It won't be long before i can get home and go out birding for an hour plus, but in the mean time I will add my observations.  Whilst at a lock waiting for my work colleague to bring the boat through I watched (for about 10 mins), a pair of Magpies building a nest.  It was funny though because they were nicking the twigs from an old nest in the next tree.  the twigs seemed to be quite big so as they bought them to the new tree, they had to pull really hard to get the twigs to the nest.  The best 10 mins of my day, quite funny.

Those pesky gulls have finally got me.  This week I bought a book on gull id and my plan, before the next winter, is to learn about gull id.  In the mean time it is standing next to people like Martyn Yapp and looking at the birds they have found (cheating maybe, but it is a good way to learn).  Before the roost, I walked all of the way around the resevoir and saw Black-headed Gull, mallard, Canada Geese, Coot, Mute Swan, Great-crested Grebe, Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Kestrel, Lapwing, Blue Tit, Great Northern Diver, Robin, Little Grebe, Goldeneye, Wood Pigeon, Moorhen, Stock Dove, Jay, Wren and Starling.  Back on the south shore and there was five of us for the roost.  We saw Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron (spotted on a raft, not amongst the gulls on the water!), Mediterranean Gull, and Common Gull.  A nice end to a weekends birding.  Bring on next Saturday.

 A Great Grey Shrike has been reported by the broken birch for a few days so I went to find it.  I saw Great Tit, Magpie, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Raven, Carrion Crow and Wren.  What a stunning list that is.  Time for a cup of coffee.

 

 

I bought the manditory coffee and chocky bar and went and sat down by the feeding area to see what was about.  There was Brambling, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Blackbird, Nuthatch, Greenfinch, Dunnock, Carrion Crow, Robin, Siskin and 2 Jays on and around the feeding tables.  Not the hardest bit of birding in the world, but good fun - and the coffee isn't bad either.

Just a walk around the reserve today, to see what I could see.  From the car park there was Coot, Mallard, Canada Geese, Great-crested Grebe, Carrion Crow and Moorhen.  Walking up to the first hide there was Goldeneye - in total there was 24, Wigeon, Teal, Robin, Starling, Great tit, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Kestrel, Magpie, Pochard and Lapwing.  From the hide there was Chaffinch, Pied Wagtail, Gadwall, Shelduck, Mute Swan and Wood Pigeon.  Through to the other side and I added Rook, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Shoveler, Skylark, Cormorant, Wren and Little Grebe.  The number of wildfowl on the water seemed to be a lot more today than during the count yesterday, typical.  There was a definite feeling of spring as the weather was fine, very mild, and the birds were adding to this feeling with many doing courtship calls and routines.   

This pit has been well flooded so I took a quick walk along the edge to see what was around.  Coot, Tufted Duck, Wood Pigeon, Lapwing, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Great Tit, Robin, Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Wren, Black-headed Gull, and Buzzard were all present but not in great numbers, in fact very low.  There was three Chiffchaffs showing pretty well and I am sure with a bit more looking, there are more.  

In the field over the A38 opposite the lay-by where I park there was 23 Golden Plover with about 300 Lapwing.

This place can be an ace place to visit and bring loads of birds.  Guess what happens next!!!!!  I took the dog and, although she had a bit of a bad leg, she managed to walk to the far end, but ended up legging it back.  More later.  The birds I picked up on the way to the first pool were Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Wood Pigeon, Kestrel, Blackbird, and a Partridge but don't know if it was French or English.  On the first pool was Mute Swan, Wigeon, Coot, Teal, Cormorant, Greylag Geese, Black-headed Gull, Little Grebe, Lapwing, Tufted Duck, Peregrine and a bird which the Peregrine was chasing.  I couldn't id the bird but it was Snipe-like, but had a white rump and was a dark bird.  Medium sized black job I think.  On the way from the pool, along the path, passing the second pool I saw Green Woodpecker, Great Tit, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Pheasant, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Wren, and a Skylark.  I got to the last pool which is usually three quarters water and the rest mud and reeds and was enormously dissapointed.  There was a small puddle of water and loads of mud hence the severe lack of birds.  All I saw was a Kingfisher and a Moorhen.  Then the fun really began.  I have commented on the shooting here before but there was about five chaps standing along the public footpath with a load more surrounding the woods.  Sport????  I spoke to one of the gun men who was standing on the path and questionned him about what he was doing to which he replied that he was not shooting, just watching, with a loaded gun.  I have shot many times, I love game, but I don't understand how surrounding an acre of woodland with thirty guns is sport.  My dog is not to fond of guns either and, although she had a bad leg, she legged it away from me.  It wasn't till I got back to the car, over a mile away, that I found her.  I will be contacting the appropriate authorities on the matter, as well as the state of the footpaths.    

After last weeks wash out (or supposed wash out), I was going to make the most of this weekend.  Firstly Croxall for the bird count and there was a nice suprise in store.  The bird count showed:-

Tufted Duck - 101

Mallard - 166

Mute Swan - 8

Great-crested Grebe - 4

Coot - 51

Moorhen - 3

Teal - 168

Grey Heron - 8

Wigeon - 170

Gadwall - 2

Goldeneye - 10

Pochard - 7

SMEW - 2

Cormorant - 2

Shoveler - 2

Shelduck - 4

Little Grebe - 1

 

You can see the ace bird that showed this morning, a pair of Smew.  I was half way through counting a big group of ducks when two birds flew up from under the bank I was counting from.  They flew to the island and I kept my bins on them all of the time.  Once the strange pair had landed I got my scope on them to discover a pair of Smew.  What a bird it is, not rare but hard to find in this area due to the large amounts of water bodies.  The last one I saw at Croxall was at least three years ago.  The other birds I saw around Croxall were Redshank of which there was 22, 1 Oystercatcher,  Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Fieldfare, lapwing, Great Tit, Wren, Black-headed Gull, Reed bunting, Bullfinch, Robin, Carrion Crow, Rook, Magpie, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Starling, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Kestrel, Snipe, Redwing, Pied Wagtail, Greylag Geese, and a Pheasant.  A brilliant start to the weekend.

 

 

Whilst sitting in my work boat having my lunch I noticed a flock of around 50 small brown jobs.  These have been in the area since we have been working there but they tend to favour where we are at the moment.  Tioday i took my bins to work and when they showed up I put my sarnies down, grabbed my bins and walked to the trees where they were perched.  There was about 30+ Siskin, and a mix of Linnet and Goldfinch.  Nice to watch over lunch!!!

Two Whooper Swans were reported on the pager (I had been looking for these swans since New Years Day to add to my year list), so I pooped over to Croxall GP, looked over the fields opposite the entrance and there were a few Mute Swans along with a couple of Whooper Swans.  This was the only birding I did at the weekend as I went to Wales  The forecast was horrible.  Saturday and Sunday was terrential rain with major risk of flooding.  I travelled up Saturday lunchtime in glorious sunshine, woke up Sunday morning in glorious sunshine, travelled to some friends in glorious sunshine, and then drove home Sunday afternoon.  It was only by Nantwich were I got rain, for about twenty minutes, then it was fine.  Thanks Met Office.

I arrived back from Croxall about 15.30 and had a stroll around the reserve to see what the floods were like.  I saw Canada Geese, Mallard, Teal and Tufted Duck from the car park, Black-headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Moorhen, Wood Pigeon, Blue Tit, Robin, Blackbird, Starling, Magpie, Wigeon, Pochard, Goldeneye, Dunnock, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Gadwall, Lapwing, Coot, Treecreeper, Long-tailed Tit and Bullfinch upto and around the Main Hide.  In the east side I went to have a look at the hide which, unfortunately, was underwater in about two feet of water.  The birds I saw on that side were Shoveler, Rook, Pheasant and Herring Gull.

 

A White-crowened Sparrow has been present in Cley-next-the-Sea for nearly two weeks and I have been thinking about going for some time so, booked a day off work, set off at 05.00 and arrived at the site at 08.45.  Although feeling rather hungry I decided to get my gear and go and see the bird first.  As I set off another bloke arrived and we chatted up to where the masses were congregated.  After a few whispering confersations, the bird had not been seen but it usually comes out mid morning.  Standing around in a muddy spot, trying to look up a narrow driveway, in a very cold wind was a challange enough.  By ten o'clock it was getting tough, by ten thirty, tougher.  About that time, someone whispered to his mate that this was roughly the time it showed.  Twenty minutes later and still nothing.  There was Robin, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Barn Owl (which flew just behind us and settled on a shed for a few minutes before continuing hunting), Mistle Thrush, Great Spotted Woodpecker, House Sparrow, Starling, Collared Dove, Fieldfare, Pheasant and Dunnock to keep us all occupied.  The chap I walked down with was standing next to me and he turned round, away from the drive and was looking in the brambles when suddenly he whispered to me"Its behind us".  I turned round and there it was, a cracking WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, on the edge of a bunch of brambles.  Within seconds word had got round and most were getting excellent views.  It then flew on to the drive where I got brief glances but nothing as good as on the hedge.  More than happy, I decided to leave, the now,  gathering mass, as you had to fight for a place, so it was off to Salthouses for breakfast.

 

 

My plan her was to have some brecky, a cup of coffee and head out looking for Lapland Bunting which eluded me on my last trip here, and Snow Buntings for my year list.  There was a few people already looking in one area so I decided to put my food on hold, get my gear, and go and have a look.  I walked up to the group and as I reached them, a small brown bird landed on a post.  I got my bins up and there was a LAPLAND BUNTING on the post.  Brilliant.  I coulndn't believe it.  I watched them for a while as it fed on the ground with another Lapland Bunting and a load of Snow Buntings, about 50+.  Also around us were Turnstones, Teal, Black-headed Gulls, and Dunlin.   

 

 

I did not have time to go around the reserve as I had to leave just after lunch time to get home, so I decided to have a cup of tea and do a bit of birding from the visitor centre/cafe.  Cley Marshes is a stunning reserve with incredible birds being noted here almost yearly but, and this is my opinion only, the vistor centre is not nice, the cost of building it could have been spent elsewhere, the prices in the cafe is daylight robbery - a cornish pasty £3.25, and the hides are not very practicle - concrete floors and ill positioned windows - too high for angled scopes.  Thirst did get the better of me so a cup of tea and a cake (£3.00ish), and I sat in the window and scanned the reserve for a few minutes.  I saw Oystercatcher, Herring Gull, Mute Swan, Wigeon, Shoveler, mallard, Coot, Lapwing, Avocet, Chaffinch, Starling, Little Egret, Stonechat and Brent Geese. 

 

 

Whilst driving around I also saw Pinf-footed Geese and Curlew.

For the past few months I have been doing tree work around the Oxley area of Wolverhampton on the canal network.  Whilst working I have also been spotting and have conjured up a nice little list.  Grey Heron (which is seen daily sitting on various bridges looking for food), Sparrowhawk, Magpie, Black-headed Gull, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Kingfisher, Mallard, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Carrion Crow, Buzzard, Blackbird, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Greater Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Wren, Robin, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Jay, Starling and Kestrel.  Not a bad list.  Today I had great views of the Sparrowhawk.  I see it most days and today it flew into a few trees opposite us and it settled in a tree where I watched it for about twenty minutes untill it flew off.

After the rain Saturday evening and Sunday morning, I was expecting the same levels of flooding as in June and July last year.  Fortunately the road was open and there was only about six inches of flooding along the track.  From the car park to the hide I saw Moorhen, Coot, Canada Geese, Black-headed Gull, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Bullfinch, Redwing, Blackbird, Dunnock, and Wigeon.  Some heavy rain forced me into the hide and from there I saw Wigeon, Teal, Lapwing, Shoveler, Pied Wagtail and Pochard.  I thought I would go and check out the East Hide as that would be definately underwater but I didn't know how much.  As I passed under the bridge, I looked to the right and saw about 400 Lapwing, Black-headed Gulls, and about 150 Golden Plover all resting and feeding around the floods.  I didn't want to upset them so watched from the tunnul for a few minutes and then made my way back to the car.

Croxall GP. 

 

For the last few months I have been concentrating on areas which could possibly hold Water Rail.  I have been checking the reeds near the car park which look the most promising.  Anyway I heard Mr and Mrs Hunt have beaten me and have located a Water Rail on site.  Fantastic.  It was seen in the ditch as you walk under the railway bridge on the left hand side.  Keep an eye out people.  Well done Mr and Mrs Hunt.

 

 

Caspian Gull at Stubbers Green and Chasewater, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (which does not exsist) at Alvecote Pools along with two Firecrest.  Red-necked Grebe , Smew Great-northern Diver and Slavonian Grebe at Chasewater.

Unfortuately I had a rather busy day today as well as being on call so I was limited to a visit to Croxall.  The last couple of weeks the wildfowl numbers have been much lower than during November so I opted for just a walk around.  From the car park I saw Dunnock, Coot, Moorhen and Tufted Duck.  Walking up to and around the Main Hide I saw Goldeneye, Mallard, Blackbird, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Redwing, Great-crested Grebe, Pochard, Teal, Robin, Canada Geese, Black-headed Gull, Lapwing, Shoveler, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Starling, Wigeon, Redshank, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Carrion Crow, Bullfinch and Cormorant.

Through to the east side and I added Chaffinch, Rook, Herring Gull, Fieldfare, and Lesser Black-backed Gull.  A warning if you are thinking of visiting the reserve in the next couple of days.  There has been some flooding on site and of Saturday lunch time, the pools were rising but there was access almost everywhere.  The east side is limited as the streams have burst and are flowing into the pool.  This is written Sunday morning and my folks were on the way to Tamworth and the Croxall road was closed due to major flooding so I will be paying a visit after completing this blog.  

I decided to have a late afternoon walk around Croxall instead of gull watching at Chasewater.  I noted Teal, Tufted Duck, Coot, Mallard and Blue Tit from the car park, Magpie, Great-crested Grebe, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Pochard, Goldeneye, wigeon, Chaffinch, Kestrel and Redshank upto and around the Main Hide.  Through to the east side and I only added Carrion Crow, Starling, Rook, and Jackdaw.  Back through to the main side and I got a brief glance of a Little Egret as it flew over the main pool and towards the pits at Catholme. 

I just wanted to visit this pool tucked away at the far side of the arboretum but easily accessed from the Alrewas GP.  There is a large sandy area which attracts quite a few waders.  I saw a few Golden Plover fly from this area the previous day.  I saw Black-headed Gull, Grey Heron, Redshank, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Great-crested Grebe, Kestrel and Robin.

Popped in to have a look what was on and around the lake and got a bit of a suprise.  I saw Bullfinch, Blue Tit, Magpie, Wigeon and Tufted Duck as I entered, Little Grebe, Robin, Black-headed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Teal, Wood Pigeon, Blackbird, Great-crested Grebe, Coot and Mallard as I walked along.  I visited the Junction Pool on the arboretum and walked back through Alrewas GP and added Meadow Pipit, Wren, and found at least three Chiffchaffs feeding in the hedges.  I am sure there could be more as there seemed to be warblers everywhere but at only one time I counted three.  Also other species may be present.  These were showing along the hedge as you approach the sewage works.  They ranged from the hedge adjacent to the pool to the hedge and scrub as you walk away from the a38 towards the sewage works.  Well worth another visit.    

Another visit, another dog walk and another busy day but it was sunny and I fancied a bit of digi-scoping.  That failed but I did see some birds.  Robin, Long-tailed Tit, Moorhen, Canada Geese, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Blue Tit, Tufted Duck, Great-crested Grebe, Cormorant, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Mute Swan, Greylag Geese, Herring Gull, Wigeon, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Pochard, Wren, Magpie, Chaffinch, Wood Pigeon, Coal Tit and Dunnock all present.

After a bit of work I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon walking around the resevoir and watch the gull roost.  I had a quick scan from the south shore and spotted Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Coot, and Great-crested Grebe.  I walked around past the water ski club up towards Jeffrey's Swag and there was a cracking Slavonian Grebe showing incredibly well - about ten foot off the path at times.  I also picked up Reed Bunting, Magpie, Wren, Herring Gull, Robin, Wood Pigeon, Starling, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Lapwing, Pied Wagtail, Mute Swan and Cormorant.  I had a look over Jeffreys Swag as the Smew had been reported there.  A few of us had a look but couldn't find it but there was Goldeneye, Coot, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Wood Pigeon, Lesser Black-back Gull, and Goosander.  Back on the resevoir and I walked back to the south shore to watch the incoming gulls.  Now, as some of you will know, my gull id is rubbish, and the thought of looking through thousands of gulls is incredibly daunting, BUT, and you are going to be suprised by this, I think I am starting to enjoy it!!!!  I came to the gull roost on the 2nd and today and it was quite enjoyable and I will be making more appearances.  Anyway birds seen were Great Black-back Gull, Lesser Black-back Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, and the bird I have been making these appearances for, a CASPIAN GULL.  There has been a few in the area for some time and I have wanted to see one but I decided to wait for the new year when it became recognised as a seperate species.  I will thank Martyn Yapp (Blurred Birder) as he found it for me and showed me how to id it.  Cheers mate.