West Midland Bird Club Annua! Report No 44 1977
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West Midland Bird Club Annua! Report No 44 1977 The front cover shows a male Stonechat with grub (Saxicola Saxicola) West Midland Bird Club Annual Report No 44 1977 Being the Annual Bird Report of the West Midland Bird Club on the birds in the counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and West Midlands. Contents 2 Officers and Committee 3 Editor's Report 7 Treasurer's Report and Financial Statement 10 Secretary's Report 11 Membership Secretary's Report 12 Branch Reports 13 Belvide Reserve 13 Ladywalk Reserve 14 Bird Ringing at Hewell Grange 1975-77 18 Tufted Ducks at Blithfield—Changes in Population 19 The Status of the Rarer Grebes 23 1 977 Bird Record Localities 26 Classified Notes 103 Ringing-in 1977 117 Key to Contributors 118 Species Requiring Descriptions Price £1.00 2 Officers and Committee 1978 President C A Norris, Brookend House, Welland, Worcestershire Vice-President G C Lambourne, Nelin Day-y-rhiw, St. Davids, Dyfed Chairman ARM Blake, 102 Russell Bank Road, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands Deputy- G M Lewis, 9a Plymouth Road, Barnt Green, Chairman Birmingham B45 8JE Secretary A J Richards, 1 Lansdowne Road, Studley, Warwickshire B80 7JG Membership D M Hawker, 19 Wycome Road, Hall Green, Secretary Birmingham B28 9EN D M Thomas, 43 Mayhurst Road, Hollywood, Treasurer Birmingham B47 5QG G R Harrison, Bryher", Hatton Green, Hatton, Editor Warwickshire CV35 7LA Field Meetings N P Coldicott, Lyttleton', 18 Greenhill, Burcot, Secretary Bromsgrove, Worcestershire Ringing P Ireland, 33 Banbrook Close, Solihull, West Midlands Secretary B92 9NF Chairman ARM Blake, 102 Russell Bank Road, Four Oaks, Research Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands Committee Kidderminster M R Jones, 7 Lyndhurst Drive, Kidderminster Branch Secretary Staffs Branch D Smallshire, 25 Caspian Way, Wheaton Aston, Secretary Stafford Solihull Branch Mrs D Dunstan, 4 Blossomfield Road, Solihull, Rep West Midlands Main Mrs C Randall, Miss M Young, K J Bentley, Committee S C Brown, R E Hitchcock, T B Hutton, A F Jacobs and S Young 3 Editor's Report Once again the Report has undergone a major change, this time with the introduction of a new listing sequence for the Classified Notes. The old Wetmore order had been in use since 1953. For several years it has been apparent that it no longer represented the latest thinking on the affinity of bird families and genera, but it was felt a major change should be deferred until there was general agreement on an alternative. The Report Editor's Committee of the British Trust for Ornithology believes that, with the publication in three instalments between 1973 and 1977 of Professor K. H. Voous' "List of Recent Holarctic Bird Species", an acceptable modern alternative is now available. It is believed the Voous sequence is being adopted in British ornithology generally and there seems no reason why it should not enjoy continuity over a long period. I must again thank everyone who has contributed records for inclusion in the Report and also Alan Dean, Rob Hume and Dave Smallshire who have assisted with the editorial work. Thanks are also due to Rob Hume for his illustrations of the year's highlights. The quality of descriptions sup- porting records of rare or unusual species continues to concern the Editorial Committee and all contributors are urged to improve their descriptions. As a guide, a good description will enable a bird to be iden- tified even without its being named. Birds in 1977 Compared to recent years, 1977 lacked climatic extremes. Temperatures were generally below average, with cold spells in winter and autumn and frosts in June and August. It was also very windy, with gales in seven months and hurricanes in July, October and December. All told 223 species or distinct races were recorded in a year that was good for seabirds, wildfowl and raptors, but poor for waders and certain song birds. After five continuous years of high infestation from Dutch Elm Disease, many areas in South Warwickshire and Worcestershire have now lost as many as three-quarters of their hedgerow trees and this loss of habitat is bound to have its effect on bird life. Another threatened habitat is an ex- tensive area of moorland in North Staffordshire, which has been bought for sheep farming. Very cold spells alternated with milder weather throughout the winter and February was extremely wet with widespread flooding. The year began with Long-tailed Duck and twenty-six White-fronted Geese remaining from 1976, whilst three Bar-tailed Godwits were unusual visitors for January and a skein of 1 50 White-fronted Geese was much larger than most. Highlight of the winter was a party of Cranes that stayed for several weeks, but other noteable visitors were Smew, Bittern, Merlin, Peregrine and a few Bearded Tits. Two sizeable herds of Bewick's Swans passed through in February, whilst an Arctic Skua on the twentieth was doubtless 4 a vagrant from many feeding in the North Sea at that time. Finally, the first Wheatear arrived on the twenty-seventh. Strong southerly winds in the first three-weeks of March brought mild weather and a flood of early migrants involving ten species and including a Sand Martin on the seventh, which is the earliest Club record. Other in- teresting birds at this time were Slavonian Grebe and Hen Harrier. Cold, northerly winds then persisted until mid-April, when migration resumed again with strong passages of Ring Ouzel, White and Yellow Wagtails, the latter including many variants. Wood Warblers sang everywhere, but, with the cold weather inhibiting song, it appeared a poor year for birds such as Nightingale and Grasshopper Warbler that are heard rather than seen. April's highlights were the return of Savi's Warbler for the second con- secutive year, Osprey, Gannet, Woodlark and Marsh Harrier. Apart from the last week. May was again cool. Nevertheless its birds were exciting with several terns. Wryneck, Spotted Sandpiper, Kentish Plover, Hoopoe and Arctic Skua in the first half of the month and a flurry of activity at the end bringing Marsh and Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Osprey, Avocet, Black Terns, Cetti's Warbler and finally Golden Oriole. Summer temperatures were well below average and the breeding season was undistinguished. Fieldfare bred again, Cirl Bunting were present, another Savi's Warbler was located. Quail were calling at many localities, a Corncrake was heard several times and a Nightjar was churring at a former haunt in Worcestershire. Notable birds in June were Fulmar and Great Reed Warbler, whilst between the seventeenth and nineteenth there was a passage of terns accompanied by an adult Little Gull, Osprey, Peregrine and Red-backed Shrike. July by comparison was quiet, except for^Gannet, Osprey and Marsh Harrier. Shallow depressions in August and deeper, more vigorous ones in early September influenced what was a disappointing autumn. Those in the third week of August brought small influxes of Black Tern and Ruff, White- winged Black Tern, Arctic Skua, Gannet, Red-footed Falcon and a Ring- tailed Harrier, whilst stronger ones at the end of the month coincided with the arrival of Manx Shearwater, Osprey and another Harrier. Apart from a Wryneck, early September was quiet, but by mid-month the wind had turned NE and two Ferruginous Duck and a Peregrine appeared, to be fol- lowed after a period of North Sea gales by Pomarine and Great Skuas and a party of eight Grey>Plover. October began with strong NW winds, which brought both Marsh and Hen Harrier. Settled weather and a quieter spell followed, with a Phalarope, Spotted Crake, and the first Bearded Tits of the autumn. Strong gales were again a feature of late autumn and there were cold spells in November and the last week of December. A Storm Petrel was found early in November and severe gales on the twelfth brought eleven Kittiwakes, Grey Phalarope and three Great Northern Divers, which were to stay throughout the winter. Bewick's Swans passed through in the third week, 5 together with Slavonian Grebe and Ring-necked Duck. Another Grey Phalarope appeared and the month closed with seven Snow Buntings and a Firecrest. Apart from the last week, December was mild and damp. A Hen Harrier settled in south Worcestershire for the winter and a remarkable concentration of diving duck at Draycote exceeded 2000. The hurricane on the twenty-third brought another Ring-necked Duck and an exceptional herd of 90 Bewick's Swans, whilst the only Waxwing of the year was seen on Christmas Day. G R Harrison Obituary The following obituary appeared in the Club's Bulletin, but is rightly reprinted here in full. A Talbot Clay Talbot Clay, who died suddenly on October 1, was a man of disparate in- terests. He was in pursuit of one of them, his life-long support for Aston Villa Football Club, on the day he died. Between the wars he was an ar- dent motor-cyclist, and he used to regale his friends with tales, almost always self-deprecatory, of his exploits at rallies and hill climbs. The result was generally hilarious, the effect enhanced by his terse recital of the events. These anecdotes continued into his career in the R.A.F. during World War II. In marked contrast was his love for the countryside, and particularly Snowdonia. He, with an old friend, built in the 1930s a hut on the side of Yr Aran close to the Watkin Path, which they and other friends (in later years these included bird-watchers) used as a base for climbing and ex- ploration of the area. There can be few who had climbed Snowdon so many times as Talbot Clay.