TITTESWORTH BIRD NEWS
Spring 2008 issue
(Covers the period - January to March)

Bird News History

Welcome to the 20th edition of the most recent sequence of newsletters. The first site newsletter appeared in October 1996 and covered the period July to September 1996. Phil Wain, the Head Ranger at that time, and John Oakes produced it. A further twelve issues appeared at quarterly intervals all compiled and edited by Phil and John. The sequence ceased when Phil left the employ of Severn Trent but two further issues appeared in 2000, put together by Bob Higginbotham. The newsletter was restarted in July 2003 after Head Ranger, Fiona Draisey, persuaded me to take up activities to promote wildlife and nature watching in general at Tittesworth. This issue is a landmark for me having had to examine at least 30,000 pieces of recorded information in the last five years in order to provide the most interesting observations for the bird news segment. The birding and other nature news is the most important part of the newsletter. Selected highlights are given, which usually means presenting about 10% or less of the recorded data for that quarter in each newsletter. The source of the information is the west hide logbook, augmented by further data sent to me by email. The logbook records provide the basis for the newsletters but also for the annual bird reports and a source of information for various appropriate websites. Keep recording folks! It provides valuable data for Severn Trent and birdwatchers alike. NB: It is estimated that over 60,000 individual bird and other animal records have been made in the logbooks in the past 12 years.

Weather and season

JANUARY: A mild but unsettled month. Mean temperatures were above average, in fact 3ºC higher in the Midlands. It was the 4th warmest January for England since 1914. Rainfall was well above average but sunshine hours were below average. On the 15th, 16th and 21st there were many severe weather warnings issued. On the 21st 121 were issued nationally. Locally all types of weather were experienced throughout the month including heavy rain, low cloud and mist, hail, sleet, snow and thunder. The lowest temperature was -3ºC and the highest 13ºC.
FEBRUARY: One inch of snow fell locally on the 1st but over all it was a dry and quite a sunny month. Once again mean temperatures were above average, this being the sunniest February since 1929. Because of frequent clear skies frost formed overnight on many dates. The highest temperature in this general geographical area was 16ºC and the lowest -8ºC. Gale force winds swept the area on the last day of the month.
MARCH: Temperatures and sunshine were generally a little above average for England. Rainfall was well above average and was the wettest March since 1981. There were snow and hail showers during the day on the 21st and 22nd. Snow fell steadily overnight on the 22nd to leave an inch of snow on the morning of the 23rd. There were frosts on a few dates and gale force winds occasionally blew in from the northwest. The highest temperature locally was 13ºC on the 30th March.

It was the Vernal or Spring Equinox on the 20th March. The reservoir remained full throughout this quarter.

News of the rescued Hobby

The injured Hobby, rescued by Bill Brydges at Tittesworth, has progressed very well at the Kingsley Bird and Falconry Centre. The bird has been transferred to a large enclosure and is now able to fly, thus strengthening its repaired wing. As soon as the vet has re-examined it, a release date will be agreed. The Kingsley centre owners hope that Bill will release it at Tittesworth once the 'all clear' has been given. What a great idea. Thanks to Brenda Scott for this update.

Beginner's Birdwatching Event & "Aren't birds brilliant!" events

The beginner's event was run on the 24th February led by Amanda Lynnes of the RSPB. John Oakes, Steve Gibson and Eric Platt ably assisted Amanda. Ten people attended the event including some children.
The highlight was finding a Tawny Owl but it was also good to see Lapwing, Goldeneye, Wigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Willow Tit. The event was deemed very worthwhile, it being both an introduction to birds and the RSPB.

Amanda ran an "Aren't birds brilliant!" event at Tittesworth on the 19th April but more of that next time. Amanda will run another "Aren't birds brilliant!" event on the 29th August. Telescopes will be available, a bird flapper or a mask can be made - good for kids, and lots of free information will be available about wildlife and what can be done to help. The event starts at 10.30am and will continue until 4pm. Look for Amanda and her helpers around the Visitor Centre. Please note that Amanda runs "Aren't birds brilliant!" events at Carsington Water, near Ashbourne in Derbyshire, every Tuesday and Saturday. Please meet at Carsington's Wildlife Centre.

The West Midland Bird Club (WMBC)

The Webmaster for the WMBC website, Andy Mabbett, has recently been appointed Chairman of the Birmingham branch. Andy kindly set up a section of the website exclusively for Tittesworth. A good range of information can be seen about the site plus there are regular updates of recent bird sightings at Tittesworth. If you have access to the Internet then have a look at - www.westmidlandbirdclub.com.

Next field meetings of the Staffordshire Branch:
Sunday 4th May: Brocton Coppice Wood Warblers and Redstarts. Meet 9.30am at the Punchbowl carpark (SJ983206), Cannock Chase.
Sunday 18th May: Knotbury "March", North Staffs Moors. Meet 10am at the Cisterns Clough layby on the Buxton Road below Axe Edge (SK034697).
Contact details for both events: 01782 253502 (Andy Lawrence) or 01630 673409.

Ringing of birds at Tittesworth

We have received information from Ken Capps about birds ringed in the "Quarry" region of the ESA, north of Blackshaw Lane. The Quarry is a small area of scrub at the northern end of the reservoir site. Ringing is done between April and September. Last year 174 birds were trapped involving 20 species of birds. The highest monthly ringing count for the year was 55 in May. Last year thirty-four Willow Warblers were trapped in the 6-month monitoring period, the highest of any species. Most pleasingly 22 Bullfinches were trapped, eleven of them in May, which shows that this shy bird is "about" more than most birders realise.

Site works

Regrettably graffiti abusers hit the west hide in February. Fortunately the rangers and volunteers, John Oakes and Steve Gibson, moved in rapidly to clear up the problem.

A corner of the west hide has had a severe leak for a while, allowing rainwater through. This has been repaired and the hide is now dry again. The west hide has had its external timbers retreated to ward off the worst of our weather.

Damage has occurred to the banks of the River Churnet due to large volumes of water entering the site at times of heavy rainfall. It is hoped to do all necessary repairs before next winter.

ST has entered into partnership with the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust to create a series of logjams along the river, partly to reduce the speed of water as it arrives at the reservoir but also to catch damaging debris such as small logs and trees. Hopefully this will also create attractive habitats for invertebrates and fish and, therefore, other wildlife. The full complexity of what is hoped to achieve is too involved for this newsletter. If you have any concerns or questions about the detail of the changes, please speak to Richard Clough or Jim Nettles on 01538 300224.

Val Riley, Secretary of the Leek branch of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and very experienced botanist, will be doing a botanical survey of the site this year. This will show us exactly what we have

on site with respect to flora. So far we know that over 180 species of flora are present but is clearly an underestimate. Thanks are due to Val for undertaking this important task.

Harvest Mouse survey

The Staffordshire Mammal Group conducted a site survey in January and found 12 nests across three locations. Some locations that had previously held nests were empty. Heavy rain and some flooding in previous months probably caused the low count. Management recommendations remain the same including maintaining Reed Canary Grass, which this animal favours at Tittesworth. Our thanks go to Derek Crawley, the Staffordshire Mammal Recorder, for his report.

Diamond Dove

A Diamond Dove was found and photographed in Meerbrook on the 19th February (information from Nick Pomiankowski). This very attractive bird was obviously an escape. It has a grey back and head and has the most remarkable eye with a black centre and enormous orange outer ring. It has white flecks in the wings, which are the "diamonds". It normally resides in Australia but can be found in Southeast Asia. In this country it is a cage bird and can be purchased for as little as £6 each. Of course, birders would prefer they remain in their normal habitat, not in a cage!

BIRD NEWS: selected birding highlights

JANUARY:

A number of stalwarts turned out on New Years Day and found the following: a Woodcock, a Pink-footed Goose, 26 Teal, 30 Wigeon, nine Goosanders, a male Mandarin, a Treecreeper, four Willow Tits, a pair of Bullfinches and a pair of Reed Buntings. There was a Raven over the Conservation Pool on the 3rd. Teal numbers had lifted to 85 by the 4th. Twenty-three Pink-footed Geese were seen on the 6th. Also the following were noted: eleven Great Crested Grebes, eight Pochards, a pair of Goldeneyes, 12 Snipe, two Tawny Owls and a Siskin. On the 12th a good set of birds was found including 13 Cormorants, 11 Goosanders, 21 Tufted Ducks, two Mandarins, 18 Snipe, a Nuthatch, two Meadow Pipits, two Jays and 14 Goldfinches. One hundred and fifty three Canada Geese were present on site on the 13th. Seventeen Goosanders were noted - seven males and 10 females and eighty-three birds were in the Lapwing flock. The long staying Mute Swan continued its residency. Of note on the 19th were - 25 Cormorants, 112 Common Gulls, two Ravens, a Tawny Owl, three Stock Doves, 11 Long-tailed Tits and a pair of Bullfinches. Pochard numbers had lifted to a respectable 18 by the 20th. Eighteen Goosanders were also counted - 12 males and eight females. Raptors present were as follows: two Kestrels, a male Sparrowhawk and four Buzzards. Two flocks of Pink-footed Geese passed over the site numbering 77 in all. Also present were 33 Snipe and a Green Woodpecker. On the 26th fifty-two Wigeon were present on site and winter thrushes numbered as follows: 50 Fieldfares and 70 Redwings. Also of interest were two Lesser Redpolls, two Kingfishers and 20 Siskins. There were ten Pochards present on the 27th along with 16 Goosanders and two Goldeneyes. Also worth a mention are - 90+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 25 Woodpigeons - normally quite scarce on site, three Stock Doves, a Kingfisher, a Nuthatch, a Raven and over 20 Siskins. Two hundred and thirteen Canada Geese were noted on the 30th. Twelve Pochards were also present along with over 80 Fieldfares and well over 150 Redwings.

FEBRUARY:

A single Little Grebe was recorded for the 3rd - an uncommon site species. The Goosander flock stood at 19 and there were 32 Snipe present. Nine Lesser Redpolls were observed on the 4th. The Little Grebe was still around on the 6th. Forty-one Wigeon were counted and 15 Long-tailed Tits were about on the same day. A single Great Black-backed Gull was noted on the 7th, very uncommon for this site. There were two Mealy Redpolls with the more common Lesser Redpolls on the same day. Finding three Treecreepers on the 8th was an interesting observation.

*** STAR BIRD ***

A SKYKARK was found on the 10th, a very occasional visitor to the site these days. The Skylark is a declining species.

Also on the 10th the number of Goosanders on site had risen to twenty-nine. Wigeon were up to 67 individuals. A Curlew and a female Stonechat were seen on the 13th. A pair of Mandarins fed by the visitor centre feeding station on the 15th. Snowdrops were still to be seen but Gorse, Daffodils and Butterbur were in flower heralding the approach of spring. By far the best finds on the 17th were three Gadwall, a male Pintail, a Jack Snipe and two Brown Hares. A school party from Ashbourne found six Goldeneyes on the 22nd. Twelve Curlew, a Kingfisher, a Jay, a Kestrel, a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Reed Bunting were observed on the 23rd. A Jack Snipe was again found on the 24th.

*** STAR BIRD ***

A MEDITERRANEAN GULL was seen with Black-headed Gulls at the southern end of the reservoir on the 25th.

Two Greylag Geese were present on the 26th. Curlew numbers had risen to 47 by the 27th. Two Willow Tits, a Nuthatch and two Reed Buntings were noticed on the 28th.

MARCH:

Curlew numbers had risen dramatically by the 2nd when 92 were counted. A Dipper was also located on the 2nd. On the 5th the following were noted: a Little Grebe, 60 Fieldfares, 120+ Redwings, eight Mute Swans - very uncommon at Tittesworth, an over flying Golden Plover, a Red Fox and frog spawn in the "dipping pool". Probably the best sighting on the 7th was a pair of Pintails. It was reported on the 8th that there were three active nests in the heronry. Also a Shelduck was an unusual find. Curlew numbers on the 9th had moved up to 125. A Dipper was found again on the 15th and three Goldeneyes were still present. Best finds on the 16th were a pair of Gadwall and a Peregrine. On the 17th there were 28 "Tufties", 16 Teal, a single Pochard and a pair of Mandarins. Waders present on the 19th included 14 Snipe, only 13 Curlews and 11 Lapwings. Two Greylag Geese were also present. The first Chiffchaff of the season was heard on the 22nd. There were many good finds on the 23rd including 45 Wigeon, 23 Snipe, 14 Pied Wagtails, 42 Meadow Pipits on the dam wall and a female Stonechat. The first two Swallows for 2008 were seen flying over the dam wall around midday on the 25th.

*** STAR BIRD ***

A JACK SNIPE was located on the 26th, the third find this year. The first sighting was on the 17th February and the second on the 24th of February.

Three Sand Martins were seen on the 27th - the first for 2008. A large number of species were noted on the 30th including - ten Great Crested Grebes, eight Goosanders, three Goldeneyes, 45 Wigeon, seven Coot, a Sparrowhawk, three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Nuthatch, two Willow Tits, four Lesser Redpolls, five Meadow Pipits and four Reed Buntings. On the 31st Swallows and Sand Martins were seen but Fieldfares and Redwings were still on site, an overlap of summer and winter visitors! The best finds for the last day of March were the first Willow Warbler for the year and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. This latter species was last classified as a resident breeder but is now definitely a rarity.

The above sightings represent just 10% of the approx 1500 entries made in the logbook in the last quarter. Hopefully they indicate the breadth of species, relatively common and uncommon, present on or visiting the site. Thanks to all of you who contributed to the logbook or who sent me emails. GREAT!!

Skylark

Ray Perry 23rd April 2008
Tel: 01625 432668
Email: ray_perry@btinternet.com