Ward End Park.

Nice little trip to a chilly Ward End Park today where, even though their didn't look it from a distance, there was plenty of free water for the waterfowl. There was loads of bird activity today, a hundred and fifty plus Canada Goose, as well as plenty of other waterfowl including the resident Pekin Ducks, Muscovy Ducks and Silver Appleyard Ducks, in the park there were plenty of songbirds and corvids as well as plenty of Song Thrush which are always in plentiful supply at this park especially scampering along the grass. All birds spotted were, Nuthatch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Robin, House Sparrow, Starling, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Song Thrush, Collared Dove, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, Coot, Mallard, Muscovy Duck, Pekin Duck and Silver Appleyard Duck. It's always great to see a lot of birds on a trip out, especially when there's a wide variety of birds like there was today. I've also noticed a lot more bird activity in the garden since the snow fell last week and it's a lot colder, my colony of forty plus House Sparrow are out there nearly all day also the usual suspects of Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Collared Doves, Woodpigeons and Feral Pigeons are far more active. I've also had the my more unusual winter visitors lately, Pied Wagtails, Coal Tits, Long Tailed Tits and even thirty plus Goldfinch on one of neighbours Silver Birch, but no Song Thrush yet, they seem happier further up my road, where they might get food from gardens up there, possibly. I only commented that if the RSPB Big Gardenwatch had been a week later there would have been very different results and these sentiments were echoed by the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) in this article I read via the Birdwatch website. Every year between 14th - 21st February it's National Nest Box Week, so if you can afford it and have the space, put up a bird box or three in your garden or even erect one at a local nature reserve, you know you want to, just remember not to place them facing due south as they are exposed to direct sunlight from dawn to dusk and will kill the chicks and place them at least 2 metres above the ground and preferably above prickly bushes to avoid predators such as cats.