Newbridge, January 17^th 2018

Year ended on a high

The new year's under way, so let's round off the old one with some notable sighting from December, a month which reflected one of the Smestow Valleys' best-ever 12 months for records of resident and visiting birds . . .

The cold snap mid-month was perhaps too short to produce any discernible bird movements into the valley, but the subsequent thaw meant that melting snow and a few days of rain did raise water levels at Dunstall Park lake. Single Goosander were visitors on 19^th and 22nd, three Jack Snipe were recorded on 16^th, and the last day of the year saw counts of 40 Teal, 12 Snipe and two Lapwing. Green Sandpiper records of two birds flying south westwards over the racecourse on 1^st and a bird at the lake on 31^st showed once more how the valley has become an annual wintering passage area for the species. Three Shoveler flew south westwards over the racecourse on 17^th, three Skylark went northwards over the same site on 16^th and a Mute Swan pair swam in thin ice on the lake on 28^th. Other Dunstall Park records included 28 Greylag geese foraging on the central grass area on 16^th, two Grey Heron at the lake on 31^st, nine foraging Rook on 31^st, and c.50 Crow on the last day of the year, some of which kept watch on a light-plumaged Buzzard perched near the school perimeter fence.

Elsewhere along the valley the cold snap brought Goldcrest and Nuthatch into a Newbridge garden, a Treecreeper was in Newbridge wood on 9^th, Bullfinch were recorded at Newbridge and Compton Park, a Raven flew low over Castlecroft Lane on 30^th, Jay were reported from Newbridge, Compton and the racecourse, and the winter's largest Siskin flock was seen on 6^th when c.30 birds fed in alders on the edge of Compton Park. Records from the southern end on the valley included a male Shoveler on the dam lake at Pool Hall on 3^rd, a Little Owl perched near Mops Farm on 30^th, a Kestrel hovering north of Mops Farm on 3^rd, and 40-plus Stock Dove foraging on fields north east of Mops Farm on 30^th (a bird displayed over Newbridge wood on 6^th). A mixed flock of foraging birds on fields near the Smestow brook north of Mops Farm on 30^th included at least 60 Redwing, 30-plus Fieldfare and 100-plus Starling.

The valley's run of wintering warblers continued, with a Chiffchaff caught at Dunstall Park on 2^nd found to have been ringed previously in Belgium. Other single Chiffchaff were at the racecourse lake on 1^st and 16^th, another was seen there on 28^th, and one foraged on the racecourse bank of the Staffs & Worcs Canal in freezing weather on 12th. At least two Little Grebe were on the canal between Compton and Aldersley throughout the month, a Grey Wagtail foraged along the Smestow brook by Aldersley stadium on 12^th, a Mistle Thrush sang at Newbridge on 24^th, eight Collared Dove were in a tree near Castlecroft canal bridge on 3^rd, a Tawny Owl called by Newbridge playingfield on the night of 28^th and a Mute Swan pair with three youngsters was on the canal at Newbridge on 9^th.

(Dunstall Park is a restricted commercial site.  Access is strictly controlled.)