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May 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 
June 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
     
Tues
31 May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Common Terns, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Broad-bodied Chaser (GE).

This area near Chasewater Heaths Station was protected during the Norton Bog restoration scheme but is now in desperate need of management. It has lost many of the early flowering marsh and spotted orchids amongst many other plants that are being shaded out by willows(GE).

 

 
Mon
30 May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack’s Wood – the Church Street path into the wood is now open and already the local youth have established themselves around the burnt oak tree and covered the fence in graffiti. Green Woodpecker heard and Great Spots have young (GE).

During the late evening a Sanderling and first-summer Little Gull were with 2 Common Terns on the raft and a Cuckoo was calling (GE).

 

 

 

 

Jack’s Wood – teenage playground (GE).
Sunday
29 May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Common Terns, 1 Grey Wagtail, 70 Swifts, 30 Canada Geese.
 Fly Pool - 1 Kingfisher, pair of Mute Swans with 3 cygnets
 North Shore – 1 Cuckoo, 1 Heron, 1 Azure Damselfly, 1 Large Red Damselfly
 Highfield Farm – 4 Lapwings, 1 singing Sky Lark, 10 Linnets, 30 Magpies
 Raceway Heath – 1 Buzzard, 8 Linnets, 2 Dingy Skippers, 4 Small Heaths, 1 Small Yellow Underwing (a totally cute moth and only the 8th Staffordshire record this millennium!), 5+ Common Heaths.
 Gull Roost – 6 Lesser Black-backs! (GE

Azure Damselfly (GE).

Despite last year’s clearing and chemical treatment the birch invasion continues (GE).


The North Bog – a carpet of Cotton Grass (GE)
Sat
28 May
 		 2 Oystercatchers, 3 Common Terns, 6 Tufted Ducks (GE, PW).  
Frid
27 May		 4 Common Terns, 1 Green Hairstreak (GE)  
Thurs
26 May		 3 Common Terns, pair of Swans with 8 cygnets near the island (GE).  
Wed
25 May		 1 Oystercatcher (GE).  
Tues
24 May		 3 Common Terns, 1 Heron, 80 Starlings, 10 Linnets (GE).  
Mon
23 May		 1 Common Tern (GE).  
Sunday
22 May

 

Swag: 5 Tufted Ducks, 2 drake Ruddies, 2 broods of Great Crested Grebes, 2 Jackdaws (GE).

Slurry Pool: 1 pair Ruddies, 1 pair Tufted, 1 pair Great Crested Grebes (GE).		  
Sat
21 May

 

 

 

 

Sailing Club area: 2 Dunlins (2 single birds during the day), 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Sedge Warbler.

Lake: 5 Common Terns, 2 Black-headed Gulls, 100+ Swifts (GE, NS, PW).

Slurry Pool area: 1 Little Grebe, 14 singing Reed Warblers, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Ruddy Duck, 2 Jackdaws, 1 Cuckoo, 2 singing Skylarks (GE). 		  
Fri
20 May

 

 

 

 

 

1 Sanderling, 2 Turnstones (GE).


Sanderling - GE



Turnstone - GE
Thurs
19 May		 2 Turnstones, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Black Tern, 5 Common Terns, 3 unidentified small waders flew through at 07:30 (GE, PW).  
Wed
18 May
 

6 Turnstones, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Black Tern, 2 Common Terns (GE, PW).



Turnstones - GE
Tues
17 May		 1 first-summer Great Black-backed Gull, 80 Starlings (GE). Burntwood by-pass now open.  
Mon
16 May		 7 Arctic Terns, 2 Common Terns, good numbers of hirundines and Swifts (GE).  
Sunday
15 May

 

 

1 Hobby, 2 Common Terns, 1 Gadwall, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Reed Warbler in Overflow reedbed. 1 Herring Gull, 6 Black-headed Gulls (GE).

Raceway Heath - 6 Large Red Damselflies, 2 Dingy Skippers (GE).rt-eared Owl (IW). 1 Wheatear (N

  
Sat
14 May		 2 Common Terns, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 8 Green Hairstreaks (GE, IW).  
Fri
13 May		 1 Grey Wagtail on dam (IW).  
Thurs
12 May		 4 Black Terns, 7 Common Terns, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Black-headed Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (GE, IW).
1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Lesser Whitethroat (IW).		  
Wed
11 May		 1 Nightjar(GE).  
Tues
10 May

 

 

1 Nightjar,  2 adult Little Gulls flew through to the north, 1 male Wheatear (IW).
 1 Whinchat (PW).
 4 Common Terns, 2 Black-headed Gulls, 60 Starlings (GE).

  
Monday
9 May

Chasewater:  2 Common Terns, 1 Dunlin (IW).
 34 Lesser Black-backs, 1 Great Black-back, 1 Herring Gull (GE).

  
Sunday
8 May

Chasewater:  <2000 Swifts, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Little Ringed Plover (IW).
 34 Lesser Black-backs, 2 Black-headed Gulls (GE)

  
Sat
7 May

 

 

 

 

 Chasewater:  Good numbers of Swifts and 60+ hirundines but not much else reported on a sunny but cold and windy (north-west) day (GE).

 

 

 


A wind and wave-swept south shore - GE

Frid
6 May

 Chasewater:  55 Starlings (GE).  
Thurs
5 May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chasewater:  7 Arctic Terns, 2 Common Terns, 16 Tufted Ducks (GE).
 Cuckoo Bank:  1 Stonechat, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Garden Warbler, 14 Red Deer. Lemon scented and Golden male ferns bursting into life (GE).
Lemon-scented Fert - GE


Lemon scented Fern - GE


Golden male Fern - GE
Wed
4 May




 

 

Chasewater:  3 adult Kittiwakes, 14 Curlews flew north, 3 Cormorants, parties of 12 and 19 Arctic Terns, 1 Sanderling (GE, IW, PW).


 


Sanderling - GE
Tues
3 May

 

 

 

 Chasewater:  2 Oystercatchers, 2 ‘Commic’ Terns (N, PW).
Several Reed Buntings, 1 Ruddy Duck. Juvenile Great Crested Grebe still on Fly Pool, Large pike, probably about 2ft about five feet out from the dam, Orange Tip and Peacock butterflies
Many flying insects including lots of St. Mark’s Flies(N). 		 
Mon
2 May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chasewater:  1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Common Sandpiper, 4 Common Terns, 5 ‘Commic Terns’ (GE).
 Several Common Whitethroats and Willow Warblers, especially between the new road and the industrial estate. 1 Cuckoo. Fledged juvenile Great Crested Grebe, fledged juvenile blackbirds, several broods of coots. Sparrowhawk circling overhead(RSm).
 Cuckoo Bank:   2 Grasshopper Warblers, 3 Stonechats, 4 Grey Partridges, 3 Large Red Damselflies, Orange Tips (NS, RS).

No Man’s Bank – 2 Orange Tips (NS, RS


Large Red Damselfly - NS


Male Orange Tip - NS


Green-veined White - NS

Sunday
1 May


 

am - 1 Greenshank, 2 Arctic Terns (IW).
pm - 2 Common Sandpiper, 81 Lesser Black-backed, 2 Herring, 4 Black-headed Gulls (IW).

Cuckoo Bank:  6 Wheatear, 5 Curlew, male Sparrowhawk, 2 Cuckoos (IW). 		  

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