GullWatch Failing

15/02/13
An Iceland Gull had been found near Bromsgrove, so biting the bullet i decided to hit the roost at Bartley. And it turned out to be the correct decision, as the bird turned up in the roost just prior to our arrival. Once getting to the Scotland lane viewpoint however i was told that after a few minutes the bird had flown and hadn't been relocated, and that was how it remained throughout the evening vigil, and the bird wasn't seen again.

MB

Sheepwash has Ducks!

14/02/13
Sheepwash has been doing fairly well for ducks recently, and that only continued today! The Goosander flock was up to its 'normal' winter heights, with a stunning 34 birds on both the Pumphouse and Johns lane fishing pools. In the flock was 15 stunning drakes. I cant say for others, but Goosanders must be some of the most stunning Ducks we have in the country, and to see large numbers on what can only be described as an urban pond is just amazing.
Here is just a small number of the flock: (Note the Shoveler's photo-bombing the flock)

Additionally, the Shoveler flock was still present, and today i counted 7 birds, most of which were still feeding in the NW corner. A flock of 44 Pochard was plastered around the 'Dunlin' Island and were giving awesome views. On both the Fishing Pool and Pumphouse pool a total of 15 Tufted Duck were showing, which is a slight increase to late.

Moving onto the opposite side of the canel, a flock of 30c Chaffinch was showing in trees adjacent to the mound, however there weren't any Bramblings among them. Actually atop the mound, the flock of 40c Linnet was still showing, but once again i failed to locate any Twite or Snow Buntings among them.

One day

MB

A little bit of Wyre birding

9/02/13
A trip into the Wyre was needed as so far this year i had not bothered looking for the Hawfinch's. But today that would be rectified.

The walk out to Lodge Hill was extremely quiet, such is the way that birding in the Wyre goes. Some days your surrounded by a hive of activity, others nada.
While just heading up the track i raised my bins to see a female HAWFINCH sitting on the bottom edge of a hawthorn bush, before dropping down a few seconds after not to be seen again. While waiting for the bird to fly up again (which it did not), one of the residents of the farm walked past, and upon entering the garden flushed a LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER off the feeders, another hoped for year tick! The bird flew directly over our heads and flew into the tree's to the north of the orchard, and sadly disappeared  While looking for it again, we had many Nuthatch. A Marsh Tit  made its way through the bushes in  the orchard before quickly moving on. 3 Finches landed upon one of the taller trees in the area, and a look at them revealed them to be 3 BRAMBLING (2 Male).
Moving back alone the railway line, we were treated to stunning views of a female Goldcrest (1 of a pair) down to about 6 feet!
MB

Local surprises

7/02/13
I headed to Sheepwash Urban park following my lesson, and it turned out to be a fairly productive visit.
Upon my first view of the lake i quickly counted a small flock of 7 Goosander on the far side. It was while scanning the Pochard and Tufted Ducks that i heard a loud 'Wheooooo' call from my right. The superb evocative sound of a calling male WIGEON!

The bird was resting on the rocks for some time (cue digi-binned picture), before swimming off into the middle, calling almost incessantly, probably trying to say 'How the f**k did i end up here?!'.

I have only ever seen one previous Wigeon at Sheepwash, so i was well chuffed to see it!

The Pochard flock was at a low 24 birds, and similarly, Tufted Duck only counted 8! I was also glad to see that the 2 TEAL dabbling on the muddy shoreline.

Moving away from Pumphouse pool, i found a flock of 30c Chaffinch adjacent to the 'mound' along the Canel.

For any locals interested, the 'mound' atm is looking amazing for any passage Chats or Wheatears due to its open barron-ness, if your in the area, have a look!

MB

A bit of Woodland watching- A few year ticks!

6/02/13

A walk in a local woodland was fairly rewarding, however my true target species failed to appear, but they are fairly elusive at this site, but with spare time every Wednesday, i've been making regular visits to this woodland.
At one of the most famous locations withing the woodland, i was treated to awesome views of this Robin, as it decided to perch on a tree a mere 5 foot away! At one point, the bird even tried to walk over my boots it was that confiding!

Why is the site famous i hear you say? Well the tree above where i was standing is often frequented by a roosting TAWNEY OWL. This bird often just sits on one of the broken tree trunks in the wood, giving close intimate views of this usually elusive resident.

After a few hours searching likely spots for the resident pair of LesserPeckers drew a blank, i headed towards the feeding area, and i soon picked up a female BRAMBLING perched on the edge of the adjacent hawthorn, quickly followed by a stunning male!

I sat down on the bench adjacent to the feeders, and after some time, i witnessed 4 BRAMBLING (3 males) perched in the tree next to me at the same time.

I was hoping the birds would join the flock of Chaffinch and 2 Reed Bunting, but the birds didn't.

However, one of the male birds perched on a close Hawthorn bush not far away, and i was able to take some digi-binned pictures of it as it perched there.

A stunning Scandinavian finch, and one that i don't see enough of, so it was great to get a small flock at a local site, and being able to get decent views of them!

MB