Newbridge,
October 2nd
2017
A
superb summer
ends
with
two new species
Officially
it's now autumn, most of our summer breeding migrant birds are
leaving or have left us, and the first of the winter visitors are
starting to arrive. As the leaves start to turn and the nights draw
in, it's a good time to survey what's been an
excellent summer,
including a couple of local “firsts” and an addition to the
Smestow Valley's list of breeding species . . .
Spring and early summer
migrants provided Dunstall Park with a
good run of Whinchat,
Northern
and Greenland
Wheatear, plus
Yellow Wagtail,
Sand Martin,
Garden Warbler,
Lesser Whitethroat,
Willow Warbler,
Common Sandpiper
and Green Sandpiper.
An
Oystercatcher flew
from the racecourse lake on 2/5, a female
Pintail
was at the lake from 1/5 to 13/5, fifteen
Greylag
geese were on Dunstall Park on 25/5 and a male Pheasant
was at the same site on 13/4. Migrant species seen elsewhere in the
valley included two Common
Tern
at Pool Hall on 1/5, and a single bird of the same species flying up
the 21 canal locks by the racecourse on 27/6. Breeding warblers
seemed to have had a good summer along the valley, with Blackcap,
Chiffchaff
and Whitethroat
numbers
on or above average, while Dunstall Park provided the first local
record of nesting Reed
Warbler.
At least four of these migrant birds had appeared suddenly at the
lake in June last year, possibly as a result of traditional nest
sites in the region being flooded out, and although two were seen
mating, there was no proof of nesting.
This summer, most likely one of last year's males was heard singing
at the lake in late April, and
by
mid-July a pair had produced at least two fledged youngsters. The
species is known for its site fidelity, so hopes are high birds will
return to the racecourse in 2018. Other Dunstall Park breeding
species included Pied
Wagtail,
House
Sparrow,
House Martin,
Swallow,
Rook,
Grey
Wagtail,
Coot
and
Little
Grebe.
Blue Tit
and Great Tit
successfully fledged from nest boxes put up along the western side of
the racecourse, juveniles made up the vast majority of 60-plus
visiting Jackdaw,
seen and heard in trees along the same boundary on 19/6, and a young
Green
Woodpecker
was seen feeding on Dunstall Park in July and August. Young Linnet
from nests on the sloping grass fields just north of the Birmingham
Canal locks foraged along drainage ditches on the racecourse in June,
and juvenile Chaffinch,
Greenfinch,
Bullfinch
and Goldfinch
were seen in the north west corner of the site near Aldersley canal
junction. The
racecourse was
visited by a Kingfisher
throughout July, and in early August the
lake provided
a touch of Africa with the appearance of a Village
Weaver,
the
second record for the species on the valley's
list of aviary escapes.
Pick
of the raptors
Elsewhere
along the valley a mild winter and damp spring boosted Goldcrest,
Song Thrush
and Blackbird
numbers, with other breeding species including Moorhen,
Mallard,
Woodpigeon,
Stock Dove,
Swift,
Mistle
Thrush,
Starling,
Jay,
Crow,
Nuthatch,
Great Spotted
Woodpecker
and Treecreeper.
A pair of Great
Crested Grebe
raised three youngsters at Pool Hall lakes, single singing Reed
Bunting
were heard near the towpath east of Mopps Farm canal bridge in April
and at Dunstall Park lake in early May, and
two Corn
Bunting
were on phone wires near Mopps Farm on 16/5.
The
valley's first proof of attempted breeding by Rose-ringed
Parakeet
came when a pair were seen mating and attending a nest hole from
February until early April. The female was fed in the hole by the
male, but he disappeared in late March, and his mate deserted the
site soon afterwards.
Tawny
Owl
were heard calling at traditional nesting areas, Buzzard
pairs maintained valley territories, their young heard and seen daily
in August during their first tentative flights over nesting sites
(eight birds were seen from the racecourse circling together over
Oxley/Pendeford on 19/8), and Sparrowhawk
juveniles sparred
with Magpie
and other corvids, twisting and turning low over the trees in late
summer as they honed their flying skills. Kestrel
records were intermittent, but single birds were seen near Mopps Farm
and over Aldersley and the racecourse in April, and over the Compton
barleyfield in May, and a Peregrine
flew north eastwards over Aldersley/Oxley on 3/5. Pick of the
raptor reports involved a Red
Kite seen
from Newbridge
circling
with a Buzzard over Lower Street/Lower Green in a cloudless sky on
the afternoon of 17/6, then moving south westwards and disappearing.
There have been sporadic local reports of this charismatic species
since the valley's first sighting, a Welsh-tagged bird over Newbridge
on 5/5/1996. Pairs are now nesting in Shropshire, and it can be only
a matter of time before birds move into South Staffordshire, as the
species continues to spread eastwards.
Mid
and late-summer movements brought Lapwing
to
Dunstall Park, with numbers peaking at 28 on 10/7, and a run of
Little Ringed
Plover
to the racecourse lake (two adults and two juveniles were seen on
1/7). Other lake records included adult and juvenile
Grey Heron,
a male Tufted
Duck
on 10/7, a small number of Shoveler
in mid-August, with Teal
numbers building to 13 on 25/9 and 15-plus Snipe
present
on the same date. A pair of Gadwall
visited the lake on 10/9, a Greenshank
circled the site before leaving south westwards on 1/9, and at least
90 Meadow
Pipit
flew over the racecourse in the same direction on 14/9. Two Sedge
Warbler
were at the lake on 1/9, a migrating
Hobby
was seen from Dunstall Park catching a herundine over the Farndale
housing estate on 28/8, eight Cormorant
moved northwards over the racecourse on 28/8, and a Tree
Pipit was
seen by the lake on 22/8.
Chance
of nesting
Two
of the valley's top sightings of the year so far came with a Little
Egret
seen briefly at the racecourse lake on 7/7, only the second-ever
record for the site, and a single Curlew
flying north westwards from the central grass area of the racecourse
on 9/8. Both of these records came from Gareth Clements, who then
surpassed them by finding two new species for the Smestow Valley in
ten days, both at Dunstall Park. The first, a bird more often heard
than seen, was watched at the lake on the morning of 26/8, flying to
and from the island. The valley's first CETTI'S
WARBLER
was harassed constantly by a Reed Warbler before it eventually
disappeared into what has become perfect habitat for its furtive
lifestyle, and was not seen again. Vegetation around the lake now
provides it with good
breeding
conditions, and with the spread of the species across the region in
recent years, there's a chance of nesting in the future. Species
number 183 for the valley, an EGYPTIAN
GOOSE,
flew on to the central grass area from the west on 5/9, to join a
group of Greylag. It was seen visiting the site for the next week
with presumably the same group of geese.
The
central grass area of the racecourse attracts gulls in late summer
and throughout the autumn and winter, sometimes to forage but mostly
to preen and rest. Good numbers of juveniles are among Lesser
Black-backed Gulls
which have bred in the city, and these, combined with visitors of the
same species from other urban breeding sites and elsewhere, combined
to produce counts of more than 200 birds on 6/9. Other records
included c.360 Black
headed Gull on
27/8 and 14 Herring
Gull on
6/9. The racecourse was visited by a juvenile Yellow-legged
Gull
through July, August and September, and an adult was noted there on
6/9. Mediterranean
Gull
are now annual visitors to Dunstall Park, with at least two adults
and an immature seen throughout the late summer this year. Other
birds seen foraging on the central grass included 38 Mistle
Thrush
on 8/8, with Greylag
totals reaching 24 on 4/9, and 264 Canada
Goose
counted on the same day.
Recent records have included a
sub-song surprise from a Skylark over Dunstall Park on 9/8
(the species nested on the site before its redevelopment in the
1990s) and three chat species on the morning of 25/9 at the
racecourse: a juvenile Redstart on the lake fence alongside a
Whinchat and near to a Wheatear foraging on the central
grass.
(Dunstall
Park is a restricted commercial site. Access is strictly
controlled.)
Mute family moves in a mysterious way . . .
Last
year witnessed the sad demise of Mute Swan youngsters at Dunstall
Park as the adult
pair abandoned
the site following predation of cygnets, possibly by foxes.
Presumably the same breeding pair reappeared at the lake in March
this year, and by late June five youngsters were feeding on
the lake with
the adults. Falling water levels were giving cause for concern, and
plans were drawn up for experts to try to catch the birds and
transfer them to the neighbouring canal. However, nature took its
own course, and on either 16/7or 17/7 the adults and all five
non-fledged cygnets somehow made their way from the lake to the
safety of the canal where they were seen happily feeding between
Newbridge and Compton. How
they navigated their way through hedges and security fences remains a
mystery.
Butterflies
feature in a year of 'firsts'
The Smestow Valley's
invertebrates list increased this year when two new species of
butterfly were recorded in late summer. The first, a Marbled
White, was seen on 8/7 and 9/7 on a grass slope by the Smestow
brook culvert at Dunstall Park lake. The second, a White-letter
Hairstreak, was watched feeding on a budleia bush in a garden by
Newbridge playingfield on 25/7. No fewer than 14 butterfly species
were recorded on 18/7 at the racecourse and along the Staffs &
Worcs Canal.
