Summer Birding!

19/05/13

(Note- I just spent the last hour on a detailed and intricate post for these days, but a simple slip of the finger and the whole of the post was deleted, so at the moment i am in no mood to be repeating it, so this post will be little more than the bare basics)

Wyre Forest

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER was one of the hardest birds for me to find last year, so i was incredibly happy to find two birds down by the brook, singing and calling constantly.

9 WOOD WARBLERS were found in numerous location around the Wyre, including 7 singing birds.

Redstarts were also well represented, as 5 were located, including a couple showing well!

My main reason for visiting however was to find a stunning butterfly! 

PEARL-BORDERED FRITILLARY

I found at least 10 of these stunning butterflys along a short section of grassy verge along the railway line.

19/05/13

A patch visit was rewarded with 10 Reed Warbler, a Reed Bunting and a breeding pair of Grey Wagtails.

22/05/13

The male PIED FLYCATCHER was still showing in the undisclosed site, but again, has failed to attract a mate, poor sod, A Cuckoo was singing nearby.

23/05/13

I found a Red-legged Partridge at Sheepwash which was incredibly unexpected. Completely surrounded by Urban sprawl, it is the most unlikely of locations to find one, but this obvious migrant bird spent the afternoon on the mound, disappearing overnight.

MB

Wyre Forest birding

29/03/13
Each of my previous visits into the Wyre this year i have failed to drop down to walk along the brook, and therefore i was lacking species such as Dipper and Mandarin, so i vowed to head down there to get them!
We first walked the railway line, stopping off at Lodge Hill, quickly picking up 6+ Brambling, 2 Lesser Redpoll and 4 Bullfinch in trees surrounding the Orchard.

Dropping down onto the brook, we picked up a few Grey Wagtail, until eventually, i heard the distinctive flight call of a Dipper as one sped past me going downstream. We quickly found the bird sitting on rocks in the middle of the brook, and we were treated to decent views.

The bird flew slightly, but now gave a clearer view for a brief time before being flushed by a walker, sending the bird further upstream again, upon which time we decided to leave it alone. We had had a few minutes decent viewing, which is more than can be said for some times.

We found another Dipper in another park of the brook, but this bird quickly disappeared.

Just as we were walking back to the car, i scanned the small pool at the base of the hill, to be greeted with the view of a pair of Mandarin Ducks, my first of the year!

Following this we were driving past Callow Hill, and i picked up a raptor being mobbed by 2 Carrian Crows. As we neared i became aware of the birds flight action, confirming the bird to be a Red Kite, and not one of those dodgy reintroduced birds, this was a bird from the welsh populations. It so happens that late March is a very good time to pick up Red Kites within north Worcs, and in general the Severn Valley, as the Welsh birds often use it as a migration pathway. We stopped the car, and i fired off a few shots as the bird got further and further away.

MB

A little bit of Wyre birding

9/02/13
A trip into the Wyre was needed as so far this year i had not bothered looking for the Hawfinch's. But today that would be rectified.

The walk out to Lodge Hill was extremely quiet, such is the way that birding in the Wyre goes. Some days your surrounded by a hive of activity, others nada.
While just heading up the track i raised my bins to see a female HAWFINCH sitting on the bottom edge of a hawthorn bush, before dropping down a few seconds after not to be seen again. While waiting for the bird to fly up again (which it did not), one of the residents of the farm walked past, and upon entering the garden flushed a LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER off the feeders, another hoped for year tick! The bird flew directly over our heads and flew into the tree's to the north of the orchard, and sadly disappeared  While looking for it again, we had many Nuthatch. A Marsh Tit  made its way through the bushes in  the orchard before quickly moving on. 3 Finches landed upon one of the taller trees in the area, and a look at them revealed them to be 3 BRAMBLING (2 Male).
Moving back alone the railway line, we were treated to stunning views of a female Goldcrest (1 of a pair) down to about 6 feet!
MB

The Wyre Hawfinches

26/12/12
With the year drawing to a close, a few local sites were covered just to give a final homage to the past year, and what could be better than spending a few hours on a bridge in the Wyre Forest.

The reason for this? A Hawfinch had been seen, and as the species is lacking for the year, the short trip would make a nice distraction from the horrid Television for a few hours. And to cut it short, 2 HAWFINCH were showing while we were there, including this bird which perched up fairly close briefly, look at that brute of a Finch!

Always worth the effort to see, Hawfinch is always a species i regard of highly. To think this bird has the bill strength to break your finger is outstanding!

MB

Wyre Forest

21/04/12

I started by photographing birds in the garden, where a Siskin and 4 Goldcrest were showing, i even digiscoped one of the male Goldcrests.

We then moved onto the Wyre.

 A quiet visit here in the early afternoon with occasional rain showers, not the greatest weather to try and find summer migrants, and that was shown by the lack of them, However, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcaps were now back in numbers.

Between the frequent showers, we got bouts of sunshine, and in that sunshine we were able to find a male Tree Pipit singing.

We then walked into the wood looking for Redstart, Wood warb and the like, however, there was no sign of either of these.

As compensation, while walking along one of the tracks, another Tree Pipit flew up from in front of us and landed in a tree nearby, allowing for some decent views!

Soon after, with storm clouds starting to build around us, we headed for home.

Another visit into the Wyre is needed very soon!

MB

Wyre

22/04/11
With huge promise from recent reports we decided to give the wyre forest a go to mop up the 'common' Summer migrants.
We walked along the old railway line first, hearing 3 Different Wood warblers singing on the dowles side of the track, we clocked onto 3 Tree pipit singing and showing at the clearings on the left of the path, but otherwhys, it was deadly quiet, with only chiffchaff, willow warbler and blackcap being seen, the area around Lodge Hill was equally quiet, and after a check in the orchard we moved to the gate at the top end, we walked through, and was stunned to see a pair of Roe Deer, running straight for us, then dropping down a bank, and reappearing much closer without noticing us. they got within about 30 metres of us, then noticed us and scuttled off into the forest....
My first Deer in the Wyre..

Bird Activity remained low though, 2 Marsh tit were in the bushes along the railway line just beyond lodge hill, but it was only when we reached the Pine trees, that things greatly improved, I locked onto a Redstart singing on the back edge of small plantation, i saw a flash of red as a male Redstart Landed on a tree, My dad had yet to see a redstart so i got him onto it, and soon after this bird was joined by another Bird, this time a Female, we stuck around here for 20 mins watching and trying to get photos, but i failed to get any photos at all, due to the birds being highly mobile.
We dropped into the small 'rest' area under the pine trees, and was stunned at the activity here, 5 WOOD WARBLERS, all chasing each other and quivering while singing literally a few metres away, litterally stunning views of real charesmatic little birds, i tried again for photos, however the birds were again too fast, and i was unable to lock onto then being as they were so close, we also counted a staggering 4 Male Redstart here, all chaseing each other around the clearing, giving amazing but all to brief views, we waited around this area for some time, as we watched this amazing pair of birds.
A tawney owl was also heard Hooting from here.

WE moved further into the forest and found the Stunning male PIED FLYCATCHER singing and flycatching in the canopy, the angle was so nasty, that i couldnt look at the bird for no more than 5 secs at a time due to cramp in my neck, we waited around here also but the Flycatcher remained Unco-opperative, so we decided to leave it.
A Pair of Mandarin Duck were giving stunning views on the Brook, and in the sun, i took the op to take some photos...

A dipper flew along the brook, and was relocated further into our walk, the homeward walk was quieter really, with few birds between coopers mill and dry mill lane, as said before the dipper was relocated but we failed to see the pair we saw the last time we were in the wyre.

Some amazing birds in that forest, just put a bit of effort in and you can get lots out of it :)

MB

Officially Awsome!!!!!- Continued

25/02/11

Wyre Forest

with the morning with the waxwings having passed, we decided to head into the wyre again, to try and find a lesserpecker.

Unfortunatly we dipped on the pecker, But there was some decent birds around,

4+ HAWFINCH were in the Orchard, and being generally quite annoying sitting far away in trees, or flying out of sight very quickly. i did try to get some photos but they are terrible so i wont even put them on,

A party of 6 BRAMBLING was in the beech trees around the orchard, and show well, if briefly, further along the railway line we found a flock of 50c Lesser Redpoll, but they were very flighty due to a barking dog, and i couldnt really scan them, 20 mins waiting and we left.

following this we had a walk along dowles brook, where we quickly stumbled upon apair of DIPPER. we stood on the track next to the brook, and were treated to superb views of the pair ( one in particular) as then fed in the brook.

At the small frog pool's at the bototm of dry mill lane, there was a pair of Mandarin swimming, about, another check for lesserpecker failed and we left.

MB

Wyre....

1/1/11
Wyre Forest

after paying only 2 visit to the forest last year, and missing out on every!!!! decent summer bird, i have planned to visit a few times over the year to 'mop' up those missed species.

and what a way to start the year (and the decade non the less) with a nice few hours standing in the middle of the forest at a clearing looking for a certain bird.

we parked in at the dry mill lane car park where we met the photographer Bob Heart, we walked up the railway line with him picking out MARSH TIT and GOLCREST for the masses of common birds, BULLFINCH, TREECREEPER and NUTHATCH were noted before we reached where we had all come to walk, we viewed the feeders but there was little more of interest than what had already been seen, although a REED BUNTING dropped on, i looked north towards the bridge and i knew i had the birds i was looking for straight away.

2 HAWFINCH (lifer 213)

these birds very quickly dropped down into the trees and we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and eventually, 4 birds popped up, then dropped down and after another 15 mins the flock again popped up and a 5th bird had dropped in.

5 HAWFINCH, they remained skittish, mobile and elusive throughout the 3 1/2 hours we waited, only getting about 10 mins viewing time in all of that.

The light was terrible, the birds were quite far off most of the time, and they never really remained in one spot for to long, althought the birds in the video below were there for about 2 mins.

3 LESSER REPOLL dropped in trees briefly and a RAVERN cronked over.

MB

WYRE FOREST

19/02/10
quick post this one.......................................................................


NOTHING
MB

woods in the wyre

in the entire 5 years i have been birding lickhill(with nearly 500 hours spent there) i was not alone.as a few of you may know i usually bird around lickhill on my own but today i was joined by my dad.

3/05/09

wow another patch tick a COMMON SANDPIPER,wow,out of all the birds would expect,this is one that i didnt.the whole patch has no suitable habitat for them but one turned up on the river north of lickhill towards the next caravan park.not knowing it was there we were striding up the river when we haerd a call that we both recognised for the day before at the warren,we glanced at the river to see a small wader with pulsating wings flying downriver towards lickhill.after this the bird wasent seen again(proberbly due to the few ignorant dogwalkers that let their pets jump in the river while you are obviously watching something there,one time at lickhill i was watching a pair of escaped mandarins on the river some idiot dog walker lobs a stick near the ducks and flushed them after a rampaging dog jumps next to them,this was the last time i them saw them after a few months of residence)well over with that rant.even the blackcaps had disapeared and we only saw 2 i must admit there was little else and it was very quiet(a typicle lickhill day)4 skylark and 2 cormorant were noteworthy.now to the main focous of the day

wyre forest

this is the first time ive visited the brook for ages, we had 2 wood warblers(year tick)their hearts out but no photos as they were deep in leaves and just viewable.i must admit it was quieter than i thought it would be but we did note a lot of grey wags (counted 7 along the brook),just as we were getting out the car at dry mill lane we had 10+ swift over,near the meadow at knowles coppice we had a grey heron in the brook(the forst ive seen here)

at the other end of the meadow we had a male redstart in the bushes that boarder the main path,but the view was brief.

we walked all the way to the road north of lodge hill farm,and at the top of the hill we sat on a logged tree and watched garden warbler,chiffchaff,blackcap,willow warbler and goldcrest hopping about in bushesup to this point we had logged(highlights):

2 stock dove

10+ swift

3-5 kingfishers

7 grey wags

2 dipper that only my dad saw as they flew off upstream

2 redstart

1 garden warbler

2 blackcap

1 whitethroat

3 willow warbler

2 wood warbler

4 chiffchaffs

2 goldcrest in very tall pine trees(looks good for crossbill)

again we gave lodge hill farm a miss and walked along the brook but to little reward although 2 baby tree rats(squirrals-grey for normal people) at a nest site was cute:

at the very moment i said it was quiet my dad pointed down to a pair of mandarin below us2 meters away.they posed well but it was quite dark under the trees.i do know a lot of birders overlook them as being plastic but nobody can deny there amazing beauty.ill end the post with pics and videos of the manders.highlights(including things already mentioned)

2 mandarin

3 stock doves

10+ swift

3-5 kingfishers

7 grey wags

3 dipper and i saw one crap photo

3 redstart

1 garden warbler

2 blackcap

1 whitethroat

3 willow warbler

2 wood warbler

4 chiffchaff

2 goldcrest

i just love the way they can change the shape of the eye stripe(watch later in film)

and in a tree(30ft up)

MB