West Midland Bird Club Annual Report No 57 1990 Bonaparte's Gull, Kenilworth, March 1990 (Keith Warmington) West Midland Bird Club Annual Report No 57 1990
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West Midland Bird Club Annual Report No 57 1990 Bonaparte's Gull, Kenilworth, March 1990 (Keith Warmington) West Midland Bird Club Annual Report No 57 1990 The Annual Report of the West Midland Bird Club on the Counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and West Midlands. Contents 2 Officers and Committee 3 Editor's Report 4 Birds in 1990 15 Hon. Treasurer's Report and Financial Statement 18 Secretary's Report 19 Field Meeting Secretary's Report 20 Permit Secretary's Report 20 Membership Secretary's Report 20 Research Sub-Committee Report 20 Solihull Branch Report 21 Staffordshire Branch Report • J ' 22 Ladywalk Report 24 Eric W Longman — A Tribute 24 Long-tailed Skua at Hanchurch — J Martin 25 WMBC Research Committee Black Redstart Survey 1987-91 —JR Winsper 32 1990 Bird Record Localities 38 Classified Notes 173 Ringing in 1990 178 Key to Contributors 180 Species requiring descriptions Price £5.00 2 Officers and Committee 1991 President C A Norris, Brookend House, Welland, Worcestershire WR13 6LN Vice-Presidents FCGribble, WEOddie Chairman and A J Richards, 1 Lansdowne Road, Studley, Warwickshire Promotions and Fund B80 7JG Raising Committee Chairman Deputy Chairman G R Harrison, "Bryher", Hatton Green, Hatton, Warwickshire CV35 7LA Secretary H M MacGregor, 74 Ivyfield Road, Erdington, Birmingham B23 7HH Treasurer K A Webb, Copper Beech Cottage, Bagot Street, Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire WS15 3DB Report Editor S D Norman, 62 Portland Drive, Whittleford, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 9HY Bulletin Editor P J Rollin, 48 Kiln Way, Polesworth, Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 1JE Membership D S Evans, 49 Inglewood Grove, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield Secretary B74 3LN Field Meetings Miss J M Nicholls, 296 Olton Boulevard West, Birmingham Secretary B11 3HH (Temporary) Permit Secretary Miss M A Surman, 6 Lloyd Square, 12 Niall Close, Birmingham B15 3LX Ringing Secretary A E Coleman, 67 Park Lane, Bonehill, Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 3HZ Research Committee J R Winsper, 32 Links Road, Hollywood, Birmingham Chairman B14 4TR Staffs Branch D W Emley, 3 Meadowside, Loggerheads, Market Drayton, Chairman Shropshire TF9 4RB Solihull Branch G A Morley, 64 Cambridge Avenue, Solihull, Chairman West Midlands B91 1QF Warwickshire S M Haynes, 4 Spinney Close, Old Arley, Coventry Recorder CV78PD Worcestershire S M Whitehouse, 5 Stanway Close, Rudyard Gardens, Recorder Blackpole, Worcester WR4 9XL Staffordshire Mrs G Jones, 4 The Poplars, Lichfield Road, Abbots Recorder Bromley, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 3AA West Midlands T C Hextell, 49 Cradley Croft, Handsworth, Birmingham Recorder B218HP Main Committee R C Broadbent, S C Brown, E S Clare, Mrs D B Dunstan, B L Kington, G M Lewis, D Mather, Mrs J Neal Minutes Sec, C F Nicholson, I E Oliver, R W Skeates Records Committee S M Haynes, T C Hextell, Mrs G Jones, W J Low, S D Norman, S M Whitehouse 3 Editor's Report Once again, it was a great pleasure to have acted as Editor of the WMBC Annual Report (he lied through gritted teeth!). It is traditional and rightly so, that the Editor expresses his gratitude to all those people who have contributed to the Report. This year will be no exception. Whilsl Club members spend most of the year birding or birdwatching, dedicated County Recorders are busy wading through mountains of record slips, of scarce and rare species, and puzzling over how to transform the information on one slip, describing a Robin on a birdtable into a write-up for the County. Having stated the above, there are rare birds that go unrecorded because details are not forwarded to the Recorder. 1990 saw the setting-up of County Records Committees, an attempt to streamline the process of record assessment. The main Regional Records Committee will only adjudicate on the more difficult species, or when there is disagreement on a local basis. I make no apologies for reminding members that, even if you are not the finder of a bird requiring a description for acceptance, please submit one anyway. A manuscript is not required, just enough detail to substantiate the claim. If a record is not accepted, it does not mean the Committee does not believe the observer, merely that there was insufficient evidence provided. I have examined the feasibility of publishing the Report in November but as I am still receiving contributions in December, this clearly is not possible. After many years spent compiling the migrant information, Steve Welch has decided it is time to hang up the slide rule. On behalf of the Club, thank you Steve, for your contribution. This year we are experimenting with passage migrant information, calculated in the same manner as the migrants, although it will take a few years for the figures to provide true averages. The one aspect of the Editor's job that causes me sleepless nights is the problem caused by those species, where the escape potential is high, notably wildfowl. I have tried to present an unbiased reasoning (in most cases) but I fear, I will upset some people, even perhaps attract ridicule. You will not find unsubstantiated remarks like 'obviously an escape' or 'it must have been wild'. We are all aware it is most probable that Snow Geese recorded in our Region are of feral origin, although a true vagrant is possible. The same can be said of Ruddy Shelduck, but who really knows? How can one be sure without evidence? Should we borrow the rules of evidence from the courts and state that these species are feral (or wild), unless proved beyond all reasonable doubt that they are not? When reading through the Report, you will easily recognise the birds that are the cause of my insomnia. Should Snow Goose, Ross's Goose and Ruddy Shelduck be included in the 'Exotica' section, when Mandarin, Ruddy Duck and Ring-necked Parakeet traditionally appear in the main section? Each of us has our own ideas regarding these species. There may be some wishing they had gone to see the Marbled Duck and there may be others who would not class it as wild, even if deemed so by the BOURC. TO balance the point, I find it amusing how some birds are accepted as 4 wild, no matter how many rowing boats they impede, or how much bread they take! My advice is, i( your conooionco can copp, tick it! I hope the approach is considered balanced and the use of square brackets (not in their historical context) meets with approval, although I am aware of the danger of turning the Classified List into something resembling the 'for sale' section in Birdkeeper's Weekly. I would welcome correspondence on this or any other aspect of the Annual Report. To conclude, I will now thank all those who have made the production of this Report posSlDle: The County Recorders and their teams: Warwickshire: Steve Haynes and Keith Warmington. Worcestershire: Steve Whitehouse, Richard Harbird, Gavin Peplow and John Sirrett. Staffordshire: Gilly Jones, Eric Clare, Gordon Hayes, Bill Low, John Martin and Trevor Smart. Wesf Midlands: Tim Hextell, Peter Forbes, John Fortey, Pete Hackett and Mark James. All those people who have submitted records. The artists: Adam Holliday, Phil Jones, Kevin McGee, John Martin and Terry Parker. The authors of articles: Bert Coleman, Brian Kington, John Martin and Jim Winsper. The photographers: Roger Hill, Keith Stone, Phill Ward and Keith Warmington. The cartographer: Graham Harrison. Hotline operator: Eric Clare, (0283 791171). To the hard-working staff at Charles Clarke Printers Ltd, in particular Chris Duffy and finally, proof-reader Linda Norman. S D Norman Birds in 1990 A total of 224 species of birds was recorded in the Region during 1990 and included one addition to the Regional List, Bonaparte's Gull, and two potential additions, [Marbled Duck] 'possible' and [Ross's Goose] unlikely'. January was dominated by Atlantic.weather systems racing across the Region. The mild temperatures were little consolation for the storm force winds that ravaged the area towards the end of the month. The largest count of Coot was made during the month, 1160 were recorded at Coton. For those birding on New Year's Day, there was the reward of a Water Pipit and a first-winter Iceland Gull also at Coton, a Pink-footed Goose at Kingsbury and a first- winter Glaucous Gull at Ladywalk, it was noted elsewhere in the area until 21st. The 5 1989 Great Northern Diver remained at Westwood until 23RO and the Westport 'Scandinavian' Chiffchaff jusi made it into 1990. A Firecresl was ringed in a Malvern Link garden on 3R0 and a Goshawk sailed over Netherton on 4™. 34 Pink-tooted Geese were seen over Blithfield on 5th and on the same day a Red-crested Pochard was at Seeswood, a 'Scandinavian' Lesser Black- backed Gull at Westwood and a Water Pipit was found at Blithfield, where it remained until mid-February. On 6™, there was a first-winter Iceland Gull at Chasewater, it stayed until 23rd. The 1989 Shag seen in Sandwell Valley resided in the area for the rest of the year. On 7™ a pair of Red-breasted Merganser was located at Draycote. The next day saw a first-winter Iceland Gull in the roost at Westwood. On 11™ Gulls were in evidence: a Mediterranean Gull at Westwood, a Glaucous Gull at Draycote, where it was seen on several occasions during the month and a Glaucous GullatQueslettTip, all were first-winter birds. On 13™ 35000 Black-headed Gulls were counted at Draycote, a count equalled on two further dates during the year. Also at that location was a Red-throated Diver, it stayed for a week. The Red-crested Pochard had moved to Whittleford Country Park and a first- winter Iceland Gull seen on this date at Belvide, was also spotted on 21st.