Just to confirm, the birding walk is taking place tomorrow (19th). Meet at the car park along Wood Lane near the engine house at 8:00 am. Unfortunately the weather is forecast to be cold and rainy, so please dress appropriately, and bring wellies and binoculars.
Matt
P.S. John H, you're welcome to join the walk (I had my reply to your email returned).
Friday, 18 February 2011
Friday, 11 February 2011
14th January-11th February 2011
I hope this isn't too short notice but I have decided to do my birding walk of the lakes on Saturday 19th next week, probably around 8:00 am before the crowds arrive. Meeting place will be at one of the car parks, hopefully the one near the engine house if the Engine Pool Water Rail continues to show. Will confirm closer to the time. Thanks to Tracey, Kevin and Dave for expressing interest - others are welcome to tag along but as this will be the first time I've led a walk anything I'd like to keep numbers small. If it goes well, I may lead other, more official walks for the Earlswood Wildlife Partnership later on.
Other news: Mute Swan "V72" had fishing line and a hook for a while recently but was caught and the hook/line removed at the lakeside, so hopefully the pair will now be able breed again this year. Anyone who's visited Windmill Pool recently will have noticed that a number of trees along the east side have been cut down about a couple of months ago; I suspect this is for the benefit of fishermen, but it will be interesting to see how this area develops for wildlife now that more light can reach the ground there. The tern raft is going to happen, and construction is due to start tomorrow! Finally, the dark domestic duck that has been resident at Windmill Pool for several months now has recently been confirmed as a Muscovy Duck x domestic Mallard hybrid (see http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=190116).
Request: Could the person who reported the following on December 5th last year please contact me:
c25 Waxwings near Earlswood Lakes at Warings Green Wharf in oak tree briefly then flew off.
Waxwings are quite rare in the midlands most years, and I will need a description to accept this record, subject to acceptance by the county recorder.
Now for the sightings. It's been fairly quiet since my last post, except for some waterbird movement. Most notable was Tony Philp's Little Egret (now confirmed), with perhaps a second bird, seen with the naked eye flying along the canal feeder channel towards the lakes on Feb 6th - the second patch rarity of the year and I've missed them both!!! Sightings at the lakes during January included a female Pintail on 17th, 22nd-23rd and 28th-31st, with a flock of 4 briefly on 24th; peaks of 4+ Teals on 16th, 5 Shovelers on 24th-25th and 2 Wigeons on 28th-29th; a male Pochard on 19th-20th and a female on 31st; the Water Rail at Engine Pool on a number of occasions up to 31st; and a peak of 30+ Siskins on 25th.
February sightings so far include the female Pintail on 3rd and 8th-9th, 2 Wigeons today, 2 Shovelers on 8th-9th, a male Pochard on 10th (also seen by Tony Philp), a male Sparrowhawk on 1st, a group of 7 Jays on 3rd and 6+ Lesser Redpolls also on 3rd. After an absence the Water Rail reappeared in the channel along the north side of Engine Pool on 9th, and much to my astonishment saw it grab a Nuthatch from a nearby tree trunk and pin it down in the water before I intervened and the Nuthatch escaped; though I've read of Water Rails preying on smaller birds this is the first time I've witnessed it and thought it only happened during harsh winter weather (it was a mild day). In hindsight I have mixed feelings about whether I should've intervened (I did it without thinking), but I doubt the rail will starve as a result given the good weather at the moment, and it was still present today. Away from the lakes, the most notable birds I've seen were 4 Stock Doves at the Hungry Horse field on Feb 1st, and 2 Mistle Thrushes at Forshaw Heath on Feb 3rd. Personal patch year ticks besides the Pintails, Wigeons and Pochards were a first-winter Common Gull on Jan 16th and a Meadow Pipit roosting at a marsh next day - increasing my list by just five to 65 for 2011 :-(
M.P. Griffiths
P.S. an interesting Long-tailed Tit with a light head visited my garden on a number of occasions from Jan 18th-31st, and was also seen by my mom on 4th this month. Further details, pics and links to videos at http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=190334
Other news: Mute Swan "V72" had fishing line and a hook for a while recently but was caught and the hook/line removed at the lakeside, so hopefully the pair will now be able breed again this year. Anyone who's visited Windmill Pool recently will have noticed that a number of trees along the east side have been cut down about a couple of months ago; I suspect this is for the benefit of fishermen, but it will be interesting to see how this area develops for wildlife now that more light can reach the ground there. The tern raft is going to happen, and construction is due to start tomorrow! Finally, the dark domestic duck that has been resident at Windmill Pool for several months now has recently been confirmed as a Muscovy Duck x domestic Mallard hybrid (see http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=190116).
Request: Could the person who reported the following on December 5th last year please contact me:
c25 Waxwings near Earlswood Lakes at Warings Green Wharf in oak tree briefly then flew off.
Waxwings are quite rare in the midlands most years, and I will need a description to accept this record, subject to acceptance by the county recorder.
Now for the sightings. It's been fairly quiet since my last post, except for some waterbird movement. Most notable was Tony Philp's Little Egret (now confirmed), with perhaps a second bird, seen with the naked eye flying along the canal feeder channel towards the lakes on Feb 6th - the second patch rarity of the year and I've missed them both!!! Sightings at the lakes during January included a female Pintail on 17th, 22nd-23rd and 28th-31st, with a flock of 4 briefly on 24th; peaks of 4+ Teals on 16th, 5 Shovelers on 24th-25th and 2 Wigeons on 28th-29th; a male Pochard on 19th-20th and a female on 31st; the Water Rail at Engine Pool on a number of occasions up to 31st; and a peak of 30+ Siskins on 25th.
February sightings so far include the female Pintail on 3rd and 8th-9th, 2 Wigeons today, 2 Shovelers on 8th-9th, a male Pochard on 10th (also seen by Tony Philp), a male Sparrowhawk on 1st, a group of 7 Jays on 3rd and 6+ Lesser Redpolls also on 3rd. After an absence the Water Rail reappeared in the channel along the north side of Engine Pool on 9th, and much to my astonishment saw it grab a Nuthatch from a nearby tree trunk and pin it down in the water before I intervened and the Nuthatch escaped; though I've read of Water Rails preying on smaller birds this is the first time I've witnessed it and thought it only happened during harsh winter weather (it was a mild day). In hindsight I have mixed feelings about whether I should've intervened (I did it without thinking), but I doubt the rail will starve as a result given the good weather at the moment, and it was still present today. Away from the lakes, the most notable birds I've seen were 4 Stock Doves at the Hungry Horse field on Feb 1st, and 2 Mistle Thrushes at Forshaw Heath on Feb 3rd. Personal patch year ticks besides the Pintails, Wigeons and Pochards were a first-winter Common Gull on Jan 16th and a Meadow Pipit roosting at a marsh next day - increasing my list by just five to 65 for 2011 :-(
M.P. Griffiths
P.S. an interesting Long-tailed Tit with a light head visited my garden on a number of occasions from Jan 18th-31st, and was also seen by my mom on 4th this month. Further details, pics and links to videos at http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=190334
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Egret
1 probably 2 egrets flying along canal feeder channel near lakes this morning, seen by Tony Philp. Hopefully more details to follow...
Thursday, 13 January 2011
1st-13th January 2011
Seemed a good time to update the blog now that the "ice age" has passed, for the moment at least, with practically all of the ice at the lakes gone today. I've had interest expressed in a birdwatching walk around the lakes, so if anyone else is interested please send me an email.
I was gutted to learn that a Shelduck was seen on the ice at Engine Pool on New Year's Day by at least three people, one of whom has shown me a photo of it on his camera. I didn't think there'd be much at Earlswood that day because of all the people that tend to be there on bank holidays, plus I had a headache and the flu, so chickened out - best bird of the year so far and I missed it! As far as I'm aware, this is the 12th record for the lakes, the last in 2007.
As you can imagine, I was at the lakes early on the 2nd but the Shelduck had gone. Engine Pool was good though with 4 Teals, a male Shoveler and the Water Rail. 7 Siskins were seen at Windmill Pool. In the vicinity of the lakes, 2 Ravens (over), up to 3 Rooks (over) and 11 Greenfinches were notable, with a pair of Common Pheasants and 2 Stock Doves in a field along Gypsy Lane. Springbrook Scrubland was pretty good, with 118 Fieldfares (trees along Earlswood Common), 3 Bullfinches, 2 Reed Buntings, a Skylark (over) and a Lesser Redpoll (over) noted. I moved on to Earlswood Train Station, where the decent-sized Bullfinch flock was still present nearby, with 8+ counted, as well a Goldcrest and a Coal Tit. In Little Clowes Wood I saw another Goldcrest but the numerous dog-walkers in there put me off exploring the rest of the woodland. It was quite a good visit to Earlswood, and I managed 52 species for the year list - not a bad start.
A brief visit to the lakes on 3rd produced 25 Siskins and the Water Rail at Engine Pool; I was joined by the recently elusive Kevin Bates who got to see the latter bird.
I then moved on away from Earlswood to an area of farmland near Studley called Morton Bagot where I joined John Yardley and Chris Lane, and not long into the visit we found a Corn Bunting - a rarity in this part of Warwickshire and a lifer for me! Richard Harbird joined us near one of the pools there, and we subsequently saw 2 Mandarin Ducks, a Little Egret, 79 Wigeons, a Goosander (unusual there), 3 Great Black-backed Gulls (over), 6+ Bramblings and a Marsh Tit - another really good day, but a pity we don't have farmland or wetland habitat anything like that at Earlswood...
Subsequent visits to the lakes produced little, but notable birds (mainly additions to the patch year list) were:
04/01/2011: a male Kestrel over the Malthouse Lane causeway.
05/01/2011: a Green Woodpecker near Gypsy Lane, and a Tawny Owl (heard) near Reservoir pub.
06/01/2011: a Kingfisher (finally, but heard only) at Terry's Pool, and 2 Greylag Geese over Springbrook Scrubland. 135+ Fieldfares at fallen apples in an Earlswood Common garden viewable from Windmill Pool.
08/01/2011: 2 Mistle Thrushes low over Engine Pool, but highlight was the Water Rail taking Lynda's thrown bread!!!
10/01/2011: a Great Crested Grebe at Engine Pool was great to see at long last! Also 21 Lesser Redpolls at Springbrook Scrubland. Total of 16+ Bullfinches noted in Earlswood area (good winter for them it seems).
11/01/2011: A Sparrowhawk (over), the Great Crested Grebe and the Water Rail all seen at Engine Pool. A Kestrel distant over Malthouse Lane gardens (nice garden tick if anyone saw it!).
Other sightings included a Mink along the Spring Brook beside Windmill Pool on 9th. Rob Field saw a Kingfisher along the brook beside Clowes Wood on 9th - a good record for that area.
The Water Rail along the north side of Engine Pool has been seen a few times this month; today (13th) I saw it and also managed to see the second more-elusive bird at Terry's Pool for the first time this year. There was no sign of the grebe.
My 2011 Earlswood bird list now stands at a modest 60. I haven't seen anything particularly unusual yet, and there's still some common-ish species to be added before things kick off in the spring.
---------------------------------
Addendum for 2010:
Tony Philp had 2 Shovelers at Engine Pool on December 31st.
---------------------------------
M.P. Griffiths
I was gutted to learn that a Shelduck was seen on the ice at Engine Pool on New Year's Day by at least three people, one of whom has shown me a photo of it on his camera. I didn't think there'd be much at Earlswood that day because of all the people that tend to be there on bank holidays, plus I had a headache and the flu, so chickened out - best bird of the year so far and I missed it! As far as I'm aware, this is the 12th record for the lakes, the last in 2007.
As you can imagine, I was at the lakes early on the 2nd but the Shelduck had gone. Engine Pool was good though with 4 Teals, a male Shoveler and the Water Rail. 7 Siskins were seen at Windmill Pool. In the vicinity of the lakes, 2 Ravens (over), up to 3 Rooks (over) and 11 Greenfinches were notable, with a pair of Common Pheasants and 2 Stock Doves in a field along Gypsy Lane. Springbrook Scrubland was pretty good, with 118 Fieldfares (trees along Earlswood Common), 3 Bullfinches, 2 Reed Buntings, a Skylark (over) and a Lesser Redpoll (over) noted. I moved on to Earlswood Train Station, where the decent-sized Bullfinch flock was still present nearby, with 8+ counted, as well a Goldcrest and a Coal Tit. In Little Clowes Wood I saw another Goldcrest but the numerous dog-walkers in there put me off exploring the rest of the woodland. It was quite a good visit to Earlswood, and I managed 52 species for the year list - not a bad start.
A brief visit to the lakes on 3rd produced 25 Siskins and the Water Rail at Engine Pool; I was joined by the recently elusive Kevin Bates who got to see the latter bird.
I then moved on away from Earlswood to an area of farmland near Studley called Morton Bagot where I joined John Yardley and Chris Lane, and not long into the visit we found a Corn Bunting - a rarity in this part of Warwickshire and a lifer for me! Richard Harbird joined us near one of the pools there, and we subsequently saw 2 Mandarin Ducks, a Little Egret, 79 Wigeons, a Goosander (unusual there), 3 Great Black-backed Gulls (over), 6+ Bramblings and a Marsh Tit - another really good day, but a pity we don't have farmland or wetland habitat anything like that at Earlswood...
Subsequent visits to the lakes produced little, but notable birds (mainly additions to the patch year list) were:
04/01/2011: a male Kestrel over the Malthouse Lane causeway.
05/01/2011: a Green Woodpecker near Gypsy Lane, and a Tawny Owl (heard) near Reservoir pub.
06/01/2011: a Kingfisher (finally, but heard only) at Terry's Pool, and 2 Greylag Geese over Springbrook Scrubland. 135+ Fieldfares at fallen apples in an Earlswood Common garden viewable from Windmill Pool.
08/01/2011: 2 Mistle Thrushes low over Engine Pool, but highlight was the Water Rail taking Lynda's thrown bread!!!
10/01/2011: a Great Crested Grebe at Engine Pool was great to see at long last! Also 21 Lesser Redpolls at Springbrook Scrubland. Total of 16+ Bullfinches noted in Earlswood area (good winter for them it seems).
11/01/2011: A Sparrowhawk (over), the Great Crested Grebe and the Water Rail all seen at Engine Pool. A Kestrel distant over Malthouse Lane gardens (nice garden tick if anyone saw it!).
Other sightings included a Mink along the Spring Brook beside Windmill Pool on 9th. Rob Field saw a Kingfisher along the brook beside Clowes Wood on 9th - a good record for that area.
The Water Rail along the north side of Engine Pool has been seen a few times this month; today (13th) I saw it and also managed to see the second more-elusive bird at Terry's Pool for the first time this year. There was no sign of the grebe.
My 2011 Earlswood bird list now stands at a modest 60. I haven't seen anything particularly unusual yet, and there's still some common-ish species to be added before things kick off in the spring.
---------------------------------
Addendum for 2010:
Tony Philp had 2 Shovelers at Engine Pool on December 31st.
---------------------------------
M.P. Griffiths
Friday, 31 December 2010
21st-31st December 2010
I've still been feeling a bit under the weather lately so have only made four visits to the lakes during the last eleven days of this year - tut, tut, I know. Highlights have been 3 Water Rails and an adult Common Gull on the 27th, with 2 of the Water Rails still showing on 28th. Kevin Bates reported a Water Rail at Terry's Pool on the 24th.
As today (31st) should be the last day that my book will cover, I thought I'd cram lots of Earlswood birding in, managing about 8.5 hours (all of the daylight)! After seeing 17 Bullfinches (Earlswood record?) near Earlswood Train Station, I spent much of the day in the Forshaw Heath area, where I did a Bird Atlas TTV survey at the same time, and among the birds seen were 2 Ravens, 4 Siskins, 37 Fieldfares, 2 Goldcrests and 3 Treecreepers. With little more than an hour's decent light left, I moved on to the lakes but the only bird of note there was a redhead Goosander amongst the Mallards at Engine Pool. By late evening I was at the Springbrook Scrubland and was going to wait to see if any owl visited the scrubland in the dim light but then a woman with her 3 dogs, noisy and off their leads, came along and proceeded to walk through the scrubland - I imagine many of the thrushes that I saw going to roost there were scared off, so no owl would appear there anytime soon so I scrapped that idea *sighs*. Mammals seen today included 3 Red Foxes at Forshaw Heath, and a Mink at Engine Pool.
So nothing particularly unusual noted this month, but there's been some really good numbers of common birds around. Some of my counts for certain species this month may turn out to be patch records, including those above for Water Rail and Bullfinch, as well as Mallard, Mute Swan and Blackbird, so I'm rather pleased. On the minus side not a single grebe seen, and I didn't manage to see a Woodcock or anything else new for my personal patch list.
I managed to observe 113 bird species at Earlswood this year, compared to 99 in 2009. Looking forward to what 2011 brings!
Wishing everyone a happy New Year!
M.P. Griffiths
As today (31st) should be the last day that my book will cover, I thought I'd cram lots of Earlswood birding in, managing about 8.5 hours (all of the daylight)! After seeing 17 Bullfinches (Earlswood record?) near Earlswood Train Station, I spent much of the day in the Forshaw Heath area, where I did a Bird Atlas TTV survey at the same time, and among the birds seen were 2 Ravens, 4 Siskins, 37 Fieldfares, 2 Goldcrests and 3 Treecreepers. With little more than an hour's decent light left, I moved on to the lakes but the only bird of note there was a redhead Goosander amongst the Mallards at Engine Pool. By late evening I was at the Springbrook Scrubland and was going to wait to see if any owl visited the scrubland in the dim light but then a woman with her 3 dogs, noisy and off their leads, came along and proceeded to walk through the scrubland - I imagine many of the thrushes that I saw going to roost there were scared off, so no owl would appear there anytime soon so I scrapped that idea *sighs*. Mammals seen today included 3 Red Foxes at Forshaw Heath, and a Mink at Engine Pool.
So nothing particularly unusual noted this month, but there's been some really good numbers of common birds around. Some of my counts for certain species this month may turn out to be patch records, including those above for Water Rail and Bullfinch, as well as Mallard, Mute Swan and Blackbird, so I'm rather pleased. On the minus side not a single grebe seen, and I didn't manage to see a Woodcock or anything else new for my personal patch list.
I managed to observe 113 bird species at Earlswood this year, compared to 99 in 2009. Looking forward to what 2011 brings!
Wishing everyone a happy New Year!
M.P. Griffiths
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
1st-20th December 2010
Currently have flu for the second time this month. The first only stopped me visiting Earlswood for a day, but this second lot has meant my regular visits have ceased since the 17th, although I forced myself to do the Wetland Bird Survey counts on 20th (not much fun, especially when snowflakes go in your eyes in the middle of counting!). Have been doing a little birdwatching from my living room and today had a Moorhen fly and perch in a hawthorn in my garden!
Earlswood Lakes highlights so far this month have been a fly-over Common Snipe (3rd), a female Pintail last seen on 6th, Greylag Goose last seen on 8th, 3 fly-over Gadwalls (12th), 2 male Pochards (13th), up to 2 Common Gulls (adult and first-winter), up to 2 Water Rails and up to 56+ Siskins. Most notable bird on 20th was a Water Rail, currently favouring the channel along the north side of Engine Pool and usually seen sneaking away into some fallen branches.
The other Water Rail is much more difficult to see, favouring the reedmace in the channel along the southeast side of Terry's Pool, where I last saw it on 16th. Richard Greer also saw it there on 6th as well as a Common Snipe nearby.
I'm a bit disappointed that I still haven't found a Woodcock at Earlswood yet, and with just over a week to go, time is rapidly running out to add it or something else to the patch year list...
M.P. Griffiths
Earlswood Lakes highlights so far this month have been a fly-over Common Snipe (3rd), a female Pintail last seen on 6th, Greylag Goose last seen on 8th, 3 fly-over Gadwalls (12th), 2 male Pochards (13th), up to 2 Common Gulls (adult and first-winter), up to 2 Water Rails and up to 56+ Siskins. Most notable bird on 20th was a Water Rail, currently favouring the channel along the north side of Engine Pool and usually seen sneaking away into some fallen branches.
The other Water Rail is much more difficult to see, favouring the reedmace in the channel along the southeast side of Terry's Pool, where I last saw it on 16th. Richard Greer also saw it there on 6th as well as a Common Snipe nearby.
I'm a bit disappointed that I still haven't found a Woodcock at Earlswood yet, and with just over a week to go, time is rapidly running out to add it or something else to the patch year list...
M.P. Griffiths
Saturday, 27 November 2010
24th-27th November 2010
The last few days have been really cold but also really productive at the lakes, with some cold weather bird movement.
24/11/2010: Heard/saw a Marsh Tit in New Fallings Coppice. 2 Water Rails (!) seen chasing each other at water's edge near southwest corner of Windmill Pool, plus 2 Little Grebes in that area.
25/11/2010: There were 2 male Gadwalls and a male Wigeon at Terry's Pool, plus a Raven over. A Little Grebe was at Windmill Pool in the reeds at the southwest corner.
26/11/2010: Heard/saw a Marsh Tit in New Fallings Coppice again. The male Wigeon was still at Terry's Pool, with 7 Siskins in alders and 2 Ravens over vicinity. A Water Rail (heard), a male Teal and a Little Grebe were at Windmill Pool.
The day got even better as my mom who'd been in Solihull Hospital for a week was alright to come out. Parking my car at the visitor car park, my window was open and I immediately heard Waxwing calls nearby!!! I quickly spotted them at the top of a tall tree at the edge of the car park, next to Grove Road; counted 10 Waxwings there, then they flew over the car park and away, probably to roost. Unfortunately I didn't have my binoculars with me, so definitely want to see more of these erratic winter visitors, which are starting to appear in the midlands in good numbers this winter.
27/11/2010: Another great patch birding day. 2 Mistle Thrushes were along Fulford Hall Road - haven't seen many of these this year. At the lakes, Terry's Pool was completely frozen over, so the other two lakes were hogging everything. Ducks comprised a female Pintail, 2 Goosanders (unusually they landed on Engine Pool briefly but they didn't dive for any fish), 5 Teals, 2 Wigeons, 12 Tufted Ducks and (I counted exactly) 300 Mallards.
Other birds included 3 Lapwings (high over) and 10 Herring Gulls at Engine Pool; plus just 1 first-winter Mute Swan and a Raven (heard overhead) at Windmill Pool, and 6 Stock Doves at one of the Gypsy Lane horse pastures. Highlight though was a Common Snipe, which landed on one of the fishing platforms near the causeway, not far from me and so I was treated to excellent views of it. Made the long walk to Earlswood STW, where saw 2 Meadow Pipits (on filter beds - my first here and long overdue), a Treecreeper and 3 Bullfinches. Walking back along Malthouse Lane saw a flock of c. 20 Lesser Redpolls in trees beside the railway near the bridge (my first decent-sized flock of this species at Earlswood), and 50+ Starlings.
Whilst this weather is proving to be great for bringing waterbirds to Earlswood and concentrates their numbers, making them a little easier to count, I hope it doesn't last too long for their sake.
M.P. Griffiths
24/11/2010: Heard/saw a Marsh Tit in New Fallings Coppice. 2 Water Rails (!) seen chasing each other at water's edge near southwest corner of Windmill Pool, plus 2 Little Grebes in that area.
25/11/2010: There were 2 male Gadwalls and a male Wigeon at Terry's Pool, plus a Raven over. A Little Grebe was at Windmill Pool in the reeds at the southwest corner.
26/11/2010: Heard/saw a Marsh Tit in New Fallings Coppice again. The male Wigeon was still at Terry's Pool, with 7 Siskins in alders and 2 Ravens over vicinity. A Water Rail (heard), a male Teal and a Little Grebe were at Windmill Pool.
The day got even better as my mom who'd been in Solihull Hospital for a week was alright to come out. Parking my car at the visitor car park, my window was open and I immediately heard Waxwing calls nearby!!! I quickly spotted them at the top of a tall tree at the edge of the car park, next to Grove Road; counted 10 Waxwings there, then they flew over the car park and away, probably to roost. Unfortunately I didn't have my binoculars with me, so definitely want to see more of these erratic winter visitors, which are starting to appear in the midlands in good numbers this winter.
27/11/2010: Another great patch birding day. 2 Mistle Thrushes were along Fulford Hall Road - haven't seen many of these this year. At the lakes, Terry's Pool was completely frozen over, so the other two lakes were hogging everything. Ducks comprised a female Pintail, 2 Goosanders (unusually they landed on Engine Pool briefly but they didn't dive for any fish), 5 Teals, 2 Wigeons, 12 Tufted Ducks and (I counted exactly) 300 Mallards.
Other birds included 3 Lapwings (high over) and 10 Herring Gulls at Engine Pool; plus just 1 first-winter Mute Swan and a Raven (heard overhead) at Windmill Pool, and 6 Stock Doves at one of the Gypsy Lane horse pastures. Highlight though was a Common Snipe, which landed on one of the fishing platforms near the causeway, not far from me and so I was treated to excellent views of it. Made the long walk to Earlswood STW, where saw 2 Meadow Pipits (on filter beds - my first here and long overdue), a Treecreeper and 3 Bullfinches. Walking back along Malthouse Lane saw a flock of c. 20 Lesser Redpolls in trees beside the railway near the bridge (my first decent-sized flock of this species at Earlswood), and 50+ Starlings.
Whilst this weather is proving to be great for bringing waterbirds to Earlswood and concentrates their numbers, making them a little easier to count, I hope it doesn't last too long for their sake.
M.P. Griffiths
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
16th November 2010
Yesterday evening's talk by Ron Hill was really good, though I was expecting more people to turn up for it.
This afternoon, after many months waiting, finally managed to see more than 2 Kingfishers together today with 4 Kingfishers seen at Terry's Pool - a site record as far as I know. Also present there were 12 Goosanders, and thought I heard a Chiffchaff calling along southwest side but couldn't spot it with my bins. 2 Shovelers at Windmill Pool for second day, along with a Little Grebe.
There was no sign of the Pintail, but Tony Philp saw her yesterday morning, along with 8 Goosanders and about 3 Teals.
M.P. Griffiths
This afternoon, after many months waiting, finally managed to see more than 2 Kingfishers together today with 4 Kingfishers seen at Terry's Pool - a site record as far as I know. Also present there were 12 Goosanders, and thought I heard a Chiffchaff calling along southwest side but couldn't spot it with my bins. 2 Shovelers at Windmill Pool for second day, along with a Little Grebe.
There was no sign of the Pintail, but Tony Philp saw her yesterday morning, along with 8 Goosanders and about 3 Teals.
M.P. Griffiths
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Earlswood wildlife talk
Just remembered I've forgotten to publicise this on here:
Ron Hill, warden of Clowes Wood and New Fallings Coppice, will be giving an illustrated talk entitled “Wild Wonders of Earlswood” at Earlswood village hall on Monday November 15th at 7:30pm. Cost £2.50 (including tea and biscuits).
Unmissable!Saturday, 13 November 2010
13th November 2010
Female Pintail at Terry's Pool this evening, with a Water Rail along southeast side.
M.P. Griffiths
M.P. Griffiths
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