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June 2005 Diary and News from Chasewater
 and Cuckoo Bank

All the latest sightings, news and photos from Chasewater and Cuckoo Bank.  All records are welcome, please send them to either Bevan or Graham at chasewater.org.uk  (substitute @ for at) (jpeg your photos and Zip them)
OR submit your records via Chasewater Chat FORUM 
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Key to Contributors:  Julian Allen (JA), John Bennett (JB), Martine Bevan (MB), Steve Bevan (SB), Bruce & Liz Bolton (B &  LB), Ian Butler (IB), Harvy Carter (HC), Roger Clay (RC), Gareth Clements (GC), Kevin Clements (KC), Bevan Craddock (BC), Peter Dedicoat (PD), Graham Evans (GE), Andrew Fisher (AF), Dave Garrad (DG), Brian Jones (BJ), Jackie Jones (JJ), Terry Hancox (TH), John Harris (JH), Steve Haynes (SH), Paul Hyde (PH), Robert Jeffery (RJ), Paul Jeynes (PJ), Ian Littlewood (IL), Brian McGeough (BM), Andy Mabbett (AM), Graham Mant (GJM), Chaz Mason (CM), Natalie (N), Peter Newman (PN), Steve Nuttall (SN), Eric Phillips (EGP), Ivan Poole (IP), Geoff Quemby (GQ), Bruce Read (BR), Steve Richards (SR), Geoff Richardson (GR),  Ian Ryding (IR), Bernard Smith (BS), Roy Smith (RSm), Tony Stackhouse (AS), Neil Stych (NS), Rachel Stych (RS), Steve Tomkinsons (ST), Ade Turner (AT), Ian Ward (IW), Phill Ward (PW),  Geoff Williams (GW), Ted Winks (TW), Ian Whitehouse (ICW), Nigel Wright (NW), Martyn Yapp (MY). Records also from Birdguides (BG) and WMBC Hotline (WMBC)
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2005

Sightings/News

Photos
Thurs
30 June

 

1 Little Ringed Plover, 6 Common Terns, 38 Canada Geese.
 Gull Roost: 130 Lesser Black-backs (most didn’t arrive till 22:00 so only seen as silhouettes), 36 Black-headed Gulls including 2 juveniles (GE).

  
Wed
29 June		 3 Common Terns, 2 Lapwings, 36 Canada Geese, 40 Lesser Black-backs, 1 first-summer Great Black-back (GE).  
Tues
28 June

1 Kestrel over North Shore.
 Swag: 1 Gadwall, 36 Tufted Ducks (GE).

  
Mon
27 June

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Standing on the bridge between the main pool and the swag, we saw thousands of roach fry moving from the main pool into the Swag. We watched for at least 15 minutes and they were still swimming past in vast numbers. Two terns were feeding near by (Chat Guest).

6 deer, including a hind and calf were in the middle of the small pool just above the fenced off area at the end of the slurry pool. I think that they were eating the weed and cooling down at the same time;
a marvellous sight (GR).

1 male Kestrel dive mobbed a perched Buzzard on the North Shore. 6 Common Terns (GE).		  
Sunday
26 June

 

 

1 Buzzard hunting by hovering over North Shore.

Slurry Pool/Norton Bog: 1 Cuckoo, several Reed Warblers, 4Sevral Four-spotted Chasers, Black-tailed Skimmers, Blue-tailed and Common Blue Damselflies (GE). 		  
Sat
25 June

 

 

4 Common Terns, 150 + Coot, 9 Tufted, 60 Lesser Black-backs (GE).

Ryders Mere: 3-4 pairs of Common Terns nesting on the island with at least one chick, 3 adult Oystercatchers, 1 Buzzard (GE)


Common Tern Chick (GE)
Fri
24 June		 4 Common Terns, 35 Canada Geese, 32 Black-headed Gulls, 1 first-summer Great Black-back, 20 Lesser Black-backs, 1 Ruddy Duck (GE)  
Thurs
23 June

4 Common Terns, 1 Cuckoo.

Gull Roost: 1 third-summer Yellow-legged Gull, 105 Lesser Black-backs, 1 first-summer Great Black-back, 27 Black-headed including one juvenile (GE). 		  
Wed
22 June		 3 Common Terns, 22 Tufted Ducks, 1 Ruddy Duck. First juvenile Black-headed Gull of the year. Several Starlings roosting on Island (GE).  
Tues
21 June		 4 Common Terns, 1 2nd–summer Yellow-legged Gull, 90 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (GE).  
Mon
20 June

6 Common Terns, 6 Lapwings, 33 Canada Geese, 1 Kestrel, 1 Heron. On the island but little sign of a Starling roost.

1 2nd-summer Yellow-legged Gull, 1 third-summer and one first-summer Herring Gull, 1 first-summer Great Black-backed Gull, 6 Black-headed Gulls (GE). 		  
Sunday
19 June

A hot, sunny day followed by torrential rain, hail and thunder during the early evening.

3 Common Terns, 2 Herons, 1 male Ruddy Duck.

1 female Black-tailed Skimmer caught and ate a Small Heath butterfly. 10+ Four-spotted Chasers, 1 Broad-bodied Chaser (GE). 


Female Black-tailed Skimmer eating Small Heath butterfly (GE).
Sat
18 June

3 Common Terns, 1 Buzzard.

Highfield Farm: 6 Lapwings (GE).

No Man’s Bank: 6 Red Deer with two fawns.

Cuckoo Bank: 1 Brimstone, 1 Cuckoo, pair of Swans with 2 young cygnets on ‘bottom’ pool, one Four-spotted Chaser (GE). 


I recognise the face but the name escapes me! (GE)
Fri
17 June

1 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull, 70 Lesser Black-backs, 1 first-summer Great Black-back, 2 Common Terns, 1 Little Grebe.

 Moth Trapping session by Outdoor Education Centre produced over 20 species, several of which were new for the Chasewater list (GE, NS, IW, PW).


Shoulder-striped Wainscot (GE)


Purple Bar (GE)
 


Green Silver Lines(GE)


Grass Wave (GE)


Buff Ermine (GE)


Angle Shades (GE)
Thurs
16 June		 1 Buzzard over north shore, 2 Common Terns (GE)  
Wed
15 June		 20:30 – 21:15.  2 Common Terns, 1 Buzzard hunting over north shore (again), 1 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull, 165 Lesser Black-backs, 2 Black-headed Gulls, Starlings roosting on island (GE).  
Tues
14 June		 19:15- 19:45.  2 Common Terns, 1 Buzzard hunting over north shore, 1 Kestrel, 1 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull, 100 Lesser Black-backs, 1 first-summer Great Black-back(GE).  
Mon
13 June

1 male Common Crossbill flew over the A5 from Brownhills Common towards Highfield Farm at 09:00 (PJ).

1 Dunlin, 2 Common Terns courtship feeding (PW)150 Swifts, 25 House Martins (GE).

  
Sunday
12 June

 

 

2 Cuckoos mating at the Slurry Pool (GR).
 2 Common Terns, 2 second-summer Yellow-legged Gulls

Gull Roost; 90 large gulls, 17 Black-headed Gulls (GE).		  
Sat
11 June

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swag: A Red Kite flew west at 15:10. It passed fairly low over the north shore of the Swag and continued over Norton towards Cannock Tip, where it could not be relocated ten minutes later.

10 Tufted Ducks, 52 Mallard, two Great Crested Grebe broods.

Starlings roosted on island but were not counted.

 Gull Roost: 2 second-summer Yellow-legged Gulls, 1 first-summer Great Black-backed Gull, 116 Lesser Black-backs, 2 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Terns, 6 Lapwings (GE).


2 second-summer Yellow-legged Gulls with Lesser Black-backs and partly obscured 1st summer Great Black-back (GE)
Fri
10 June

 

 

 

 

2 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull, 1 1st summer Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Common Terns.

Starling Roost: 2100+ in bushes on island, 200+ appeared to use the north shore and Swag willows when the island was getting too crowded! (GE)

 

 


Hard to believe there are over 2000 Starlings on the island!
Thurs
9 June

 

 

 

 

 

 

A red deer hind and calf were browsing the bushes on the lake edge on the NW shore of the creek, opposite the Outdoor Ed Centre. Children and staff watched them for almost 20 minutes before they disappeared back into cover. Great to know that they are successfully breeding in the area, despite the numbers of walkers, dogs, powerboats and the like (IP).
2 Common Terns, 2 Lapwings, 1 Heron. Probably several hundred Starlings are roosting in the willows on the island.

Gull Roost: 121 Lesser Black-backs, 1 first- summer Great Black-back, 2 Black-headed (GE).		  
Wed
8 June

1 Oystercatcher, 3 Common Terns, 2 Herons.

Gull Roost: about 180 presumed Lesser Black-backs (GE)		  
Tues
7 June

1 Black-tailed Godwit (PW).
 2 Common Terns, 8 Lesser Black-backs (GE).
 1 Barn Owl over Pelsall North Common (STo)

  
Mon
6 June		 1 Tufted, 2 Lesser Black-backed, 3 Goldfinches (GE).  
Sunday
5 June

3 Common Terns, 8 Lesser Black-backed (GE).

Great Spotted Woodpeckers have now fledged in Jack’s Wood (PW).		  
Sat
4 June

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Common Terns, 1 first-summer Great Black-backed Gull, 3 Lesser Black-backs, 50 Swifts (GE), 1 Cuckoo (ST).

Highfield Farm: 2 Lapwings, 5 Stock Doves, 25 Magpies.

Raceway Heath: singing Yellowhammer, Dingy Skipper, Mother Shipton (moth), Large Red Damselfly (GE).

Plant Swag; 1 pair Tufted Ducks, 2 Canada Geese, Swan still sitting, Garden Warbler, Blackcap and brood of Willow Tits (GE).		  
Fri
3 June

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Common Terns, 1 first-summer Great Black-backed Gull, 8 Lesser Black-backs, 1 Little Grebe calling from Pylon Bay, pair of Swans (SNX, ZEF) with 8 cygnets (GE).

Slurry Pool area: Pair of Swans, 2 Tufted Ducks, 2 Cuckoos (calling), several Reed Warblers singing, 3 singing Sky Larks, 20 Swifts, 2 Common Blue butterflies, 1 Burnet Companion moth, Blue-tailed Damselfly.

North shore rushy field: 3 singing Sky Larks, 1-2 Southern Marsh Orchids starting to flower.

 

 

 

Mute Swan brood (GE)


Southern Marsh Orchid (GE)
Thurs
2 June

 

 

 

 3 Common Terns, 1 first-summer Great Black-backed Gull, 3 Lesser Black-backs (GE).

 

 

 

1st Summer Greater Black backed Gull (GE)
Wed
1 June

 

 2 Common Terns, 3 Black-headed Gulls flew east, 5 Lesser Black-backs, 46 Canada Geese, 2 Tufted Ducks. 2 Grey Wagtails on dam and 1 Goldcrest singing at north end of dam (GE).  

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