Tuesday, 4 February 2020

Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve.





Great to visit Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve again where it was much windier and colder than last week, the cold doesn't bother me at all but the wind isn't ideal when trying to listen for birdsong, saying that the Nutchatch were very vocal for some reason.

Before I'd even got out of the car I could already hear, Blue, Great and Long Tailed Tit, as well as Robin and Blackbird which is always a good sign, in typical fashion the Blue and Great Tit were foraging among the trees and the Long Tailed Tit were flitting from tree to tree.

It was great to see the Muscovy Duck has still got all it's cheekiness and followed me all around the large pool, the pair of Domestic Duck were on the smallest pool and enjoyed the seed I had taken for them, it was also nice to see Goosander still present even though I didn't see any Shoveler or Gadwall, it was also great to see that some of the Great Crested Grebe have already 'paired up'.

Birds seen today were, Nuthatch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Robin, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Cormorant, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Muscovy Duck, Domestic Duck, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot and Canada Goose.

I'll hopefully do another post later this week, probably from a location in Warwickshire.





 

Wednesday, 29 January 2020

Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve.





Great trip to Planstsbrook Local Nature Reserve this morning where it was nice and crisp with lovely blue skies for most of the visit.

Obviously there were a lot of Tits and Finches around but I've never seen and heard so many Robins as I have today, they were everywhere today, including all around all three pools and in bushes and trees. 

The waterfowl were abundant on all the pools but espeically the larger one, clearly there were a lot of Mallard, Coot and Moorhen but it was also great to see, Shoveler, Goosander, Gadwall as well as the resident Muscovy Duck and two new birds, a lovely pair of Domestic Ducks who seem to be a real pair as when one did anything the other copied it straight away, on the smaller pool held a Little Egret in the left hand corner as you enter form the car park while the medium pool had a Grey Heron fishing in it's usual left hand corner, a spot the Heron's have always loved since my very first visit.

Birds seen today were, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Robin, Dunnock, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Shoveler, Goosander, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe, Muscovy Duck, Domestic Duck, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Coot and Canada Goose.

The only bad thing about the visit was seeing a Coot with a bad leg which was being bullied by the other Coots, unfortunately it looked like the injury was down to where 'fishermen' have discarded fishing line as it was halfway up the leg, this is something which really, really annoys me, especially when these people will tell you that they love wildlife.

It was great to the place being well cared for and people are actually taking pride in this wonderful location of which I will definitely paying a lot more visits to this year.





Tuesday, 21 January 2020

Southfields Farm, Coleshill.






Great visit as usual to Southfields Farm today, where it was lovely and crisp, even though I say it was a great visit there wasn't much bird activity at all but it's not always about seeing lots of birds, it's just nice to get out and about, a word of warning if you're planning a visit there anytime soon be sure to wear wellies or a decent pair of walking boots as large parts of the farm are under water or very muddy, worth it though.

I didn't speak to John (The Farmer) which was a shame as I wanted to know why there appears to have been no supplementary seed left anywhere which is not good news especially as we are now in the 'hunger gap', hopefully I'll find out why or if I'm wrong on my next visit, thankfully this location is managed with birds/wildlife in mind.

As usual there were hundreds of House Sparrow present by the outbuildings/car park, but the other birds I usually expect to see in high numbers were sadly lacking, instead of hundreds of Linnet, I saw c.30 which obviously may have been a coincidence but in the Winter I have never seen with in two digits before, I also thought I would see plenty of Redwing and Fieldfare, well I didn't see a single Redwing and only one Fieldfare, I also didn't see a single Yellowhammer or Starling either, which was a real shame.

Anyway of enough negativity, on the plus side, other than the House Sparrow's it was great to see Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Jay, Pheasant, a Grey Heron fishing and large numbers of Tits and Finches all around the farm.

Birds seen today were, Buzzard, Linnet, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Wren, Robin, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Jay, Woodpigeon, Carrion, Crow, Magpie, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Moorhen and Mallard.

Monday, 6 January 2020

Sutton Park.






Nice trip out to Sutton Park this morning, even if it was very windy, always nice to 'get back to nature' no matter what the weather is like.

Apart from the pool (Longmoor) it was very quiet bird wise unless you count the hundreds of Carrion Crow who always congregate near the car parks.

Birds seen today were, Siskin, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Wren, Robin, Starling, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Moorhen and Coot.

Obviously, the highlight of the day was the sighting of Siskin, even if it was a very small flock.

Sadly one corner of the pool was absolutely full of litter, with the most of it being plastic, which is something that's always sad to see as was the large swathes of burnt Gorse, horrible to think that there was probably nesting birds in there at the time of the arson attack, mindless morons!

Wednesday, 4 December 2019

Shard End Lake/Babbs Mill.

Shard End Lake. 





Two visits today, first off it was a birding trip around Shard End Lake where before you even got out of the car you could hear the Parakeets, they numbered in the three figures and they sure do know how to make a racket, great to see such an exotic bird making it's home in Birmingham.

There were a lot of birds on the lake where it was especially nice to see Goosander, Great Crested Grebe and a Grey Heron fishing, notable for their absence were Canada Goose, saying that there was a sizeable amount at nearby Babbs Mill.

There was sadly a lot of litter around the lake, especially by the water's edge and where the 'fishermen' sit and especially disappointing was the amount of fishing lines and hooks blatantly thrown into the trees by said 'fishermen', I haven't been here for years and it was one of the factors I was expecting and sadly I was right scumbags all of them.

Birds seen here were, Parakeet, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Wren, Robin, Starling, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Feral Pigeon, Grey Heron, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Tufted Duck, and Mallard.


Babbs Mill Local Nature Reserve. 





Then it was off to Babbs Mill Local Nature Reserve taking in the short walk along the River Cole where the lake was full of waterfowl and it was especially nice to see, Shoveler, Goosander, Teal, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe and Little Grebe.

Obviously with it being so close to Shard End Lake where the Parakeet mainly roost there were a lot present here as well, mainly on the island, as were a sizeable number of Cormorant.

Birds present here were, Parakeet, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Wren, Robin, Jay, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Cormorant, Shoveler, Goosander, Teal, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Domestic Goose, and Canada Goose.

As per usual there was also a lot of litter here as well, again a lot of is that 'fishermen' have left behind/discarded, don't know why I'm surprised really, filthy heathens! Regardless it was nice to pay both places a visit and I'll have to make sure the length inbetween this and my next visit is not as long as the last.

Monday, 18 November 2019

Shustoke Reservoir.







Perfect morning today for a spot of birdwatching, beautiful blue skies, a slight touch of frost and the leaves falling in earnest in all their Autumnal splendour, so I decided to pay Shustoke Reservoir in North Warwickshire a visit.

On the whole it was very quiet but it was still great to see a flock of Lapwing at the beginning of my visit and a flock of Redwing towards the end of my visit.

Other than those it was pretty standard fare including, Mute Swan, Grey Heron, Pied Wagtail, Cormorant, Jay and Mistle Thrush, saying that I'm not snobby like some people who have to see a certain bird when they're out birding, I love to see them all regardless whether it's the first time I've seen them or the ten thousandth time.

Birds seen today were, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Wren, Robin, Redwing, Jay, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Lapwing, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Pied Wagtail, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Canada Goose.

As per usual the only thing that spoilt the visit was the amount of inconsiderate dog walkers, even though there are notices around the pool stating that 'dogs are welcome just as long as they are kept under strict control and on a lead at all times', not one person had them on a lead, one person was deliberately throwing a ball towards the waterfowl for his dog while another pair of women were letting six dogs run amok all over the place including into the water, I detest these people !

Tuesday, 12 November 2019

Ward End Park.







Nice early morning walk around Ward End Park today, it was very quiet bird wise but it's great to visit locations when they are in their Autumnal splendour.

It was a shame not to hear any House Sparrow near the flats, maybe they were quiet, had a visit from a predator and more likely because I didn't notice the presence of any feeders which is a real shame as they probably struggle for food around that area especially at this time of the year.

There were plenty of Gulls, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Canada Goose present though, it was a shame to see no Grey Heron or Mute Swan though even though I have seen them when passing by the park at other times of the year, I also didn't see any Great Spotted Woodpecker or Song/Mistle Thrush which are normally 'staples' when I visit this site.

Thankfully most of the park was clean but there was still a large amount of cans, bottles and takeaway refuse to be found all the same in certain areas, aside again from a few plastic bottles the pool was clean which is amazing as it's normally never like that even when a Prime Minister visits as I was told by the council workers once 'we don't clean the pool as the camera's won't go down there.

Birds seen today were, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Robin, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Moorhen, Coot and Canada Goose.