Early June wildlife in the Weaver Hills

A few (not particularly good) photos of wildlife in the Weaver Hills this June. Photos by Wendy Birks.

Common Milkwort

Common Rock Rose (yellow flowers) and a Field Speedwell (blue flowers)

Garden Chafers. There were a number of these flying low over the grassy vegetation in a disused limestone quarry. 

A mating pair of Large Red damselfly beside a collecting pool near Kevin Quarry.

Cut-leaved Geranium on the disturbed ground adjacent to a track beside Kevin Quarry 

Meadow Saxifrage amongst nettles and buttercups in a pasture. 

Common Redstarts ringed in the Churnet Valley

Here are two photos of Common Redstarts who have bred in the Churnet Valley this year. Ringers from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) ringed nestlings from two pairs who, this year, had both managed to rear seven young each. The rings, which fit around the bird's leg and which don't harm or impede them, each have a unique number. Hopefully they will be retrieved at some time in the future either by birds being recaptured live during sampling sessions  organised by licensed bird ringers or when the birds die and the ring is found and sent back to the BTO. Ringing helps ornithologists to study the movements of birds. Both photos by Terry Eyre.

Male Common Redstart.

Female Common Redstart.

Fairy Inkcap fungi at Rudyard Lake.

There are numerous fruiting bodies of Fairy Inkcap covering the base of a Hybrid Black Poplar that has died and fallen in the woodland adjacent to Rudyard Lake (NW side by miniature railway).

An evening chorus at Rudyard Lake.

 Here is a list of birds seen and/or heard at Rudyard Lake between 16:00 and 18:00 on May 21st 2014. 40 species in total.

		Seen/ heard 2014	Sunny periods, fair weather cloud, calm - water high.
	Warblers
1	Blackcap	yes
2	Willow Warbler	yes
3	Chiffchaff	yes
4	(Common) Whitethroat	yes
5	Garden Warbler	yes
	Lesser Whitethroat
	Grasshopper Warbler
	Sedge Warbler
	Finches
6	Chaffinch	yes
7	Goldfinch	yes
	Greenfinch	no
8	Bullfinch	no
9	Reed Bunting	yes
	Pheasant	no
10	Great Spotted Woodpecker	yes
	Pigeons/Doves
11	Woodpigeon	yes
12	Collared Dove	yes
13	Pied Wagtail	yes
14	Grey Wagtail	yes
15	Wren	yes
16	Dunnock	yes
	Thrushes
17	Blackbird	yes
18	Song Thrush	yes
	Mistle Thrush	no
19	Robin	yes
	Spotted Flycatcher	no
20	Goldcrest	yes
21	Common Redstart	yes	On east side in tree tops on l.h.s. Of track and adj. Pasture near conservation area
	Tits
22	Long-tailed Tit	yes
23	Willow Tit	yes	N. end
24	Coal Tit	no
25	Blue tit	yes
26	Great Tit	yes
	Marsh Tit	no
27	Nuthatch	yes
	Treecreeper	no
	Corvids
28	Carrion Crow	yes
29	Jackdaw	yes
30	Rook	yes	Rookery Cliffe Wood
	Jay	no
31	Magpie	yes
	Raven	no
32	House Sparrow	yes
	Other possibilities
33	Mallard	yes
34	Great Crested Grebe	yes
35	Coot	yes
36	Mute Swan	yes
37	Gull species	yes	Single Lesser Black-backed Gull flying over
38	Canada Goose	yes
39	Oystercatcher	yes	Two on spit on E. side
40	Swallow	yes
	House Martin	no

Tittesworth Reservoir Dawn Chorus event 18th May 2014

Reed Bunting by Andy Cope

Seventeen people got up very early (04:30!) on the morning of Sunday 18^th May to join Keith (from the Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership) and I (Wendy Birks), for a dawn chorus walk at Tittesworth reservoir. The weather was beautiful. And there were plenty of birds singing away for us to listen to for the three hour long event. After the first two hours we stopped for an outdoor

breakfast of baked beans, buns and orange juice, ably prepared by Keith. Most of the participants stayed on for an extra hour so that we could go to the north end of the reservoir to watch a pair of Common Terns who seem to be preparing to breed on a floating raft, and Little Ringed Plovers, Oystercatcher chicks and Common Sandpipers on the island in the conservation pool. Thanks are due to Severn Trent Water who manage Tittesworth Reservoir and arranged to open the gates and toilets at that early hour. So conscientious are the staff and volunteer warden they even rushed around picking litter from the previous day before we used the BBQ area for our breakfast! Here is a list of what we heard or saw – 33 species in total.

	Guide to what we expect to hear/see today	Seen/ heard	Seen /heard last week	Seen/ heard yesterday 17/05/14	Seen during event
	Warblers
1	Blackcap	yes	yes	yes	yes
2	Willow Warbler	yes	yes	yes	yes
3	Chiffchaff	yes	yes	yes	yes
4	(Common) Whitethroat	yes	yes	yes	yes
5	Garden Warbler	yes	yes	yes	yes
	Lesser Whitethroat				no
	Grasshopper Warbler			no	no
	Sedge Warbler			no	Not present this year
	Finches
6	Chaffinch	yes	yes	yes	yes
7	Goldfinch	yes	yes	Seen only	yes
	Greenfinch	yes		no	no
8	Bullfinch	yes	yes	no	By some
9	Reed Bunting	yes		Poss.	yes
10	Pheasant	yes	yes	yes	yes
11	Great Spotted Woodpecker	yes	yes	yes	Heard drumming
	Pigeons/Doves
12	Woodpigeon	yes	yes	yes	yes
	Collared Dove	yes	yes	no	no
	Pied Wagtail		yes	seen	no
14	Grey Wagtail	yes	yes	yes	yes
15	Wren	yes	yes	yes	yes
16	Dunnock			no	yes
	Thrushes
17	Blackbird	yes	yes	yes	yes
18	Song Thrush	yes	yes	yes	yes
	Mistle Thrush	yes	yes	Seen only	no
19	Robin	yes	yes	yes	yes
20	Spotted Flycatcher	yes	yes	yes	yes
21	Goldcrest	yes		Heard only	Heard by some
	Tits
	Long-tailed Tit	yes		yes	no
	Willow Tit	yes		no	no
22	Coal Tit	yes		Heard only	Heard briefly
	Blue tit	yes	yes	Heard only	no
	Great Tit	yes	yes	Seen only	no
	Marsh Tit			no	no
	Nuthatch	yes		no	no
23	Treecreeper	yes		no	yes
	Corvids
	Carrion Crow	yes	yes	yes	no
24	Jackdaw			yes	yes
	Rook	yes	yes	Rookery in nearby fields
	Jay	yes		yes	no
	Magpie	yes		no	no
	Raven			no	no
25	House Sparrow	yes	yes	yes	yes
	Other possibilities
	Kestrel	yes	yes	yes	no
	Buzzard	yes	yes	Heard only	no
26	Coot	yes	yes	yes	yes
27	Curlew	yes	yes	yes	yes
	Cuckoo	nearby		no	no
	Tawny Owl	nearby		no	no
	Swift			no	no
28	Swallow	yes	yes	yes	yes
	House Martin			no	probably
	Wetland birds
29	Little Ringed Plover			yes	yes
30	Common Terns			yes	yes
31	Oystercatcher			Yes - with 3 chicks	yes
32	Goosander			Yes – with ducklings	yes
33	Common Sandpiper				yes