Look to the Skies!!!!

Saturday 17th August 2013

It's time once more to witness one of the Midlands's great natural events!!!!

Smestow Valley LNR supports a great amount of resident birds as well as Summer visitors too. It Offers Winter refuge to species as diverse as Goosander, Blackcap and Water Rail.

However the valley has another important purpose for our avian friends. Every Autumn tens of thousands of birds pass over the reserve.

It is generally accepted that most birds try to avoid flying over built up areas. Therefore birds heading South in Autumn hit the Wolverhampton and Birmingham conurbation and choose to skirt round it. The fact that Smestow Valley is a green corridor running roughly North to South, serves to channel birds further.

Birds also search for landmarks and even our local Canada Geese can be seen flying onto and then along the valley to their feeding grounds. (Wood Pigeons can be seen doing it every morning too on their way to South Staffordshire food sources).

Castlecroft canal bridge and the top of The Barleyfield offer excellent viewpoints to watch this annual miracle taking place. You have to set the alarm, because often, the most dramatic movements are over within two hours of sunrise.

Swift are usually the first to be noticeable. Over the next week or so (subject, as always, to weather) passing numbers will peak. Last year they peaked on 23rd August with 63 passing over the Barleyfield (The valley record stands at 200 over the racecourse in August 2006). By month end the vast majority will have gone.

Into September and next it's the turn of the Swallows and House Martins. Numbers are highly variable, depending on weather and, especially, wind strength and direction.Last year Swallow numbers peaked at 204 over the Barleyfield on 23rd September with 115 House Martin passing through two days later. Historically the valley records stand at 1,050 Hirundines (Swallow and Martin) in one hour on 27th September 1999 and c400 House Martin over the racecourse on 28th September 1997. By the end of the first week of October most of these Summer migrants have gone.

At the same time Meadow Pipit are on the move, from upland breeding grounds to Winter feeding areas. We had an exceptionally early individual here last week, but it's usually the start of September, when these small, weak flying birds start to pass. They seem to like to fly against a light Southerly breeze and ideal conditions meant that numbers peaked at an impressive 264 over The Barleyfield on 30th September last year, beating the previous record of 165 that flew over the Racecourse on 21st September 2003.

If sheer numbers turn you on then look up to the skies in October. Woodpigeon are moving South in massive numbers, whilst Starling, Redwing and Fieldfare arrive from the continent. On 1st November 2006 no less than 9,700 Woodpigeon flew over Castlecroft Bridge, not only blowing apart valley records, but also setting the record for the most seen during a single census at or over any location in the West Midlands.As a recent marker, 1,496 passed over The Barleyfield on 26th October last year.

These days it's rare to see good numbers of Starling on the deck in the valley, so the fact that 730+ were seen over Castlecroft Bridge in November 2006 was pleasing. Another West Midlands record was broken on 27th October 2006 when 4,380 Redwing passed over the site. In the same year 663 Fieldfare passed over, one morning.

We must not just see our LNR as being important, solely for breeding birds. Thousands of migrating birds use the valley for safe passage. If there is a sudden change in weather that forces birds down, the shelter and variety of food sources on the reserve allows them to rest and refuel before continuing on their incredible journeys.

for those interested, there is a link on the right to Kevin Clements's records of migration ("Trektellen- Smestow Valley Visible Migration")

N.B. Dunstall Park Racecourse is private land.