Work In Progress

2008 hadn’t got off to the best of starts for me. I spent the first two days of it totally bed ridden with a virus, leaving me with a nasty cough, which is now a chest infection. I know hanging around cold, windy Midlands reservoirs seems like a foolish way to spend the best part of the weekend, but that’s what I’ve been up to…birds are the best medicine!

Yesterday we arrived first thing (8.15am -that’s one resolution going well!) at Blithfield Reservoir in Staffordshire to hopefully fulfil another of my resolutions - seeing a Black Redstart. One has been reported regularly over the past couple of weeks often as ‘showing well on the causeway’. We couldn’t fail, could we? Well yes we could, the little blighter was nowhere to be seen despite us putting in a few hours around the causeway. Lots of other disappointed birders out looking for it too.

We were a bit too wrapped up in finding this bird that we probably missed a lot of common birds which should have been year ticked, but we did see a few birds, highlights being Stonechats (very confiding), Meadow Pipits, a lovely Grey Wagtail, Wigeon, Goldeneye and a pair of Kestrels. A Rock Pipit was also seen (but not by me).

Also spent some time trying to get the Red Throated Diver, however although I thought I caught a glance of it, it was so brief and distant that I couldn’t be sure. To be honest I came home feeling very despondent to have dipped the Black Redstart.

Today the plan was to spend a couple of hours out birding at Upton Warren to build up the year list a bit. We got up a lot later today and I checked Birdguides about 10.30am-ish. I couldn’t believe my eyes – Black Redstart again reported from Blithfield!!! I thought it had gone for good! I reported this news to Max to gauge his reaction; he said ‘shall we go for it?’ Needless to say I didn’t need much persuasion.

By the time we got there (about 1.30pm) there were birders out in force working the causeway – guess what? None of them had seen it. It had last been seen around 8.30 this morning….everyone was left wondering where this bird disappears to in the daytime?? Clearly a lost cause so I decided to have another go at the Red Throated Diver, I’m pleased to say it was a lot nearer today, showing well and I found it with relative ease.

We decided to drop into Chasewater for the end of the afternoon. They have had some good stuff there lately; Great Northern Diver, Smew and Slavonion Grebe. Not to mention a few Glaucous Gulls, which is the next Gull I want to life tick.

We saw a Red Deer on the side road coming into Chasewater. Scanning the reservoir was a daunting task as the gull roost was coming in and there were 1000’s of Gulls (far too many to scan!). I went through some of the nearer lot and got Common, BH Headed, Herring, LBB and GBB Gull, I didn’t latch on to anything resembling a Glaucous. It made my day though to find a Great Northern Diver towards the back shore (two Divers year ticked in one day! J). The Smew is apparently is on the Swag Pool so we wouldn’t have been able to see it from where we were. Slav Grebe and Glaucous Gull…..I’m happy to leave them for another day.