Curlew Moon. Harper Collins. Green. H, (2015) Curlews in Worcestershire – a little history. Worcestershire Record 39, November. Harrison, G. and Harrison, J. (2005) The new birds of the West Midlands. West Midland Bird Club. Harthan, A.J. (1946) The Birds of Worcestershire. Littlebury & Co. Harthan, A.J. (1961) A revised list of Worcestershire birds. Transactions of the Worcestershire Naturalists Club. Kirwan, G. et al (2015) Chronicle of an extinction? A review of Slender-billed Curlew records in the Middle East. British Birds 108, number 11 pp 669-682. Lord, J. and Munns, D.J. (1970) Atlas of the breeding birds of the West Midlands 1966-68. Collins. 14 The Biking Birder Gary Prescott Our Green Correspondent July, the pivotal month when I need to start seeing new bird species in numbers if I am going to have any chance at all of becoming the new World Champion of Big Year Green Birding. Two hundred and seventy five species on the list so far is respectful yet ahead of me is The Manu National Park, the most biodiverse place anywhere on Earth. Over a thousand bird species are to be seen here as well as myriads of butterflies and other insects. Caiman, snakes, monkeys, Giant Otters, Jaguars are all there but it is the birds that I need to see most of course. There will also be a change in the mode of transport occurring near the end of the month when I will say goodbye to my Claude Butler Black Diamond bicycle and hello to my Alpacka packraft. Packrafting on a major tributary of the mighty Amazon, the Madre de Dios river, the Mother of God. I hope she looks after me as I negotiate the fast, rocky, shallow yet wide waters of the upper river.

First though I have to get to the start of the famous Manu Road and that involves a day’s push from the picturesque town of Paucartambo on the second of the month, the last ascent section of my whole route. The last day of almost constant pushing of the trusty bike; from the next summit it will be all downhill until I reach the true Amazonian Lowlands some time in August. I haven’t been below 6,000 feet in over two months and the constant exercise of cycling and the altitude have made me rather fit, with a pulse rate at rest of fifty six. I should be supercharged for the packrafting! Camping that night at the highest point, at the gateway into the Manu, I find a very unexpected Least Grebe on a small pool. This is a bird of lowland rainforest and to find an adult here in the fading light of the evening is a real boost. The scenery at this location of the cloud forest stretches before me, carpeting hills so completely, the forest is magnificent and I can see the dirt track Manu Road winding its way against the hillsides that I will be bumping along tomorrow.

Next day, with ice on the tent, hopefully for the last time, Moustached Flowerpiercers, White-throated Tryannulets and Creamy-crested Spinetail are seen within minutes of arising. The bumping begins as I cycle by having a foot on one pedal and balancing on one side of the bike. To cycle in the conventional way, sitting on the saddle, would be lethal with the state of the road here. To Weyqecha Research Station for a three day stay, the first flock that stops me along the road there contains Scarlet-bellied and Hooded Mountain Tanagers, Golden-collared Tanagers, as well as Black-faced (Rufous-naped) Brush Finches. My time at the superb research station is spent birding the trails, watching the hummingbird feeders and enjoying the company of the fabulous staff and some English students from London, who are participating in a large Climate Change effects experiment. Watching the England versus Columbia World Cup football match with eleven Columbia-supporting Peruvians is a hilarious delight. Avian highlights included the beautifully named Amethyst-throated Sunangel and Violet-throated Starfrontlet, both being hummingbirds, Masked Trogon, a fabulous Rufous-banded Owl that stared me down from ten yards one afternoon and the incredible looking Gray-breasted Mountain Toucans. Weyqecha is a superb place, wonderfully located with excellent accommodation, good food, lovely staff and even a brilliant canopy walkway! Twenty four birds added to the Big Green Big Year list during a short stay. A night camping completed the following day of slowly descending whilst birding along the Manu Road. The road may be good enough for vehicles but it is impossible to cycle in the usual fashion 15 because of the rocky nature of the road. Instead I continue to stand on one pedal and let gravity do its work. Birds seen from my tent set up in a small field just off the road at Pillhuata in the evening and the following morning, included an Andean Tyrant and both Black & Chestnut and Solitary Eagles, both are magnificent birds of prey. Such a beautiful location, quiet and secluded, the weather is fine with little of the cloud that usually shrouds the steep-sided forested hills. A pattern seems to be emerging of clear, sunny weather in the mornings, followed by a build up of cloud that fills the valley in the afternoons, only to disperse as evening approaches. Cock of The Rock lodge, named after Peru’s national bird, the male Cock of The Rock, which is a Jay- sized bird with large areas of grey and black amidst it’s brilliant scarlet plumage. The males gather for a morning lek. Here at their chosen traditional site, they call, dance, shake branches and jump, jerk their head around from side to side; in fact they will do almost anything to get the attention of the dowdy brown females that sit on branches around the males watching the show. The best dancing male will get the female. It was ever thus! Watching them very early one morning as daylight grew is a privilege and an amusing delight. The famous lodge itself is luxurious and the food is of the best quality, presented beautifully after being cooked by a very enthusiastic young chef named Victor. Victor’s skills are matched by his desire to improve and become an even better chef. Now unfortunately my camera broke three days after I spent over £100 in having it repaired in Cusco. On hearing this, a staff member at Cock Of The Rock lodge, Soloman, immediately gives me his Lumix camera to use during my stay, exemplifying the attitude of all of the wonderful staff here. Before breakfast each morning Brown Capuchin monkeys are fed bananas and twelve of them sit on tree branches near to the dining area terrace enjoying the free food. Agoutis, a kind of large rodent, Tayras, a very large member of the weasel family and a small brown squirrel are other mammals seen here, all from the comfort of the elevated lounge area. Photograph top - Brown Capuchins Photograph below - Agouti There are a number of hummingbird feeders set up in front of the terrace, as well as bird tables with mangoes and bananas on them. These attract a variety of hummingbirds and tanagers; Green hermit, Amethyst-throated Woodstars and Violet-headed Hummingbirds, Golden, Blue & Gray and Blue-necked Tanagers. Forty four new birds for the Green Birding year list during my three day stay, including such splendours as Yungas Manakin, Bronzy Inca and Paradise, Golden-eared, Flame-faced and Spotted Tanagers. Such a magnificent rainbow range of amazingly colourful birds. By the seventh of the month I am adding over ten new birds to my growing Big Year Green Birding list every day and although the birding is far from easy, especially as I don’t have the use of any phone or tape sounds to attract birds, I am seeing a great variety of new species. Expected bird species such as Yellow-rumped 16 Cacique, Magpie Tanager and the very beautiful and aptly named Long-tailed Tyrant are easily seen but I also see Yungas and Cerulean Manakins. The following day, after leaving Cock of the Rock lodge and arriving at the Ecologica Reserva site at Chontackaka, I add a further fifteen species including a male White-browed Antbird, a pair of Bluish-slate Antshrikes and a Dot-winged Antwren. Seeing these latter birds is difficult in the dense vegetation, mostly tall bamboo and I am glad that they give their location away with a series of calls. The thrill of the day happens when I arrive at the top of the trail that leads down to the reserve itself. Paola is there to greet me. I had been worried that Paola might have left the area in the four years since we first met but no, there she is, sitting on the bench. I go and sit next to her and she immediately comes and sits on my lap! I must explain that Paola is a semi-tame Red Howler Monkey that is always somewhere nearby at Chontachaka Ecologika Reserve. The other thrill is reacquainting myself with the only way to access the reserve. This is by riding across the chasm above a raging river on a zipwire, as you do. I stay for three nights and see such delightful birds as Black-backed Tody- flycatcher, Spot-breasted Woodpecker and Buff-rumped Warbler. This last bird has the most amazing volume to it’s call and wakes me up each morning. Reaching the ever expanding village of Pillcopata by the thirteenth of the month, I add an incredible twenty five new birds to my list in one day birding here. Walking by the river, finding some small fish pools and then walking for some kilometres along some dirt roads through agricultural areas, gives me a wide variety of birds. Most of them are species to be expected to be seen at some time now as I approach the Madre de Dios river and it’s environs but birds such a Hoatzins, Pale-legged Horneros, Black-fronted Nunbirds and Plumbeous Kites are always good to see, no matter how common they are here. Hoatzins, the modern day equivalent of the Archaeopteryx in looks, are fascinating birds to look at and always become alert with erect crests when they spot an approaching birder. Their protracted ‘hoooaaaz’ cry is very unbird-like. Photograph below - Hoatzin

Another day at Pillcopata and another toucan species is atop an isolated tree in a large cattle field, a Chestnut-eared Aracari. Well three of them sit together in fact. Always great to see, the massive toucan bill may make them look rather comical but some species of toucan have a dark secret. They are known to raid the nests of other birds, such as Russet-backed Oropendulas, in order to feast on the eggs or chicks there within. Great Yellow-headed Vulture and Black Caracara represent the new birds of prey seen. A ploughed field has a pair of Southern Lapwings, a beautiful wader species that seems to be expanding it’s range in the Madre de Dios region. The Birds of Peru field guide [Princeton University Press, 2007] states that they may be spreading due to deforestation and that there had been just one record in the Madre de Dios area prior to 2007. In the intervening years they have indeed increased in number and I have regularly seen up to six on the main football pitch at the 17 village of Salvacion, the capital of The Manu, which is about twelve miles further downstream from here. The fifteenth of the month will remain with me for ever as the final day of using the bicycle here in Peru. My Claude Butler Black Diamond and I have crossed The Andes but today I will give the treasured bike to the wonderful Machigwenga children at Chaskawasi-Manu, a project located in Salvacion. The day is very hot, the dirt road is very stony and dusty and I spend most of the day pushing the bike up and over the last hills, low compared to the mountain range we have crossed together. On arriving at Chaskawasi-Manu, after the hugs, hellos and celebrations from the children and friends there, I check the bike and find that the back wheel has a number of broken spokes and the front wheel has a split in the metal rim. How Sid, the name I give to all my treasured possessions, made it here without crumpling is beyond me but my guardian angels have done their job well. New wheels will have to be bought once I get to Cusco once more, after the end of the six month adventure. Now I have been to Salvacion four times previously. Last year I stayed at the Chaskawasi-Manu project for two months, so I know where to go birding. There is a lot of very dense and high bamboo between the project buildings and the main Madre de Dios river. There are also fish pools towards Atalaya, back the way I came. There is the River Salvacion itself, almost dry at this dry season time of year and all are good for birds. Above all of these though there is the beautiful, small ox-bow lake called Machuwasi. There for the princely sum of ten Soles, around £2.50, one can use a raft made of tree logs and in Venetian gondolier-style, push oneself around the pool and see impressive Horned Screamers and the dangling nests, with accompanying noisy birds, of Yellow-rumped Caciques and Russet-backed Oropendulas. Then there are Limpkins. Rufescent Tiger-herons and Black-capped Donacobious. Over the time of my nine day stay with friends and the incredible children who have chosen to get an education by leaving their communities from deep in The Manu National Park and staying at Chaskawasi-Manu, I add twenty seven new birds to my list, including a number of beautiful hummingbird species; Golden-tailed Sapphires, Amethyst Woodstars, Blue-tailed Emerald and, best of all, the diminutive yet spectacular male Rufous-crested Coquette. Nearing the end of the month and a new form of Green transport will take me the rest of the way. Ahead of me is around one hundred and fifty miles of going with the flow downstream, packrafting in a colourful Alpacka packraft along the course of the Madre de Dios river from Atalaya to Boca Colorado.

After saying goodbye to the children and staff at Chaskawasi-Manu and after walking five miles carrying an extremely heavy rucksack with the packraft inside it, together with everything I think I will need for camping in the rainforest, I reach the river and can’t stop laughing as the first packraft ride takes me down a fast water section to the wonderful Amazonia Lodge. Within a couple of hundred yards of my first packraft experience I disturb two huge Capyabara, who are on a muddy riverbank. These huge rodents, looking like giant-sized guinea pigs, charge off speedily into the adjacent jungle.

My nights spent at Amazonia Lodge have me using my Hennessey Hammock for the first time and despite the buildings of the lodge itself being nearby, I am still a tad anxious over some of the strange jungle noises emanating from the surrounding, thick forest vegetation. Listen to Great Potoos calling and try to put yourself in my place! Jaguar? Puma? No, just a funny looking bird with a horrible sounding scream.

Amazonia Lodge has miles of trails to explore, taking one through different habitats and giving different bird species. Lemon-throated Barbet and White-winged Shrike Tanager in the canopy of the tallest trees with noisy Spix’s Guans; Cabanis Spinetail are amongst the bamboo. There is a canopy tower and antbirds to see on the way up the steep trail to it. I am lucky that a large army ant procession crosses my path one morning as I go to the tower and so I am able to see the beautiful Black-spotted Bare-eye at close range. There are hummingbird feeders around the lodge and lots 18 of different hummers to enjoy. White-necked Jacobins, Gould’s Jewelfronts and Koepcke’s Hermits attracted to them. A Long-billed Starfrontlet decides to stay at the top of tree instead of enjoying the proffered sugary fluid. Photograph right - Sun Bittern A rectangular lagoon not only has the cryptically plumaged Sun Bittern and a couple of Red & Green Kingfishers but also a Capyabara that gives me such a nonchalant look over it’s shoulder as it slowly walks away from the muddy bank and into the surrounding thicket. Two huge White Caiman decide to depart in a more spectacular way by speedily diving into the water but only after I have videoed one of them attempting to dislodge a very large fly from one of his eyes. Strangest birding moment though occurs one evening when a dozen or so Pale-thighed Swallows decide to feed on the flies to be found under the lodge building in the fading light. Looking more like small bats, they fly under the building, the building being uplifted on stilts because of the frequent river floods. So the month of July ends with my Big Green Big Year total standing at 481, with 206 new birds seen during my descent of the Manu Road and during the start of my river expedition. Ahead of me is two months of packrafting along the Madre de Dios river, through areas where there are non-contacted tribes; people who have never made contact with the outside world. The river may be quite wide but at this time of the year here in Peru it is the dry season and therefore the river is rather shallow, with many fast water sections. There will be lots of smashed trees and bamboo in the river to be avoided at all costs as I travel in an inflatable boat. The river level may fluctuate by a few feet in a day depending on the rainfall that does occur. Remote areas ahead that few people have ever navigated. There will be dangers but there will be moments of birding ecstasy. What an adventure! Isn’t it wonderful where Brummie birders get to ...... and how? More adventures to come, more landscapes to take my breath away and best of all, more incredible birds to see. Photograph below - White necked Jacobin Gary The Biking Birder

Gary will be entertaining us with his August and September exploits in future issues of our Newsletter but if you can’t wait you may wish to check out his blog at https:// bikingbirder2016.blogspot.pe/ where a link can also be found to the charities he is supporting. Gary would also like to thank those of you who have donated so far - but it is never too late.

19 Parking at Grimley Following the ‘My Patch’ article from Brian Stretch, about Grimley, Worcestershire, in our last issue which has tempted members to visit the area we have now received the following helpful parking advice from the Parish Council. “There is a small amount of parking available on the wide grass verge on Grimley Village Crescent (as it is informally known to locals). The Crescent is the road accessed directly off of the A443 Worcester to Tenbury Wells road, following the signs towards Grimley. Park on the wide verge, located near the Old Vicarage, opposite the yellow salt bin. This parks you west of public footpath GRIMLEY 593(C), which can be used to access the village. For alternative parking, continue down the village approach road, and turn right opposite the telephone box on to Camp Lane and continue for c1/2 mile and park just before the Camp Inn. The approach road into the village is particularly dangerous, as it is a public and school bus route on a single track road with passing places only. Contrary to popular opinion there are no lay-bys or parking opportunities on this approach road. Parking in Grimley village itself is also not advisable, please, during school pick up and drop off times”. Your management committee would also like to make you aware that this is all private land, the footpaths are simply a right of way. Members are requested not to stray off the footpaths and, as always, to abide by the countryside code at all times. In particular there are often rare breed sheep in lamb and cattle in calf roaming the land so take extra care to close gates, pick up litter, respect privacy and stick to the footpaths.

Sue insert book review here

20 Birding Western India Brian Stretch Arriving in Delhi during the morning of January 29th 2018 I was keen to check-in to my hotel as quickly as possible and head out for a spot of birding in one of the local parks. Apparently, Delhi has the second highest bird list of any of the world’s major cities and Lodhi Gardens, located in the heart of New Delhi, would provide me with a convenient way of reintroducing myself to some of the common birds of India as well as the possibility of a few new species. The birds soon came thick and fast and while Black Kite, Indian Grey Hornbill, White-throated Kingfisher, Common Myna, Red-vented Bulbul, Jungle Babbler, Alexandrine and Ring-necked Parakeets were all familiar species from two previous visits to India, a number of new species came surprisingly easily including Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Pied Myna and, unexpectedly, two Red-naped Ibis. The following day was largely spent at Delhi Zoo, another green oasis in the heart of the city and ideal for seeing many common Indian birds due to the wide variety of habitats provided for the captive animals. The various pools provide safe nesting for good numbers of Painted Storks which offer very close views and careful scrutiny of the colony also revealed a few Indian Pond and Black-crowned Night Herons while huge numbers of Black Kites circled overhead. A wintering flock of White Pelicans was also present and again provided amazingly close views and a few Indian Stone Curlews were located in the Cape Buffalo enclosure along with plenty of Indian Peafowl. Passerines were well represented and included Hume’s Leaf Warbler, Eastern Black Redstart, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Oriental White-eye. Species more familiar to British birders included Little Grebe, Little and Great Egrets, Grey Heron, Common Moorhen, Common Coot, Eurasian Teal, Green Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail and Eurasian Collared Dove. Just as I was about to leave, a dark morph Booted Eagle provided close views over the Painted Stork colony as it flew back and forth under a volley of abuse from the local House Crows - a fitting end to an enjoyable day. Yellow-footed Green Pigeon at Lodhi Gardens, New Delhi. Picture: Brian Stretch Next day I was back at Delhi airport for a flight to the holy city of Amritsar, located 250 miles north-northwest of Delhi. A large park near the city centre offered many hours of birding entertainment over a couple of days with a similar range of species to that encountered in Delhi although Red Collared Dove was new. A few new trip birds were also located, including Spotted Owlet, Spotted Dove, Coppersmith Barbet and a pair of Black-rumped Flamebacks that afforded astonishingly close views as they busily excavated a nest hole. As great as the birding had been in Delhi and Amritsar, the real reason for being in India was about to become a reality - the beginning of an epic road journey through the states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, finishing with a brief visit to Maharashtra. Our first port of call was Harike, in Punjab, a vast wetland surrounded by fertile agricultural land. Upon arriving, it soon became apparent the area was teeming with birdlife and it was hard to know in which direction to look. However, we were here to look for two species in particular and headed to a large stand of Elephant Grass where we were soon treated to great views of the first, Rufous- 21 vented Grass Babbler, closely followed by the second, but far more elusive Jerdon’s Babbler. The former has an extremely limited range within Pakistan and India, while the latter, of the western form ‘scindicum’ was previously believed to occur only in the Indus Valley of Pakistan until it was discovered at Harike by Indian birders as recently as 2012. With our two main targets located it was time to enjoy the impressive supporting cast which included White-tailed Stonechat, Striated Grassbird, Striated Babbler, Yellow-bellied, Graceful and Plain Prinias, Paddyfield Warbler, Siberian Chiffchaff, Bluethroat, Rosy and Water Pipits, Citrine Wagtail, Hen Harrier, White-tailed Plover, Bar-headed Goose and Grey Francolin. Later in the day we visited a site further along the Sutlej River and after some searching located another key target, the range restricted Sind Sparrow. A flock of thirteen birds provided close views as they fed on seed heads just above us. The immediate area also provided further new species for the trip including Indian Spot-billed and Ferruginous Ducks, Red-crested Pochard, Indian, Little and Great Cormorants, Oriental Darter, River and Whiskered Terns, Red Avadavat, Grey-throated Martin and Ashy Prinia. We then returned to Amritsar for an early evening visit to the magnificent Golden Temple. Sind Sparrow at Harike, Punjab. Picture: Brian Stretch The following day was largely spent travelling the 325 miles south to Bikaner in Rajasthan, although we did revisit Harike briefly en route. A small roadside marsh provided us with views of Black Bittern, Yellow- eyed Babbler, White-crowned Penduline Tit, Moustached Warbler and Mountain Chiffchaff amongst the more regular species. As we continued south and left Punjab behind, the landscape became gradually drier and as we entered the state of Rajasthan the true enormity of the mighty Thar Desert became apparent. Although we were keen to reach Bikaner in time for dinner we continued to log new species for our trip lists including Long-legged and Oriental Honey Buzzards, Steppe Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Demoiselle Crane, Laughing Dove, Indian Roller, Desert and Variable Wheatears, Tawny Pipit and a pair of Laggar Falcons which gave great views with one sat on its nest positioned in a traffic sign above the road while its mate circled overhead. The next morning we travelled 100 miles east to the Tal Chhapar area and birded an area of old thorn forest where we hoped to see Indian Spotted Creeper. Although it took considerable time to locate, the effort was well worth it and we enjoyed outstanding views of this thinly distributed species. During our search we also found many other good birds including White-bellied Minivet, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Large Grey Babbler, Common Woodshrike, Indian Silverbill and Rufous-fronted Prinia. Later in the day we visited the nearby wildlife sanctuary, a beautiful area of flat grassland reminiscent of the African savanna. The primary aim of the sanctuary is to conserve a handsome member of the antelope family, the Blackbuck, which thankfully is very common and easy to see here. We also located our first Stoliczka’s Bushchat, an endangered species with a restricted range, along with Pallid Harrier, Booted and Steppe Eagles, Long-legged Buzzard and Brown Rock Chat. The following day we made a dawn visit to the famous carcass dump on the outskirts of Bikaner, a magnet for wintering raptors. The sight (and smells!) of hundreds of raptors feeding on camel and cattle carcasses in the early morning light was a truly unforgettable experience. Steppe 22 Indian Spotted Creeper at Tal Chhapar, Rajasthan. Picture: Brian Stretch Eagles and Egyptian Vultures predominated while small numbers of Eurasian Griffon and Cinereous Vultures along with two or three Eastern Imperial Eagles were also present. Interestingly, amongst the hundreds of Egyptian Vultures (belonging to the nominate subspecies), we located one of the resident subspecies, ‘ginginianus’. This form is smaller and lacks a dark bill tip and according to preliminary results of an on-going research project is a potential split. Despite this impressive raptor spectacle, the main reason for our visit was to see a rather more humble species, the globally-threatened Yellow-eyed Dove. They are a sparingly distributed winter visitor to the plains of north-western India and we were fortunate to see around 250 birds. Other species included Red- naped Ibis, Southern Grey Shrike, Brahminy Starling, Common Babbler, Greater Short-toed Lark and Desert, Isabelline and Variable Wheatears, including one of the latter of the black-bellied morph ‘opistholeuca‘. From Bikaner we continued our journey across the Thar Desert to the remote village of Khichan, famed for its wintering population of Demoiselle Cranes. However, on arriving at one of the cranes regular drinking pools, it soon became apparent that none were present due to the presence of a Bonelli’s Eagle that was dining on a Rock Dove, until it was chased off by a Tawny Eagle! Thanks to the aid of a local crane expert, we located a flock of 500 cranes at another pool nearby and here we also saw Bar- headed Geese, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and Grey-throated Martins. We then continued west to the historic city of Jaisalmer, our base for the next three nights, full of anticipation for the birding that lay ahead in nearby Desert National Park (DNP). Demoiselle Cranes at Khichan, Rajasthan. Pictures: Brian Stretch DNP is the last remaining stronghold for Great Indian Bustard, a species that was formerly widespread across Indian grasslands but now critically endangered due to habitat loss, collisions with overhead power cables and wind turbines, illegal hunting and trampling of nests by domestic livestock. With almost no breeding reported for many years, the surviving population of around 125 birds is mainly of ageing adults with the very real prospect that the species will become extinct within the next few years. Our search began just after dawn at the Sudasari Enclosure within DNP, and with no cattle grazing in this area, good grasslands stretch for two to three miles in every direction. After walking to an area of raised ground it wasn’t too long before the real reason many of us were on this tour became apparent - views of 23 our very first Great Indian Bustard! The bird was walking in tall grass about two kilometres away and with further scanning it became apparent we were actually watching not one, but a group of three bustards. Later in the morning, as we slowly walked back to the visitor centre, we obtained closer views of the same group of bustards and watched them for a while before they took flight. Other birds included Tawny Eagle, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Black-crowned Sparrow-lark, Long-billed Pipit, Asian Desert Warbler, three Stoliczka’s Bushchats and a male Variable Wheatear of the white-crowned morph ‘capistrata‘, apparently the scarcest of the three morphs that occur. Later that afternoon we visited Akal Wood Fossil Park, an area of rocky habitat with small stands of trees where further good birds were found including Desert Whitethroat, White-browed Fantail, Masked Wagtail, Desert Lark, Red-tailed Wheatear and Striolated Bunting. The following day we returned to DNP, visiting a different area, again hoping for further views of Great Indian Bustard. We checked a watering hole where thousands of House Sparrows of the migratory subspecies ‘bactrianus’/’parkini’ (showing some yellow on the bill) were present. They are winter visitors to the area and live a different life from their more urban cousins of the subspecies ‘indicus’ (showing an entirely black bill), which occupy the towns and cities of India. Other birds encountered included our first Indian White-rumped Vultures as well as further Eurasian Griffon, Egyptian and Cinereous Vultures, another Stoliczka’s Bushchat, good numbers of Black-crowned Sparrow-larks, several large flocks of Bimaculated Larks, Variable Wheatears, three ‘Punjab’ Ravens and finally, after some prolonged scanning from another area of raised ground, a group of four Great Indian Bustards. Later we returned to Akal Wood Fossil Park where we saw a similar range of species to the previous visit but with the addition of Trumpeter Finch. Black-crowned Sparrow-lark at Desert National Park, Rajasthan. Picture: Brian Stretch

Next day we headed south and then east on a long and tortuous journey to the remote village of Siana. This area offers an opportunity to see some difficult to find species in the sparsely inhabited area of rocky hills and plains that surround the village. We encountered many species during our stay including Red-necked Falcon, Indian Eagle Owl, Common Quail, Indian Thick-knee, Dusky Crag Martin, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark, White-bellied Minivet, Grey-necked, Striolated, Black-headed and White-capped Buntings, Sykes’s Warbler, Cinereous Tit, yet another four Stoliczka’s Bushchats and two Indian Vultures, including one at a nest site located high up on a cliff face. Following our success at Siana it was time to head further south and on to Mount Abu. This is the best known site for the rare Green Avadavat which we located soon after arriving and despite being very mobile, they provided great views. Other birds here included Common Buzzard, White-bellied Drongo, Indian Black-lored Tit, White-spotted Fantail, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Crested Bunting and Brown Rock Chat. Next morning we spent a couple of hours birding the densely forested mid-elevations of the mountain, where we had brief views of Red Spurfowl, exceptional views of Indian Scimitar Babbler, as well as Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Oriental White-eye and Yellow-eyed Babbler. Our visit to Mount Abu was over all too soon and it was now time to leave Rajasthan behind and head to our next destination in the neighbouring state of Gujarat. During our journey, good birds continued to be seen, the undoubted highlight being a Sarus Crane on a roadside marsh. This majestic species is becoming increasingly scarce across India and was an unexpected bonus.

24 We arrived at the Desert Coursers Camp, located near Zainabad on the edge of the vast salt flats of the Little Rann of Kutch, late in the afternoon. We were greeted by the owner of the camp, Mr Malik, who was keen to show us a very special bird, a Eurasian Scops Owl, a rarity in India, along with one of the more regular Pallid Scops Owls, both of which were wintering in the camp grounds. Afterwards we headed out in open top vehicles to the Little Rann of Kutch and en-route logged Cotton Pygmy Goose, Montagu’s Harrier and a few Common Cranes. We waited until dusk before commencing the search for our main target species, Sykes’s Nightjar. Mr Malik announced that it usually takes approximately twenty minutes to locate the first individual and if we were lucky we may also encounter Indian Nightjar, although on average they could only be expected for every ten Sykes’s. The search involved us being driven around the favoured areas at some considerable speed, the driver steering and changing gear with one hand while holding a spotlight in the other, scanning the ground for the reflection of a nightjar’s eyes. However, a couple of hours later and we were nightjar-less, much to the dismay of the group, but probably more so for Mr Malik who clearly felt a strong sense of pride in showing birders ‘his’ nightjars. He was certainly not going to allow us to return to the camp until we had seen Sykes’s Nightjar and so the search continued. Fortunately, our luck changed and amazingly the first nightjar we located was an Indian which gave really close views. Satisfied with our encounter, we soldiered on and were eventually rewarded with not one, but two Sykes’s Nightjars, one of which provided astonishingly close views on the ground. Our long night drive also produced two Macqueen’s Bustards in flight, Short-eared Owl, Bengal Fox and a rare encounter with an Indian Hedgehog before we made a hasty retreat back to camp for a very late dinner. Sykes’s Nightjar at Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Picture: Brian Stretch

Next morning we were out early, returning to the Little Rann of Kutch in our quest for day time views of Macqueen’s Bustard, a winter visitor to this part of India from Central Asia and another bustard species in trouble due to habitat change and hunting. However, despite many hours of bumping around in the back of a truck with our faces thickly covered in dust, our search ended in vain. Back at camp for a clean-up followed by lunch, two Purple-rumped Sunbirds entertained us and were an unexpected addition to our trip list. In the afternoon some of our group returned to the area we had searched in the morning and on the way out we saw several Bay-backed Shrikes and Rufous-tailed Larks. This time luck was on our side and we successfully located two Macqueen’s Bustards and also had good views of Long-legged and White-eyed Buzzards. Buoyed by our success we then headed out in to the vastness of the salt flats to an area of remote salt pans and after a short while located another welcome target species, the localised Sand Lark, of the prominently streaked ‘krishnakumarsinhji’ subspecies. Listening to the lark singing against a completely silent background, in such a dry, featureless landscape where the horizon and sky often appeared to merge into one, was a truly magical moment. We then returned to the vehicle and as we headed back towards camp at high speed across the salt flats reflecting on a successful afternoon, we were greeted by the sight of Mr Malik sat in his vehicle. As we pulled up alongside, he casually announced ‘anyone for tea?’! On our last morning in the Zainabad area we were treated to very brief 25 views of a Sirkeer Malkoha while thousands of Demoiselle Cranes filled the sky as they spread out over the plains from their roosting area. We then visited nearby Navra Talav Lake, a superb wetland that makes the average British wetland look like a village pond. It was full of herons, egrets, flamingos, cranes, pelicans, wildfowl and waders for as far as the eye could see, while the dryer areas surrounding the lake held shrikes and wheatears. Headline birds here included Great Thick-knee, White-tailed and Pacific Golden Plovers, Marsh and Wood Sandpipers, Temminck’s Stint, Collared and Small Pratincoles, Dalmatian Pelican, Greater Flamingo, Woolly-necked Stork, Greater Spotted and Tawny Eagles, Desert and Isabelline Wheatears, Citrine Wagtail and Isabelline Shrike. Sadly, it was time to leave this bird rich area and head for the Bhuj region of western Gujarat, where further good birding awaited us. We reached our base at CEDO (Centre for Desert and Ocean) near Nakhatrana late in the afternoon and a short spell of birding in the immediate vicinity produced plenty of common birds including Brown Rock Chat, Grey-breasted Prinia, Tawny Pipit and the wonderful sound of Asian Koel. Another early start next morning found ourselves walking along the Khawda road, searching for one of the ‘star’ birds of the trip, the Grey Hypocolius. We had excellent views of five or six birds as they fed on the berries of the Peelu trees (salvadora persica) that occur along the roadside while we also saw our first Marshall’s Iora and a male Black-headed Bunting. Later we visited a pool which held good numbers of birds including River and Whiskered Terns, Marsh and Wood Sandpipers, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Temminck’s Stint and Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse. Nearby, we were treated to really good views of a singing Indian Bush Lark while at another pool we saw Red-naped Ibis, Painted Stork and yet another Temminck’s Stint. The afternoon saw us visiting new areas in search of Painted Sandgrouse and we found several obliging individuals by the side of the road. We also visited a traditional site for Sykes’s Lark, an Indian endemic, seeing at least five individuals, while a little further along a dusty track we obtained brief but good views of Barred Buttonquail out in the open. Later we visited an area of thorn forest, the domain of the highly localised and critically endangered White-naped Tit and were fortunate to locate two vocal birds which performed exceptionally well for us.

Male Grey Hypocolius, Gujarat. Picture: Brian Stretch 26 Early next morning we headed north and visited a small wetland which held Streaked Weaver, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Bluethroat and Brown Shrike. We eventually reached the Great Rann of Kutch, a vast arid area in the north-west of Gujarat extending over the border to Pakistan. We visited the Banni grasslands located along the southern edge and were soon watching our target bird, Spotted Sandgrouse. We counted around sixty individuals visiting a watering hole while Southern Grey Shrike, Desert Wheatear and both Crested and Greater Short-toed Larks were also present. Later we visited another area in search of Cream-coloured Courser and eventually located a flock of five individuals. After a very successful morning we headed south and en route to the coast paid a brief visit to Rudramata Dam Reservoir where we had distant views of two Black-necked Storks which completely dwarfed a Grey Heron nearby, while we also noted an Asian Openbill, Spoonbill and our only Osprey of the trip. After a couple of hours we arrived on the Modhva coast near Mandvi just as the tide started to recede. We headed for the beach and quickly added a number of species to our ever growing trip list including Caspian, Lesser Crested and Little Terns, Brown-headed, Great Black- headed and Slender-billed Gulls as well as two forms of Lesser Black-backed Gull. Waders were well represented including Kentish, Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers but there was one species we really wanted to see and the main reason for our visit to this stretch of coast, the amazing looking Crab- plover. We counted no less than 13 individuals roosting amongst the gulls or feeding in the surf. Further up the beach we located five Sand Larks while Indian Courser involved considerably more effort, but after driving and scanning the nearby fallow fields we managed to locate a single bird which gave great views. Our last morning in the Bhuj region had come all too quickly but there were still two target species which this area had yet to reveal: Sirkeer Malkoha and Rock Bush Quail. Our search in the thorn forest for the Malkoha proved successful with good views of this often secretive species. We also saw White-naped Tit, Indian Bush Lark, Marshall’s Iora, Small Minivet, Common Woodshrike, Sykes’s and Eastern Orphean Warblers, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark and Grey-necked Bunting. Later we had great views of a family party of Rock Bush Quails, a couple of Marshall’s Ioras and a singing Jungle Prinia. Back at CEDO, a short birding session produced good numbers of Siberian Chiffchaffs and Lesser Whitethroats and a brief Brown Shrike. It was then time to leave Gujarat and head to Bhuj airport for a short flight to Mumbai, This vast city, one of the most populous in the world, has notoriously congested roads which we experienced first-hand, eventually reaching our hotel in Nasik just after midnight. After such a shattering journey, we had a relatively late start and headed to Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, seeing Blue Rock Thrush and four Dusky Crag Martins en route. Our main target species at Tansa was Forest Owlet, a species considered extinct until it was rediscovered in north-west Maharashtra in 1997 after a gap of 113 years. We were extremely fortunate to find this owlet relatively quickly, hiding amongst large leaves in the mid-canopy and we spent some time admiring this very rare bird. Later in the day we found many good birds, including Vigors’s Sunbird, White-eyed Buzzard, Crested Treeswift, Asian Palm Swift, Alpine Swift, Brown-capped Pygmy, White- naped and Yellow-crowned Woodpeckers, Common Iora, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Cinereous Tit, Eurasian Crag Martin, Sulpur-bellied and Western Crowned Leaf Warblers, Common Woodshrike, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Taiga Flycatcher, Thick-billed and Pale-billed Flowerpeckers and a stunning male Blue-capped Rock Thrush. After sunset we spent some time searching for Mottled Wood Owl and managed to hear the distant calls of three different birds, also seeing a Savanna Nightjar briefly in the process. By now it was getting late but on the way back to the hotel we decided to check one more owl territory and struck lucky with a magnificent pair of Mottled Wood Owls that performed amazingly well. On our final morning we returned to Tansa and spent a couple of hours birding a forested area which produced, amongst others, a White-naped Woodpecker, two Indian Paradise Flycatchers and a superb male Malabar Trogon - a fitting end to what had been a hugely enjoyable and successful trip recording no fewer than 330 bird species. A more detailed account with additional pictures and video footage can be viewed online at http:// www.birders-store.co.uk/blog/birdwatching-in-western-india-2018.html. Brian Stretch 27 On Saturday 8th September 2018 nineteen sites participated in the West Midlands Autumn All-Day Birdwatch. A total of 129 species were recorded across the sites, an increase on the 123 noted in both 2016 and 2017. A spreadsheet summary of the sightings can be found on birdforum. Here we have contrasting reports from two of the sites.

The West Midlands All Day Bird Race Autumn 2018 -James Kenny What is the West Midlands All Day Bird Race? Bird races have been a prominent feature of birding, from almost the very beginnings of the hobby in its modern form. Indeed, they’ve spawned books, and even a film, The Big Year (2011), which told the story of three North American birders that engaged in a race over the course of a year to see the most amount of bird species in a year. In Britain, most birders, including yours truly keep a year list, but bird races here, typically take place over the course of a day. The most famous of these is the Norfolk Bird Race, where teams of birders race around the birding hot-spot that is Norfolk to try and see as many bird species in 24 hours. Its all done for charity and the winners even get a nice little trophy. In the West Midlands region, instead of teams of birders racing frantically around the region, you instead have a number of different birding sites competing with each other. Some sites will have a team of birders scouring every nook and cranny all day long, others will have a just couple, or even one birder on duty. There’s no trophy or even any formality when it comes to entering. All you have to do is either turn up at a reserve and inform the site leader of your sightings, or if you fancy entering your local patch, then simply inform the chap organising it of your intention to enter, which can be done via social media e.g. Twitter. The West Midlands All Day Bird Race takes place twice a year, firstly in May to coincide with the arrival of summer migrants such as Common Cuckoo, Barn Swallow and Common Swift. The next takes place in September to coincide with the departure of summer migrants and the arrival of autumn and winter migrants including waders and ducks such as Eurasian Wigeon. The most recent one took place just over a week ago as I write, and saw 19 different sites across Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands county taking part. Entering the Race The West Midlands All Day Bird Race has been an event now for a few years, and for most of that time, I’ve had to be a mere spectator due to work commitments. However, 2018 has proven to be the year where fortune smiled on me, as both the Spring and Autumn events fell on weekends where I was off work. For the Spring event earlier this year, I decided to help out the team at the RSPB reserve, Middleton Lakes, a wonderful mosaic of woodland, meadow and wetland located in the Tame Valley. It’s the one of the top birding spots in the West Midlands region and therefore had the luxury of being well watched by a great many birders. Visits to Middleton are always highly enjoyable, but despite revelling in the soothing call of Common Cuckoos’ I couldn’t help but wonder whether I was in the wrong place. A quick perusal of social media showed that some birders had elected to enter their local patch, and as I photographed an out of season male Common Pochard over on Dotshill Lake, I couldn’t help but wonder whether I should have entered my local patch. As I watched the results come in via social media, I resolved to enter it for the next race so virtually as soon as the date for the Autumn West Midlands Bird Race was announced I contacted the chap organizing it, and officially entered my local patch, Elmdon Park. (Elmdon Nature Park, Tanhouse Farm Rd, Solihull B92 9EY, UK). 28 Shortly after daybreak on Saturday 8th September, I began the West Midlands All Day Bird Race by stepping out of my car, and listening to the cacophony of bird song that flooded my ears from the surrounding forest that characterizes much of Elmdon Park. Without moving an inch, I was able to record 15 species, including Eurasian Nuthatch and Common Moorhen, the latter I could hear calling from a nearby pool located in Elmdon Manor Nature Reserve. As the day progressed, I quickly ticked off almost all the typically common species that I would expect to see on any given visit, although a few such as European Greenfinch, Common Kestrel and Eurasian Bullfinch would remain elusive almost right to the very end. However, the first of quite a few highlights would occur shortly before 10 AM. Prior to the race day, the weather forecast hadn’t looked very promising, especially given the fact that unlike many sites, Elmdon lacks any sort of bird hide. Fortunately though, the rain had held off for most of the morning, but the first few spots of rain had begun to fall whilst I was gazing at four European Herring Gulls’ drifting lazily over Elmdon Meadow. Their familiar laughing like calls conjured up memories of the seaside, but as the rain began to fall more persistently, I briskly walked back to the car. After exiting the meadow, I walked down a driveway, flanked on both sides by mixed deciduous forest and past the former home of the Spooner family, Elmdon Grange. Interestingly one of their members, a Barbara Spooner married the famous anti slavery campaigner William Wilberforce in 1797. A little further up the driveway, I came to a quaint medieval church, the Church of St Nicholas, although it’s sometimes known simply as Elmdon Church or The Church in the Park. Interestingly, the original church was demolished and subsequently rebuilt by the Spooner family upon their purchase of the Elmdon Estate in 1780. It was here in the midst of the Church and the surrounding trees, including giant Beech trees, that I heard a bird call from somewhere up in the boughs. The call sounded almost identical to a bird that I’d seen earlier in the day, a Willow Warbler- ‘huit’ ‘huit’, and at first I ignored it, but a clicking ‘tick tick’ call afterwards compelled me to look up and sure enough I found myself looking at a fabulous male Common Redstart. Within a matter of seconds it was gone, but still, I was thrilled. It was the first Redstart I’d recorded at Elmdon for over 20 years and the first I’d seen there as an adult. The Kingfisher Whilst the rain lashed down, I took the opportunity to return home briefly to stock up on snacks and collect my furry assistant, Marley. By the time I returned to Elmdon, the rain had fortunately passed by, so round two of the West Midlands All Day Bird Race could commence in earnest. However, by this time it was late morning and progress had slowed dramatically. Although, a medium sized Raptor soaring high above the hill just before midday warranted a few glances through the binoculars before I confirmed it to be another female Sparrowhawk. In fact, the drama was happening far away from Elmdon at a site called Whitemoor Haye, situated close to the village of Alrewas in Staffordsire. Whitemoor Haye was another participant in the race, and at the time only a few species ahead of me in the standings. However, the birder covering the site would post a picture on social media that would certainly cause a few birding hearts to skip a beat. He posted a picture of what he initially deemed to be a Eurasian Woodcock, but even upon first glance I could see it was a Snipe species. As I know all too well, mistakes can be made easily in birding terms, so there was no judgment on my part. However, this bird seemed remarkably well marked along its under-parts for a Common Snipe, raising the possibility that the birder had inadvertently found a very rare Great Snipe. After a fair bit of, at times heated debate the conclusion was reached that it was indeed a Common Snipe, albeit an unusual looking one. The drama was a useful distraction from a rather slow period of the day at Elmdon, where the only birds of note were Common Wood Pigeons flying overhead. As the time ticked past 1 PM, I walked out of the forest surrounding St Nicholas Church onto the hillside that overlooks most of the park and indeed much of the surrounding area, including the distant skyline of the City of Birmingham. Following the path down the hillside, I completed another circuit of Elmdon Lake, where I made note of 3 Canada Geese that conveniently dropped in to give me another species for the day. From there, I followed the course of Hatchford Brook, a small brook that feeds the nearby River Cole. There are several bridges that cross the brook, but the one that interested me mostly was 29 one situated about half a mile upstream. Here the banks of the brook are coated with vegetation, in contrast to the bare banks that characterize the brook close to the lake. Earlier in the day I had glimpsed Grey Wagtails foraging close to the waters edge, and hoped to see them again. However, I would be greeted by a sight that would surpass anything a Grey Wagtail could offer. As I stood on the bridge gazing downstream, I heard it first, a short sharp whistling call that I recognized instantly as a Common Kingfisher. Then I saw it, a blue flash heading past my position, under the bridge and upstream where it was lost to view within a matter of seconds. What a privilege that was, I’d seen Kingfishers in the park as a child, but had never had the pleasure as an adult. If that wasn’t enough, barely a few minutes later, as I walked away from the bridge. I noticed a chocolate brown Labrador dog bounding enthusiastically towards the brook. A moment later my ears picked up a rather harsh crow like call. Wheeling around I beheld the elegant form of a Little Egret rising quickly from its hiding place on the brook, another new species for the day. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker The second half of the day after lunch, would see me joined by my girlfriend and her dog, and as the afternoon whittled on, we added a few more species including European Greenfinch, Eurasian Bullfinch and Common Raven. But, the main highlight of the day would come a little after 6:30 PM. We were walking around Elmdon Manor Nature Reserve, a tiny wildlife island characterized by a walled garden full of fruit trees, that reflected its bygone days as a productive orchard. To some its known as The Secret Garden, but to me its known as The Shire. I gave it the name after my first visit on a glorious summer’s day many years ago. The sheer lushness of the place coupled with the abundance of wildlife made me feel like I’d stepped into the world of Tolkien so the name seemed apt. I had already walked around ‘The Shire’ several times during the day, but on this particular occasion with dusk just around the corner, I was greeted with undoubtedly my biggest highlight of the day. Elmdon Manor has been known as a local hotspot for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers for many years, as the former orchard serves as the ideal habitat for pairs to breed. However, these small sparrow sized woodpeckers can be frustratingly elusive and I’d failed to see one at ‘The Shire’ for over two years. During that time I had almost resigned myself to the fact that the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was now extinct in Elmdon Park. However, as I walked around the garden itself, admiring the ripening apples, I saw a small black woodpecker fly in a characteristic undulating fashion above my head and settle in a tree. I knew straight away that it wasn’t the more common Great Spotted Woodpecker, as they are much larger, but as I turned round, raising my binoculars at the same time I caught a fleeting glimpse of the barred black and white wings which confirmed the ID for me. A fantastic sight. The Elmdon Park day list Canada Goose; Mute Swan; Mallard; Little Grebe; Grey Heron; Little Egret; Sparrowhawk; Buzzard; Moorhen; Coot; Black-headed Gull; Herring Gull; Lesser Black-backed Gull; Feral Pigeon; Stock Dove; Wood Pigeon; Collared Dove; Tawny Owl; Kingfisher; Lesser Spotted Woodpecker; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Green Woodpecker; Kestral; Ring-necked Parakeet; Jay; Magpie; Jackdaw; Carrion Crow; Raven; Coal Tit; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Skylark; Swallow; House Martin; Long-tailed Tit; Willow Warbler; Chiffchaff; Blackcap; Goldcrest; Wren; Nuthatch; Treecreeper; Starling; Blackbird; Song Thrush; Mistle Thrush; Robin; Redstart; House Sparrow; Dunnock; Grey Wagtail; Pied Wagtail; Chaffinch; Bullfinch; Greenfinch; Linnet; Goldfinch; Reed Bunting. (Total 59) James Kenny

As James has pointed out anyone is welcome to join in the fun either by joining an existing team or by entering their own patch.

30 From a solo ‘first timer’ we now hear from the team at Sandwell Valley who are regular entrants and achieved the largest day list of all sites entered, on this occasion. Their report also illustrates that there is far more to the Sandwell Valley area than the RSPB reserve alone. All Dayer - Sandwell Valley - September 2018 Dave Saunders It was the 8th September 2018 and Sandwell Valley was going to participate in the West Midlands All Day Birdwatch. I had already calculated we should manage eighty species, but I could never have predicted the final result. Tim Hextell was the first in the field at 06:30, by 07:30 he had checked the Paddocks and Swan Pool and he had clocked up 43 species including the female Garganey on her 17th day, a late Sedge Warbler, Grey Wagtail and Wigeon. Matt Hadlington was also out early kicking Salters Lane, producing Yellow Wagtail, Whitethroat, Redstart and Blackcap, meanwhile Tim also added Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goosander and Water Rail. By this time I was checking Brownies adding Pheasant and Linnet closely followed by a Raven over Swan Pool and a Spotted Flycatcher in the Paddocks. By 08:30 we had already clocked up 60 species. Hughie King texted me to say his weekend plans had changed and was kicking Salters Lane adding Garden Warbler, Rook and Kestrel. Mel Jones was at the Paddocks adding Lesser Whitethroat. Tim was now at Hill Top with Matt and John Clarke the Trio adding Whitethroat, Sparrowhawk and Willow Warbler. It was now 10 O’Clock and Carl Seabode texted me to say he had opened the hide, adding Snipe, Herring Gull and Little Grebe to the list. By this time Steve Lilly was out on his bike adding Green Woodpecker, Hobby and Coal Tit. By 11 O’Clock after a quick tally up I was surprised we had clocked up 80 species. In the next hour Tree Pipit, Curlew, Collared Dove, Redpoll, Yellowhammer, Swift, Reed Warbler, Meadow Pipit and Yellow Legged Gull where added, 88 by Mid Day, at this stage I was wondering whether we could beat the record for the most birds seen in a day in Sandwell Valley which stood at 89 species seen on the All Dayer in May 2017. It was another hour before our next addition, a Peregrine over the Golf course, another two hours passed and we had done it with Whinchat putting us on 90 species a new record. I could not see us adding anything else when at 16:54 Wali Taylor pulled a Little Egret out of his hat (91), then at 18:13 Matt bounced back with the bird of the day, a Firecrest in Dartmouth Park (92). that’s it all over or was it. Pete Hackett gave the Monks Meadow area a late kick and flushed a Common Sandpiper off the River. Putting us on (93). That was the end to an amazing days’ Birding in the Valley which at the end of the day is just an urban country park but it has been said on many occasions the Valley has the potential to turn up many surprises and it does time and time again.

List for the day - Little Grebe; Great Crested Grebe; Cormorant; Grey Heron; Little Egret; Mute Swan; Canada Goose; Greylag Goose; Wigeon; Gadwall; Teal; Garganey (female); Mallard; Shoveler; Pochard; Tufted Duck; Goosander; Sparrowhawk; Buzzard; Kestrel; Peregrine; Hobby; Pheasant; Water Rail; Moorhen; Coot; Lapwing; Snipe; Curlew; Common Sandpiper; Black-headed Gull ; Lesser Black-backed Gull; Herring Gull; Yellow legged gull; Rock Dove (feral pigeon); Stock Dove; Wood Pigeon; Collared Dove; Swift; Ring-necked Parakeet; Kingfisher; Green Woodpecker; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Meadow Pipit; Tree Pipit; Yellow Wagtail; Grey Wagtail; Pied Wagtail; Wren; Dunnock; Robin; Redstart; Whinchat; Blackbird; Song Thrush; Mistle Thrush; Sedge Warbler; Reed Warbler; Lesser Whitethroat; Garden Warbler; Whitethroat; Goldcrest; Firecrest; Spotted Flycatcher; Chiffchaff; Willow Warbler; Blackcap; Long-tailed Tit; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Coal Tit; Willow Tit; Sand Martin; Swallow; House Martin; Nuthatch; Treecreeper; Jay; Magpie; Jackdaw; Rook; Carrion Crow; Raven; Starling; House Sparrow; Chaffinch; Greenfinch; Goldfinch; Linnet; Redpoll; Bullfinch; Yellowhammer; Reed Bunting (Total 93) Dave Saunders As this issue goes to press there is a suggestion for a third race on New Year’s Day . What a wonderful way to start the year and blow away the cobwebs. 31 Club and Branch Indoor Meetings and Field Trips WMBC FIELD TRIPS Sunday 6th January 2019 - Rutland Please note: All WMBC members and Water, Leicestershire & Rutland their families are welcome to join all Depart: 07:00hrs. Expected return: 18.30hrs WMBC field trips and attend any Branch Cost: £22 indoor meetings or field trips. Prime inland reservoir with lagoons, marshy margins, fields and woodland to provide a Coaches depart from Cambridge Street, wide range of species to start the year. The cost Birmingham City Centre, promptly at the time includes reserve entrance fee. stated. Food and drink should be brought as required. Appropriate clothing and footwear to Sunday 3rd February 2019 guard against the elements is recommended. St Aidan’s RSPB, Yorkshire Depart: 07:00hrs. Expected return: 19:00hrs. Field Trip Contacts: To book or for further Cost: £21 information please contact Ray Davies on 0121 We visit a new venue to enjoy a now prime RSPB 682 4375 or 07762 061603 reserve. In addition to offering many wintering [email protected] wildfowl and waders, often disturbed by a or Liz Palmer on 01827 54557 or 07947 456448 Peregrine, Marsh Harriers quarter reedbeds and [email protected] grassland, and Short-eared Owls hunt over the Please note that the coach can become fully hillsides. Additional residents include Bittern and booked (48 is possible) but non arrivals on Skylark. A stimulating winter birding experience the day can prevent those on a waiting list the in prospect! RSPB card required or charge may chance to enjoy the day. Could members please be payable. contact Ray – however late – if they have to cancel their booking. On Sunday morning ring Sunday 10th March 2019 Ray’s mobile, 07762 061603, with any delays or Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire late cancellations. Depart: 07:00hrs. Expected return: 19:00hrs. Cost: £19 Liz Palmer has been a great help to Ray in The regular visit to this Gloucestershire site at the organisation of these Field Trips and as the time of peak activity offering prospect of you will have read on the previous page we displaying Goshawk, finding Hawfinch, Dipper are very pleased to announce that Liz will be and Crossbill, admiring spectacular Mandarin taking over from Ray as Field Trip Organiser and what chance of Great Grey Shrike again? following our AGM in May 2019. Is anyone else willing to help? We would welcome Friday 5th April 2019 further volunteers! Devon Weekend We stay at the Langstone Cliff Hotel at Dawlish Sunday 2nd December 2018 Warren for our annual Devon adventure. The Rainham Marshes RSPB cost is £75.00 per person per night for half board (complimentary drink before dinner) for those Depart: 08:00hrs. Expected return: 19:30hrs. sharing a room and £90 for singles. Travel by Cost: £23 own transport to meet at 18.30hrs for dinner Marshland habitat with reedbeds, pools, shallow at 19.00hrs. Centred at Dawlish Warren we scrapes, some woodland and grazed meadows will search for local specialities and lingering by the Thames estuary offers wildfowl, waders, wintering species, as well as the first summer reedbed specialities and rare gulls. Remember migrants and rarities that may be present. to bring your RSPB card as there is a charge for A deposit of £20 (non-refundable) per person is nonmembers. 32 required by the hotel to confirm your booking. at the University of Birmingham. His recent Please call Ray or Liz to assess availability and interests include the problems of birds flying then provide this payment by cheque made out into wind turbines and why some diving birds to West Midland Bird Club (WMBC) and sent to are prone to being caught in gill nets. Ray Davies at ‘140 Bradbury Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B92 8AL’ to confirm your booking. We Friday 8th February 2019 settle the remainder of our own bills at the Hotel Chris Ward - Waders, Waders, Waders. on departure. Friday March 8th 2019 Sunday 28th April 2019 Magical Mull-Eagle Island-Pete Walkden Fairburn Ings, RSPB, Yorkshire Depart: 08:00hrs. Expected return: 19:30hrs. KIDDERMINSTER BRANCH Cost: £21 Branch Contact: Branch Chair, Brian Rickett A first visit to a now well established RSPB 01562 913898 or 01384 839838 reserve with an enviable reputation. In addition Email: [email protected] to breeding Bittern, Bearded Tit, Cetti’s warbler and Little Egret, Spoonbill have an established Indoor Meetings breeding record and recently Black-necked Meetings are held at St. Oswald’s Church Grebe have done also. With resident Willow Centre, off Broadwaters Drive, Kidderminster Tit, Kingfisher, Grey Heron and a Tree Sparrow DY10 2RY commencing at 19.30hrs. A charge colony an excellent birdlist is in prospect! RSPB of £2.00 per person for WMBC members and card required or charge may be payable. £2.50 for nonmembers is made, which includes refreshments. SOLIHULL BRANCH Wednesday 5th December 2018 Branch Contact: Branch Chair, Mike Wilkes - Birds in Action and Christmas Richard Harvey - 0789556125 Buffet. Email: [email protected] Wednesday 23rd January 2019 Indoor meetings John Chamberlin FRPS - Mainly Birding. Indoor meetings are held in the Guild House, John has been photographing birds for 35 years Knowle B93 0LN, commencing at 19:30hrs and he is making a very welcomed return visit. Admission: WMBC members £2.00, nonmembers £2.50. Wednesday 27th of February 2019 Nick Martin - The Natural and un-natural History Please note: Access from the eastern car park of our UK Birds of Prey. A very interesting topic. via the churchyard is unlit and those who are not confident about their night vision should either Wednesday 27th of March 2019 bring a torch or take the slightly longer route via Jim Almond - Spring Time in New England the High Street. A return visit of the Shropshire Birder - 2019 AGM before the talk. Friday 14th December 2018 WILL THIS BE OUR LAST INDOOR BRANCH Roger Butler - A Week on St. Kilda. Roger is a MEETING IN KIDDERMINSTER? As previously Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a reported the current committee are standing Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society. He down at their AGM in March and new has travelled and spoken wildly, about places as volunteers are urgently sought. If you value diverse as Mexico, Patagonia and Tajikistan. this branch and can help please contact Roger or Sue, details on page 42. Friday 11th January 2019 Prof. Graham Martin - Through Bird’s Eyes. Prof. Outdoor Meeting Martin is Chair of Worcester Wildlife Trust and Sunday 2nd December 2018 - is Emeritus Professor of Avian Sensory Science Slimbridge - Meet in Main Car Park 10.00am 33 STAFFORD BRANCH Tuesday 5th March 2019 Branch Contact: David Dodd 01543 490096 Ken Reeves – Fire on the Scillies. Email: [email protected] Ken’s take on the annual pilgrimage Indoor Meetings Field Meetings These are held at the Perkins Sports & Social Following the success of the field trips organised Club, Tixall Road, Stafford. ST16 3UB. Drive past earlier in the year with our U3A friends the reception and follow the road to the wooden following programme has been arranged which building on your left. Park at the Club site. Meet WMBC members are invited to attend. at 19.30hrs for a sharp 19.45 start. 21st January WMBC Ladywalk Reserve Tuesday 4th December 2018 11th February - Sandbach Flashes Jeff Clarke – How to Build a Naturalist. 18th March TBA We all hope someone in the family will follow in our footsteps to look after nature in the future, 29th April Doxey Marshes maybe Jeff has some hints about how to go Advance Notice about it. 13th May - Cannock Chase Dawn Chorus Wednesday 2nd January 2019 17th June - Cannock Chase Nightjars - Kate MacRae – A World of Wildlife in My Patch. please note places are limited on this trip so Please note the change of day due to the Bank booking well in advance is advised. Holiday. Please contact Chris Evans for field meeting Tuesday 5th February 2019 arrangements and further details: on 07905 Mark Sissons – White and Wild 563385 or by email at Let’s hope the white is not with us! [email protected] A Full programmes for all our branches can be found on the Club website. Our Ladywalk Reserve - Dragonflies and Butterflies Ladywalk is strong on its bird records including ringing and there are regular sessions catching and recording moths, Two areas that the reserve management committee would like to do more work on is surveying and keeping accurate reports on the reserve’s dragonfly population and also butterflies. Work is being done to encourage butterflies by opening out some of the woodland to increase light levels and encourage flowers but we feel that we can do more. With that in mind we are hoping to enlist the support of butterfly experts to survey the reserve and provide advice on what more we can do to encourage butterflies. We also need more “amateur” surveyors to assist with regular surveys of both dragonflies and butterflies so we can build a more comprehensive knowledge of what is about. It would be great if we had a rota of people that could assist, surveying a regular route using consistent methodology. If you feel that you can assist please e mail us at [email protected] Richard King Belvide work Party Schedule for the remainder of the 2018/19 season Sunday 16th and 23rd December 2018 Sunday 27th January - Sunday 10th and 24th February - Sunday 3rd March 2019 MEET AT THE RESERVE CAR PARK 09.30hrs ALL GLOVES AND TOOLS PROVIDED BUT FEEL FREE TO BRING YOUR OWN Why not come along to see what we get up to, get involved and join in the fun? 34 BIRD NOTES August - October Compiled from your records by Humphrey Miller

4 pages reserved

Humphrey Miller

35 36 37 38 West Midland Bird Club Field Trip Reports - Ray Davies Titchwell RSPB - Sunday 16th September, 2018 33 members left Cambridge Street on a dull grey morning en route to Titchwell, hopes being high for a good days’ birding after our two month summer break. After a short comfort stop at Peterborough services we eventually arrived at Titchwell at 11.30 having been delayed by detours, speed restrictions and Sandringham Show traffic. Although rather windy the weather was warm and sunny. Several ‘good’ birds were known to be present on the reserve, all we had to do was find them. Bearded Tits were ‘pinging’ in the reeds all along the main path, on occasion providing excellent views. Numerous Ruff were present on the Freshwater marsh and at least 3 Pink- footed Geese were grazing below the Parrinder hide. A juvenile Little Stint was feeding on the edge of the Freshwater marsh giving close up views from the path. Great White Egret was seen at various locations throughout the day. Unfortunately the tide was way out but those that ventured to the shoreline picked up an interesting assortment of birds including Arctic Skuas, Spoonbill, Sanderling and Sandwich Tern. A lucky few encountered both Whimbrel and Spotted Redshank on Volunteers marsh. Several of us broke the day by sampling the refreshments on offer in the café! Exploring the Meadow trail a quick stop in the Fen hide surprised us with Bittern that landed right in front of the hide and Turtle Dove visible in a nearby dead tree. A short walk across to Patsy’s pool gave us a second Bittern plus Red-crested Pochard and Greenshank. Back at the coach we were treated to a raptor mantling it’s freshly caught prey in the adjacent field and another Turtle Dove. Our return journey was again delayed by traffic and it was a very tired, but happy, group that returned to Cambridge Street at 20.30. Liz Palmer Top - Little Stint - Rob Going Left - Turtle Dove - Steve Pattison 39 Spurn Head - Sunday 7th October 2018 The coach with 36 members aboard left Cambridge Street at 07.00 and after an uneventful journey arrived at the new Spurn Discovery Centre just before 11.00. After a visit to the centre, to review birds seen recently, some went to search for the Barred Warbler, unsuccessfully, and others to view over the nearby Walker Butts and Well Field. After seeing the first of the day’s Yellow-browed Warblers in nearby bushes they saw on telegraph wires, among the many Starlings, the pale plumage of a juvenile Rose- coloured Starling. It was then seen in the field below the wires and more closely, in Sea buckthorn bushes, by those on the riverside path. Stonechat and a lone Whinchat sought insects from fence posts between the fields. Another Yellow- browed Warbler was seen occasionally in the trees between the Church and The Anchor pub car park. Regular wader species seen on the exposed mud of the Humber estuary included Golden and Grey Plover and a Whimbrel. Some Little Egrets were joined by a Great White Egret, exemplifying the size difference. Viewing from the Scrape hide two Jack Snipe were spotted beside a reedbed, the camouflage of their cryptic plumage hindering viewing! The first of many migrating Redwings were seen in nearby trees. Along the Big Hedge footpath, leading to the sea, Yellowhammer was found among the House Sparrows. Over the sea Gannet fed, a Velvet Scoter was found among Common ones, a Sooty Shearwater flew by as did the occasional Manx Shearwater and a Red-throated Diver. Small parties of incoming Brent and Pink-footed Geese added to the interest. Turnstone on the beach were joined by two confiding Snow Buntings and a Wheatear flew onto the beach and then over into the field behind us. A late Hobby and Swallow passed by, moving South. Completing the excitement a Short-eared Owl turned up! We returned happy having recorded some 77 species including many migrants and some surprises. Ray Davies Top - Rose-coloured Starling Left - Snow Bunting Both shots - Steve Pattison

40 And Finally B.T.O. English Winter Bird Survey (EWBS) 2018/19 The B.T.O. would like us to inform those of you not who are not already BBS surveyors of a new farmland bird survey that is set to be rolled out this winter throughout England. The focus of this volunteer survey will be to assess bird populations occupying the farmed landscape whilst monitoring the availability of food resources throughout the winter period. This work will enable them to gain a better understanding of how limited food availability during winter is contributing to the overall decline in breeding farmland bird numbers by attempting to identify the “hungry gap”, when food is at its shortest supply. To date there has been no national-scale monitoring of the effects of agri- environment scheme (AES) management on birds in winter, which is particularly important because the most successful AES options for birds have found to be those that primarily affect birds in winter. This study will aim to collect information on the use of AES options alongside other food resources available in winter. The new survey, largely based on the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) square protocol, will involve monthly counts of birds and Brown Hare (plus other mammals seen) from December 2018 to March 2019, to capture changes in the use of farmland through the winter, but allowing volunteers to make a minimum of two visits (ideally January and February). The focus will be on BBS squares that are dominated by farmland. The survey method will involve following the summer transects routes, as much as possible, with surveys conducted at any time of day, excluding the hour immediately after sunrise and that immediately before sunset. The B.T.O. anticipate a high take up rate with this new winter bird survey based on previous feedback from volunteers and Regional Organisers expressing an interest in carrying out a study of this kind. The expectation is for at least 75% take up from existing BBS surveyors on their existing BBS squares, however, new surveyors can also help in winter, particularly in cases where a BBS surveyor is not able to undertaken the winter survey. Current surveyors logging into BBS online will automatically be able to sign up and allocate themselves for the winter survey. From early November, an online site selection map has been available to all surveyors, where they can request a survey square from the remaining unallocated BBS squares as well as new BBS squares which have not yet been surveyed. Requests will be dealt with via the Survey Management Portal, where it will be important to first confirm that the existing BBS surveyor does not want to do the winter survey before allocating the square to a new ‘winter’ surveyor. Interested? Log in to BBS online contacts David Norfolk and Greg Conway (EWBS Survey Organisers) Email: [email protected]

Suggestions Your Management Committee always welcomes suggestions and feedback from members regarding any aspect of our Club. Please send your feedback to Roger Broadbent or Sue Judge, contact details as given on page 42.

Next Issue The Spring issue of your newsletter will go to press by mid-February and should be on your door mats at the beginning of March Please send your contributions to the editor by 1st February at the latest please. Anything received after this cut off date will be held over until the Summer issue. It is never too early to send in your contribution for the next Newsletter. If something in this issue prompts a response or inspires something entirely different don’t wait, email it to me straight away. Please share your ‘patch’ or birding breaks both near and far for the enjoyment and possible inspiration of other members. No access to a computer? Don’t use this as an excuse, write it out and send it to me by post (the earlier the better) and I will type it up. I can even scan your photographs. Sue 41 WMBC Officers Harborne - Paul Bateman Email: [email protected] President - W. E. Oddie O.B.E. Vice Presidents - A.J. Richards, Ladywalk - Richard King G.R. Harrison and J.R. Winsper Email: [email protected] Chairperson - Roger Broadbent, Our Branches Maple Cottage , 8 Home Farm Court, Ingestre Kidderminster - Brian Rickett Stafford ST18 0PZ Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Solihull - Richard Harvey Deputy Chairperson - Sue Judge Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Stafford - David Dodd Honorary Secretary - Mark Rickus, Email: [email protected] 27 Ringmere Avenue, Castle Bromwich B36 9AT Email: [email protected] WMBC Field Trip organiser - Ray Davies [email protected] Honorary Treasurer - Andy Thomas or Liz Palmer 24 Awbridge Road, Dudley, West Midlands, [email protected] DY2 0JA Email: [email protected] Our County Recorders Staffordshire - Nick Pomiankowski Membership Secretary - Michael Bevan, Email: [email protected] 64 Brookfields Road, Ipstones, Stoke-on-Trent, 22 The Villas, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 5AQ ST10 2LY Email: [email protected] Warwickshire - Chris Hill Email: [email protected] Group Permits Secretary - As Honorary 17 Brampton Crescent, Shirley, Solihull, B90 3SY Secretary Email: [email protected] West Midlands - Kevin Clements Email: west-mids-recorderwestmidlandbirdclub.org.uk Press Officer - Rob Swift 26 Hambrook Close, Dunstall Park, WV6 0XA Email: [email protected] Worcestershire - Steven Payne Conservation Officer - Dave Jackson Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] 6 Norbury Close, Reddich, B98 8RP

Annual Report Editor - D.W. (Dave) Emley, Advertising: Enquiries regarding advertising 23 Leacroft, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 8GF in this publication should be addressed to the Email: [email protected] Editor. Small ads of direct benefit to members and ‘for sale’ items from members will be Website Manager - Christopher Rickus normally be included free of charge, space Email: [email protected] permitting. Newsletter Editor - Sue Judge The WMBC 3 Fennel Close, Cheslyn Hay, WS6 7DZ Is a Registered Charity (number 213311), Email: [email protected] serving birdwatchers, ornithologists and all who have an interest in the birds of Staffordshire, Our Reserve Representatives Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Belvide - Sue Judge Midlands Counties. Email: [email protected] Website - westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk Blithfield - John Holt Twitter account @WestMidBirdClub Email: [email protected] 42                                          

                                           

           43 TTHHEE BBIIRRDDEERRSS SSTTOORREE We stock the UK''s llargest range of optiics & accessoriies for biirders iinclludiing many lleadiing brands: Acuter, Barr & Stroud, Braun, Bresser, Celestron, Country Innovation, Cullmann, Eagle, Hawke, Helios, Hilkinson, Kite, Kowa, Leica, Meade, Minox, Novagrade, Olivon, Optech, Opticron, PhoneSkope, Praktica, Scopac, Skua, Steiner, Swarovski, Tilley, Vanguard, Velbon, Viking, Visionary, Vortex, Walkstool & Zeiss together wiith an extensiive range of books & DVDs.

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