2006 Bird Sightings
December Bird
Sightings
At the end of October a
Brambling was seen at the car park. This is an
early winter record for us we normally don’t get records of
Brambling until March/April time.
A Chiffchaff was also
seen at the same time around the feeding station. The feeding
station is proving to be a real bonus with regularly up to 14
species recorded.
Greenfinches have
been down in large flocks of 50+. There is still some concern over
occasional birds exhibiting symptoms of the Trichomonas virus. We
have had two more greenfinches and a wood
pigeon over the last few weeks.
There are regular sightings of Tawny Owls in
Whites wood, with two birds sharing the same hole in an Oak
tree.
There are at least two Water Rails on site
one at Bag pool and the other at the top end of Island pool. Both
have been showing exceptionally well for Water Rail!
There have been up to 3 Kingfishers present
at the pools. There is some movement between Himley, and us but you
can usually guarantee one sighting at the wishing pools.
On the 8th November there were over 250
Black headed Gulls on Island pool. The
Little Grebe is still at the park spending time at
Bag & Island pools. Two Peregrines were seen
over Island pool on the 18th. Redwings
are now visiting the park in larger numbers with regular flocks of
50+.
The mild weather seems to be affecting the insect population
and we are still finding Ladybirds out and about. Our latest
sighting for dragonflies was the 6th November when a
Migrant Hawker was flying over Bag
pool.
October Bird
Sightings
Winter visitors and regular passage
migrants have been seen regularly this month. Meadow
Pipits are being seen in twos and threes over the pit
mounds. Redwings are now arriving 
and flocks can be seen
flying over particularly towards dusk as they go to roost.
The feeding station opposite the ranger’s office is attracting
a lot of birds at the moment especially Tits and
Greenfinches. A flock of
Goldfinches were feeding there on the
19th .
There is some concern over a disease that seems to be
spreading through finches with Greenfinches being especially
susceptible.
We have seen two birds here that have concerned us. One is a
Greenfinch that had a large tick on its head. The other is a
Greenfinch that seems to be looking “unwell” and seems very slow to
react when it visits the bird table. We are cleaning and
disinfecting our bird table every week to try and prevent infection
spreading to other birds.
A Little Grebe has been feeding on Bag
pool off and on over the past month.
With the mild weather we have seen
Red Admiral butterflies up to the 26th
October.
September Bird
Sightings
Since the May update we have
added a few more sightings to the list as the last
few
migrants moved through in late spring. And the Autumn
migration has now started. A Wheatear was spotted
on the pit mounds and two Honey Buzzards flew over
at the end of May.
Over the summer
Cuckoos were heard and seen at the park but not
frequently. A Hobby was seen on a few occasions
over the summer flying over.
The summer produced some interesting
butterfly and moth records. It was a good year for the migrant
species with a good number of Painted Ladies being
seen. Clouded Yellow butterflies were seen on
several occasions through the summer the latest being
8th September. Early in the summer there was 
also a Humming Bird Hawkmoth
seen on the pit mounds.
September has produced some good bird records with
Kingfisher back at Spring pool. On the
8th a Redstart was at the back of the
pit mounds. The 17th proved to be an exceptional day for
migrants with c. 1200 swallows, 100 House
Martins and 5 Sand Martins moving
through.
On the same day 2 Honey Buzzards an
Osprey a Hobby and a
Goshawk went over (all heading South). A
Redstart and a Pied Flycatcher
were seen in the willows by Bag pool and a
Hawfinch flew over heading West. This takes our
bird list for this year to 107 species.
The Bag pool after being dredged last year is recovering well
and we are finding a whole host of creatures in there that haven’t
been seen for years. One of the more interesting discoveries was a
Water Stick Insect. This insect is very uncommon
in the Midlands. So is a nice addition to our ever increasing
list of wildlife found at the park.
May Bird
Sightings
This morning we recorded our hundredth
bird species for the year, which was Garden
Warbler. This is the first time we have recorded 100
species for the park in any one year, and it is still only May
!!
Over the last month we have had a number of interesting
sightings as well as the arrival of many summer migrants. The
increased popularity of the park amongst birdwatchers has meant
that more of the transient species that would pass through in most
years are being spotted adding to our already impressive
list.
The additions started with Woodcock being
seen in Bag wood and whites wood. A Red Kite flew
over the car park on the 18th March much to the delight of the few
of us who had stopped there by chance for a chat! That same weekend
saw a Brambling visit the bird feeders by the
Rangers office. Several others turned up and stayed around these
feeders on Saturday the 1st April.
A Yellow legged gull flew over amongst a
party of other gulls, a Kittiwake was also
recorded flying over in the middle of the month.
Snipe and Lapwing were spotted
early in April and the lapwing were heard calling over on the
Wodehouse as well.
A Peregrine put in a brief appearance,
an occurrence not uncommon these past few years. The
Goshawk is still being seen on a regular basis so
is still in the area. Two Ospreys were seen this
year flying up the valley heading North, on the 5th and 9th .
Summer migrants have been arriving through out the month
including Chiffchaff, Willow warbler, Sand martin,
Swallow, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Swift, Lesser
Whitethroat, and Garden warbler. These
are all birds that will be resident on the park. There have also
been a few other species that have dropped in but this time not
stayed including Sedge warbler, Tree pipit, Wood
warbler and Pied flycatcher. We have
records of breeding from these species in the past so they may yet
return as residents.
Both Grey partridge and Red legged
partridge were recorded this month , and a Hen
harrier passed over briefly on the 28th.
March Bird
Sightings
The last two weeks have proved a busy time for birds in spite of
the weather. The Firecrest was spotted again on
the 4th near the cattle grid. There seem to be a few species moving
through at the moment, and Grey wagtails are
around the pools and car park area in ones and twos.
Siskins are gathering in large numbers around
the car park and feeders by the ranger’s office. There have been up
to 50 on and around the feeder, where they are very obliging
allowing people to stand within just a few feet of them whilst they
feed.
Large flocks of Starlings and
Redwings are gathering on the park at present
seeing mixed flocks of up to 500 birds. A flock of around 100
starlings has been feeding on the event field, which for baggeridge
is a huge number. Starlings are one of those birds that we only
usually get occasionally in ones and twos.
A Chiffchaff was heard (making the contact
call) on the 10th. A male Goshawk was seen over
whites wood during the first week of March and then the male and
female were seen 
displaying over Himley hall on the 11th.
A Woodcock was seen on the Wodehouse estate on
the 14th and another was seen in Bag wood on the park on the 15th,
so they appear to be moving through at the moment. The
Lesser spotted woodpeckers seem
to have gone quiet again over the last couple of weeks but one was
seen on Island pool on the 16th.
The Common Gull (which is not so common in our
area) has been seen regularly over the last week or so flying with
a small flock of Black headed gulls.
The second half of February has produced some interesting
records for the park. On the 18th a Glaucous Gull
was seen flying over the park. A number of larger gulls including
Herring, Lesser black backed and
Greater black backed fly over the park on a daily
basis between feeding and roosting sites.
On this particular day a group
containing the Glaucous gull flew over particularly low. The
Firecrest is still being spotted at various
locations around the park. The latest sighting was on the 28th near
the cattle grid.
A female Goshawk was
seen on the 25th and again on 2nd March. A male
Goosander was also seen flying up the valley on
the 25th Most winters see Water Rails at the top
end of the island pool. This year the first sighting was on Bag
pool on the 2nd march and again today on the 3rd. A male
Reed bunting was also present on
the 3rd at Bag pool.
Lesser Spotted
Woodpeckers are starting to drum and have been heard or
seen in Bag wood by Bag pool and at Island pool.
Ravens are still regularly seen over the park.
The feeders outside the ranger’s
office are attracting Bullfinch, Siskin, Long tailed
tit and Willow tit amongst others! A male
Sparrowhawk has just narrowly missed a
blackbird on the car park as I’m sat here typing
up this report. The Shoveller is still on Bag
pool.
Corn Bunting has been
recorded from the public footpath that goes across the farmland
adjacent to the park.
Along the South Staffordshire railway
walk on the farm fields north of Wombourne station (near Flash lane
bridge) Lapwings have started marking out
territories.
February Bird Sightings
This morning there is a male Shoveller duck
on Bag pool. At the moment it seems quite settled feeding at the
margins so may stay for a while. This pretty little duck (with an
enormous bill hence the name ) is an unusual record for the park .
They have been recorded in the past but not regularly.
Another interesting record for the park is of two male
House sparrows visiting the bird table at the
rangers office. Not in itself a rare bird (although it has been
declining drastically over the last few years) this is a very
uncommon record for the park. This winter we have had occasional
visits from a female house sparrow and now two males, but we have
had many years in which the sparrow has not been recorded.
Long tailed tits and Siskin
have also visited the ranger office bird feeders today. Whilst
reasonably common on the park they have only just started to visit
the feeders.
I’ve had one of those fleeting “possible” sightings this
morning as well. I looked up to see a flock of what looked like
Golden Plover in the distance only for a raptor to
fly through the middle of them and send them off before they could
get close enough to see for sure.
There have also been reports of the Firecrest still in the
area in conifer woodland just off the park at the back of
Himley.
January Bird
Sightings
January’s star was the Firecrest. This was
still present in Whites wood up until the 10th Jan. Several days
later it was rediscovered in the Ivy tree by the cattle grid where
it was seen for a further few days. This is exactly the same spot
where the Firecrest was discovered last February. Perhaps it is the
same bird?
Lesser spotted woodpecker has been visiting
the feeders by the picnic tables at the whites wood gate all month.
Another has been seen on the Island in Island pool.
Amongst the flocks of Siskin and
Redpolls two “Meally”
Redpolls have been identified. These are usually seen
feeding amongst the Alders at Island or Bag pools.
Up to six Bullfinches are visiting the
feeders by the rangers office at any one time. Marsh
Tit and Willow Tit are both visiting food
left on the gate posts at Whites wood. Willow Tits also visit the
ranger’s office feeders.
A Little Owl has been recorded from the woods
below Jakes ladder. Tawny owls are present
including one “grey” continental bird. Buzzard and
Raven have been seen regularly throughout the
month.
On the farmland just off the park along the “Bag wood trail”
there have been large flocks of Linnets (c.200+),
and Chaffinches. Two male and one female
Brambling are in with the chaffinch flock.
A Merlin was present on the 23rd and may
still be in the area. There have also been large numbers of
Skylark along this ridge and a Corn
Bunting on the 26th.
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This page was last updated on: 4/17/2008