upton warren

31/01/09
after the waxies left we tuck around for about 20 mins but there was no sighn.the birders started to drain away.(by the way the 'andy' person from yesterday was andy shaw) so we also headed away but decided to drive to upton warren and have a look to see if we could relocate the waxies.no luck with them though.so instead we turned our optimism to seeing the bittern.if we saw him/her it would make the perfect birding day.we arrive at the moors.we first went into the hide to the north moors.where a water rail was swimming in the water about a few meters in front of the hide.but it dissapeared in a few seconds(year tick).we then had a walk around the north moors plantation.on the way a cettis warbler poped out of the reeds for a couple of seconds.the plantation was dead apart from 3 male bullfinches that a birder that i think is rob smith pointed them out while in the hide(i have met him twice before at dowles brook in the wyre forest and at the waxie twitch late last year at the warren. we looked in the birches/alders on the causeway and saw 4 lesser redpoll. we then walked to the west hide and heard a goldcrest by the gate. we started walking down to the hide when we meat a family who said the bittern was showing now.my pace suddenly lifted as i realised this could be my only chance to tick them unless i see them in the february holloday. my dad stoped to watch a kestrel hovering as i scooted into the hide.i asked if it was still showing and it was under the right leg of the pylon(where i nearly always is).it was the pale bird again.after a few minuites watching that i scanned the lake but what i hadent noticed ubtill now was the masses of reed bunting and bullfinch on the feeders(for both species i have an estimate of 20 over the reserve)there was another water rail which was very showy only going into cover occasionaly.the year ticks and highlights are:
bittern-1
shelduck-2( a pair on islands)
wigeon-1(the only one i saw proberbly more)
penegrine falcon-1(circling the masts as we approched uw village)
water rail-3(menioned above)
curlew-9(on islands)
snipe-2(there was about 10 that others had seen but we were in the west hide so you cant see th islands that well)
cetti's warbler-3(brief views)
reed bunting-20 aprox
the year list now stands at 66 species but the amazing thing is that is saw 58 species today.
so to summerise today up i had 1 lifer and 11 year firsts.see what i mean about this being my greatist birding day. any big twitches reading this will think its all commons but for any midlands birders like mysel its a good day.