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August 2005 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 Chasewater Chat FORUM 
July 2005   June 2005   May 2005   April 2005  March 2005  February 2005  January 2005  December 2004  November 2004

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
Wed
31 August		 12 Black Terns, 1 Common Tern, many Canada Geese (GE).  
Tues
30 August		 260 Canada Geese, 5 Herons on island, 1 juvenile Common Tern, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel (GE).  
Mon
29 August

 

 

 

146 Canada Geese including 9 hybrids, 70 Mute Swans, 15 Goldfinches, 3 Common Terns, 3 Herons on island.

Swag: 223 Tufted Ducks, 4 Wigeon, 1 Little Grebe.

Slurry Pool: 25 Tufted (248 total) (GE). A Barn Owl flew over at dusk (CMcS)		  
Sunday
28 August

 

 

 

 

Country Fair at Innovation Centre 11:00am to 4:30pm. Wolverhampton Olympic Triathlon during the early morning involving 236 starters.

Swag: 166 Tufted Ducks, 4 Wigeon, 1 Shoveler, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Buzzard, 1 Heron.

Slurry Pool: 43 Tufted (209 total)

Lake: 2 Little Grebes, 150+ Canada Geese around island (GE).		  
Sat
27 August

 

Swag: 1 adult Hobby, 4 Wigeon, 147 Tufted Ducks.

Slurry Pool: 22 Tufted (total of 169) (GE).		  
Fri
26 August

 

 

 

 

Today there was very little bird life around anywhere (N).

Gull Roost: 780 Lesser Black-backs, about 2000 Black-headed Gulls. Roost disturbed by a water skier (P104 I think, but it was too dark to see for sure) who went back out at 20:40 despite the ‘call in’ light coming on at 20:15 and the sailing boats were called in at 20:30 (GE).		  
Thurs
25 August

 

 

2 Common Terns, 1 adult Herring Gull, 4 Herons on island, 8 Goldfinches, 2 Stock Doves.

Swag: 54 Tufted Ducks, 3 Wigeon, 2 Little Grebes.

Slurry Pool: 61 Tufted Ducks (total of 115), 1 Migrant Hawker (GE).		  
Wed
24 August

 

 

 

5 Common Terns, 1 Cormorant, 2 Herons, 130 Starlings, 50 House Martins, 1 Swift.

Swag: 3 Wigeon, 56 Tufted Ducks.

Gull Roost: 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls, 550 Lesser Black-backs, about 2000 Black-headed Gulls (GE).		  
Tues
23 August

 

 

 

3 Common Terns, 8 Cormorants, 1 Buzzard, 2 Swifts, 30 Lapwings, 3 Herons, 20 Pied Wagtails.

Clayhanger SSSI: 145 Canada Geese, 10 Teal, 1 Ruddy Duck6 Swifts, 3 Herons, 6 Migrant Hawkers.

Ryders Mere: 3 Little Grebes, 16 Canada Geese (GE).		  
Mon
22 August		 3 Common Terns (GE).  
Sunday
21 August

Swag: 64 Tufted Ducks

Slurry Pool: 32 Tufted Ducks		  
Sat
20 August		 Swag: 58 Tufted Ducks, 3 Red Deer on the shore (GE)  
Fri
19 August		 4 Common Terns, 25 Lapwings, about 70 Mute Swans, 38 Pied Wagtails, 18 Linnets, 60 Starlings,  (GE).  
Thurs
18 August

 

 

 

 

1 Raven, 2 Greenshanks, Sparrow hawk, Kingfisher, Dabchick, Linnet, Goldfinch (GR).

2 Common Terns, 67 Tufted Ducks (47 on Swag and 20 on Slurry Pool), 70+ Canada Geese on the Island, 2 Herons, 2 Ruddy Ducks, 1 Buzzard (GE).

Gull Roost: 2200 Black-headed, 600 Lesser Black-backs (GE).		  
Wed
17 August

 

 

 

 

3 Common Terns, 5 Herons, 1 Kingfisher, 42 Tufted Ducks (34 on Swag and 8 on Slurry Pool).

26 flowering Round-leaved Wintergreens, 1 Common Snipe, 1-2 Ruddy Darters (GE).

 

 

Tues
16 August

 

3 Common Terns, 29 Canada Geese.

Gull Roost: 750 Lesser Black-backs, 1600 Black-headed (GE).		  
Mon
15 August		 8 Common Terns (GE).  
Sunday
14 August

3 Common Terns (GE).

Kingswood: 550 Lesser Black-backs on flattened area, 2 Common Terns over lake (GE).		  
Sat
13 August		 2 Cormorants, 15 Lapwings, 21 Pied Wagtails, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Common Terns, 2 Herons, family group of at least 4 Sparrowhawks near OEC (GE).  
Frid
12 August

 

 

 

 

9 Common Terns, 1 adult Herring Gull, 1 Heron

Gull Roost: 1 adult Common Gull, 1500 Black-headed Gulls, 620 Lesser Black-backs, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull (GE).

Sparrowhawk near Fly Pool, Kestrel, 10 Tufted Duck on Slurry Pool. Plenty of Long Tail Tits and Great Tits, Willow warbler, Marsh Tit, Heron, Common Tern, 2 Green Woodpeckers (N)		  
Thurs
11 August

 

 

 

Kingswood: 5 Common Terns. 1 adult intermedius (or even fuscus) Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull and 2 Herring/Yellow-legged Gulls.

Gull Roost: too late to scrutinise carefully but 480 Lesser Black-backs and 1500 Black-headed Gulls, 5 Common Terns (GE).		  
Wed
10 August

 

 

Swag: 1 Kingfisher, 19 Tufted Ducks, 102 Coot, 4 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Swans with 4 well grown cygnets.

Slurry Pool: 12 Tufted, 16 Coot, 42 Mallard, 1 Great Crested Grebe (GE).		  
Tues
9 August		 1 Buzzard, 1 Swift (GE).  
Mon
8 August		 1 Buzzard, 7 Common Terns, 1 Common Sandpiper (GE).  
Sunday
7 August

 

 

Swag: 1 Kingfisher, 1 Heron, 21 Tufted, 1 Ruddy Duck.

Slurry Pool: 15 Coot, 35 Mallard, 5 Tufted, 2 Swans, 2 Great-crested Grebes and a remote controlled  model helicopter buzzing overhead!		  
Sat
6 August

 

 

 

 

Been on a North shore walk today; Buzzard on the shoreline, 3 Herons, flock of 10 Goldfinches, good size mixed tit flock with several Willow warblers. Common Tern and Black-headed Gull in dispute over fishing rights (N).

Slurry Pool: 7 Tufted Ducks, 2 Buzzards flew low to the north.

Jeffrey’s Swag: 22 Tufted Ducks, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Kingfisher (GE).		  
Fri
5 August

 

2 Common Sandpipers, 8 Common Terns.

Jeffrey’s Swag: 21 Tufted Ducks (GE).		  
Thurs
4 August

 

 

12 Common Terns, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Kestrels (GE).

Moth Trapping below dam: New moths for the month were Chinese Character, Lesser Swallow Prominent and Six-striped Rustic (GE).		  
Wed
3 August

 

 

 

 

1 Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Common Sandpipers, 11 Common Terns, 2 Herons, 1 Kestrel, 1 Rook (GE).

1 Red Admiral (GE).

Moth Trapping below dam produced:
Pebble Hook-tip, Purple Bar, Chevron, Small Phoenix, Canary-shouldered Thorn, Scalloped Oak and Dark Spectacle, as well as the common regulars (GE).


Canary-shouldered Thorn (GE)
Tues
2 August

 

 

 

 

18 Common Terns,

Jeffrey’s Swag: 25 Tufted Ducks (GE).

Moth Trapping below dam: the more unusual species were Scalloped Hook-tip, Large Emerald, Bordered Beauty, Early Thorn, Willow Beauty, Light Emerald, Pebble Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent and Scarce Footman (GE). 		 
Mon
1 August		 1 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper, 15 Common Terns  (7 juv), 1 female Sparrowhawk (IW)  

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