Monday 30 June 2014

30th June - Sightings

Ladywalk - 3 Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, 2 Common Tern, Cuckoo, Pr. of Teal, Pr of Wigeon,
9 Shoveler(4m,5f), Oystercatcher. Also Goosander with 7 young on river (P Lichfield)
Whitacre Heath - Lesser spotted woodpecker (m) in trackside trees this morning. Hobby overhead (K Wimbush)

Sunday 29 June 2014

29th June - Sightings

RSPB - 2 Black-Tailed Godwit, 3 Ringed Plover, Mediterranean Gull (2nd Sum)  North Pit.  4 Little Egret Jubilee Wetlands (J Allen, S Pick et al)

Saturday 28 June 2014

28th June - Sightings

RSPB - Greenshank, 13 Black-Tailed Godwit, 6 Little Egret (Many Obs)
Shustoke - Red Kite over Griffin Pub (D Baker)
Kingsbury - 8 Little Egret (3 Juv), 17 Common Tern on 27/06 (S Cawthray)

Friday 27 June 2014

26th June - Sightings

RSPB -  4 Teal(4m), 3 Pochard(3m) North Pit. 4 Little Egret Jubilee Wetlands. 3 Green Sandpiper Hall Lake. Green Sandpiper Bodymoor Pit. Also Redshank(juv) and small numbers of Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover and LRP. A Common Sandpiper was reported (G Williams)

25th June - Sightings

RSPB - 5 Little Egret Jubilee Wetlands. 2 Green Sandpiper Hall Lake (G Williams)

Tuesday 24 June 2014

24th June - Sightings

RSPB - 2 Curlew Jubilee Wetlands. 3 Green Sandpiper Hall Lake (G Williams)
Kingsbury South - Bar-Headed Goose (S Allison)

Monday 23 June 2014

23rd June - Sightings

RSPB - Little Egret, 8 Ringed Plover, 6 LRP, 1 Common Snipe, 2 Redshank, Green Sandpiper (G Williams) Also Lesser spotted woodpecker and Willow Tit along bridleway, Ring-Necked Parakeet flew over (D Roberts, R Johns)

Wednesday 18 June 2014

18th June - Sightings

RSPB - Hobby Fisher's Mill (D Baker)
Ladywalk - Goosander + 7 young, 2 Wigeon (pr), Pochard, Grasshopper Warbler, 3 Cuckoo (P Sofley) Ladywalk work parties start this Wednesday from 12:00pm and will run every week on a Wednesday till September. Meet at the old Sainsbury's Hide.
RSPB - 800 Lesser-Blacked Gull in evening. Green Sandpiper Jubilee Wetlands. Green Sandpiper Hall Lake (S Pick)

Tuesday 17 June 2014

16th June - Sightings

RSPB - unconfirmed report of Marsh Warbler heard somewhere (per Twitter)

Sunday 15 June 2014

13th June - Sightings

RSPB - 2 Hobby, 150 Sand Martin Fisher's Mill. Snipe, 2 Redshank North Pit. Great-Black Backed Gull(ad) Jubilee Wetlands (S Pick) Little Owl Entrance Track (S Cawthray)

Tuesday 10 June 2014

9th June - Sightings

RSPB - Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull, Hobby reported (per G Williams)

Flooding and water controls at Middleton Lakes

Borrowed from a Birdforum thread but worth a wider audience:


Hi All

 Reading through this thread I am picking up that there is a lack of information in the birding community regarding the EA/Flooding and breeding birds at the reserve. To help clarify and maybe instill some hope I wanted to let you all know the facts around the current situation. I hope it is useful and interesting to you all who want to see the wildlife thrive at the reserve.

Almost three years ago now we were made aware of an opportunity to put in an application for a grant from Viridor Credits Envirinmental. We only had a very short window of time to work up the application so used what we knew and also some well informed estimates to create a model for the landscaping that we now know as the Jubilee Wetlands. During this process we also had a site visit with the Envirinment Agency to discuss the plans and the options for sluices. They indicated that despite protocol for not having any restrictions within the flood plain we might be able to find a compromise that works for them and us using limited time closure and also high water spill ways. We therefore proceeded with the design on that basis.

After winning the grant we moved to get the relevant permissions from the EA for the works and at this stage were informed that the data that they need to consider and consent to the proposal was far more than the local data that we hold and would take quite a bit of time to pull together (by a hydrological consultants with the kit and expertise). The time line for spending the grant was not long enough for this data to be gathered so we were not able to include the sluices in the works.

We have not abandoned this though and now have several sophisticated data loggers positioned around the site and in the river plus we have assigned a consultant to work up the application to the EA with the 'flood risk assessement' required for them to consent. Once we have all the data we will be able to discuss again with the EA what is possible gain consent and can then install the sluices to protect the breeding areas.

We are hopefull that this can be progressed and have it as a high priority to get sorted. It may not be in time for the next breeding season I am afraid as the works would ideally be completed in late summer/autumn but hopefully we will at least have the data then permissions, design and money all lined up to do the works n 2015. This may seem a long drawn out affair but anyone who has seen Middleton Lakes develop will know that we have invested a huge amount of money in it and to do everything right sometimes takes time.

I appreciate that some of this may all seem like point less bureaucracy but the EA have a lot of pressure to maintain the valley as a functioning flood plain for Tamworth. If we are successful with the scheme and can have a protected breeding area for waders and other ground nesting species it would be a great showcase for other sites with similar circumstances and could set a precident for the EA to allow some structures in other flood plains.

Not perfect I know but watch this space.

Hopefully that is helpful information, if anyone has any specific questions or comments about this or any other aspect of the reserve please feel free to email me directly nick.martin@rspb.org.uk

Wishing you all the best,

Nick

Senior Site Manager
RSPB Middleton Lakes

Friday 6 June 2014

6th June - Sightings

Ladywalk - No Sign of Red-Backed Shrike by 10am (P Sofley)
Whitacre Heath NR - Ring-Necked Parakeet 6am (J Wesson)
RSPB - 3 Garganey (2m,f) North Pit (G Williams)

Thursday 5 June 2014

5th June - Sightings






Red-Backed Shrike - Dave Hutton (lower two) and Steve Pick (upper)

Ladywalk - RED-BACKED SHRIKE(Ad Male) c8.30pm at least on stumps viewable from Bittern or "B" Hides (J Fincham et al) Also Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Cuckoos (M&F), 2 Wigeon (pr), 2 Teal (M), Pochard(M) (P Lichfield et al)
RSPB - 3 Dunlin, 11 Ringed Plover (G Williams et al)

The shrike is first ever twitchable one in Warwickshire and discounting 2 dubious Alvecote records the first since 1983 at Bermuda.

Wednesday 4 June 2014

4th June - Sightings

RSPB - 21 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin (G Williams)
Ladywalk - 2 Pochard(pr), 2 Wigeon(pr), 2 Teal(2m), 4 Cuckoo (P Sofley)

Tuesday 3 June 2014

3rd June - Sightings

RSPB5 Garganey (4m,f) today North Pit (G Williams, per Birdguides) Earlier Little Stint, Turnstone, Greenshank, 10+ Ringed Plover, Dunlin (per Staffs Birding)

Monday 2 June 2014

2nd June - Sightings


Bittern - Peter Lichfield

RSPB - 4 Garganey(all m) this evening North Pit (TP, J Allen). Also  Little Stint, Sanderling(colour ringed), Turnstone, Black-Tailed Godwit, Curlew, 3 Dunlin, 18+ Ringed Plover , 8 Teal, Mediterranean Gull (1st Sum), Grasshopper Warbler Jubilee Wetlands/North Pit (G Williams, K Thorpe, TP, J Allen et al) Pochard(m) Fisher's Mill (per Staffs Birding)
Ladywalk - Bittern c12pm Hide B (P Lichfield)

Sunday 1 June 2014

1st June - Sightings

RSPB - Sanderling (Colour Ringed), 4 Dunlin, 5 Ringed Plover Jubilee Wetlands. Garganey(m) North Pit (J Allen et al)

Sanderling seems to have been ringed as part of this project. Hopefully details to follow.