Alrewas Birder

With my job comes various hazards.  I work on the canals and my phone fell in last week.  I did not get it back but, amazingly, I was due for an upgrade, visited an orange shop, and got another phone and new sim card there and then.  Mr Yapp and Kay, could you send me any rubbish text saying it is you as I didn't write your numbers down antwhere.  Don't want you to miss out on the mega around Whitemoor Haye (even though Martyn will be there before me anyway).  Cheers guys.  Another day out needed soon I think.  Good news is I am just off to walk the dog around Whitemoor then I'm thinking of popping somewhere else, before more urgent jobs to do at home.

As I said in the last inatallment, I am not a fan on the heat.  The hot weather can lead to MS symptoms.  These are called pseudoexacerbations.  It is not a true relapse, and the symptoms disappear once the body has cooled down.  Hence why I am hiding inside during the heat wave.  Saturday morning was looking ok but last night I was asked to do a job in the morning, and then the afternoon forecast is not good.   11the July I have a big fishing match and then 18th July is Alrewas Show.  I work on the top road, diverting traffic and seperating traffic from car park and show ground.  Good fun, have been doing it for severalo years.  On 13th July I am at the NIA in Birmingham taking part in the world record attempt fo mass drumming.  600 of us are rthrashing out a din on our drum kits.  This is all for MS.  Should be fun.  All of the above means very limited birding oppurtunities, so I apologise for the lack of content.  This Autumn though I will be everywhere. Anyone who wants anymore info on MS go to www.ms.about.com or find MS society, not sure on address.

Im afraid no birding this weekend as I had a fishing match on the Saturday and was out on the Sunday.  I am also hiding from the heat .  It is too hot for me at the moment, I am even starting early and finishing early so I am not out in the afternoon sun.  Hopefully the weekend coming I shall venture out. 

I had an early morning dog walk/birding session around Whitemoor.  With being on call, Twenty/20 final, US Open, and F1 grand prix, not much was going to be done today.  The birds I noted around Whitemoor this morning included Magpie, Yellowhammer, Carrion Crow, Skylark, Wren, Common Whitethroat, Corn Bunting, Wood Pigeon, Linnet, Grey Heron, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Goldfinch, Buzzard, Dunnock, Yellow Wagtail, Chaffinch, Herring Gull, lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Swallow, Stock Dove, Swift, Jackdaw, Reed Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Lapwing, and Starling.  At the quarry pool I added Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Ringed Plover, Mallard, Teal, Redshank, Mute Swan, a single Dunlin, Pied Wagtail and Robin.

 

 

Having not contacted the council on the state of the footpath I thought I would have another go as there had been no rain.  If you did not read about the visit recently, the footpath is well overgrown with weeds and I visited a few hours after rain.  I got soaked in the first fifty yards.  This time the weeds were higher but dry.  It was very heavy going and it took me ages to reach the pools.  The birds I noted were Wood Pigeon, Chaffinch, Skylark, Wren, Starling, Swallow, Greenfinch, Song Thrush, House Sparrow, Buzzard, Chiffchaff, Tufted Duck, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Little Grebe, Mute Swan, Coot, Mallard, Canada Geese, Great-crested Grebe, Stock Dove, Common Whitethroat, Carrion Crow, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Sand Martin, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Moorhen, Lapwing, Shelduck, Goldfinch, Tawny Owl, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Pheasant, Willow Warbler, Dunnock, Great Tit and Cormorant.  After the hassle of getting to the site I was hardly rewarded but it was different.  The Shelducks seem to have had a good breeding season.  One pair had 12 chicks and the other pair had eight.  The Tawny Owl was calling in the small wood nearby.  All in all pleasant enough.  

I am on call for a week so can only stay local.  It is also a weekend of various sports, especially the F1 grand prix.  Not everyones cup of tea but I love it.  Unfortunately Lewis Hamilton has just failed to get into second qualification as I write this edition.  I was up early today so I thought I would visit Croxall, hoping to beat the dog walkers.  Success, I saw absolutely no-one, except lots of birds.  I noted, around the main area, Common Tern, Oystercatcher, Coot, Wren, Wood Pigeon, Garden Warbler, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Blackbird, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Black-headed Gull, Dunnock, Great-crested Grebe, Common Whitethroat, lapwing, Pied Wagtail, Canada Geese, Mute Swan, Collared Dove, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Blue Tit, and Great Tit.  Through to the east side and I added Cormorant, Shelduck, Skylark, Pheasant, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Starling, Swallow, Reed Bunting, Grey Heron, Green Woodpecker and a couple of Kestrels.  Back to the main side, heading towards the car via the hide and I added Common sandpiper, Swift and Moorhen.  Lots of juvenile birds around this morning and it was nice to see a good number of Common Tern chicks on the rafts.  I am hoping to put one in the resevoir at Fradley for next years breeding.  Cant wait.

 

 

After watching the grand prix qualifying and then doing a few things I needed to do, I fancied a walk around the water park for a)to see if I could hear the Quail, and b) try and locate the Nightingale, and c) to walk the dog.  I started walking around when news came through on the pager of a Royal Tern in LLandudno.  Typical.  I would have gone for that Branston is about the furthest I can go.  Back to Branston and the birds I noted were Canada Geese, Mallard, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Swift, Greylag Geese, Sand Martin, Robin, Swallow, Coot, Great-crested Grebe, Carrion Crow, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Reed  Bunting, singing Nightingale (but not seen), Magpie, Blue Tit, Common Whitethroat, Long-tailed Tit, Buzzard, Blackbird, Wren, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Pied Wagtail.  The Great Spotted Woodpecker was a noisy juvenile which I picked up in the scope.  It was clinging to a tree and it looked as if it did not know what to do, jusr calling mom.  A bit like me up a ladder!!