BIRMINGHAM BIRD CLUB. FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT ON THE BIRDS OF WARWICKSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE, 1938. Is. 6d. RAILWAY COUNTY BOUNDARY MAP OF RIVER WARWICKSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE and SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE BRfJLES *WHICHFORD <TEwktSBURY LOflO COMPTON COTSOOOLD HILLS REPORT ON THE BIRDS OF WARWICKSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE. AND SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE, 1938. PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE BIRMINGHAM BIRD CLUB. 1. MAP. 2. EDITORIAL. 3. BITTELL RESERVOIRS. H. G. ALEXANDER 4. RECOVERIES OF RINGED BIRDS. J.D.W. 5. MIGRANT DATES. J.D.W. 6. SONG DATES. J.D.W. 7. CLASSIFIED NOTES. H.G.A. 8. LISTS OF MEMBERS, ASSOCIATES AND CORRESPONDENTS. 9. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. EDITORIAL. HE year 1938 brought an unusual number of passing migrants, T rare or not so rare, to the Midlands. It is not clear how far this was due to weather conditions, or whether it was due mainly to the increased number of observers, and especially to the very systematic observations carried out by the Rev. G. B. Jackson at the Bittell reservoirs during the spring. The early months of the year were, indeed, unusually mild, so that there was no invasion of Grebes, etc., such as may follow a cold spell. Two Divers, however, a Great Northern and a Black-throated, were noted during these months in Staffs, and VVarickshire respectively. The warm March led to very early arrivals of the first summer migrants, as the migrant table shows. The later ones were delayed by cold winds. In early May, during a period of cold north east winds and grey skies, an exceptional number of waders and other water-birds appeared at Bittell, including a Dusky Redshank and a Little Gull in beautiful plumage. At the same time a Long-tailed Duck appeared at Earlswood. Later in the month, with quite different weather conditions, further unusual birds appeared, and Black Terns were recorded from Bittell no less than four times during the spring migration. Another interesting spring occurrence was a Fulmar Petrel near Evesham. The last few days of the year brought a series of excitements, probably directly connected with the severe weather that set in just before Christmas. Dunlins, which one does not expect to find in the Midlands in mid-winter, were present at two or three places in some numbers, and several other sea-coast birds were noted, including a Purple Sandpiper in the heart of Birmingham—the first record for Warwickshire. At the same time a small herd of Bewick's Swans appeared, part of a large number that came to England when the Ijssel Meer in Holland was frozen over. It is gratifying to record that a stretch of country near the Bittell reservoirs, threatened with building by the proximity of the Austin 3 factories, has been secured by public subscription and placed under the National Trust; a neighbouring portion has also been secured against the builder. The first of these pieces of land was visited on Christmas Eve by two of the afore mentioned Dunlins, which found there a small patch of open, soft ground while all around the country was under several inches of snow. Bittell always figures largely in this report, partly because a good many Birmingham ornithologists, including the editors, often go there. So this year an attempt is made to give a full summary of our present knowledge of its avifauna. During the present year, and up to next March, special obser- vations are asked on the status of the Redshank. Not only its breeding-status, but also the numbers present during each month from August to March, are asked for by the British Trust for Ornithology, and the editors of this report will be glad to receive and forward reports from observers in our area. Such reports should be sent in on separate sheets of paper from other matter sent in for next year's report. Or special schedules can be sent to those who ask for them. One of the notable ornithological events of the year in the Midlands has been the completion of Mr. T. Smith's periodical contributions to the history of the Birds of Staffordshire, published in the Transactions of the North Staffs Field Club. Much of the information refers to North Staffs, which lies outside the scope of this report; but there are also many interesting records of South Staffs birds, including records from Cannock reservoir in days when its surroundings were more rural than they are to day. Last century the Dartford Warbler seems to have inhabited Cannock Chase, and one may have been seen in that area as recently as 1915. BITTELL RESERVOIRS. BY H. G. ALEXANDER. The Bittell Reservoirs are canal-feeding reservoirs, situated ten miles south of the centre of Birmingham, just south of the English water-shed, where it separates the Trent from the Avon basin. Strictly speaking, there are only two Bittell Reservoirs, the Upper, which is the more northerly, and covers approximately 100 acres, and the Lower, covering 57 acres. Small parts of the latter are separated from the main water by roads. At a distance of about three-quarters of a mile there is a third sheet of water, of 11 acres, the Cofton reservoir, just under the ridge of the Lickey Hills. These hills separate the Avon valley from the Severn. The reservoirs are all fed by the head waters of the river Arrow. There are a number of large pools and reservoirs in the counties round Birmingham, and no doubt from time to time all these attract not only wintering duck, but other passing wildfowl. It may be that the main reason why Bittell has so many records of such birds is simply that it has been well watched. But there are other contributory reasons. Both reservoirs are surrounded by open country, and it seems that water birds mostly prefer such places to pools that are surrounded by trees. The immediate surround, on the other hand, is almost all pasture, with hardly any bare concrete, so that it forms good feeding-ground for Wigeon and other species, and after droughts there is sometimes a good extent of mud to attract passing waders. In spring, too, the reservoirs lie not far from the line of flight birds might be expected to take that were flying up the Severn or Avon valleys from the Bristol Channel. But there is no similar geographical feature to bring them in the direction of the reservoirs during the autumn passage. And on the whole the autumn passage does seem to be rather less pronounced than the spring At any rate in some recent years of "low tide", when considerable numbers of small waders have visited Upper Bittell reservoir in the spring, there has been no movement of corresponding proportions in the autumn. For some reason, Lower Bittell seems 5 at times to be more attractive than Upper in the autumn. This is the more surprising since, in addition to the larger size and larger extent of mud at Upper Bittell, it lies well away from traffic, whereas Lower Bittell has a good road with fairly constant traffic running along three sides. But as a rule the birds are indifferent to the traffic. Neither reservoir contains reed-beds or any tall cover ; so that Reed-warblers do not breed and there are no records of such cover- loving species as the Bittern, except an old record at Cofton, where there is a dense swamp. Great Crested Grebes, though constantly present, have difficulties in nesting, because the water is so open. It is unusual for any to nest on Upper Bittell at all. On Lower the first nesting-attempts nearly always end in failure, but when Polygonum plants grow to the surface of the water in June, the problem of attaching their floating nests without resting them on the ground, where they are liable to get flooded, is less difficult. These reservoirs have attracted the attention of ornithologists for many years past. Some of the rare birds in the Chase collection in the Birmingham museum are from Bittell. Rev. K. A. Deakin, for many years rector of Cofton Hackett, kept records covering the period from 1860 to 1910. Messrs. H. LI. Wilson and D. Grubb are among those who frequently visited the reservoirs in pre-war times. More recently they have received very regular weekly visits from Mr. E. St. G. Betts, and Miss C. K. James of Barnt Green has been an even more frequent visitor. A number of other observers go there more or less frequently. Even so, it cannot be doubted that many birds must pass unnoticed, especially in spring, when they are liable to pass on within a few hours or even minutes of their arrival. For a number of years now the birds have benefited by the protection provided by the Barnt Green fishing-club. There is no public access to Lower Bittell, nor can any self-respecting ornith- ologist wish it, since the birds can almost always be watched to excellent advantage from the public road. At Upper Bittell a public footpath runs along the north side, but there are now unclimbable locked gates to prevent access from the whole of the eastern shore. It has not been easy to decide which species to mention in what follows. As far as possible, the list is confined to water-birds, or to those species which are definitely attracted because of the waters of 6 the reservoirs, excluding such species as Warblers and Finches, which find the hedges and the banks round about very attractive at times because of the abundance of insects or seeds.