Wednesday November 30th

Alvecote Pools
Warks: A Great White Egret on Mill Pool
Staffs: Another Great White Egret on Pigs Pool (Roy Smith).

Edison Road / River Tame
There were just 3 Chiffchaffs along the river even with the recent drop in temperature.

Kingsbury WP
A Short-eared Owl was over Richard's Meadow and a Jack Snipe and Dunlin on Cliffe Pool (Steve Cawthray).152 Teal counted from Skan Hide (Wal Egmont).
Swann Pool: Red-crested Pochard then flew towards Coton (Birdguides).

Ladywalk NR
The Bittern showed from Riverwalk Hide at 1410hrs (Pete Sofley). The 2 long-staying Stonechats are still present (Pete Lichfield).

Middleton RSPB
Warks: This morning 26 Little Egrets left the heronry roost and almost all flew towards the Water Park. Together with last nights count at Jubilee Willows it seems that ca.49 birds are roosting in the Valley, a similar total to that present in October (Steven Pick). 3 Water rails were at the feeders.
This evening a Barn Owl quartered Fisher's Mill and The New Reedbed area from about 1630hrs and Water Rails and Cetti's were very vocal on both sides of the river. Well after dark a possible Short-eared Owl was seen at Fisher's Mill (Steve Atkinson & SMH).
Staffs: 15 Little Egrets roosted this evening at Jubilee Willows (Steve Atkinson et al). Also on Jubilee, 6 Shelduck was a good November count with 6 Goldeneye, 4 Goosander and 5 Stonechats. A Great White Egret was on North Pit (RSPB).

Shustoke Res
2 Goosanders and 75 Pochard.

Wishaw
278 Golden Plover straddled the county boundaries today (Carl "GP" Hiles).

Tuesday November 29th

Alvecote Pools
Warks: 2 Great White Egrets, Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaff and a Black Swan (Roy Smith).

Coton Lake
A drake Red-crested Pochard found after a cold night but sticking to the very edges amongst the bushes, so maybe present previously (Tim Lowe). Also 193 Pochards, 76 Shovelors, Cetti's Warbler, 2 Chiffchaffs and Water Rail.

Kingsbury WP
Skan Hide: At dusk, 136 Teal, 13 Snipe, 4 Goldeneye (Walter J Egmont).
Swann Pool: 4 Goldeneye.

Middleton RSPB
Warks: A Short-eared Owl again hunting on the south meadow and maybe present yesterday too. Nearby a Barn Owl hunted Dosthill bund.
Staffs: 23 Little Egrets roosted at Jubilee willows, joined by a Great White Egret at 1638hrs. Also a second Barn Owl at Jubilee and 6 Goldeneyes on Dosthill NR (All records Steven Pick).
Also, 3 Shelduck and on 27th, a Willow Tit was at Dosthill NR (Geoff Williams).

Monday November 28th

Blythe Valley, Coleshill
A Red Kite was high over the Shustoke area at midday.

Coton Lakes
The Red-crested Pochard recorded on 29th was first seen today (late news from Tim Lowe).

Shustoke Res
65 Pochard, 1 Goldeneye.

Sunday November 27th

Alvecote Pools
Warks: At least one Great White Egret today on Teal Pool. Three were reported (Roy Smith)

Ladywalk NR
A Stonechat along the river plus 2 Water Rails, 1 Green Sandpiper and a Pochard (Kevin Whiston).

Middleton RSPB
Staffs: The willows at Jubilee were again the favoured roosting sight for the Little Egrets in calm conditions this evening. 26 roosted there so it would be interesting too to know the score for the heronry. Also, 2 Dunlins and only 10 Golden Plover this evening (Steven Pick).
Earlier, 600 Golden Plovers were present (Chris Doyle).

A ringtail Hen Harrier flew north towards our recording area at Marsh Lane NR, at around 1130hrs.

Postscript: Blythe Valley, Coleshill
It seems as though the ringtail Hen Harrier did enter our recording area as a 'possible' ringtail was seen flying north in the Coleshill/Maxstoke area at ca1045hrs. Given the time differences, if this was the same bird, it may have spent some time in the valley (Richard King).
Post-postscript: Apparently the Marsh Lane sighting was 1015hrs so the timing at Maxstoke ties in well with a bird simply moving north.

Saturday November 26th

Alvecote Pools
Warks: Great White Egret on Gilman's Pool (Roy Smith).

Amington
Great White Egret, 1 south over at 1246hrs (Tom Perrins).

Middleton RSPB
Warks: A Short-eared Owl hunting in the South meadow with a Stonechat there. A Woodcock by the farm and ca.500 Golden Plovers on Jubilee (RSPB).
Staffs: A Great White Egret plus 3 Dunlins and a Chiffchaff (Geoff Williams).

Wishaw
Warks: A Peregrine was on the pylons and ca. 600 Golden Plover were seen flighting over the M42 corridor with very small numbers joining them from the Wishaw direction.

There has been some discussion recently about the protracted stay of a Wood Sandpiper at Blithfield Res (Staffs). A bird arrived there this autumn and looked set to over-winter but left after 65 days on November 23rd.
In the Tame Valley, we had a bird which did over-winter and was thought at the time to be the first recorded occurrence of such an event in the UK. A bird arrived on October 30th 1982 and remained until May 3rd 1983. It frequented the old gravel pits, which contained numerous small islands, with shallow pools in between, at Coton and on the now-named Swann Pool, KWP.

A similarly rare event occurred in the same area when a Spotted Redshank arrived on December 27th 1980, remaining until April 25th 1981.

The Tame Valley gravel pits were in their prime at this time and the growth of vegetation over the intervening 35 plus years has lessened their attraction to wading species as is the case with every gravel pit complex.

Friday November 25th

Coton Lakes
76 Pochard, 2 Little Egrets and a Water Rail.

Ladywalk NR
29 Golden Plover flew over, a notable record at the locality, possibly reflecting the presence still of a recent flock at Maxstoke (Steve Cawthray).

Middleton RSPB
Staffs: A Great White Egret came in from the south and roosted in Jubilee willows at 1624hrs, with 17 Little Egrets there too.
Also ca.200 Golden Plovers, ca.200 Lapwings, 5 Dunlins, 5 Snipe and a Chiffchaff. On North Pit, a pair of Pintails (Steven Pick & Geoff Williams).
ca. 600 Golden Plovers were on Jubilee at 1600hrs (John Whitehurst).

Thursday November 24th

Alvecote Pools
Warks: Great White Egret on Gilman's Pool.
Staffs: Great White Egret near The Pigs (Roy Smith).

Ladywalk NR
A Short-eared Owl this evening, hunting along the river (Pete Sofley).

Middleton RSPB
Staffs: Goldeneye; 8 on Dosthill NR and 4 on Jubilee. 3 male Pintails on North Pit. Also a Stonechat, 4 Goosanders, 100 Golden Plovers and Cetti's Warbler in the Staffs pits. Only 11 Little Egrets went to roost at Jubilee Wetlands this evening.
Warks: Early today, 24 Little Egrets left the heronry roost at Middleton Hall. 60 Fieldfares, a Cetti's and a Siskin in the Fisher's Mill area later
(All info from RSPB, Steve Atkinson & Steven Pick).

In 1981 a drake Falcated Duck was present at this time on Hemlingford Water, KWP. It appeared amongst an obvious arrival of Wigeon on October 25th and remained until December 6th. The arrival with Wigeon has been recorded previously for this possible admission to the BOU list and this individual was widely twitched at the time. In those days that meant a few people from Norfolk made the effort.This species could still be admitted to the British list making this one of the best birds ever in the Tame Valley.