The snow last week and other events this week have meant I didn't make my planned trip to Middleton Lakes but rest assured I will get there soon but all the same it was great to visit Southfields Farm in Coleshill.
As per usual you don't even have to get out of the car to hear the cacophony of noise coming from the House Sparrows, it really is wonderful to see and hear them literally everywhere you look in the 'car park', talking of singing birds it was great to hear Dunnocks in full song all morning long as was the aural delight of hearing Skylark singing in every single field I passed through.
On the tracks where there is seed left for the birds in the winter there was a mixture of the following birds, Yellowhammer (I will never get bored of seeing these wonderful little birds), Linnet, Reed Bunting, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Collared Dove, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon and Magpie.
I was expecting to see loads of Redwing and Fieldfare but apart from Blackbirds I didn't see a single Thrush, I also expected to see hundreds of Linnet but even though they were present they were in much smaller numbers, still great to see them all the same.
Birds seen today were, Buzzard, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Skylark, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin, Starling, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron (fishing in a 'pool' in one of the fields), Collared Dove, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow and Magpie.
As you can see from the above notice there is work being done in the fields that are adjacent to the River Blyhe to improve the water quality, fish migration and remove non native vegetation among other factors and when the work was being done on one of the days it was snowing approximately 300 Lapwing 'appeared from nowhere' to feed on the disturbed land of which John (the farmer) has some great photos, unfortunately they have now gone but hopefully they will return to breed especially has John has made provisions to encourage them to do so.
I thought I would upload some photos from the farm being as John was good enough to invite me onto the premises to have a look around, I'm so glad I'm a vegetarian especially as I saw these wonderful animals close up.
