Home & away birding

Main Pit

Pophills

Smewtastic

Fishing Pool

View through the trees

Camp Lane - Grimley

Roadside view

American Wigeon 

Smew

Not a great deal happening at the pits. With some decent birds around Worcestershire we were certainly hoping for a change from the normal. 

Sightings & counts from last week included :-

22/11 (CL MC) - 2 Goosander, 6 Pochard, 10 Shoveler, Peregrine, Green Sandpiper & 3 Snipe.

24/11 (ND) - 2 Wigeon, 6 Pochard, 20 Shoveler, 40 Lapwing, 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 1 Common Gull, 170 Fieldfare, 200 Starling, 30 Meadow Pipits, 15 Skylark & Green Sandpiper.

25/11 (ND) - 7 Pochard, 86 Teal, 23 Black-head Gull, Common Gull, 3  Lesser Black-backed Gulls & Green Sandpiper.

On Monday I decided on a change of scenery and headed over the river to Grimley. First stop was Holt Fleet where my target species was flushed twice within the same visit. On arrival I was pleased to see the first two winter drake Smew still on the fishing pool only for a dog walker to flush them, thankfully they moved onto nearby Sling Pool. After scoping them at distance I walked along the road to try and take a few shots through the trees. This was going quite well until a birder walked straight down the pool with no field craft flushing the ducks. Some people just can't help themselves. 

I then headed down to Grimley where I caught up with Brian Stretch who had earlier had a Siberian Chiffchaff, only 3 Commons during my time before we headed up to Wagon Wheel where the American Wigeon showed very well for us. Also present were 160+ Wigeon, Little Egret & a Common Sandpiper. Two nice bonus year ticks on a quality morning. 

I'm already planning next year with two trips already booked to Dorset & Spurn. 

Grimley's American Wigeon is weekend highlight

 American Wigeon

 American Wigeon

 American Wigeon

 Great Crested Grebe

 Red Kite

Loving couple

With no new lifers reaching the UK this week I opted for a weekend of local birding which started over at Grimley where I improved on my only one previous siting of an American Wigeon. It seems this bird was probably blown in by Storm Doris midweek. The bird attracted quite a decent crowd who had timed their arrival better than my own. I'd spent the previous hour searching through the flock of Wigeon on the pits before reaching news the American Wigeon was on the north pit again.

With the first few Sand Martins passing through the midlands I was hoping for an early record but a grim & wet Sunday morning put paid to those chances. The wintering Green Sandpiper was still present on Pophills rotating between the north & south shores. A Great Crested Grebe was a surprise find who seemed pretty comfortable with being watched & photographed. Three Buzzards were displaying over Ennister Wood as the rain briefly abetted as I headed over to the main pit. The wind was really getting up making it very unpleasant to make an accurate counts however there were a flock of 50+ Tufted Ducks, two Pochard, two Shelducks (three on Sunday) & 80+ Teal. The normal flocks of Canada & Greylag Geese were on the rough ground on the edge of the pit.

I did record a patch year tick as I picked up a Red Kite hunting on the east side of the pits over Dunnington. I saw the bird again as I drove home and watched it well around the Cock Bevington turning. 

In late news, the Squire flushed a Great White Egret from the dead tree at Abbots Salford late afternoon.