Newhall Valley Country Park, Sutton Coldfield.

Nice trip over to Sutton Coldfield to visit the expansive Newhall Valley Country Park which has many varied natural habitats for the all the wildlife that inhabit this great area.

Highlights of the day were seeing my first Goslings of the year, a singing Male Blackcap, the sighting of a Whitethroat along the Plants Brook, a pair of Green Woodpecker foraging for ants amongst the grass and seeing a pair of Grey Wagtail going in and out of an outbuilding an the Newhall Mill  feeding young, I actually spoke to the owner who told me they were definitely feeding young. It was nice to see wildflowers emerging on which I saw an Orange Tip butterfly which didn't want it's picture taking, I tried for a while but I had to give up in the end when I lost sight of it. As always at this time of the year it;s great to see the birds either nest building, sitting on nests, feeding young or even better seeing the young.

Birds seen today were Kestrel, Whitethroat, Blackcap (male), Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch (including a flock of c.200), Chiifchaff, Willow Warbler (including a pair feeding young), House Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin, Starling, Grey Wagtail, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Grey Heron, Moorhen, Mallard, Canada Goose, plus the following young, Gosling (6) and one Canada Goose on the nest.