Babbs Mill Nature Reserve, Kingshurst.

Trip to Babbs Mill to see the new reed bed and it looks good and will be even better when everything settles down when the grass and plants grow back, apparently a Water Rail has already taken residence even though I didn't actually see it myself. It's just a pity after all this hard work that the chavs have set fire to large areas of grass, brambles and hedgerow and it's not even warm yet, the mindless little cretins. As well as creating a reed bed, an artificial mudflat has been created of which the Moorhens and Black Headed Gulls particularly seem to be taking advantage of.

I also saw a pair of Long Tailed Tit making a nest in the brambles by the picnic area in the car park, hopefully the chavs don't notice or set fire to it unknowingly, not that they'd care anyway. Unfortunately the Domestic Goose numbers have dropped to just nine thanks to successful Fox attacks, they will struggle to get their numbers back thanks to the council always destroying a large number of their eggs which is a particular shame being as the Carrion Crows pick off most of, if not all of the babies they have anyway. While leaving the car park it was nice to see double figures of Redwing getting worms from underneath the grass. 

Birds seen were Buzzard, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Wren, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Starling, Blackbird, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Redwing, Collared Dove, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Domestic Goose and Canada Goose.   

There was also one Great Crested Grebe and three Coot on the nest.

In the back garden a pair of Robin have got together and built a nest, the House Sparrow are collecting nest material, 'Funny Wing' who is a Collared Dove who visits the garden everyday has paired up with another Collared Dove, the Blue Tit who lives in the ventilation brick in my bedroom appears to have paired up with a female, the Dunnocks are all displaying courting behaviour and the Blackbirds are busily collecting grass and twigs for their nests. The more baby birds the better I say !