31st May - Sightings

Kingsbury - Black Tern Cliff Pool till 7.15pm at least (S Pick et al) Common Gull(ad) Canal Pool (J Allen) Possible Marsh Harrier over South End from M42 c6.00pm was presumably Alvecote bird (P Sofley)
Bassett North - 2 Ringed Plover (J Allen)
Alvecote - Marsh Harrier (f) 5.40pm - 5.55pm then flew SW (A Archer)

30th May - Sightings

Bassett North - Black-Tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover (J Harris)

28th May - Sightings

Bassett North - Greenshank, Black Tailed Godwit, 6 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover (J Mallinson per J Harris)

27th May - Sightings

Bassett North - Black-Tailed Godwit (subad) still. Possibly of Continental Form Suspecies Limosa (J Harris) An interesting article here.

26th May - Sightings

Tamworth - Red Kite over A5 at 8.20am (per RBA)
Bassett North - Black Tailed Godwit, Greenshank (J Harris)
Ladywalk - Little Egret (P Sofley)

Of interest a female Goosander has been seen with 6 Young at a site in the valley. The first breeding record for Warwickshire.

25th May - Sightings

Bassett North - 2 Avocet, 4 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover (J Allen, TP)
Kingsbury - 2 Pochard (2m) Cliff Pool (TP)
Ladywalk - Red Kite (WMBC)

23rd May - Sightings

Bassett North - Black Tailed Godwit early afternoon at least (TP) Seen in flight this evening and appeared to depart to North (TP, J Allen)
Fisher's Mill - Turtle Dove (WMBC) No sign this evening but 2 Dunlin (TP, J Allen)

22nd May - Sightings

Fisher's Mill - Short-Eared Owl, Dunlin (P Forbes)

21st May - Sightings

Fisher's Mill - Yellow-Legged Gull(ad), Curlew over (J Oates)

20th May - Sightings

Bassett North - Turnstone, Dunlin, Ringed Plover (J Mallinson per J Harris, TP)

18th May - Sightings

Tamworth - Red Kite reported over c3.15pm (WMBC)
Coleshill - Little Egret in quarry (WMBC)

17th May - Sightings

Fisher's Mill - Short-Eared Owl (per RBA)

16th May - Sightings

Shustoke - Whimbrel over this morning (L Johnson)
Kingsbury South - Common Sand at Hemlingford Water (TP)
Fisher's Mill - YL Gull (ad), 3 Dunlin (L Johnson)

15th May - Sightings

Bassett North - Little Tern till c12.30pm then flew along river to North (P Hyde, P Sofley). Wader numbers hard to give totals due to constant movement. Below are minimums. 5 Knot (2 still late pm), 14 Turnstone (5 Still late pm), 2 Sanderling, 92 + Dunlin (42 flew south), 1 Grey Plover, 50+ Ringed Plover, 3 Greenshank, Common Sand (P Sofley, J Harris, TP, J Allen et al). 14 Arctic terns this am only (P Hyde).
Fisher's Mill - 2 Garganey (m,f) still, 3 YL Gull, Little Egret, Lesser Redpoll (P Sofley, J Harris, A Archer et al)
Kingsbury - 6 Dunlin, 2 Common Sand, 2 Ringed Plover on Cliff Pool (J Harris)
Ladywalk - Whimbrel, Greenshank, Dunlin (WMBC)

The water levels at Bassett are rising rapidly with few waders present late evening (Just 4 Dunlin, 15 Ringed Plover for example). Unfortunately it will be completely flooded tomorrow.

14th May - Sightings

Shustoke - Black Tern, 2 Ringed Plovers (D Hutton)
Bassett North - Spoonbill ad still this morning (P Hyde per J Oates) but not present 11am. Also today up to 5 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone, 3 Greenshank, 4 Grey plover (1 first summer bird early morning, 2 this afternoon then flew off, New bird this evening then flew off. All different to yesterday), Whimbrel through, 2 Common Sands, 25+ Dunlin, 15+ Ringed Plover (J Oates, J Harris, K Sargent, A Archer, TP, M Priest et al). These are maximum counts with numbers varying considerably through the day in a heavy passage.
Fisher's Mill - 2 Garganey (m,f) still, YL Gull (ad) still (J Oates) Whimbrel North this morning (P Hyde)
Ladywalk - Spoonbill reported landing 1.25pm by 3 Observers (per P Sofley)
Alvecote - Spoonbill reported late morning (P Burton per J Harris)
Middleton - Hybrid Shelduck sp on Hall Lake (TP)

13th May - Sightings

Spoonbill - Alvecote (Adam Archer)

Alvecote - Spoonbill ad till 7.05pm when flushed by dog walkers (per A Archer et al)
Kingsbury - Turnstone, Dunlin, Common Sand Cliff Pool (K Sargent, J Harris) Avocet this evening 8.05pm - 8.25pm only (presumed Bassett bird), Sanderling, Turnstone (WJ Egmont)
Bassett North - Spoonbill ad flew in 7.21pm till 8.20pm at least (TP, M Yapp et al). Also this evening Avocet (till 7.45pm only), 3 Grey Plover (until flushed by Spoonbill!), 5 Sanderling, Greenshank, 5 Redshank, Turnstone, 15+ Ringed Plover, 6 Dunlin, Med Gull ad (TP, J Harris, M Yapp et al)
Fisher's Mill - 3 Grey Plover late evening (M Yapp). Same as Bassett.

12th May - Sightings

Bassett North - Med Gull(ad) still Spoonbill Pit, 3 Ringed Plover North Pit (TP)

11th May - Sightings

Kingsbury - Common Sand Cliff Pool (K Sargent, J Harris)
Fisher's Mill - 2 Garganey again (m,f) (K Sargent)
Bassett North - Med Gull (ad) Spoonbill Pit, Greenshank, Dunlin (per J Harris)

10th May - Sightings

Bassett North - White Wagtail, 9 Dunlin, 11+ Ringed Plover, Med Gull(ad), Greenshank (TP, J Allen, et al)
Fisher's Mill - Wheatear(m) still

More info on yesterday's barnacle on the Ivel Ringing Group Blog. See here

Barnacle Origins

Have received this prompt reply from Errol Newman about the Barnacle. It is indeed a Bedfordshire bird which usually spends the mid-winter at Slimbridge with one or two others.


Recapture History

N 4 24/07/05 MA near Roxton, Bedfordshire

S 4 Sighted (R) 02/04/07 Coate Water, Swindon (121 km, SW, 1 yr 252days)

S 4 Sighted 25/05/07 Cassington GP, Oxfordshire (80 km, WSW, 1 yr 305days)

S 4 Sighted (R) 02/11/07 EN WWT New Grounds, Gloucestershire (151 km, WSW, 2 yrs
101days)

S 6 Sighted 09/05/09 ANO Drayton Bassett pits, Staffordshire (107 km, WNW, 3 yrs 289days)

9th May - Sightings

Bassett North - 3 Barnacle Geese (TP, J Allen et al). One of these birds is colour ringed on right leg (Red ring, white letters 'BP' with white line). This would appear to have been rung in Bedfordshire (see here). Details will be sent off. Also 18 Dunlin, 10 Ringed Plover, Med Gull (ad), Teal, 4 Shoveler (TP, J Allen et al) Greenshank (M Yapp)
Fisher's Mill - 2 Garganey(m,f) still, Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, YL Gull (ad), Wheatear (MO)
Kingsbury - 2 Common Sand (TP, J Allen)
Ladywalk - Little Egret (WMBC)
Wishaw - 6 Wheatear (G Williams)

Of interest an aberrant swift has been in the valley the last two days at least, showing a prominent white belly.

8th May - Sightings

Kingsbury - 2 Common Sands (L Johnson)
Fisher's Mill - 2 Garganey (m,f), YL Gull (L Johnson)
Bassett North - Greenshank, 14 Dunlin, 2 Yellow Wagtail (L Johnson)
Shustoke - Red Kite over (WMBC)

7th May - Sightings

Bassett North - 15 Dunlin, 18+ Ringed Plover, Med Gull (ad) (J Allen, S Cawthray, J Harris)
Fisher's Mill - Yellow-Legged Gull (ad) still (J Allen)

6th May - Sightings

Bassett North - 31+ Dunlin, 12 Ringed Plover, 2 Greenshank, Common Sand, White Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail (TP, J Harris, K Sargent)
Kingsbury - Dunlin, Raven Over (K Sargent)
Lea Marston - Wheatear(f) at Old Quaryy (J Harris) As expected in early May this was a 'Greenland Bird'. White Wagtail Haunch Lane (TP)
Shustoke - 2 Common Sands (L Johnson)

5th May - Sightings

Ladywalk - Whinchat from Hide B (S Cawthray)
Kingsbury - Garganey (m) still Cliff Pool (K Sargent, J Harris)
Fisher's Mill - Wheatear (F), Hobby (K Sargent) Greenshank (J Harris)
Bassett North - Greenshank, Whimbrel through, 2 Common Sand, 11 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover North Pit (J Harris, M Yapp) A further 9 Whimbrel this evening until flew West (M Yapp) Whinchat on West Side still (J Harris)

4th May - Sightings

Bassett - Avocet still until c1.30pm when it flew off. Also Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, 6 Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin on North Pit. Mediterranean Gull (Ad Green Ringed) on Spoonbill Pit (J Allen, M Inskipp et al) Whinchat (M Pollock).
Kingsbury - Garganey (m) Cliff Pool till dusk (J Allen et al) Also Little Egret briefly (J Allen)
Shustoke - Common Sand (L Johnson)

3rd May - Sightings

Bassett - Avocet 8pm (per RBA)
Alvecote - Unconfirmed report of Avocet this morning (Roy Smith) Flushed and not relocated.

2nd May - Sightings

Alvecote - 2 Garganey on Railway Pool (per RBA)
Kingsbury - Common Sand Cliff Pool (T Pick)