31st March - Sightings

Kingsbury Water Park - South Section 2 singing Blackcap 10 + Chiffchaff ( S Haynes )
Shustoke - Wheater m in top fields briefly before flying north @ 9.45 , 2 Blackcap Oystercatcher ( L Johnson )
Ladywalk - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker between car park & entrance gate ( B Eaton )
Fishers mill Area - Cattle Egret in a newly ploughed field by Fishers Mill Bridge briefly then flushed by a tractor flew over the canal towards Fishers mill area ( J Fincham )

30th March - Sightings

Fishers Mill - 6 Black Tailed Godwits circled over at 10.00 am ( RBA)
Shustoke - Blackcap , 5 Swallow, 10 Sand Martin , Tree Sparrow , Oystercatcher & 2 Shelduck ( L Johnson )
Coton- House Martin ( L Johnson )
Drayten Bassett - Little Egret ( J Allen )
Kingsbury Water Park - South Section 75 Sand Martin , 1+ House Martin & 4+ Swallow ( J Allen )
Whitacre Heath - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker male (J Wesson )
Ladywalk - 2 Raven , 6 Curlew , 1 Snipe , 3 Oystercatchers , Water Rail , Tawny Owl , Cettis Warbler & Swallow , Sand Martin by car park ( S Cawthray )

29th March - Sightings

Drayten Bassett - 3 Singing Blackcap , Little Egret ( M Yapp )
Also Short Eared Owl reported
Whitacre Heath - 25 Lesser Redpoll , Brambling M ( J Hoyle )

28th March - Sightings

100 + Sand Martin 1 House Martin , Kingsbury Water Park ( D Hutton )

Blackcap singing Pine Pool KWP ( C Cook )

Announcement

I will now be unavailable to update this blog until 15th April.

However fear not, because Tame Valley legend Julian Allen will be keeping it up to date as much as he can. He can be emailed sightings on the address below:

Jallen70 [at] btinternet dot com

Please be nice to him.........

27th March - Sightings

Shustoke - Swallow (L Johnson)
Hams Hall - 2 Wheatear (2f) still (J Harris)
Lea Marston - Little Egret from Railway Bridge (J Harris)
Bassett South - 3 Little Egret(J Harris)

26th March - Sightings

Oystercatcher - Kingsbury (Bob Duckhouse)

Dosthill - Yellow-Legged Gull 3rd Win, Raven (J Oates)
Ladywalk - Woodcock , 50 Sand Martins roosted ( P Softley)

25th March - Sightings

Ladywalk - 6 Brambling, 5 Curlew, 8 Goosander (J Harris)
Hams Hall - 2 Wheatear (2f) (J Harris)

24th March - Sightings

Fisher's Mill - Iceland Gull 2nd Win this morning (J Oates)
Kingsbury - Swallow at Broomey Croft Pool (J Oates)
Hams Hall - Black Redstart (f), 2 Wheatear (2f) still (L Johnson)
Ladywalk - 5 Brambling, 4 Curlew, 13 Goosander (L Johnson)

23rd March - Sightings

Hams Hall - Black Redstart (f) still, 2 Wheatears (2f) by Wincanton/DHL buildings off Farady Avenue(J Harris, B 'Foxhound' Duckhouse, S Cawthray). The Black Redstart can be quite elusive.
Coton - Swallow (Bob Foxhound)
Ladywalk - 9+ Brambling, 2 Marsh Tit (S Cawthray)

22nd March - Sightings

Kingsbury - Little Gull (1st Sum) briefly 1pm on Bodymoor Heath Water, 35+ Sand Martin (TP)
Hams Hall - Black Redstart (f) on wasteground off Faraday Avenue near DHL factory (Dean Baker, TP, M Yapp) . This is definitely a different individual to that recently at Coleshill. Also Wheatear still present this morning only (D Baker)
Coton - Swallow (M Yapp)
Bassett North - Wheatear (M Yapp)
Fishers Mill - Little Egret 2 (TP)
Ladywalk - 5+ Brambling still at feeding station, 4 siskin, 5 Goosander (TP et al)

21st March - Sightings

Ladywalk - 8+ Brambling (J Allen)
Fisher's Mill - 4 Little Egret (J Allen)
Bassett North - 2 Wheatear (2m) in field by Canal (S Pick)
Whitacre Heath NR - 8 Siskin, 9 Lesser Redpoll at Feeding Station (J Wesson) A Mealy redpoll was reported as well. Late News for 18th March - Goshawk (photo taken recorded in logbook) (per J Wesson)
Lea Marston - Little Egret, Curlew from Railway Bridge (J Wesson)
Coleshill - Wheatear Gorsey Lane (per J Harris)

20th March - Sightings

Ladywalk - 13 brambling (photo by Lee above), 10 Goosander, 27 Sand Martin (L Johnson, J Harris)
Shustoke - 37 Sand Martin, 3 Goosander (L Johnson)
Hams Hall - Wheatear(m) still on waste ground off Faraday Avenue by Wincanton Warehouse (J Harris)

Late News for yesterday. 15 House Martins reported at north end of Kingsbury (WMBC). As this would be unprecendatedly early for such a flock, I am assuming these are mis-ided Sand Martins unless someone tells me different!

19th March - Sightings

Ladywalk - 19+ Brambling, Peregrine (L Johnson)
Coton - Swallow (S Haynes)
Hams Hall - Wheatear by Wincanton building (WMBC)

18th March - Sightings

Shustoke - Wheatear, Tree Sparrow, 3 Sand Martin (L Johnson)
Ladywalk - 6+ Brambling (3m, 3f), 4 Siskin at feeding station. Green Sandpiper, Tree Sparrow at B Pools (B Eaton, K Sargent)
Kingsbury - Jack Snipe on Cliff Pool (K Sargent)

17th March - Sightings

Ladywalk - 6 Brambling, Stonechat(f) (per P Softly)
Kingsbury - Swallow, 22 Sand Martin at South end (S Haynes). LRP Cliff Pool (K Sargent)
Lea Marston - 4 Scaup (3m) still (S Haynes)

16th March - Sightings

Lea Marston - 4 Scaup (3m) still (per RBA)
Ladywalk - 4 Brambling, 3 Sand Martin, Green Sandpiper (P Softly)
Coleshill - Black Redstart 1st Win Male still Gorsey Lane. View from Forge Mills Park (per RBA)

15th March - Sightings

Coleshill - Black Redstart 1st Win Male still Gorsey Lane. View from Forge Mills Park (per RBA)
Bassett North - 2 Smew (m+rh) on North Pit (J Allen et al)
Fisher's Mill - Short-Eared Owl late afternoon (M Yapp et al)
Ladywalk - 2 Mealy Redpoll, 2 Brambling at feeding station 3.30pm (per RBA)
Hams Hall - Wheatear on Wasteground by DHL building (WMBC)

14th March - Sightings

Shustoke - 2 Sand Martin, Chiffchaff, Oystercatcher (L Johnson)
Dosthill - 2 Yellow-Legged Gulls (2nd Win, nr Ad) (TP)
Coleshill - Black Redstart still Gorsey Lane (D Hutton, TP) Green Sand near Quarry (D Hutton)
Hams Hall - Sand Martin (D Hutton)

The first two Little Ringed Plover were seen at a site in the Valley today.

13th March - Sightings

Dosthill - Iceland Gull(juv) still , 2 YL Gull(2nd Win, 3rd Win) (JAllen)
Lea Marston - 3 Scaup (2m) (J Allen)
Coton - 1 Scaup (f) (J Allen)

12th March - Sightings

Kingsbury Tip - Iceland Gull juv briefly in flight early afternoon, Peregrine imm (S Haynes)
Dosthill - Iceland Gull juv (Same as yesterday) 3pm + YL Gull (2nd Win) (J Allen)
Kingsbury - Short Eared Owl KWP Richard's meadow (S Cawthray)
Lea Marston - 4 Scaup still (3 1st Win m, 1st Win f), Scaup x Tufted Hybrid (P Hyde)
Coton - 2 Scaup still (both f) (P Hyde)

11th March - Sightings

Kingsbury Tip - Iceland Gull (juv) 3.30pm (S Haynes). Another distinctive bird. This juvenile has an all dark bill and blotchy plumage. Presumably the same bird roosted at Chasewater between Feb 22nd and March 8th (per Paul Jeynes).
Wishaw - Peregrine (f) Wishaw Lane (S Haynes)
Shustoke - 6 Goosander (L Johnson)
Dosthill - YL Gull (ad) (J Oates)
Coton - 2 Scaup (both f) still (J Oates)
Lea Marston - Scaup (WMBC)

10th March - Sightings

Coleshill - Black Redstart still Gorsey Lane (WMBC)
Shustoke - Curlew, 4 Goosander (L Johnson)

9th March - Sightings

Coton - 2 Scaup (both f) still (L Johnson)
Ladywalk - Peregrine, Chiffchaff, 3 Oystercatcher, 12 Goosander (L Johnson)
Lea Marston - 2 Oystercatcher from Railway Bridge (L Johnson)

Of interest the juvenile Iceland Gull seen in Dosthill area on 6/7th March roosted on 8th March at Chasewater (Staffs). This is a distinctive juvenile with an advanced bi-coloured bill.

8th March - Sightings

Coton - 2 Scaup (both f) still (L Johnson) 4 Scaup (all f) at 3pm (per RBA)
Shustoke - Peregrine over (L Johnson)

7th March - Sightings

Dosthill - Iceland Gull juv 11.00am to 11.15am when flew towards tip but couldn't be relocated (TP, J Allen)
Coton - 2 Scaup (both f) still (TP, J Allen, Bobby D)
Coleshill - Black Redstart still Gorsey Lane, 2 Stonechat (m,f) (J Wesson)
Hams Hall - Firecrest still (SP199914) (per RBA)

6th March - Sightings

Dosthill - Iceland Gull juv 12.30pm at least (Bobby D)
Bassett - 4 Little Egret (WMBC)
Coleshill - Black Redstart still Gorsey Lane. View from Forge Mills Park (WMBC)

5th March - Sightings

Shustoke - Curlew, 4 Tree Sparrow (L Johnson)
Kingsbury - Merlin (f) Richard's meadow then flew South West (L Johnson)
Dosthill - 3 Iceland Gulls (ad + 2juv) commuting between Kingsbury Tip and Dosthill main Lake this afternoon (S Haynes, J Oates), 2 Raven (J Oates), Little Egret (J Harris)
Bassett South - 2 Smew(m + redhead) (J Oates)
Bassett North - Iceland Gull (juv) is presumably one from Dosthill (L Johnson).
Fisher's Mill - 2 Stonechat, 3 Redshank, 2 Raven, Little Egret (L Johnson)
Coton - 2 Scaup (both f) still (J Oates)
Lea Marston - 1 Scaup (m) (J Oates)
Coleshill - Black Redstart still Gorsey Lane + Stonechat. View from Forge Mills Park (WMBC).
Coleshill GP - 2 Green Sandpiper (WMBC)

4th March - Sightings

Lea Marston - 3 Scaup (2M,F). 2 Raven over (J Oates) 2 Curlew from Railway Bridge (L Johnson, S Haynes)
Coton - 2 Scaup (2F) still (S Haynes)
Kingsbury Tip - Iceland Gull (juv) 2.45pm (S Haynes)
Coleshill - Black Redstart still Gorsey Lane (M Silverman)
Coleshill GP - 5 Stonechat (3m, 2f) by quarry (J Hoyle per J Wesson)

3rd March - Sightings

Kingsbury - 2 Raven Richard's Meadow (J Oates)
Fisher's Mill - 2 Little Egret (J Oates)

2nd March - Sightings

Lea Marston - 4 Scaup (3M, F) (J Oates)
Coton - 2 Scaup (2F) (J Oates)
Hams Hall - Firecrest still (per RBA)
Bassett North - Dunlin, Ringed Plover (J Allen)
Coleshill GP - 2 Raven, 2 Green Sandpiper (WMBC)
Ladywalk - 23 Goosander, Brambling (WMBC)

1st March - Sightings

Coleshill - Black Redstart still Gorsey Lane (per RBA).
Hams Hall - Firecrest still, Green Sand, Common Sand (per RBA).

Of interest nearby the flock of 15 Barnacle Geese at Whitemoor Haye contains at least 3 Colour Ringed birds. These appear to have been ringed in SW Scotland from the Svalbard Population. I have sent off details to the BTO. These would possibly be the first confirmed "wild" barnacles in the midlands. Also today the 2 White Fronts at Croxall (1 Greenland, 1 Eurasian).