Shustoke Reservoir.

Great visit to Shustoke Reservoir today, where it was actually nice for it to be windy, overcast and dull, partly because all the Autumnal colours really stood out, and it's also nice to embrace this time of the year rather than sitting in the house all day constantly scrolling down your phone with the heating on full blast like my neighbours.

Song bird wise it was very quiet with not many seen at all, the wind didn't probably help as it was hard to hear the birds as there was a lot of noise 'coming off' the water, around the water's edge there were good numbers of Goldfinch and Linnet feeding as well as a fair few Pied and Grey Wagtail, there was also c.50 Lapwing who always seem to settle by the Shustoke Sailing Club probably because there's minimal human and arrogant and selfish dog walkers, as per usual there was plenty of the latter who despite all the signs saying dogs must be kept on a lead and under control at all times still let their dogs run riot, also as per usual any of them that said morning to me got the cold shoulder, I don't like being ignorant, but I have no time for these people. 

On the reservoir there was obviously all the water fowl you'd expect to see but also with the nice additions of Pochard and Gadwall.

In the farmer's fields there were huge numbers of Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon and Black-Headed Gull, it was also brilliant to see my first Redwing of the year plus a nice little flock of Starling, it's actually a real pleasure to see these magnificent birds in their natural habitat and not in some shopping centre seeing them scrabbling around for food people have dropped, it's obviously always nice to see Starlings, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

Being as it's Autumn, you're clearly going to see many wonderful colours as the leaves die and drop off, but it's also the best time to see lots of wonderful Fungi, even though there was plenty around to find, it was especially exciting to find slime mould, with some great examples of Dog Vomit and Salmon Coloured Slime Mould to be found, don't know why, but I always find it quite exciting to find some.

Birds seen today were, House Sparrow, Linnet, Goldfinch, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Redwing, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackbird, Starling, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Lapwing, Cormorant, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Mute Swan, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Pochard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Mallard and Canada Goose.

Pype Hayes Park.

Nice visit to Pype Hayes Park once I'd gained entry to the car park when the gates were unlocked nearly an hour and fifteen minutes late, typical shoddy Birmingham City Council behaviour, still at least the rain held off until near the end of the visit, no sunshine or blue skies today though.

On the pool, it was great to see some Goosander present as well the resident Grey Heron, a pair of Mute Swan, a Domestic Duck and even an Indian Runner hybrid, there were also at least three Little Egret seen along the adjacent Plantsbrook.

Around the park, there was a good deal of Carrion Crow and Parakeet to be seen, as was more than one flock of Long Tailed Tit.

There wasn't as many Fungi to be found as I thought there might be, but interestingly there was plenty of Ragwort to be seen in full flower, one there for the climate change deniers.

Birds seen today were, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Robin, Dunnock, Parakeet, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Must Swan, Goosander, Domestic Duck, Indian Runner hybrid, Mallard, Canada Goose, Moorhen and Coot.