Meriden Park and Colebank Nature Reserve, Solihull.

A trip out to Meriden Park and Colebank Nature Reserve in Solihull was the order of the day with the sun out and lovely blue skies.

Highlight of the day was hearing a singing male Blackcap which is always the highlight of many a days birding. It was also nice to see the waterfowl on the nest and all the songbirds busy collecting nesting material and building their nests. It's also a pleasure to visit 'green areas' and see all the plants and flowers coming into their own, it will be even better when wildflowers start growing being as they're my favourite flowers. I also saw plenty of butterflies today, mainly Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell but unfortunately couldn't photograph any without spooking them. Seeing a Green Woodpecker is always a pleasure even like today when it's very brief.

Birds seen today were Buzzard (two circling above the trees by the River Cole in the Colebank Nature Reserve), Blackcap (male), Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Greenfinch, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Robin, Starling, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Domestic/Greylag hybrid Goose, Canada Goose as well  as the following nesting birds, Mute Swan (1), Coot (1) and Domestic/Greylag hybrid Goose (1), I dare say there were more nesting birds on the big island but it's always hard to see on the island when the trees and plants come back into bloom.