A lovely sunny morning

10th April 16            morning                south section

sunny & warm, 6-12°c,   1007 mb,  SE 8-13 mph

But nothing special bird wise.  Plenty of buzzards soaring everywhere, Kestrel and a singing skylark was good to see. Not many small songsters noted. Pool Hall res only viewed from dam. No little owl ( or tree pipit, white wag ,red kite or peregrine that Gazz had yesterday ).

Great Crested Grebe	2	Pool Hall
Grey Heron	1	Perton Mill Fields
Canada Goose	3	Pool Hall
Mallard	few	Pool Hall
Tufted Duck	c10	Pool Hall
Buzzard	plenty	South Staffs area
Kestrel	1♀ over	Perton Mill Fields
Coot	1+	Pool Hall
Lapwing	1	Bridgenorth Rd fields
Lesser Black Backed Gull	odds over	South Staffs area
Green Woodpecker	Calls	Wightwick Fields
Skylark	1 singing	Pool Hall
Pied Wagtail	2♂	Perton Mill Fields
Wren	song	Wightwick Fields
Dunnock	song	Wightwick Fields
Chiffchaff	song	Wightwick Fields
Jackdaw	few	Perton Mill Fields
Raven	2	Perton Mill Fields
House Sparrow	few	Small Holdings
Chaffinch	song	Wightwick Fields
Greenfinch	song	Wightwick Fields

North to Aldersley

8th January 16,         morning            north section

partly sunny,    4-7 °c,   996 mb,   S 8-10 mph

 North again today. The treecreeper still at Double Pennant in the same trees as 21/12 also there at least two coal tit after one on the feeders by Newbridge Boat moorings and a nuthatch calling over the canal in Newbridge wood. A great tit singing here was the only species in song apart from the robins. On the Smestow as it runs between Hawthorn Wood and the gardens of houses on Aldersley Rd I found the dull grey wagtail that Ian's been having recently. Four lapwing flew west off Dunstall Park and over the canal ( there's usually a good sized flock on DP so its strange they are so uncommon in the surrounding areas ). The single mute swan was near Meccano bridge and between here and Oxley Moor Rd there were five little grebe including the two with remains of summer plumage.

Little Grebe	5	S&W canal
Mute Swan	1	S&W Canal just N Meccano bridge
Lapwing	4 over	Dunstall Park
Black Headed Gull	c50	Aldersley Field
Grey Wagtail	1 dull	Smestow behind Hawthorn Wood
Robin	10 singing	north section
Song Thrush	1	Newbridge wood
Long Tailed Tit	1+	Double Pennant
Coal Tit	3+	north section
Great Tit	1 singing	Double Pennant
Nuthatch	calls	Newbridge wood
Treecreeper	1	Double Pennant
Jay	1	Hawthorn Wood
Rook	2+	Dunstall Park  Oaks rookery
Greenfinch	1	Newbridge boats feeder

A race around Dunstall Park

22nd December 15           morning              Dunstall Park

dull & cloudy,  13°c,   1006 mb,  SE 25 mph

 Don't tell Angus but I've been trespassing on Dunstall Park. Got my timing wrong though as there was a race meeting, which meant I only had an hour on site. Not to worry a quick walk to the pool was all I needed, one circuit round and i'm done. Plenty of gulls c500 mostly black headed, 24 canada geese ( and another two on the pool) a flock of c200 starling ( so this is were they all are ) and c60 lapwing  on the grass. On the water 2 shoveler, 13 teal, 3 coot, 1 moorhen and more gulls. Then a rush back to the hotel before I was trampled by racing horses.

Canada Goose	26	Dunstall Park
Teal	13	Dunstall Park
Shoveler	2♂	Dunstall Park
Moorhen	1	Dunstall Park
Coot	3	Dunstall Park
Lapwing	c60	Dunstall Park
Black Headed Gull	c500	Dunstall Park
Lesser Black Backed Gull	present	Dunstall Park
Song Thrush	1 singing	Dunstall Park
Starling	c200	Dunstall Park

The May blossom is appearing but it feels like March

2nd May 15             mid morning              mid section

Overcast,cold,  5-7°c,  1011mb,  ESE  13mph

The cold easterly is unpleasant but it may have gifted us a few passing migrants.Blackcaps and whitethroats are more evident and a flyover lapwing is new for the year in this part of the valley.

Mallard		No sign of any brood
Moorhen		pr building nest Prefabs area
Lapwing	1 >> over NE	Barleyfield
Stock Dove	1 >> over N	Barleyfield
Grey Wagtail	1	Smestow Bridge
Wren	13 singing	mid section
Dunnock	6 singing	mid section
Robin	12 singing	mid section
Blackbird	3 singing	mid section
Mistle Thrush	4 (1 singing)	mid section
Whitethroat	4 singing	Barleyfield
Blackcap	14 singing	mid section
Chiffchaff	8 singing	mid section
Long Tailed Tit	2 pair	mid section
Great Tit	4 singing	mid section
Jay	2	mid section
Jackdor	10+	Barleyfield
Chaffinch	2 ( 1 singing )	mid section
Greenfinch	1 singing	Meadow View
Goldfinch	2	Meadow View

Those beaky boys are back, and the Gareth transfer is complete . . .

Dunstall Park

Summer's over, we're in early September, and things are relatively quiet, with few migrants to report and some wintering species beginning to appear.  The lake is still attracting Green Sandpiper (two were present today, 12/9), single Yellow Wagtail (30/8 and 5/9) have been foraging on the central grass area with good numbers of Pied Wagtail (42 on 5/9), Northern Wheatear have been seen along the grass-sided drainage ditches (Mick from the ground staff saw two on 26/8 and one on 8/90), and the racecourse's second Spotted Flycatcher for the year was present on 11/9 in the north western corner, an area which is attracting small  numbers of  Chiffchaff and Blackcap to banks of elders and bramble, with  Blackbird, Song Thrush and Bullfinch also taking advantage of a bumper berry crop.  Barn Swallow are still present, with late-brood youngsters born in the stables now sitting on the race rails waiting for parents to bring food (ten or more birds were present today, 12/9)  or flying upwards to be fed in mid-air by the adults.  Some House Martin have left, but good numbers still hawk over the lake, where the odd late Common Whitethroat can be seen moving through bushes above the water's edge and single adult and juvenile Grey Heron stand motionless on the island or on the top of the grass banks.  A winter-plumaged Little Grebe was seen briefly on 9/9,  at least ten Coot are still present after their best-ever breeding year at the site, along with three broods of Moorhen, the youngsters varying in age from sooty spindly-legged chicks to adult-size juveniles.  A surprise visitor in the form of a single adult Cormorant has been seen daily at the lake since 5/9 (fourteen  birds flew south westwards over the site on 5/9),  and duck totals have been rising, with up to seven Teal and increasing nubers of Shoveler (17 on 12/9)  feeding and resting as they emerge from eclipse (at least 40 Mallard flew on to the lake to roost at dusk on 20/8).  Lapwing numbers have dropped away, but 15 were at the lake on 28/8,  and single Grey Wagtail have been seen and heard flying to and away from the lake.  And, reappearing after their summer absence, Common Snipe stand and preen almost invisible against the yellow and brown vegetation around the base of the island.  These are some of Dunstall's winter stars, either probing mechanically with their long bills along the margins of the lake or venturing out to forage on the central grass area among flocks of Black-headed Gull (200-plus on 5/9), Lesser Black-backed Gull (50 on 10/9) and Starling (c.100 on 9/9).  Conditons at the lake are now perfect for Snipe, but it remains to be seen whether numbers this coming winter will exceed the astonishing total of  107 birds seen in the lake area on January 8th 2006.  The 16 seen today (12/9) provide a good start.  Elsewhere, a flock of  eleven Mistle Thrush on the central grass on 30/8 show that the species has had a good breeding season following a run of relatively dry and difficult years for thrushes in general.  At least one juvenile Common Buzzard is still present, its by-now ragged parents less frequently in attendance, on 5/9 there was the surprise sight of a male Kestrel perched on a TV tower (a welcome appearance of a species that until 2010 bred annually in the nearby oak copse), and on 20/8 a Tawny Owl called at dusk from the direction of the canal and Aldersley Stadium.

It has been confirmed that Gareth Clements has completed a late-window transfer to the Smestow Valley.  His name in the signing-in book at the racecourse last week brings to an end months of speculation as to whether a deal had been done, but it seems a couple of Double Decker choc bars and a packet of Polos was enough to lure freelance Gareth away from the more remote Black Country fringes and return to where he first cut his teeth as a young birder.  Clayhanger visitors were tight-lipped today, but it's clear they've lost a top man, and they'll be watching to see what he kicks up on his old patch.  No need to kiss the badge, Gareth.  Welcome back. 

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


      




       







 






       

ALWAYS THE HEADLINER, ENTER, 

STAGE LEFT, THE GREY ASSASSIN

Dunstall Park, August 22nd

09.30 to 10.45, close, dull, calm, warm.



There are preparations for a rock concert near the grandstand, the stage is being set up and large trucks are disgorging sound equipment, lights and other gear (it seems Scouting For Girls are to perform after the evening race meeting.  I was half expecting lines of tents, with fresh-faced youngsters washing in cold water and practising reef knots).  The roadies haven't long started, so there's time for a look at the lake before sound checks make things difficult.  It's all quiet, three female Teal sleep near the island, adult Moorhen shepherd  two broods of chicks feeding along the shoreline, a single Lapwing stands in the shallows, while a Grey Wagtail and a juvenile Pied Wagtail pick their way round the water's edge.  Silver birches by the Smestow brook overflow weir are attracting adult and juvenile Greenfinch and Goldfinch, with single Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff flitting in and out of nearby bushes.  An adult Grey Heron glides in to join c.50 Black Headed Gull, which are bathing and preening.  A last look across the water, and there's movement on exposed mud near the island, a small bird bending forward to feed, almost certainly a Little Ringed Plover on passage.  Better check it, so bins resting on a fence post,  yes, it's an LRP, a juvenile.  OK, turn to go, when suddenly to the left a shape flashes past no more than three metres away at head height, almost touching the metal fencing, past in an instant, compact, grey, flattening out over the lake and curving upwards, something's being chased, something's flying for its life.  The unidentified quarry makes it to the oak copse, its pursuer banking away, gaining height and turning effortlessly to fly back, stiff wingbeats now almost in slow motion, other birds shooting away in all directions, gulls wheeling, calling, and Starling swirling in defensive waves.  The hunter eases its way back over the lake side, looking down and around, hooked bill, black moustache against the light side face, an adult Peregrine, powerful, intimidating, now climbing steadily away from the pandemonium it has caused,  circling higher and higher over the grandstand, its dark distinctive shape sharp against the grey-white clouds.  Two tiny dots swoop and dive around it, House Martin obeying their instincts as they try to drive it away, and the falcon eventually sets course towards the south west, flying purposefully away over the Farndale housing estate and disappearing over the edge of the city.  Judging by its size it was a probably a male, maybe even a locally bred bird, as nesting has become more and more widespread in recent years across the Birmingham/Black Country conurbation.  The species' recovery from its disasterous pesticide-induced decline in the early 1960s has been dramatic and well-documented, with cities and towns including Birmingham and Walsall now boasting nesting pairs on cathedrals, churches and other prominent buildings.  Birds are seen in all months over the Smestow Valley, and regularly hunt over neighbouring South Staffordshire and East Shropshire where pigeon-rich fields provide a reliable food source, particularly in winter.  Maybe our own city will in the not too distant future provide a home for this top predator.  Here's hoping . . .                              

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















                       

 

Here's to black roosters, white

dancers and a grebe that got away

Dunstall Park, July 2013

Sporadic and brief visits to the racecourse during July in what is normally one of the site's quieter times, so perhaps a round-up is in order, a few snapshots of a month when migrants moved, the earth burned and butterflies danced.

Families of Canada Geese walk sedately across the central grass area as the heat increases mid-morning, the procession marking the end of one of their daily grazing sessions, the thirteen gosling now virtually adult-sized, following their parents to duck under and through a hole in the lake fence.  The birds follow a path single-file through dried rough grass, down the earth bank, across the mud margins and under a burning sun they push out on to the water to rest and preen.  Their relief at being afloat again is almost palpable.

Striking, alert, with black-moustache and azure wing-flash, an adult Jay sits, watching intently from a bush at the north western corner of the racecourse.  Its attention suddenly drawn to an insect at the very tip of the branch, the bird hops forward and as its weight becomes unsupportable, delibrately falls to one side and drops, the insect flying up as the branch shakes.  Already the Jay is climbing, describing an almost perfect circle against the bright sky to snatch its prey on the way back down.  The bird settles on its original perch, and consumes its victim.  A ten-second performance from a corvid to match a Spotted Flycatcher.

Two stripe-necked juvenile Little Grebe (fledged, from another site and present from mid-month) float together on the lake preening and washing, all is calm, a female Shoveler feeds in the shallows, adult and juvenile Coot are chugging to and fro, a juvenile Grey Heron stands hunched on the island, where House Sparrow feed in stands of rosebay willowherb and adult and juvenile Starling cluster, sunning themselves against a bank of bramble.  An immature Lesser Black-backed Gull lands and floats towards the grebes. Sensing danger, one moves away as the gull lifts off and accelerates towards the sibling, its intention suddenly clear, but not to the grebe, which young and inexperienced sits motionless as its attacker homes in.  The gull twists and plunges forward, its wingtip hitting the water, there's a splash as its bill seems to touch the smaller bird, but the grebe vanishes, crash-diving at the last moment and avoiding the fate of Mallard duckling, many of which were amost certainly taken in this way earlier in the summer.  The gull shakes itself, straightens, climbs and moves off towards the city. No easy pickings this time.

The heat has been intense for days, but overnight thunderstorms are promised.  It's mid-evening on 22nd, the air is still, the atmosphere close, as a flock of at least 50 House Martin, adults and youngsters from the nesting colony on the nearby Farndale housing estate, swarm around the tops of floodlight pylons near the grandstand and Barn Swallow track back and fore low over the grass near their stables breeding site.  Three swallows perch in bushes by the edge of the lake, where a Coot still finds time to be stroppy, rushing past a single Green Sandpiper which stands motionless in the shallows (this migrant species has been dropping in at the lake throughout the month, with four birds seen on June 30th).  A Stock Dove bends forward to drink from water so still it reflects the outlines of  c.40 Lapwing clustered along the muddy margins, as a young Whitethroat flies from the base of a bush and disappears into the grass.  Dusk approaches, so it's back along the tarmac strip towards the grandstand. More than 500 dark shapes are resting, preening or foraging, black against the scorched yellow-brown grass, most of them Crows and Jackdaws, with a scattering of juvenile and adult Rooks, all drawn to this pre-roost gathering.  I leave before they do, clouds are gathering on the far horizon, the heatwave is ending.

The month is coming to a close, the storms have retreated, and at the lake it's quiet in the late morning.  The two young Little Grebe are still present, 12 Lapwing fly up as a female Sparrowhawk flaps her way across towards the Farndale, and a Green Sandpiper picks its way along the shoreline.  Flying low from the oak copse near the Water Bridge, an adult Buzzard gains height before moving purposefully towards Stockwell End, where it circles, drops and is lost to view.  It's sunny and hot, but not with the intensity of recent days, long grass and thistles along the north western edge drainage ditches stirring gently in the warm breeze as fluttering shapes move through and low above them, butterflies dancing their way from one flower to the next, a sight which was missing last year in one of the worst-ever breeding seasons for their kind.  Small Whites are here in abundance, with smaller numbers of Large Whites, Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Small Tortoiseshells.   Two newly emerged Peacocks sun themselves, "eye" wings outstretched, perfect in colour and form  (a female Common Blue was seen earlier over close-cropped grass by the lake, and in recent days Commas have appeared).  A last look upward, slender white shapes are flicking and twisting against the bright sky, a flock of ten or more Black-headed Gulls fly-catching high over the lake, drifting towards the city as they follow the insect feast.  Summer has a way to go yet . . .   

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

                       

By 'eck, Drain Swallows are back

and these two are early birds . . .

Dunstall Park

Sunday 23rd June 2013,  cool, early drizzle, clearing later, 09.40 to 10.30.

A few days away, so back to the racecourse to see what if anything is happening in one of the quietest years in three decades locally for breeding and passage bird species.  Barn Swallow flit back and fore from the open stables where their newly fledged youngsters are sheltering from the weather, and adult and juvenile Rook forage on the open grass, near to a group of Canada Geese, the 13 surviving youngsters grazing alongside their parents and other adults.  Gulls are beginning to return, with 14 adult and two immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a single second-summer Herring Gull preening and resting near to the geese before flying off towards the city.  At the lake at least ten Coot youngsters of varying sizes either stick close to their parents or are starting to find food for themselves, a female Mallard still shepherds three youngsters nearly as big as herself, and a pair of Gadwall sleep on the water near the island, the male's breeding plumage starting to fade as the summer progresses (these may have been the birds which stayed at the lake from early January until late April this year).  A male Pied Wagtail picks his way along the shoreline, near to a single Lapwing and two Green Sandpiper, the latter very possibly the birds seen at the lake six days ago on 17th.  These waders are among the first species to be seen locally on return migration, leaving their breeding grounds in northern and eastern Europe in mid-summer and flying back to their wintering quarters in Africa and western Europe.  On return passage, they and other species often stay for some time at favoured sites, and in 2010 ones and twos stopped off at Dunstall Park, sometimes lingering for periods of a week or longer, from late June through to early September, with four birds present on one occasion.  These latest visitors fed along the shallow margins before flying to a more sheltered inlet by the island, white rumps showing why their old Norfolk nickname Martin Snipe is so appropriate (other names include the intriguing Yorkshire tag of Drain Swallow, perhaps referring to the bird's liking for relatively small wetland sites such as farm ponds and rural sewage beds).  This is the second-earliest local return record for Green Sandpiper, so good to know that not everything this year has been weeks late.

Dunstall Park        

Thursday 27th June 2013, hot, broken cloud, westerly wind, 10.20 to 11.30.

Weather better, with at least 20 Jackdaw swirling and chacking their way against the wind over the western edge trees, and brief song from Chiffchaff and Blackcap near the canal junction copse.  A Chiffchaff family with at least four youngsters is in a hedge near the old pumphouse (the shale-based racetrack had to be watered regularly during hot spells in the 1990s), and Greenfinch and Common Whitethroat call from lakeside bushes.  There's a pleasant surprise in the form of three Moorhen chicks being fed by their parents along the base of the island, where 50-plus Starling, mostly juveniles, preen and sunbathe.  A single Common Buzzard wings its way heavily low along the canal towards Newbridge, at the same time as two more of its kind sweep up to circle high above Tettenhall ridge far off to the west.  Buzzard sightings will become more frequent now, with youngsters fledging or flying.  They will soon be calling continuously from exposed perches as their parents circle above, drawing them away from the security of their nest sites into the world of the adult raptor.    

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


    


 .



                

Beyond the rising flies, a graceful

grey visitor journeys onwards . . . 

Dunstall Park


Wednesday 29th May 2013, calm, cool, overcast, rain later.

The duller the day, sometimes the brighter the bird, and so it proved as 20-plus House Martin and at least three Barn Swallow hawked at the northern end of the racecourse, presumably following flies emerging from the grass, the damp conditions keeping the insects and birds low, the flocks moving back and forward just above ground level as they fed.  Behind them an indistinct shape, moving at treetop level along the Staffs & Worcs Canal  towards Aldersley junction, small-gull jizz and colour, but wing beats and wing shape wrong, so adjust the bins, and sure enough our first Common Tern for the year is clearly in focus, now altering direction and flip-flopping its way up the Birmingham Canal 21 locks towards the city, grey and white, graceful and lightweight, eventually disappearing beyond the railway viaduct and the Stafford Road.  Always a sight to lift the spirits, the species is an annual but infrequent visitor locally in mid and late summer, sometimes joining flocks of returning Black-headed Gulls on Dunstall Park or following the line of the canal to and from Pool Hall lakes just south of the Smestow Valley.  This one appeared to have a food item hanging from its bill, suggesting it may have been fishing at Pool Hall, along the canal or even at the racecourse lake (in June 2004 a pair stayed for at least three days at the lake, one presenting small fish to its mate and helping Lapwings drive Grey Herons away from the island).  Nesting has been recorded at Belvide Reservoir near Brewood and at Sheepwash Urban Park near Tipton, and with migrating birds late this year, this one may have been following the line of the Birmingham Canal to the latter site.  Whatever its destination, it's given a lift to this topsy-turvy season.  So, on to the lake itself, where Canada Goose youngsters now number 14, two pairs of Coot are feeding a total of seven chicks (at least two other pairs are still sitting), a female Grey Wagtail is picking her way along the shoreline, two Sand Martin are hawking low with at least two Swift and a small number of House Martin,  and our lone Lapwing continues its island vigil (no sign of a male Green Woodpecker which the previous Sunday (May 26th) had called loudly from lakeside bushes before dropping down to feed along the grass margins of the concrete apron below the open culvert of the Smestow brook).

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

PS.   Geoff has asked me to tell you that he heard a Common Cuckoo (sadly now a bird infrequently recorded here and in many other parts of the UK) last Sunday morning (May 26th)  from the Compton barleyfield as it called from somewhere along Tettenhall ridge.  Problems with a broadband connection while he moved house means he's been "off-screen" for more than a week.  If his internet provider gets its act together, he'll be back soon . . .               

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Loneliness of the long-wait Lapwing

Dunstall Park

Wednesday 22nd May 2013, cold northerly wind, dull.

It's bitter for the time of year, and the dearth of birds at the racecourse lake is a true reflection of one of the coldest springs ever recorded.  Some species are now sadly marked only by their absence:  the Mute Swan pair have left, the long-staying Gadwall are gone, and the Little Grebe pair have provided neither sight nor sound for around 10 days.  If they're nesting they're keeping their heads down, but I rather think they've quit the site.  Two of three Coot chicks are still being fed by adults, Canada Goose goslings number ten in total (three broods have now hatched), but there's no sign of any Mallard youngsters.  All in all a sorry state of affairs . . . but then a familiar shape on the island shows that hope can spring eternal.  A single Northern Lapwing stands bravely against the wind, half-sheltered by low vegetation, in a spring vigil that its species has kept here for the last ten years.  Lapwings first appeared at the lake only months after its creation late in 1993, and wintering flocks have visited the site annually ever since.  Numbers have fluctuated, but totals of c.500 and c.600 were noted in February of 2000 and 2002, and display flying in April and May was seen as early as 1998.  It seemed only a matter of time before breeding was attempted, and sure enough in 2002 two pairs nested, with one set of youngsters successfully fledging.  Since then at least one pair has bred annually, but success has eluded them since 2007.  Even so, birds have still turned up in late March and early April, waiting for a mate to appear, so although very late, this one is at least keeping the breeding tradition going.  Perhaps the same bird appeared briefly last month at the lake in one of the few warm breaks in the weather, but with June now fast approaching,  hopes of it pairing and nesting are fading fast. The racecourse operators always keep a 20-metre strip unmown near the lake to encourage the birds to nest, so it's fingers crossed all round.  At least ten House Martin are hawking over the lake, harsh calls from treetops at the canalside oak copse on the western edge of the site suggest young Rooks are being fed at their nests, and to the north a single Common Buzzard hovers Kestrel-like against the wind as it scans the grass slopes by the railway carriageworks for anything that moves.  With things the way they are, I wish it luck . . .           

NB.  Dunstall Park is a restricted commercial site.  Access is strictly controlled.




  

SATURDAY 27th APRIL 2013

Dunstall Park

10.00 to 11.30, cold northerly wind, broken cloud, dry.

Keep your heads down, ducklings . .

Back to the northerlies, dead as a Dodo at Aldersley/Oxley and gloves-on time (again) at Dunstall Park.  A few foraging Crow on the central grass area, and at the lake three Barn Swallow hawking as a single Lapwing flip-flops over the island before disappearing.  Two Stock Dove drink from the margins, two Moorhen pick their way along the shoreline, a Pheasant calls from the oak copse near the Water Bridge, and a pair of Little Grebe swim through the spiked grass.  Suddenly, one of these engaging little birds shoots forward, pattering across the water and creating a bow wave as it slows, a diminutive power boat followed by its mate, both calling shrilly as they pursue another two of their kind in a territorial spat which eventually ends with each pair keeping a respectful distance on opposite sides of the lake.  To have one pair nesting (they last bred here 13 years ago) would be great.  To have two pairs breeding would be a first for the valley.  Let's hope there's room enough for all.  Our Mute Swan pair, feeding quietly close to the shore, have had things all their own way since they arrived early in the year, but today seems to be confrontation time all round, and within seconds of a third bird landing at the far end of the lake, they're powering their way through the water towards the newcomer, wings arched, white galleons at full sail and primed for action.  The dull-billed juvenile, aware of the oncoming threat, clambers up the grass bank to stand near the lake fence, preening as if unconcerned, but keeping a wary eye on the resident pair.  The stand-off lasts only for a few minutes, then one of the adults decides to settle the matter, climbs the bank and forces the youngster to take off, the sound of its wingbeats fading as it lifts, circles and finally flies heavily away towards the north west.  Our birds move back across the lake, wings still arched, still in control of their kingdom, and as one pushes the spiked grass aside there's an eruption of tiny bodies skittering across the surface, ten Mallard ducklings, moving from one bank of vegetation to the next, tiny clockwork toys shepherded by their mother.  They'll find food and shelter here, but there's danger too, suddenly four adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls come in over the water, one breaking off to swoop down towards the young ducks, the mother arching herself upwards to peck at the potential predator, which veers away to follow its companions as they head off towards their city nest areas.  A close shave, but it's been that kind of a day.  Good, therefore, to hear the gentle, descending notes of a Willow Warbler singing from canalside trees.  Close you eyes and it could be summer  . . .                

NB.  Dunstall Park is a restricted commecial site.  Access is strictly controlled.

                               

the neglected north

A very different feel today (Sunday) to two days ago.
The rough ground to the North of the Birmingham canal held plenty of Blackcaps and Chiffchaff.
Between lock 19 and Tunstall water bridge had about 9 singing Blackcap + two females and maybe 8 Chiffies.  In contrast there was no sign of any Willow Warblers nor indeed any other Warblers.
Other species seen included a Mute Swan which took off from the canal and circled round to the racecourse pool which also had a calling Lapwing; A circling male Sparrowhawk which had crossed the course and another late Redwing by lock 19 and finally a flock of 10 Greylags flying south.

THURSDAY  18th APRIL 2013

Dunstall Park

Strong north westerly wind, cold, broken cloud, 10am to 11.30am.

It's always worth waiting for the waders

All the action seemed to have been at the Compton barleyfield last week, so a visit to the racecourse on Thursday seemed to be in order.  A strong wind and bright sun meant  conditions weren't easy at the lake, but almost immediately a flash of white drew attention to a small dark bird that appeared to have landed on a patch of spiked vegetation near the shoreline. The lack of exposed margins will probably mean fewer wader sightings this year, but this one had chosen to come down during its migration journey, the site's second Green Sandpiper for 2013, its white undersides clear as it stood motionless on top of what would have been open water in recent years.  Five or so minutes later I heard it call as 13 adult and three immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew up, and despite a search of the shoreline, it was not seen again.  Soon afterwards a single Lapwing left the site and headed off in its rolling jerky way low towards Newbridge. It may have been checking out the lake for others of its kind, as at least one pair of the species has nested there for many years.  Three Snipe crouching motionless on the lee side of the island brought the wader total for the morning to three species.  The strengthening wind and glittering water made it difficult to pinpoint and stay with  two Barn Swallow and a couple of House Martin as they flicked back and fore over the surface, but close attention to one bird's erratic flight action revealed a light-bellied, brown-bibbed Sand Martin, almost certainly the first record for the valley this year.  Elsewhere on the lake at least four Coot pairs were building nests, the Gadwall pair upended in the shallows and  a Little Grebe appeared briefly among vegetation in which it and its mate are almost certainly nesting. Just one pair of Teal were still present, at least three pairs of Canada Geese were sitting, and a male Reed Bunting sang from the island.  Black tail feathers sticking up from two nests in the nearby oak copse suggested two pairs of Rook were sitting, and a check soon afterwards of rookery nests further along the site's north western edge showed another two were occupied.  A male Shoveler flew high across the site towards the city, two Nuthatches called from trees near the raceourse's north western corner, and song from a Blackcap and at least three Chiffchaff showed that good numbers of migrant warblers were now arriving along the valley.  A pair of Bullfinch were among other birds bringing the number of species seen during the visit to 34.  Things are getting better . . .    

NB.  Dunstall Park is a restricted commercial site.  Access is strictly controlled.

     

                

Foot It 19th January 2012

After a week at work, the latest session of my Smestow Valley and Beyond Foot It challenge saw me heading out from home before 7.15am with everything still covered in yesterday's snow.

The Staffs & Worcs Canal was free of ice, with single Dabchick both above and below Compton. A male Kestrel was perched near to Wightwick Mill Lock, but a pattering of feet on the canal below the lock revealed a redhead Goosander heading towards the southwest - species number 66 for the month. A pair of adult Mute Swan and a total of 31 Mallard were on the canal at Wightwick, whilst a Sparrowhawk flew across Wightwick Fields.

At Pool Hall, probably the same redhead Goosander was sat with four male and a female Shoveler, 25 Coot and three immature Mute Swan on the only patch of open water. An immature Common Gull (species 67) briefly joined its Black-headed cousins, a Great Spotted Woodpecker called from neaby trees and a flock of nine Skylark flew over.

Further along the canal near Ebstree Lock, some 20 Goldfinch fed in an Alder tree and two GS Woodpecker chased each other through the trees.

Back at Wightwick Fields, at least 20 Fieldfare, nine Yellowhammer and a Kestrel were present and a flock of some 40 Lapwing flew distantly towards the southwest (species 68). A Green Woodpecker (species 69) spent several minutes in a tree by Pool Hall track before flying towards Lower Penn; shortly afterwards, presumably a second bird flew over the fields.

Whilst walking back home along the canal towpath, a flock of three adult and two immature Cormorant (species 70) came from the east before turning above Wightwick Mill Lock and departing northwards. Another pair of GS Woodpecker were in trees at the Dell. Finally, another Dabchick was on the canal by Newbridge Wood.

My original target was 70 species, which I have now reached, but I later revised it to 79 of which I have seen 89%.

SUNDAY 9th DECEMBER  (continued!!)

Dunstall Park

Common Gull  One adult, on central grass area.
(Most gulls seen at the racecourse this autumn and winter. Common Gull and Great Black-backed Gull are irregular Dunstall Park visitors). 
Rook  8 foraging on central grass area.
Woodpigeon  50-plus foraging on central grass area.
Jay  Bird flying to grass next to lake, twice dropping down to hop around a small area, eventually digging up an acorn, flying with it to bush near lake and eating it.  How do they remember?!
Teal  Three males, two females, on lake.
Moorhen  One juvenile, on lake.
Lapwing  One on lake island.
Canada Goose  One at base of lake island.