Newbridge,   April 12^th  2015

Catch it as it fades, the

true sound of summer

 

The end of Easter week, the trees round the playingfield buffeted by an afternoon squall as rain sweeps in from the south west.  Grey, wet and cool, yet only hours ago the morning sun was lighting up the underwings of Common Buzzards as they twisted and turned against the wind above the sloped grass bank overlooking the Birmingham Canal locks south of Aldersley junction.  The birds, the northernmost of three pairs nesting in the Smestow Valley and its immediate surroundings, were most probably responding to the appearance earlier of a dark ragged-winged interloper seen recently over the Compton barleyfield and elsewhere.  Today’s freshening wind was in stark contrast to the recent run of calm, warm days, when spring was well and truly sprung . . .

NEWBRIDGE,   THURSDAY  APRIL 9^th

Across the field and into the wood, where the ground is turning from brown to green.  It’s relatively quiet, the high-pressure calm interrupted intermittently by the calls of Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Green Woodpecker (a male was excavating a nest hole on March 24^th).  A Treecreeper inches its way up a flaking trunk, in the distance a Mistle Thrush starts its short laboured song, and the repetitive notes of at least two Chiffchaff are a reminder that migrants have been arriving for some weeks now.  Then, caught momentarily on the thin spring air and fading almost as soon as it has begun, comes the true sound of summer, a short run of gently descending notes hinting at warmer days ahead, the valley’s first recorded Willow Warbler for 2015.  This fleeting, wistful song seems always to be edging away, leading further along a woodland edge path or through stands of heathland birch, in gentle contrast to the explosive notes of some other migrant warblers.  Willow Warbler breeding numbers locally have declined in recent years, with pairs under increased human pressure, particularly along edge-of-habitat areas such as the Compton barleyfield where thoughtless dog-walkers have ignored or destroyed signs asking for their pets to be put on leads during the nesting season. 

Other recent Newbridge records include Goldcrest, Collared Dove, Stock Dove, Jay, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit and singing Goldfinch, with Long-tailed Tit and House Sparrow collecting nest material, Blackbird and Woodpigeon pairs seen mating , and subdued Blackcap song on April 4^th (males are now singing all along the valley).  Four Greylag flew south westwards on April 4^th, a Buzzard pair displayed on April 6^th, and two Sparrowhawk displayed on April 12^th. 

DUNSTALL PARK  has witnessed the disappearance of wintering gull flocks, leaving just a few city-nesting Lesser Black-backed Gull and Herring Gull visiting the lake daily for a wash and brush-up.  The Gadwall pair departed c.March26th, the last Teal were seen on April 8^th, and a lone male was the only Shoveler present on April 12^th.  A single Snipe flew from lakeside grass on March 30^th, (at least 10 were present five days earlier), the lake’s second Green Sandpiper for the year flew from the open Smestow brook culvert on March 25^th before leaving north westwards, and a lone Lapwing was by the lake on April 3^rd raising the faintest of hopes that the species might once again nest at the racecourse.  Lapwings first appeared at the lake only months after its creation late in 1993, and autumn and wintering flocks have visited the racecourse annually ever since. Numbers have fluctuated, but totals of c.500 and c.600 birds 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 in 2002 two pairs nested, with one set of youngsters successfully fledging. For the next few years at least one pair bred annually, but the last success was in 2007.  The racecourse operators are still leaving a 20-metre strip unmown near the lake to encourage the birds to nest, so once again it's fingers crossed.  More positive news on another former breeding species, as the Mute Swan pair, first seen at the lake in late December last year, are now nesting, the female sitting since the end of March.  At least one pair of Coot are nesting, territorial aggro from Little Grebe suggests that at least one pair are breeding following success in 2014, but a wrecked nest and scattered broken eggs indicate that Canada Geese are again victim of last year’s mystery predator that wiped out all nests on the island and shoreline.  A male Reed Bunting has been singing intermittently in lakeside sallows, Nuthatch are calling from nest tress in the north western corner, at least 17 Rook nests have been built in the nearby oak copse bordering the Staff & Worcs Canal, more than 30 Crow were on grass near the lake on March 25^th, and there was the intriguing report from Gareth of at least 600 Jackdaw in a pre-roost gathering at the racecourse on March 30^th. 

MIGRANT UPDATE

 

A phone call from a friend at 7pm on Monday (13th) resulted in a trip to Wightwick where, as he had described, a male Common Redstart hawked from bushes and fed on his lawn.  We watched this beautiful and obviously hungry bird for around 15 minutes before the resident Robin gave it its flying orders as the light began to fade.  Some garden record!!
As the temperature rose this morning (Wednesday 15^th) two male Wheatear ran and dipped in the heat, feeding in the middle of the central mown grass area at Dunstall Park.  The racecourse ground staff report that a Barn Swallow was flying round the stables nest site on Monday 6^th.  There were two birds there today.  The world turns . . .

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

Follow on from geoff's post

Friday afternoon was noteable for about 50 butterflies in the paddocks (just south tett station) all seemed to be small tortoiseshell or peacock.
Into the weekend still plenty of blackcap and chiffchaff with an additional 4 of each between Compton and wightwick. additiona;;y 5 chiffchaff and 6 blackcap in the north section this morning.
pair of buzzards circling Oxley bank this morning and calling green woodpecker from there-both regular nesting places.
talking of nesting pair of grey wagtails being seen daily between Compton and tettenhal raising hopes.
coot on nest just up from lock 17 suggesting movement down from town centre where several pairs raised young last year.  Will it affect the moorhens???
amazingly a young mistle thrush in the road at viaduct drive with an anxious parent above in silver birch-yes Geoff they do nest early!!!
one possibly 2 treecreeper at tettenhall station yesterday and three diff goldcrests thru the paddocks which given previous sightins suspect indicates three pairs
Finally yesterday brought what we think was first willow warbler of the year by the station, a rather dumpy bird but the orange legs gave its identity which was confirmed when it sang. A different bird was singing today on the canal at back of rifle range.

All of a sudden our Blackcaps sing ( properly )

thur & fri         mid section

Looks like all the singing blackcaps are in the mid  section Ian. I had 7
yesterday and 9 today. Also 9 singing chiffchaff yesterday and 12 today, Grey
Wagtail again on Smestow by the bridge,local buzzards displaying and plenty
goldcrest yesterday and today,
                         Also of interest
   thursday                          
Green Woodpecker - calls - Tettenhall Ridge,
Mistle Thrush - 1 singing - Graisley Culvert,
Coal Tit - 1 singing @ Compton Lock,
Nuthatch - calling - Tennis Courts,
Jay - 4 - Barleyfield,
Wren - 11 singing,
Dunnock - 6 singing,
Robin - 12 singing,
   friday
Green Woodpecker - pair investigating holes in a tree behind the station,
Mistle Thrush - 2 singing,
wren - 16 singing,
Dunnock - 9 singing,
Robin - 17 singing,

very quick update

Suspect this will already have been overtaken|
Wednesday mid section 4 singing blackcap but surprisingly none in north section on Thursday
Also weds 3 meadow pipit on barleyfield and parakeet calling again.
5 chiffchaff northern on thurs but lupin field and allotments very quiet.

Some you win Some you lose

tue 7th april 15                         early morning                               mid section

Due to a physio appointment at lunch time I was was not intending to visit this 

morning,but noting an unprecedented  passage of Meadow Pipits across the UK over 

the last two days,including some huge numbers in the midlands and at Belvide Res 

in particular where Steve Nuttall smashed the Belvide record with 1881 yesterday 

and several hundred on sunday,I also had a flock of 20+ feeding on the Barleyfield late yesterday afternoon. I thought it worth a quick look this morning.

    A 20 minute vizmig off the playing field at the northern border of 

Barleyfield (Chris's old stamping ground)  produced absolutely nothing.(where's Chris when u need him).

            I just had time to cover the western border now, and happened to be in 

the right place at the right time to catch the brief and very intermittent notes 

of the second Blackcap of the spring at the old level crossing on the 

Barleyfield.Chiffchaff are now strongly present with 5 singing along this border 

and another 3 in the Paddocks. A R N Parakeet was calling from the south end of the 

Paddocks( the same area Ian had one on sunday).

weekend round up

Still very thin on the migrant front but as ever could we be being over optimistic.
The only bird which is here in force (or indeed at all ) is the chiffchaff with 6 singers on both Saturday and Thursday in the northern portion (north of tettenhal road) 6 in the middle on Saturday and 4 in the southern(beyond Compton.
Compensation has been the amount of song from resident birds. Saturday morning in the paddocks was pretty impressive. blackbirds have come to the party in the last few days and they supplemented the thrushs robins dunnock wren etc. Geoff picked out a full singing blackcap but I am wondering if it was just inspired by the chorus as no others seem to be present.
Standing on the metal bridge over the smestow brought kingfisher, goldcrest and mistle thrush as well as another parakeet sighting, this time flying towards the ridge.
Representing winter were a small group of siskin in the birchs at the  new houses by viaduct and 3 fieldfare today at castlecroft.  Also at the latter a single cormorant pair of yellowhammer singing skylark and a lonely lapwing.
Breeding is moving apace as witnessed by a pillaged egg on the railway, much more encouraging was a pair of treecreepers by the school grounds just north of tettenhall rd on Thursday.  Treecreepers seem to be doing well as we saw another 300 yds south of meccano.The rooks now have 17 constuctions (up 2 from thurs) and are surely sitting on eggs.  A pair of  grey wagtail today at wightwick finally featured a breeding male and looked very promising as a breeding pair with the female collecting stuff for a potential nest.
Also seen on Saturday were 4 greylags flying south east and a pair of goldcrest in the paddock to go with the pair by the meccano.
We will get a swallow soon.

(D'ont get) fooled again.

Previous day wet and windy.
Nice bright sunny day.
Surely worth a trip to the barleyfield for migrant birds.
Not a bit of it 7 singing chiffchaff was as good as it got-all in the same places as weekend with the extra one in the north-east corner.
There were however 2 pairs of jays and 2 grey wagtail on the spillweir although they both seemed female one brighter than the other with no trace of black throat or white eyeline which even on a last years bird would surely be apparent by now if male??. There was however a pair yesterday at Oxley.
Plenty of song with the most prominent species this morning being dunnock. This does seem to change day by day and probably in relation to time and conditions.  On last visit it was Robins and the one before Wrens.
Till the next day of unfulfilled expectations adieu.

weekend catch up

Still some wintering birds, a little grebe just north of meccano this morning, a single redwing on the barleyfield on Friday and possibly the same bird this morning ~(reminding me of the single bird thru last October)  and a chuntering blackcap (which was audible from canal and paddock on Friday and we presume to be a winterer)
By contrast the chiffchaffs are clearly not.  Up to 6 birds were singing from the same places on fri/sat/today-too wet to go over on Sunday. However on Friday several more birds were passing thru mainly feeding low on the canal giving a total of around 14.
Otherwise it was all about residents with goldcrest at Compton lock, coal tit at meccano, 2 calling green woodpeckers, and treecreeper at the railwaycutting and station.
Star bird was a calling rose ringed parakeet in the trees between the canal and henwood rd, quite possibly2 birds were involved because it seemed to come from different directions and was contact calling and they are often seen together.

weekly round up

Very much a mix of seasons as expected.
Resident birds showing well included several goldcrest, jays and a soaring female sparrowhawk through the week. chaffinch are also more in evidence this year.
Buzzards were much in evidence on the 14th with a minimum of 5, probably 6 and maybe 8 engaging in display and territorial behaviour seemingly coming from 3 different directions.
2 greylag geese accompanied a Canada over newbridge on the 15th and a kingfisher was by the tennis club on the 17th going from canal to brook.
Had thought the wintering little grebe had left the canal but one was still present by the tennis club on 17th.  A female grey wagtail was active on the smestow and under tettenhall road bridge on 17th and 18th. A flock of circa 45 redwing flew east over the barleyfield on 14rh.
Finally blackcaps which I think we have to allocate to winter a surprise female was in my garden on the 13th and a singing (subdued) bird was in the ivy opposite ms centre this morning ( as per last year)

Newbridge,   March 14^th  2015

Woodpeckers at war

as woodland awakes

 

OK, officially it’s spring, but only if the sun’s out and you’re away from the wind.  Ian and Geoff have already seen what were almost certainly the first migrants to arrive, two or more Chiffchaffs (and Sand Martins are passing through local reservoirs), but out in the open an easterly airstream shows that the sunniest (can you believe it?) winter on record is reluctant to depart.  It’s dull, but the air is cold and sharp, the wind is desiccating the woodland floor and green shoots are starting to push up through drying ground, sodden since the start of the year.  High in the trees the clacking calls of Magpies chart their progress through a network of still-bare branches, a Nuthatch disappears into what may well be this year’s nest hole, and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker angles outwards as he clings to a trunk, ready to force any intruder into a feather-flaring stand-off (some years ago two were seen locked together falling from a branch to within a few feet of the ground, separating at the last second to fly up, still defiantly issuing their Kestrel-like chase calls).  Stock Dove circuit the treetops in an exaggerated wing-flap display, Goldfinch hang like lightweight fruit as they feed in silver birch next to the playingfield, the thin note of a Goldcrest come from an ivy-covered tree, and a Crow struggles to make its way through the uppermost branches of its chosen tree with new nest material in its bill.  A pair of Jay forage in long grass at the edge of the playingfield, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush are in voice at opposite ends of the wood, and Blue Tit, Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit are paired.  Coal Tit call from conifers by nearby gardens, where House Sparrow squabble, a female Blackbird sizes up breeding sites, Hedge Sparrows wing-wave to potential mates, and the resident Robin takes on all-comers (providing they are his size or smaller).  Our resident Buzzard pairs are now on station, circling above their breeding sites as the air warms in the late morning.  Difficult to believe that 20 years ago even the sight of one of these beautiful raptors over the valley would have meant a dash to a phone box (remember them?) to alert fellow birders.  Now they are the most commonly seen bird of prey locally.  Wonderful!!

Recent records from Newbridge include a Treecreeper in the wood on February 6^th, a male Blackcap in a garden by the playingfield on February 15^th, a Grey Wagtail at the Double Pennant canal wharf on February 23^rd, and twenty one Redwing on the Giffard school field on March 3^rd.  Further north along the old railway at least four Redpoll were at a garden feeding station on March 9^th (winter finch records this winter have been few and far between) with a male and two female Bullfinch, and at least two male Greenfinch have been singing at the canal wharf by Tettenhall Road.

Dunstall Park produced late-winter highlights for the valley in the shape of single adult Mediterranean Gulls (one of them ringed) with Black-headed Gull flocks on February 12^th (Gareth’s record) and on  February 28^th, a female Stonechat hawking from lakeside bushes on March 10^th and a Green Sandpiper at the lake on March 12^th (Gareth’s record). Duck numbers at the lake have been low in a relatively mild winter, with up to ten Shoveler and nine Teal reported, but an unusually large flock of 15 Tufted Duck was seen on March 12^th.  The Gadwall pair continued their stay, with another male seen from mid-February, the Mute Swan pair were still present mid-March, at least one pair of Little Grebe were heard and seen following last year’s successful nesting, and at least four Snipe were still at the site at the beginning of this month.  Coot pairs contested territories, with at least 16 birds, some of them non-breeding individuals grazing on lakeside grass, seen on February 28^th.  Canada Goose totals peaked on February 8^th when at least 210 birds grazed on the central grass area, c.500 Black-headed Gull were present on February 28^th, at least 65 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were counted on March 3^rd, and single Grey Heron visited the lake periodically.  At least 70 Starling were on island bushes on March 3^rd, two Reed Bunting were in lakeside bushes on February 8^th, and a Pied Wagtail pair were seen regularly in the racecourse hotel area where they nest annually.
Reports from elsewhere along the valley included a young male Kestrel perched by the north eastern corner of the Compton barleyfield on February 2^nd and a Green Woodpecker calling from the same area on March 5th.  The Rose-ringed Parakeet trail seems to have gone cold, with no reports from garden feeding stations in or near the valley for some weeks now.

Can’t really compare with the Somerset Levels or with Aberystwyth pier, but at least 70 Starling swirled above the Castlecroft Road/Pool Hall Road area at the southern end of the valley at dusk in mid-February in a pre-roost mini murmuration.

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

spring has sprung

Yesterdays warm weather revealed daffodils in the paddocks in full bloom and the first butterflies of the year.
A red admiral was near the meccano and two presumed small tortoiseshells reported from castlecroft.
A chiffchaff was well seen in the scrub halfway between castlecroft bridge and pool hall.  (the latter held a single great crested grebe and 12 tufted duck, 11 of which were male.) Another presumed common chiffchaff was seen fleetingly by the meccano. Neither bird sang so I don't think we can view them as migrants necessarily as they could be dispersing wintering birds.
Two very active goldcrests were on the old railway line by the coach depot, a treecreeper performed well in the same spot on Monday. plenty of sightings of jays and great spotted woodpeckers and lots of singing wrens and robins in this bit this morning also male sparrowhawk overhead.
the male kestrel is still frequenting the bottom of the barleyfield and it or another bird hovered over wightwick mill lock as seen driving by on Saturday.

February round-up

A pretty quiet month in the valley.
At least 3 little grebe were present on the canal throughout the month and are now fully in summer plumage and I suspect about to relocate to their breeding habitat, which could be the racecourse lake.
Similarly with Grey Wagtails although they do sometimes nest within the valley along the Smestow.
Two birds have been regularly at the spill weir and near hordern rd.
Also near Hordern rd was a water vole but be aware that rats are seen far more often hear. my last two sightings have been at exactly the same spot 50 yards south of the road bridge.
Buzzards gradually became more visible during the month with two birds seen over barleyfield, in crowther rd and at Oxley.  Hopefully this could mean a minimum of 6 birds in the northern half of the valley but we need to wait for the warmer weather to be sure (remember the double figure count in autumn.)
Otherwise the lack of finches continues with greenfinches often being most numerous especially around aldersley stadium where up to 40 could be found. Goldcrests continue to be prominent especially around station. A wintering chiffchaff has been present just north of the valley on the Shropshire union canal alongside the sewage works. But sadly no sign of the willow tit which have seen near the canal club in previous years and no sign in the valley which may partly be due to the success of the Great spotted woodpecker which have a reputation for predating willow tit nests.

Newbridge,   January 30^th  2015

All-colour show by

the beaky blinders

A damp, cold end to a quiet January along the valley, sleet and snow showers swept in by a bitter north westerly, the ground, when not frozen, sodden with a mat of decaying leaves, the floor of the wood littered with twigs and branches brought down by gale force winds earlier in the month.  Migrant finch flocks are all but absent, winter thrushes are few and far between, but as the daffodils begin to push up through the playingfield grass and the days begin to lengthen there are already signs of change in the world of birds.  Territories are defended, pair-bonds are established and confirmed, and an exotic species is bringing a splash of colour to dull mid-winter days . . .
 

(Yes Ian, your birds did land !)
 
It’s January 22^nd, the weather is calm, the wood dull and dripping.  Crow, Magpie, Stock Dove, Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker call intermittently, Blue Tit and Great Tit chase and scold, when suddenly there’s a screeching call from above.  Nothing seen at first, but then, against the flat mid-morning sky there’s a bright green shape, then two, close together, high in the trees.  One bird is preening, the other pecking at the base of buds on the topmost branches, their slim yellowish green bodies, long tails and bright red bills in stark contrast to the greys and browns of a winter woodland.  These exotic visitors are the two Rose-ringed Parakeets seen by Ian earlier in the morning flying towards the wood, birds which have been reported in West Park and at garden feeding stations in Whitmore Reans, Newbridge and along the Tettenhall Road since late summer.  The species, which now nests in the West Midlands and which is firmly established in the South East of the UK, originated in central and north eastern Africa and in southern Asia.  There have been captive birds in Great Britain since the mid 1880s, and in the 1930s small numbers were seen flying free in Epping Forest north east of London.  Breeding was reported near Rochester in Kent in 1969, and by the late 1970s there were small nesting colonies in Kent and Surrey.  Since then, as BBC television “Winterwatch” viewers will have seen recently, numbers in Greater London have risen dramatically, with thousands now roosting communally in parkland and at other green spaces.  Small numbers have been reported in the West Midlands for decades, and in recent years nesting has been reported from the Sandwell Valley.  There have been a handful of sightings involving single birds along the Smestow Valley since the 1980s, but this is the first time two have been recorded together locally.  The effects nationally this species may have on native breeding birds is at present being investigated by Defra.  Rose-ringed Parakeets are tree nesters, so woodpeckers, nuthatches and other species could be adversely affected.  Certainly a Mistle Thrush that encountered our two birds in its breeding territory seemed uncertain how to react, approaching gingerly along a branch, then retreating as soon as the visitors squawked a warning.  No wonder.  It’s odds-on this was the first time the two species had ever come face to face locally.  Watch this space!

Mid-winter reports from Dunstall Park lake have included a pair of Gadwall throughout the month (up to four birds have been seen there most winters since the early 2000s), up to seven Shoveler with a similar number of Teal, a pair of Mute Swan, at least eight Coot, with three or more Moorhen, up to three Snipe, a Grey Heron on 18^th and a 1^st-winter Grey Wagtail a daily visitor to the open Smestow brook culvert.  Elsewhere on the racecourse up to 140 Canada Geese have been grazing on the central grass area, with three Greylag and a single albino of the same species, and 45 Lesser Black-backed Gull and more than 270 Black-headed Gull were present on 18^th.  At least one Common Buzzard visited regularly, a Great Spotted Woodpecker drummed from the oak copse near Tunstall Water Bridge from c.25^th, and two Raven flew eastwards over the site on 18^th.  Two Nuthatch were with a Long-tailed Tit flock on 27^th, and a Pied Wagtail pair were at their nesting territory in the hotel area on 4^th and 27^th.

Sightings from elsewhere along the valley included a Treecreeper in Newbridge wood on 16^th, an immature male Kestrel perched by the Compton barleyfield on 22^nd, and two Little Grebe (starting to show their summer plumage) on the canal by Newbridge wood on 29^th.  A Green Woodpecker called from the bottom of the barleyfield on 22^nd, twenty three Redwing foraged on the school playingfield next to Newbridge wood on 27^th, and a Bullfinch pair were on garden feeders by the old railway south of Hordern Road on 29^th, the same day as a Coot was with Mallard and Moorhen on the canal by the Wildside Centre.

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

keep yours eyes and ears open......

This morning at 9.30 as I turned the corner to walk towards town from crowther road I heard a shriek and looked up to see the pair of Rose-ringed parakeets (also known as ring-necked) flying from the direction of west park.  they flew overhead and over the crowther road allotments towards newbridge wood.  Could not tell if they landed there or carried on, but certainly there are trees there which would be similar to the plain trees they favour in the park.
Otherwise little to report, 2 coot and 2 little grebe on canal near water bridge. 30+greenfinch at the stadium is good these days and alongside about a dozen at wildside, but still no siskin/redpoll .

.... continue from yesterday

up to 4 little grebe have been on the canal generally north of newbridge, one today at Compton.
siskin and redpoll seem scarce this year I have not seen any redpoll and only one small flock of siskin at wildside on new years day. anybody out there had better luck.
Rooks were active at their rookery by racecourse on new yrs day with at least 10 birds hanging around the nests, though I suspect the cold snap will have pushed them away now. however in the bright sunshine this morning there was plenty of song with dunnock, robin, song thrush and great tit all in good voice. One of the last mentioned was giving a chiff chiff chiff song which reflects the variability of this species.

...and into the new year

Not much to report in first two weeks of Jan.
A Kingfisher has been seen on the Smestow brook north of Hordern rd which showed an all black bill which means male as opposed to the female usually seen south of the meccano around the spill weir.
A grey wagtail remains faithful to this latter sight as does one at the waterbridge, a third bird is regular in my garden.
very few winter thrushes with just 4 on the football pitches, all redwing,
and no sightings of the barleyfield kestrel(s).
Just outside of the valley the local paper has reported the ring-necked parakeets from west park. A pair were around the boating lake this morning and their are rumours of more than this.
Also just outside the valley ,and belatedly, a little egret fed in the field on the corner of wobaston rd and pendeford hall lane in mid December.

Wednesday  December 31^st  2014

Winter welcome for

a wonderful warbler

 The last post for 2014, the last day of the year, on a slowly thawing Dunstall Park, beech branches dripping on to silver-fringed frosted grass, a watery morning sun low behind bare hawthorns, high thin grey cloud, the cracking of ice as a narrowboat inches into a lock at the bottom  of the Wolverhampton 21 flight.  There’s little or no sign of birdlife along the northern and western edges of the racecourse, no winter passerine flocks, just the occasional corvid call and the sound of joggers huffing their way along the towpath towards Aldersley.  The lake is still frozen, save a stretch of water kept open by ducks and other species.  This first cold spell of the winter marks the end of a relatively quiet year along the Smestow Valley, but the last two months have not been without interest . . .

 So, let’s start with the bird of the year for 2014, and for that matter for the last few years.  Gareth Clements tells how on November 18^th late in the afternoon at Dunstall Park lake he found a real gem, the valley’s third Yellow-browed Warbler.

 “I was hoping for a Mandarin to drop in with roosting ducks, when I realised a large tit flock was going around the lake.  I was pleased to pick out a Chiffchaff, and was thinking how I missed the days when there were Willow Tits in these flocks.  Soon after 4 o’clock I decided to walk around the lake again, and could hear a Coal Tit. It was going frantic, and then I then realised it wasn't a Coal Tit but a Yellow-browed.  I messaged Dad, saying: ‘I’ve got a Yellow-browed, but I can't see it’.  Then I did manage to see it briefly as it came high enough in a bush for it to be visible over the bank.  I was expecting a dull bird, but it was very well marked and had very clear double wing bars.  Afterwards I counted the tits as they went from bush to bush, in total 52 Long-tailed Tits and two Blue Tits.  I looked for the Yellow-browed later, but there was no sign of it.”

 Gareth’s bird, which was not seen again despite a search next morning by local birders, was in a typical waterside sallows habitat, just as was the valley’s first Yellow-browed found by David Jackson next to the Smestow brook just south of the old Tettenhall railway station on October 25^th 1998.  Jacko’s bird was the first ever Yellow-browed record for the West Midlands.  Gareth found the valley’s second bird in towpath bushes near lock 4 of the Birmingham Canal above Stafford Road next to Wolverhampton Science Park on the afternoon of October 4^th 2008 (this was a Smestow Valley record, as the brook flows under the science park grounds via Fowlers Park from its source in Park Village).  Yellow-broweds are still regarded as a relatively rare migrant species across inland Britain, with only around 16 records for the whole of the area encompassing Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands.  In that context, not a bad end to our birding year.  Is Gareth on a hat trick . . ?

 
Early winter reports from Dunstall Park lake included a pair of Mute Swan first seen on 28/12 (the male was seen ice-breaking  to reach feeding areas, followed along the narrow open channel by two enterprising Coot), a Grey Heron on 7/12, single Little Grebe on 5/11 and 20/12, eighteen-plus Teal on 19/11, seven male and three female Shoveler on 15/11, two female Tufted Duck on 15/11, a male Gadwall on 18/12, and the female Ringed Teal on 28/11.  Three Chiffchaff were by the lake on 28/11, nine Snipe were reported there on 5/11 (with minimal mud margins and freezing weather, none were seen after 20/12), a Water Rail was recorded on 28/11, a female Reed Bunting was seen on 30/11 with a male reported on 14/12, a first-winter Grey Wagtail fed along the Smestow brook open culvert on 14/12 and 31/12, and two Pied Wagtail were on the racecourse hotel roof on 30/11.  At least ten House Sparrow were daily visitors to the lake island, 20-plus Starling were in island bushes on 28/12, twenty six Crow were on the lake fences and grass on 14/12, and at least six Rook chasing and calling around the oak copse rookery nests in calm bright weather on 28/12 gave a hint of spring to come.  Three Stock Dove were in the oak copse on 28/12, a Nuthatch was on what is now a traditional nest tree on 19/11, and on the central grass area, a Canada Goose flock totalling up to 130 birds were joined by five Greylag from early December, and by an albino Greylag from mid-November.  Gull numbers peaked at 350-plus Black-headed Gull on 30/11, at least 100 Lesser Black-backed Gull on 30/11 and nine Herring Gull (four immatures) on 15/11.

Elsewhere along the valley there were regular reports of Jackdaw, Jay and Common Buzzard, single Goldcrest were seen along the old railway by the Compton barleyfield and south of Hordern Road, two female Bullfinch were by the old railway near the barleyfield on 26/12, eight Goldfinch (one bird was singing) were in a canalside bush near Compton lock on 26/12, and Coal Tit was seen and heard at Newbridge and by the old Tettenhall railway station.

On 19/11 a male Blackcap was in a garden by Newbridge playingfield (very probably the same bird was seen there on 4/12).  Also on 19/11 Gareth found his Yellow-browed and a Common Chiffchaff.  Three winter warbler species in the valley on one day . . .

West Midland county bird recorder Kevin Clements continued his dawn migration watches from Castlecroft canal bridge at the southern end of the Smestow Valley into the early winter.  On 31/10 he saw one Common Gull,  909 Redwing and 504 Starling,  on 1/11 eleven Linnet and a total of 2,575 Woodpigeon,  on 4/11 eleven Goosander,   on 5/11 four Siskin,  on 9/11 five Goosander,  281 Fieldfare and 13 Redpoll,  on 10/11 fourteen Greenfinch,  and on 13/11 two Goosander and 63 Jackdaw.

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

Corvid roosts

In the early days of this blog I did a post about the winter crow roosts in the dunstall park area. Time for an update courtesy of a report from those two stalwarts Lord Angus of Dunstall and Sir Geoffrey de Barleyfield. It appears that the number of roosting Jackdaws has reached 4 figures . this is more than double what I observed two years ago.  there is some speculation as to whether this is at the expense of the southern end of the reserve with the birds seemingly no longer regularly using Peasley wood.
It may also be at the expense of another species.  Magpies regularly numbered 150 on the derelict land towards Oxley. However on a recent visit (on a race meeting night) this area had largely been taken over by jackdaws with only 50 Magpies present.  Meanwhile the Magpies seem to have moved in part to the new training facility at Compton with about 100 there.
Other flocking behaviour has been the goldfinches which currently number about 40 around the new water feature but at the beginning of the month were in a very tight flock of at least 70.
Talking of roosting flocks was amazed at the Pied Wagtails in Lichfield yesterday evening with 200+ crossing the street.
Other news was a flock of fieldfare of 25 whilst talking to Bob at the barleyfield and bemoaning the fact that we hadn't seen any this winter.  Interestingly he has been regularly seeing the kestrel and saw two birds on one occasion so it seems we have male and female which perhaps have differing hunting times with the immature male favouring late in the day. Finally managed to get good enough views of the Kingfisher by the spill weir to see the orange on its bill and identify it as a female which is a step towards working out how many winterers we have.

November round up

Kingfisher
We have a minimum of three wintering birds (1each in north middle and south of the valley) all seen regularly throughout the month.  the heavy rains have washed away the nesting site so we will have to see what happens next year.
Kestrel
Regular sightings over the Barleyfield particularly at dusk. currently the bird is missing 2 tail feathers on its left side.  It is showing signs of being an immature male but light can be tricky and it is possible another birds is also present .
Redwing
A single bird was present for the first half of the month on the barleyfield but may now have joined a small flock which were seen at6 the end of the month. still very few winter thrushes reflecting lack of berries perhaps partly caused by the successful resident birds eating them all.
Goldcrest
numbers declined during the month suggesting the double figures of early Nov included passage birds.
Grey wagtail
still up to 6 birds present along the valley