Alrewas Birder

I went down a bit late to check on the gull roost.  A quick scan around produced 11 Wigeon, 74 Tufted Duck, 23 Mallard, 1 Pochard, 2 Teal, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Black-headed Gull, and 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over.  No roost could be seen from the usual point and the Lesser black-backed Gulls hovered, thought about landing, then flew away.  With no point of hanging around I headed down the road to check out the swans.  This time last year we had the first Whooper Swan.  No luck so far with just 108 Mute Swans.  Other birds included Carrion Crow, Wren, Lapwing and 2 Grey Heron. 

After a trip to see the fantastic Brown Shrike, it was a weekend of trailer repairs, pyrotechnics, beer, lack of sleep, recovery, furniture removals, resting and football, no more birding was done.  I have a mini-trip planned for next weekend, depending on the weather, and I will be checking the gull roost again at Whitemoor.

I thought it was about time to add another great bird to my slowly increasing life list.  The Brown Shrike had been very showy down near Heathrow for some time now.  I had a lot of work to do today but I decided to have an early start and get there, see the bird then head back unless something else en-route turns up.  On the way down and way back I saw several Red Kites, my first for the year.  I got on site, made the treck up a very muddy footpath, over the boardwalk and a few birders were already there watching the bird.  I set the scope up and the cracking BROWN SHRIKE was in a nearby bush.  It was skulking around the bottom of the bush before showing on a branch were a got a few photos.  It then flew into another bush before being flushed by some dog walkers.  It flew over the back of this site and was just visible.  I hung around but it never came back close.  It was a great bird and very special for me as it was my 300th bird ever.  I have never done birding abroad except on the Bay of Biscay when we did four hours near Santiurzi before getting back on the ship, hence my UK list being 8 behind my all time list.  Whilst there I also noted Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Wren, Chaffinch, Wood Pigeon, Dunnock, Robin, Black-headed Gull, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Moorhen, Ring-necked Parakeets which I enjoyed watching them whizz around the site but they could become annoying day in and day out, Skylark, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Starling, Magpie, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Fieldfare, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Jay.   

I had about half an hour before going to work when my mom came home from a walk around Whitemoor.  She said a load of swans were on the fields by Sittles farm.  I decided to go and have a look as there have been a few Bewick's Swans as well as Whooper Swans reported in the area.  On site and I counted 71 Mute Swans only.

 

 

Back for the gull roost but first I popped to see if the swans were still around.  I counted 90 Mute Swans.  Over to the lake and I noted Starlings, jackdaw, Magpie, Wren, Carrion Crow, 63 Tufted Duck, 1 Canada Goose it was swimming and showed signs of a damaged wing and was generally in an odd shape, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Goldeneye, 96 Pochard, 2 Mute Swan, 5 Mallard, 11 Wigeon, Wood Pigeon, c250 Black-headed Gull, c200 Lesser Black-backed Gull, and several Herring Gulls heard.  For those of you who dont know this pool, only half can be seen.  The pool is in the shape of an L with the short bit seen from the road and the long bit going around the quarry which is out of bounds.  Tonight, the gulls were slowly drifting out of site.  I managed to get into a position where I could see the flock before they started to dissapear, to count them.  Once they were out of sight, I came home but I could still see plenty of birds voming in so my figures could be well lowere than the actual number.  I also noticed a lot more ducks were round the corner.  A proper count can only be done with access and there is no chance in that department.  

I had a meeting down warwick this morning so early start at Draycote Water to hopefully add Lesser Scaup to the year list.  The rain was a pain but it stopped on my arrival and I headed straight for Toft Bay as this is the place the bird has usually been seen.  I did not do a full birdwatch as I did not have much time but I did note Blue Tit, Blackbird, Wood Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Coot, Mallard, Grey Wagtail, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Chaffinch, Little Grebe, Pied Wagtail, Tufted Duck, Rock Pipit, Great-crested Grebe, Gadwall, Meadow Pipit, Goldeneye, Teal, lesser Black-backed Gull and Wigeon.  I did several scans over the Tufted Duck flock but could not locate the Lesser Scaup.  There was a good size group of Tufties over by the Valve Tower but I did not have time to get over there.

 

 

I got down to Whitemoor just as it was getting dark to check out the gull flock.......and had a massive shock.  Not one gull was on the water.  First of all, birds noted were Wren, Tufted Duck 44, Robin, Pochard 49, Wigeon 22, Carrion Crow, Mallard 10, Teal 4, Black-headed Gull couple flying over, Canada Geese see end of write-up, Yellowhammer 2, Magpie, Blackbird and twenty Lesser Black-backed Gulls that flew over the pit, circled then flew off.  Thanks.  I don't know whether work at the quarry had scared off the birds but nothing was on the water at all.  I am just hoping they were around the corner.  The single Canada Goose has been seen in the same place for the last three nights, on the left hand side of the lake.  It is hiding in deep grass and I fear this bird could be a victim of careless shooting.  Yes, I know it is only a Canad Goose but it is still a living creature.  I am not against shooting.  I have shot many birds in the past and have stalked many deer with a friend of mine (legally of course), and I am looking forward to shooting one myself soon.  What I hate is the hunters who shoot just to get rid of the birds.  They don't collect them up, they lie and rot.  If they are injured then they become fox fodder.  When I lived on my own in Wales I virtually lived on venison, pigeon, pheasant, teal and rabbit.  Cost?  Nothing.  Taste?  Beautiful.  I hope this goose proves me wrong and flies off soon.   Rant over.