Ian Moore
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themoorehen.bsky.social
Ian Moore
@themoorehen.bsky.social
150 followers 160 following 70 posts
Usually birding random spots in and around Wolverhampton
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I know people say you need to fill your time when you’re retired but 🫣!! You’d have been better off painting that shed again 🤣
A very pleasant morn in the Trescott area produced my first Golden Plover of the year in 10k (116 now) but a covey of 12 Grey Partridge stole the show. Single Snipe & Lapwing were my first in area of ‘winter’ also 2 Stonechat, 2 fem Goosander, 2 L Egret, 3 L Grebe, Reed Bunt, Kestrel #ukbirding
With Sept+Oct unfortunately dominated by work, I only added two species to my 10k year - Jack Snipe & Red-legged Partridge to put me on 115, 2 short of this time last year & 5 short of my best in 2023. Hopefully Nov+Dec will be more productive…although work isn’t going to be any quieter! 😣
A walk around theTrescott area finally produced an additional in October to my 10k year with a single Jack Snipe (115 for year now). Without a thermal ydays bird flew out before I could see it, unlike this one at the same spot in 2022, found the old fashioned way with my eyes! #ukbirding
After the thrill of the Belvide White-rumped Sand flock on Sat it was a rather more routine (previous stomping ground) ✅ Whooper Swan at Gailey Reservoirs. Found by @thesnapper1978.bsky.social late on Sat it was still present in the fog with 11 Mutes on the sailing reservoir yday
Sept+Oct so far had been poor for me locally & not being able to get up to the Needletail due to work I was quite demotivated yday…then @belvidebirding.bsky.social pulls out an unbelievable flock of 8 White-rumped Sandpiper at Belvide. A jog to the west end for my 233rd sp for the reserve #ukbirding
A family holiday in Cala d’Or, Majorca in mid-Aug was ‘non-birding’ but a short walk down to the sea & I could enjoy one of my favourite birds of the Med with sev Audouin’s Gull present most days. Much more relaxing than my first in Britain after a mad dash to Dunge on a bank holiday Monday! #gulls
After a good start to Aug with 3 x 10k additions in the first week, a family holiday in Majorca ended that run & I missed a few but a session watching @birdergaz.bsky.social ringing on 25/8 added 2 more: Grasshopper Warbler & Spotted Fly to hit 113 by the end of the month #ukbirding
The good start to Aug in the 10k was followed by two ‘dips’ (after work walks for birds seen earlier) in two days, so was pleased not to make it a hatrick early am with another attempt at Dipper proving successful with this 1cy bird showing well before work. 111 now for the 10k year #ukbirding
August has started well in the 10k with overdue addition of Green Sand (2/8) & first Tree Pipit (3/8) taking total to 110. First garden Hobby of year over yday too. Love or loath them Wolverhampton’s Parakeets have had a good season with flocks of up to 11 noted at sev sites in late July #ukbirding
My first gulling session of summer in West Park, Wolverhampton yday anoon produced a single (smallish fem?) Juv Yellow-legged Gull amongst 100+ LBBG. Bright sunlight & fact they’d been well fed already hampered decent photos. An imm male Redstart locally on 25/7 was a 10k year ✅ (108) #ukbirding
Finally put a ✅ against a butterfly bogey species today with 2 White-letter Hairstreak at Baggeridge Country Park this afternoon. Also 1+ Silver-washed Fritillary bombing around the meadow amongst a host of the commoner species
Unfortunately the westerly winds at Flamborough at end May weren’t productive for migrants but, as way evidenced 9 days later when a singing Song Sparrow turned up in the same small cove I’d checked every morning, all I really needed was the right container ship to be passing 🫣 #ukbirding
Finally got round to checking my photos from our trip to Flamborough 26th-30th May. Seabirds were the obvious highlight for any landlocked birder with the auks, as always, particularly oblidging and entertaining #ukbirding
June has been relatively quiet but 3 x local additions, included a welcome first singing Cuckoo for many years, took the 10k circle year up to 107 (cf 108 in 2024 & 110 in 2023). Still plenty of gaps in the list inc some that should hopefully start moving through soon on their return migration 🙏
Cigar-billed Gull!
Spent 26-30/5 at Thornwick Bay, Flamborough as a post-birthday break but the constant west winds led to none existent migrants. Still so much to enjoy inc all the seabirds (photos still to be sorted!) & quality farmland birds inc Barn Owls, Tree Sparrows with young & singing Corn Buntings #ukbirding
A busy last couple of weeks included a quick dash to Doxey on 17/5 to add the Woodchat Shrike to my Staffs List (288) plus a couple of 10k year list additions, this fem Mandarin on the canal at Bentley Bridge on 19/5 & an Oystercatcher over Pool Hall Fishery on 22/5 : 104 for 10k year #ukbirding
Walks in the Pool Hall / Trescott area over wkend produced two 10k year ✅’s: 2 Hobby & a singing Sedge Warbler taking the total up to 102 for the year. Also noted was this smart Yellow Wag plus Corn Bunting, Red Kite, Lesser Whitethroat & Little Egret @birdergaz.bsky.social #ukbirding
This singing Corn Bunting on west edge of Smestow Valley was the only #westmidsalldayer sighting. Doing ok west of Wolves due to friendly farming this one field left free of crops also held 3 Yellow Wag, numerous Skylark, Whitethroats etc. How it should be done. #ukbirding @andles4forks.bsky.social
So the curse of bird race day #westmidsalldayer continued yday with 5 species seen at & near home, without going birding, that I didn’t get on Sat : Peregrine, Cormorant, 3 Swift, Pied Wag & 3 Goldcrest! In fact the first two weren’t seen by the whole team on Sat in Smestow Valley 🫣
A personal total of 57 species for #westmidsalldayer in Smestow Valley inc 3x 10k yr ✅ to reach 100 for yr: Garden Warbler, Yellow Wag (3) & Tawny Owl. 2 Cetti’s, Lesserthroat, singing Corn Bunt & Kingfisher the best of the rest from 17.5km / 22k steps walked. Team total on 70 by 18:30 #ukbirding
Finished April on 96 species for my local 10k circle, a couple down on previous years. Like clockwork the calendar turned to May & the first local Swift (3) appeared yday. Hoping to eek out a few missing species for the year during #westmidsalldayer on Sat for team Smestow Valley 🤞
Smestow Valley walks yday am & this pm produced singing warbler totals of: 2 Cetti’s, 1 Lesser & 4 Common Whitethroat, 8 Blackcap & 16 Chiffchaff. Still no Sedge, Garden or Gropper so far this year. This Pale Tussock was found earlier by Mrs M & was a garden ✅ #UKbirding #moths
April had been v quiet for me in my 10k so far until a Whimbrel on the bank of the farm pool at Furnace Grange, Trescott this am; a real bonus 10k lifer! It hung around for over 2hrs, enabling a mini local twitch 😊 also 5 Wheatear (3m,2f) & 4 male Whitethoat #UKbirding @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social