local patch

11th and 25th january

if anybody has ever looked at a map of stourport you would realy think that my local patch is tiny but i do venture further afield.further up the river towards bewdly is blackstone rock.near hear is a lake.(picture is below)this is where i saw that purple heron that very briefly landed and then took flight again

but on the 11th it wasent a meaga (but it is for lickhill) 2 goosanders flew downriver towards the site.but i couldent count them yet. when i got back to lickhill i met a local dogwalker who knows when he sees something different and he said to me he had just seen 2 goosanders flying towards stourport.what were they i asked.2 adult males.so i saw these birds further up river so i can count the as a site record cant i.it is the 2nd record for lickhill.

so on 25th i was there again. but i didnt go to blackstone(i call this the short walk) for today there was 2 bird of the days and both are year firsts a brief lessr spotted woodpecker at moorhall marsh(at the southernmost area of my local patch, just look for moorhall lane and the marsh is along there)where 2 treecreapers also gave good views on trees actually in the marsh. next is a marsh tit which gave prolonged views so i could sepperate it from willow(and the dry habitat of lickhill helped me to seperate them as well as im sure most of you know willow tits prefer wet areas,and anyway willow is rarer at lickhill anyway).both were in large flocks of birds.the moorhall flock comprised of the woody,the 2 treecreapers 15 redwings 1 goldcrest a lot of great,blue and long tailed tits,4 chaffinch,2 lesser redpoll a few goldfinch,greenfinch,siskin and 2 bullfinches

the marsh tit flock consisted of more common species.all the common tits mentioned above a few goldfinch,greenfinch,siskin,robin(at least 3)dunnock wren.all of which regulary visit my feaders now.

and one last thing, there was a nice post roost gathering of fieldfares(about 80),small numbers of other thrushes and a few woodpigeons+starlings. there was also a showy countryside jay which was in loose assosiation with this flock(the jay is usually very shy you could usually walk right pats him.thenhe flies of sqwarking so you follow it to get better views.then when you get to where you thought he had gone he reappears where you have just come from at the other side of the woodland).the flock was then scared by a flyover sparrowhalk and buzzard which put the whole flock up