Pype Hayes Park.

Last trip out of the year for 2011, which was a trip to an overcast, drizzly but surprisingly warm Pype Hayes Park. I had planned a birding outing on Thursday but the heavy rain curtailed that idea, so I ended up going into Birmingham City Centre where I paid a visit to Project Pigeon where they have a spectacular all white muff foot, Mealey, Blue Cheq, Blue Bar, Silver Grizzle and of course Birmingham Rollers, the birds are currently housed at the back of Boxxed nightclub in Digbeth, which has recently closed down so the birds are going to have be re homed, hopefully they'll find somewhere soon. Birds spotted today were Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song Thrush, Redwing, Jackdaw, Siskin, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Starling, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Mute Swan and Moorhen. The Siskin were a flock of about twenty being very noisy at the top of a tall tree, I had to move around the other side of the tree to identify them what with it being overcast, it was definitely worth it though, it always a pleasure to see some Siskin, just a pity you don't see more of them. Hopefully it will get a bit colder soon and get the birds moving about a bit more, they seem to be happy where they are, I was seeing flocks of 100 plus Redwing and Fieldfare this time last year especially at wooded areas like Pype Hayes, I've also seen very few Shoveler, Goosander etc. A Happy New Year to everybody who reads this nonsense I put on here, hopefully there will be plenty more birding, nature and wildlife observing in the forthcoming year, which is the year when the keeping of battery hens is made illegal in Europe, that's it I'm off to get my 2012 British Garden Birds calender ready :)