Great Minds Think Alike!

To echo Chris's thoughts, Gareth and I held our first VisMig of the season at Castlecroft Bridge on the Staffs & Worcs Canal from 5.40 to 7.40 this morning.

Highlights were a presumed family party of five Tree Sparrow flying down the valley and a Yellow Wagtail heading southeastwards. More surprising, however, was the total count of 61 Linnet heading westwards in small groups - where had they all come from?

Other counts included 365 Wood Pigeon mostly heading southwards/westwards, 217 Starling flying down the valley and 143 going towards the city centre, 39 Pied Wagtail, 18 Greenfinch and ten Chaffinch mostly flying westwards, and eight Swallow going southwards.

Other sightings included two Raven flying southwards, single Little Owl in trees by Pool Hall Lane and Kingfisher along the Smestow Brook, at least three Grey Wagtail flying along the valley and Buzzard, Red-legged Partridge and Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers in adjacent fields.

migrant update

These are sightings from the last 9 days 30 april to today
SWIFT
My first was on Sunday 5th single bird flew north into valley from Pool Hall a second bird ,or maybe 1st doubling back was over the pool 10 mins later.  Two birds were over the station at Tettenhall early on Tues 7th and 2 more over Oxley today.
WHEATEAR
10 were on the cattle field between pool hall and Perton mill farm on 30th April.
YELLOW WAGTAIL
3 (2F&1M) were with the wheatear on 30th
LESSER WHITETHROAT
A bird briefly perched on phone wire just to west pool hall and halfway to road on 30th Apr.
A bird flew across paddock on 2nd May.
WILLOW WARBLER
3 singing birds on30 April 1 NW corner Barleyfield and 2 just north of meccano.  Cross referencing with jeff confirmed different birds. Conspicuously absent since.
CHIFFCHAFF
6 birds contact calling and being very active at north end in morning then 3 singing same spot early afternoon. 3 singing birds paddocks today.
COMMON WHITETHROAT.
the odd bird each visit including one In a garden at the Chase on 3rd and the orchard 1st.
GARDEN WARBLER
Singing bird also seen 50 yds south of the fishing pool at pool hall on 30 Apr.  Another singing bird seen in paddock on 2nd May, both birds attracting attention from male Blackcaps.
Other notable sighting was Little Owl with the pair of Yellowhammers at Castle Croft bridge looking east on 5th may

Saturday 30^th March 2013

Afternoon: Cool, sunny intervals, Moderate NE, becoming calm by dusk.

South Section of reserve:Compton Park, Barleyfield then Compton to Castlecroft along canal

Little Grebe - The Summer-plumaged pair had moved to the section by The Dell

Grey Heron – one SW over Wightwick Fields

Canada Goose – 3 on the canal at castlecroft

Mallard – 14 male and 9 female South of Compton Lock

Buzzard – 2 at wightwick Fields

Moorhen – 8 south of Compton Lock

Black-headed Gull -  3 on houses at Castlecroft

Stock Dove – 2 on Compton Park wetlands site

Little Owl – My first for Smestow Valley!!! Flew out of the Oak Tree just East of Castlecroft Canal Bridge, heading low North over the paddocks and hence into the West Midlands!!! This appears to be a different territory to the Pool Hall Bird and was a most welcome addition to my “patch” list.

Grey Wagtail – a male seen at Wightwick Mill Lock headed North towards the Bridgnorth Road Petrol station, suggesting that it may be the same bird that is seen at Prefab weir and Compton. If so, then the pair hold a sizeable territory.

Redwing – 2+ at Compton Park and c5 on the Railway Walk by Compton Lock at dusk.

Mistle Thrush – one at Compton Park and another singing at Wightwick Fields near Castlecroft Bridge

Fieldfare – c95  flew NE over Castlecroft Bridge shortly before dusk. These were probably from the flocks seen feeding in South Staffordshire earlier and presumably were migrating, rather than heading to roost??

Long-tailed Tit – pairs at Compton park, Compton Lock, The Dell, Wightwick Mill Lock and Castlecroft Bridge

Treecreeper – one feeding in the lone Alder by the canal, just South of Wightwick Road Bridge, where one had been seen earlier in the year.

Rook – strangely an immature bird was seen in a canal-side tree just North of Wightwick Road Bridge on the way out, calling by a partly constructed nest and was in exactly the same position on my return later.

Starling – 9 North over wightwick Fields and 20 north over Pool Hall Lane late afternoon.

House Sparrow – small colonies noted at Compton allotments and the canalside houses at Castlecroft

Goldfinch – 4+ at Compton Lock

Bullfinch – male at Compton allotments, 2+ at The Dell and 2+ at Wightwick Lock

 South Staffordshire – Castlecroft canal Bridge to Trescott

Highlights:

Great Crested Grebe – 3 at Pool Hall

Coot – 8+ at Pool Hall

Lapwing – 30+ NE over Trescott

Lesser Black-backed Gull – 195+ North over Trescott to roost in 5 groups.

Skylark – 9 on field just East of Trescott Ford, with 2 rising to sing.

Meadow Pipit – 2+ at the sewage works

Pied Wagtail – 20+ at sewage works, with 8 heading off to the South and located on a ploughed field near Pool Hall later (No White Wagtails amongst them!)

Redwing – 10+ in the field just SW of Wightwick Fields

Fieldfare – c50 in the field just SW of Wightwick Fields and 75+ in fields between trescott Ford and the sewage works.

Starling – c50 in the field just SW of Wightwick Fields

Yellowhammer – just one calling from a hedge by Pool Hall Lane

47 species seen in total today, 43 of which were in Smestow Valley.