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found 35 stories.
Feature
BrownhillsBob 16 Feb 11
I’ve long held an interest in why Clayhanger village stopped flooding. This may seem like an odd preoccupation, but please bear with me. For decades the small, low lying settlement west of Brownhills was regularly left awash to some depth after heavy storms.
Even after installation of a large pump and land drain a century ago, the area continued to be swamped. Such was the problem that Clayhanger was seen as a problematic place to live; lower than most of the area around it, and in the lee of railway and canal embankments and spoil heaps, it seemed that little could be done to stop the misery. Yet somehow, at some point around five decades ago, it all changed…
Feature
Chaz Clayhanger Marsh Log 12 Feb 11
Sometimes I disappoint myself! How many Teal have I counted on the marsh over the years and I still forget to enjoy them?
Its that quiet time again, winter is definitely on the wain but the first spring migrants are still at least a couple of weeks away…
Feature
Chaz Clayhanger Marsh Log 30 Jan 11
Uncomfortable truths?
It is Sunday morning and the Diver is still there at 10.00 – still an excellent bird but now a part of the site’s history which I hope will remain to be enjoyed by everyone for a while to come.
Obviously the last few days have been exciting but I want to express some thoughts which will only have a resonance with birders (so if you are not really one, this posting may not be for you).
When a mistake is made we tend to blush and hide our heads until it is forgotten and nothing is gained from the experience. Rather than gloss over the situation, I would like to undertake some serious ‘navel-contemplation’ about this weeks situation at Ryders Mere.
So why was the bird originally misidentified as a Great Northern Diver?
Firstly…
Feature
Chaz Clayhanger Marsh Blog 22 Jan 11
I was only going to Grange Farm Woods today to put Treecreeper and Nuthatch on my year list but ended up doing a full circuit – definitely the last one this weekend (unless that Bl**dy duck turns up!).
Big surprise was a calling Chiffchaff, one of our summer warblers that occasionally overwinters…
Comment
BrownhillsBob 2 Jan 11
I am indebted to reader Neil, who supplied the scan of last Wednesday’s Express & Star article about the planning application to convert the peaceful wildlife haven of Ryders Mere into a commercial leisure fishery. Regrettably, I missed this one, but it’s a true gem of local journalistic oeuvre.
Nothing less than a puff-piece for the developers, the article is fawning and completely uncritical of an application that threatens to destroy a well-loved local amenity. I also wonder how many residents of the housing estate nearby, and more specifically those dwelling in Ryders Hayes Lane, are aware of the proposal to construct an access road to the Mere from their quiet, residential street. I bet the ones that do aren’t thrilled at the possibility of having to suffer continual vehicular access to the site…
Comment
BrownhillsBob 31 Dec 10
I was alerted several days ago to a new and somewhat controversial local planning application by Chaz Mason and his excellent Clayhanger Marsh Log. People need to oppose this development if they value Ryders Mere and the Site of Special Scientific Interest that surrounds it.
For those of you who aren’t aware, Chaz blogs once or twice every week on the birds and other wildlife he sees in his regular haunt of Clayhanger Marsh, The Swag and Ryders Mere. This keen and hugely knowledgeable birder cares for this area of open, post industrial land with a real passion and it was his post on the 22nd December 2010 that first alerted me to what could be a very damaging development in the history of this valuable open space…
News
Express & Star 11 Nov 10
A sanctuary which rehouses 800 chickens a month and shelters rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks and pigs, is desperately searching for a larger home after being overwhelmed with animals.
It is claimed the family-run Chicken Sanctuary in Bloxwich is in “desperate need” of a new home if it is to survive past the middle of next year…
News
Nick McCarthy B'ham Mail 19 Oct 10
Hungry thieves are treating themselves to a roast duck dinner – after swiping the wild animals from a Great Barr beauty spot.
Worried campaigners said ducks were disappearing at an “alarming rate” from Great Barr Nature Reserve – and also reported an increase in the number of “undesirable characters” hanging around the spot…
Video feature
Express & Star 6 Oct 10
Most people don’t mind having a cat or dog around the house, or even a rabbit. But a Wednesfield couple have gone a step further by sharing their life with dozens of squawking crows – some of which have even appeared on TV…
Feature
BrownhillsBob 3 Oct 10
I’ve been meaning to plug Chasewater Wildlife Group again here for a while now; it’s been a while since I mentioned them last, and along with the excellent Chas Mason’s Clayhanger Marsh Log, their site is essential reading.
It’s easy to forget with all the hubbub over the dam repairs going on, that there is still a wealth of wildlife to be seen at this highly important country park…