Gary Farmer describes our December field meeting during which we were treated to great views of not just Common Crossbills, but also Two-barred Crossbills, rarely seen visitors from Russia!

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2013)

Brett Westwood led a Study Group field meeting on 26th February 2011 to look for woodpeckers and other birds in Wyre, and he records the occasion.

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2013)

Dr. Elisabeth Charman and Steve Dodds from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, describe their research project which aims to find out why Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are declining nationally. The Wyre Forest is one of their three study areas.

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2011)

White Mandarin Duck at Trimpley – Brett Westwood

Brett Westwood describes the presence of a white Mandarin Duck within a flock on the River Severn at Trimpley, with photographs by John Bingham.

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2010) (Note – best viewed with Microsoft Edge browser)

Andy Spencer describes his ongoing work to study the population dynamics and survival rates of Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers in the Wyre Forest.

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2009)

It was with enormous surprise that the author spotted a live Gannet in the middle of the Wyre Forest in July 2008! The article describes how it was captured, and then cared for by the Vale Wildlife Hospital and later the RSPCA before being eventually released at sea.

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2009)

Rosemary Winnall and Paul Reade decribe how they encountered a Woodcock Nest in Wyre.

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2007)

Waxwings come to Wyre – The author describes the presence of 66 Waxwings in her back garden, 2 of which were colour ringed. Other 2005 records from the vicinity are noted.

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2009)

Neville describes finding a Woodcock nest and what happened to it in the following days

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2004)

Woodcock Survey in the Wyre Forest Area – In 2003, Jim Martin of the British Trust for Ornithology ran a breeding Woodcock survey across the UK. Jim describes the survey methods and results of his survey in Wyre. 

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2003)

Observations at the nest sites of Tawny Owls in Wyre Forest provides background information about the Tawny Owl and its evolutionary adaptations to a nocturnal lifestyle. Neville describes his observations of their behaviour at their nest sites in Wyre and mentions some of the other breeding birds in the forest

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2002)

Bird Surveys in Wyre Forest 2001-2002 –  Jim Martin describes the three Breeding Bird Surveys undertaken in the Wyre Forest

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2002)

In this article Rosemary describes how she located their nest holes and how she recorded the behaviour and nesting success of Woodpeckers in Rock Coppice between 1987 and 1990 . She measured standing deadwood in the 65 hectares of Rock Coppice, mapping its distribution and highlighting the importance of this for saproxylic insect larvae which provide food in the winter for Great Spotted and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers.

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2001)

Neville Wilde describes how Edgar Chance discovered and filmed for the first time, the Cuckoos’ secret of laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, by dedicated fieldwork at Pound Green Common between the years 1918 and 1921. Neville goes on to describe his own efforts to photograph Cuckoos and their young in the Wyre Forest.

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2001)

Bird Surveys in the Wyre Forest in 2000 –  Jim Martin describes the  bird surveys that he completed during 2000 including the  Common Bird Census and Breeding Bird Census. He notes records of interest

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2000) 

(Sitta europaea)

Neville Wilde reports on some interesting behaviour that he observed by a Nuthatch being pursued by a Pied Flycatcher in 1993

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2000)

 Michael Harrison describes his 16 year survey of the Dowles Brook using the BTO’s Waterways Bird Survey methodology.  

(From the Wyre Forest Study Group REVIEW 2006)