home

  JUNE 2007 Diary and News from Chasewater
 and Cuckoo Bank

All the latest sightings, news and photos from Chasewater, Cuckoo Bank, Clayhanger/Ryders Mere
and surrounding areas.   All records are welcome, please send them to Graham at chasewater.org.uk  (substitute @ for at) and jpeg your photos and Zip them - OR submit your records via our comments page 

May 2007 April 2007  March 2007  February 2007
January 2007  December 2006  November 2006 October 2006  September 2006  August 2006  July 2006  June 2006  May 2006
April 2006  March 2006  February 2006  January 2006 

Key to Contributors

2007

Sightings/News

Photos
Saturday 30 June

17:45 40 Black-headed Gulls flew north-west.

A good patch of Bog Pimpernel in the North Bog and 1-2 Round-leaved Wintergreens close to flowering.

Slurry Pool: 1 Ruddy Duck, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Mute Swan with a cygnet,

Swag: 31 Tufted Ducks, 1 Ruddy Duck.

Plant Swag: 1 Tufted Duck, 2+ singing Reed Warblers, 1 Ringlet (GE). 
Friday 29 June

8 Common Terns.

Moth Trapping: Oystercatcher heard , Four-dotted Footman amongst several species identified (GE, NS). 
Thursday 28 June

18:30 3 probable Ravens flew over (CM).

1 Oystercatcher (PW).

50 Canada Geese, 4 Lapwings, 4 Common Terns (GE). 
Wednesday 27 June 19:00 8 Common Terns (GE).
Tuesday 26 June

Not a lot on bird front. North shore only, 3 Common Terns, 40 Lesser Black-backs gulls on raft, 80 Swifts all over, 20 Sand Martins causeway area, with up the 45 House Martins, 1 male Stonechat with 1 juvenile.

Butterflies: 5 Speckled Woods, 7 Meadow Browns, 2 Small Heaths but no sign of any Ringlets or fritillaries

Damselflies: 1 male Banded Demoiselle at the back of Fly Bay, Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Azures but many fewer than last week.

Two Red Deer followed me on the burnt heath area; each time I stopped they stopped and just stared.

Hoping for more summer-like weather (EO).

18:00 12 Common Terns (GE). 
Monday 25 June 18:00 Rain, rain and yet more rain! 7-8 Common Terns, 50 Canada Geese (GE).
Sunday 24 June

21:15 46 Canada Geese, 7 Common Terns, 26 Black-headed Gulls, 75 large gulls (GE).

Clayhanger Marsh: 2 Kingfishers, 4 Oystercatchers.

Ryders Mere: 26 Common Terns. Despite all the swimming and canoe disturbance, at least 6 pairs of Common Terns have fledged up to 12 young (CM).  
Saturday 23 June

Raceway: 1-2 Ringlets, 1 Large Skipper.

Swag: 29 Tufted Ducks.

Kingswood: 1 Kestrel (GE). 
Friday 22 June Several Common Terns (GE).
Thursday 21 June 18:30 A good increase in Common Terns with 17 present at any one time but 3 birds flew out and 1 flew in from the direction of Ryder’s Mere (GE).
Wednesday 20 June 18:15 Swag: 22 Tufted Ducks, 1 Sparrowhawk (GE).
Tuesday 19 June

I hope the tide goes out before August.

On raft as I came in at 09:00 were 40 -50 indistinguishable gulls, and a flock of about 60 came in from NW all were Lesser Black-backs and settled on water by the raft.

4 Common Terns, 8 Swifts over Slurry Pool. Several Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers still singing. Amazed by number of orchids you see when looking for butterflies.

Butterflies: 1 Common Blue, 1 Painted Lady, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, numerous Large Skippers, Small Heaths, Meadow Browns and 8 Speckled Woods. Numerous small moths and 1 Cinnabar.

I know we tend to overlook the obvious (well I do) but there must have been close to 1000 Common Blue Damselflies. They were all over the long grass and heaths that I trampled through. But what was more amazing were the 150-200 in Fly Bay along the sailing club side, they were all along the length of that shore, many mated. What looked like Emperor Dragonfly at the Slurry Pool, 2 mating and being buzzed by a very rapid male. They broke off mating and she went 2 inches over water dropping her rear into water and releasing eggs every few seconds. Also saw Four-spotted Chaser in bush area at back of Slurry Pool. And on the heath what looked like Brown Hawker (EO).

18:30 Water level has now just reached maximum, probably an unprecedented situation for the time of year. 6 Common Terns, 46 Canada Geese (GE).
Monday 18 June

More heavy showers have pushed up water levels to within 2 cm of overflow.

18:15  3 Common Terns, 42 Canada Geese, 2 Goldfinches (GE).
Sunday 17 June

10:30 247 large gulls loafing on the lake despite both waterski and sailing activities, 3-4 Common Terns, 42 Canada Geese, 1 Grey Wagtail.

Church Street Open Space: Adders tongue ferns, singing Chiffchaff, Blackcap, 2 Whitethroats.

Jack’s Wood: 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Blackcap, 1 Southern Hawker.

Swag: 20 Tufted Ducks (GE).

WeBS: 26 Mute Swans, 42 Canada Geese, 2 Egyptian Geese, 96 Mallard, 28 Tufted Ducks, 4 Ruddy Ducks, 1 Cormorant, 1 Heron, 6 Moorhens, 126 Coot, 3 Common Terns (NS).

Fair Lady Coppice: No Tree Sparrows seen but House Sparrows were using one nest box. No Lapwings present. 5 Common Blues, 1 Painted Lady, 1-2 Meadow Browns and Burnet Companions (GE).

Gull 3 –2nd summer

Gull 4 –1st summer
Although the gulls were reasonably close in, the back lighting made them very difficult to photograph. These two presumed Yellow-legged Gulls, their dark bills clearly showing them to be different from last week’s birds, again show some features of Caspian Gull. Gull 3 is probably 2nd summer and Gull 4  1st summer. Oddly they were the only gulls that appeared to have see-through nostrils! (GE).

Gull 4 habitually pecked at the buoys. Its large size is clearly shown against the Lesser Black-back
Saturday 16 June

The water level has risen over 30 cm during the week and is now only 8 cm from overflow.

09:00 3 drake Common Scoters (still present at dusk (PW)), 1 Black Tern, 14 Common Terns, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Jackdaws, 2 Rooks.

North Shore: 3 pairs Lapwings, 1 Painted Lady, several Meadow Browns, 1-2 Small Skippers.

Swag: 18 Tufted Ducks, 1 Ruddy Duck.

Slurry Pool: 1 Little Grebe calling, 4 Great Crested Grebe chicks still surviving, 2-3 Common Spotted amongst the Southern Marsh Orchids.

Moths: 1-2 Burnet Companions, 1 Blackneck and 1 Yellow Shell (GE).

Wyrley Common: 2 Buzzards + 2 juvs, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Green Woodpecker (GE).

 

Drake Common Scoters (GE)

Lots of stretching and preening.
Friday 15 June 1 Black Tern (perhaps there was one in the murk last night after all), 10 Common Terns (GE). 65mm of rain was recorded between Thursday and Friday mornings (TL).
Thursday 14 June Rain most of the day; hard to believe we’re approaching the longest day since it was very murky by 19:30 and 6 Common Terns at times looked like Black Terns! (GE).
Wednesday 13 June 20:00 Very wet end to the day. 3 Common Terns and about 70 large gulls on the raft (GE).
Tuesday 12 June

35 Swifts high, 2 Common Terns, 1 Kestrel and a female Sparrowhawk over dam. Stayed on north shore for butterflies: 3 Painted Ladies, 2 Red Admirals, Small Skipper and Small Heath but no blues or any sign of fritillaries. Several orchids by path by marsh and several at back of Slurry Pool, further away from railway at back of Slurry Pool some longer and darker flowers (EO).

21:25 – 21:55  A late arrival meant that most of the gulls were silhouetted and tightly packed on the raft. 275 Lesser Black-backs, 1 probable 2nd s Yellow-legged Gull, 17+ Black-headed Gulls, 1+ Common Tern (GE).

Cuckoo Bank: 4 Grey Partridges, 1 Little Grebe, 5 Goldfinches and 1 Lapwing flew west. Lots of damselflies and 1 large dragonfly, I was unable to get any colours as it flashed by. Small and Large Skipper, Small Heath, 5 Meadow Browns, 1 Common Blue, 2 Foxes and 1 Red Deer (EO). 
Monday 11 June Male Broad-bodied Chaser on pool West of the Burntwood bypass, North of railway cafe

Slurry Pool: 2 Sedge warblers, male and female Southern Hawker (although not 100% on the ID) Lots of darters and common blue damselflies. family party of 6 Whitethroats (N, IW)

19:00 7 Egyptian Geese, 2 Common Terns, 1 Heron, 1 Mute Swan with 4 young cygnets on boating pool and a pair with 2 cygnets by the Island where Starlings were starting to gather (GE).
Sunday 10 June

12:00 Swag: 25 Tufted Ducks, 2 Ruddy Ducks, 42 Mallard, 6 Great Crested Grebes +1 chick, 2 Mute Swans, 1 Mistle Thrush.

South Shore: 5+ Egyptian Geese on the boating pool island (GE). 
Saturday 9 June

3 Dexter cattle arrived this morning to graze the heath between the canal and the motorway.

7 Egyptian Geese, 35 Canada Geese, 19 Lesser Black-backs, 4 Common Terns, 4 Herons, pair Swans with 4 cygnets, 1 Cuckoo, 1 pair Stonechats, 2 Red Admirals, 1 Small Copper.

Slurry Pool area: Around 10 singing Reed Warblers, over 1000 Southern Marsh Orchids including several Southern Marsh x Common Spotted type hybrids, 2 Dingy Skippers, several Common Blues, 3 Small Skippers, 3 Speckled Woods, 5 Small Heaths, 1 Meadow Brown, 3 Burnet Companions, 5 Four-spotted Chasers, 2 Common Darters, 1 Emperor Dragonfly, many Common Blue/Azure Damsels and 1-2 Large Red and Blue-tailed Damsels.

Fly Pool: Pair Swans with 2 cygnets.

Jack’s Wood: 2 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, singing Coal Tit, 1 Blackcap and 1 Kestrel.

21:15 – 21:50  Still lots of water-ski disturbance till 21:40 and only 45 Lesser Black-backs arrived. 2+ Oystercatchers were calling, the Island bushes appeared full of Starlings and a large dragonfly (probably Southern Hawker) was silhouetted as it hunted along the western shore till 21:35 (GE). 

Dexters grazing the East Heath. A lush growth of Purple Moor-grass has developed since the fire (GE).
Friday 8 June

Swag: 19 Tufted Ducks, 37 Mallard, 1 drake Ruddy Duck, 3 Great Crested Grebes and 1 chick, a brood of Willow Tits (6+ birds).

Slurry Pool: 1 pair Great Crested Grebes with 4 chicks, 1 Willow Tit heard, 350+ Southern Marsh Orchids around the north bay.

21:00 – 21:45 Roost 1 2nd s Yellow-legged Gull, 1 3rd s Herring Gull (argenteus), 115 Lesser Black-backs, 2 Common Terns, 1 Oystercatcher, many Starlings in willows on the Island (GE). 

Southern Marsh Orchids (GE)
Thursday 7 June 20:25  6 Common Terns, 200 Swifts (GE).
Wednesday 6 June 21:10 –21:40  5 Common Terns, 5+ Egyptian Geese, 20 Black-headed Gulls, 160+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 1 2nd s Yellow-legged Gull (GE).
Tuesday 5 June

09:00  200 Swifts, 35 House Martins, 25 Sand Martins, 10-20 Swallows, 7 Egyptian Geese in ski club bay. Female Swan with 4 cygnets on back, 1 Black-headed Gull and 12 herring gull on raft, Buzzard over Eights, 1 Little Ringed Plover on north shore by sailing club. 2 Common Terns on water and on return most Swifts had gone.

Butterflies: 8 Small Heaths at the base of hill behind Slurry Pool, 5 Common Blues, 3 Small Skippers on railway embankment and Speckled Wood by dam.

Moths:  At least 2 Cinnabar Moths and a few what look like Burnet Companions.

Several Common Blue damselflies (EO).

21:05 – 21:45 2 Yellow-legged Gulls probably both 2nd summer birds but one being more advanced than the other having new grey inner primaries and neat tertials, yet still having a complete, broad black tail band. 160 Lesser Black-backs; 1st summers showing active moult of inner primaries but older birds, including 2nd summers not yet in moult. 12 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Common Terns, 50 Swifts still feeding at 21:45 (GE).
Monday 4 June

Starlings flying to roost on the Island (GE).

19:30 – 20:50 A large Starling roost on the Island with 1200 counted arriving by 20:45.

16 Lesser Black-backs, 4 Common Terns, 1 Rook, 50 Swifts.

North Shore: 1 Mute Swan with 4 cygnets (GE).

 
Sunday 3 June 09:30 –10:00 From West Shore: 1 2nd s Yellow-legged Gull on the raft with 25 Lesser Black-backs, 2 Common Terns, 1 pair Ruddy Ducks, 1 Garden Warbler singing, 1 Buzzard over the dam and 1 Jackdaw flew over (GE).
Saturday 2 June

08:30 Slurry Pool/Norton Bog: 1 Buzzard, a pair Great Crested Grebes with 3 chicks, 2 male Ruddy Ducks, 2 Sedge Warblers, sev Reed Warblers, 1 singing Willow Tit, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Dingy Skipper, 3 Common Blues. 90 Southern Marsh Orchids, which are greatly threatened by the continual expansion of the reed beds. One small patch of Floating Water-plantain.

Swag: 8 Tufted Ducks, 1 drake Ruddy Duck, 1 Buzzard.

Boating Pool: at least 5 Egyptian Geese hiding away on the island.

21:30  400 Starlings roosting on the Island, 40 Lesser Black-backs, 6 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Common Terns, 2 Noctules, one of which flew alongside a Swift for a moment at 21:45 (GE).

Wyrley Common: 3 Buzzards, including a pair with downy young, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 9 Red Deer, 1-2 Common Blues, 1 male Broad-bodied Chaser. Despite landowners’ efforts, this potentially excellent area is still heavily used by scramble bikers. Paths are deeply rutted and there are large areas of bare clay where there was once (25+ years ago!) a carpet of Kidney Vetches and trefoils and populations of Small Blues and hundreds of Common Blues that roosted in a small reed bed.

Kingswood: 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Buzzard (GE).

 

Southern Marsh Orchid (GE)
Friday 1 June

4 Common Terns, 6 Black-headed Gulls, 7 Egyptian Geese, 28 Canada Geese.

Heath near OEC: 1 Black-tailed Skimmer.

Canal: Large areas of Shoreweed, 2 smaller patches of Floating Water-plantain

East Heath/Overflow: 2 singing Reed Warblers, 1 Green Woodpecker, 6 Sundews growing well in the burnt area, several clumps of Deergrass and Cranberry in flower.

Gulls: 50 large gulls during the early evening including 2 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gulls (GE). (See message No.3 3rd June CLICK HERE)

Black-tailed Skimmer (GE)

Sundew from the ashes (GE)

Cranberry (GE)

Gull 1 -Short necked and deep billed appearance!

Same bird showing long necked and long, narrow billed appearance!

Gull 2 – longer, thinner, paler bill, rather Caspian Gull like!

Gulls 2 and 1
These two presumed second summer Yellow-legged Gulls proved to be very confusing; the dangers of birding alone! Several features such as their large size, dark centred tertials, tone of grey and advanced plumage point to them not being argenteus Herring Gulls. Gull 1 was well into its moult of fight feathers, having dropped its inner four primaries. Gull 2 looked more advanced, with no clear sign of moult, but its tail still had a complete, broad black band, implying an age of 2nd, rather than 3rd, summer. Gull 1’s legs may have had a slight yellowish suffusion but its feet were flesh coloured. Gull 2’s legs were not seen.

Gull 1 on the buoy, Gull 2 on the water.