Babbs Mill Nature Reserve, Solihull.

Another trip to Babbs Mill Nature Reserve in Solihull and the nearby Shard End Lake after my last visit three weeks ago today.

I popped to Shard End Lake primarily to see what juvenile birds were on the water and how the twelve Canada Goose Goslings were fairing, well as you can see all twelve Goslings are doing fine and they all look fit and healthy, also on the lakes were (at least) one juvenile Great Crested Grebe, eleven juvenile Coot and two Coots on the nest. Other juveniles spotted were Whitethroat, Blue Tit, Great Tit and House Sparrow.

Then it was off to Babbs Mill Nature Reserve were the spot of the day had to be first ever sighting of a Hobby at this location, it was all very brief though because it was being very heavily mobbed by four Carrion Crow. Back to juveniles, there were plenty of juvenile Whitethroat about foraging amongst the trees where there were plenty of adults singing, also spotted were juvenile Chiffchaff or Willow Warbler, impossible for me to tell when they are that young I'm afraid, it was still nice to see them all the same. Other juveniles spotted at Babbs Mill were Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, and Blackbird. Also seen were the seven Cygnets who like the twelve Canada Goose Goslings at Shard End all look fit and healthy, seven Coot, three Canada Goose Gosling, and three nesting Great Crested Grebe and Coot as well as another pair of Coot nest building. Conspicuous in there absence were any juvenile Domestic Goose, I know in the past the council have killed their young or destroyed the eggs of these birds on the island, what makes it even stranger was seeing a dead juvenile on the island, strange in my opinion to see a deceased juvenile Domestic Goose and no other young ones spotted at all !

Birds seen today were Hobby, Buzzard, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler (there were plenty singing), Whitethroat, House Sparrow, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, House Martin, Swallow, Swift, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Greylag Goose, Domestic Goose and Canada Goose.