3rd March 2014

Finally a day off that the weather will allow for decent bird spotting.

Weather:- sunny, warm with a light breeze, turning dull.

Woods :- Usually suspects around, most happily singing away. Greater spotted woodpecker drumming.

Canal :- Again the usual suspects, but 7 moorhen, Canada goose, happily following me along the towpath and every little bird singing there little hearts out. So nice to hear.

Netherton Hill :- Female kestrel hovering over the hill, till she disappeared towards Dudley. Buzzard showing off nicely.

Raza :- 18 coots,3 great crested grebes, (hope they breed again this year) and a mute swan, amongst all the gulls.

Primrose's, snowdrops flowering and Hawthorne started to bud. Spring is finally arriving.

 And a little something to keep you amused.

Saturday 11th January 2014

Weather :- blue, sunny skies but cold nip in the air

Woods :- Usually suspects blue/great and long tailed tits, woodpigeons, carrion crows, etc. Moorhen and male mallard on pool in Doulton Clay Pit.

Reservoir :- mallards, coots, mute swan cygnet, great crested grebe, black-headed gulls and a cormorant.

Netherton Hill :- grey heron by pools bottom of hill. Great-spotted woodpecker flew over. Otherwise magpies, carrion crows, 3 buzzards showing well, goldfinch, robin,blackbirds.

Canal :- 9 moorhens (2 of which looked like last year young), mallards. 5 grey squirrels on the opposite bank. And a flash of blue of a kingfisher flying past. Did what they do best and disappeared, spent ages looking, especially on the way back to the woods. Even with 2 of us looking, just didn't re-appear. 

Marshes :- a quick walk down to the marshes, behind the cattle bridge, showed female bullfinch and more dunnock.

First pink flowers appeared, just haven't identified it yet. 

Someone decided that it was too sunny and speak no evil needed a sun hat.

Looks like a hedge, but actually moss on a tree trunk.

Wednesday 25th December 2013

Lunch eaten, now a choice between toy story 3 or an hour on the patch. Guess which won?

As short of time covered the raza and only a bit of the woods.

Weather:- blue skies with few clouds, sunny and a cold nip.

Woods:- blue/great/long tailed tits and spotted my first willow tit on the patch. Lots woodpigeons and magpies and a passing linnet. Couple of goldcrests showing extremely well in the ivy.

Raza:- black-headed gulls, coots, great crested grebe, mallards and a male and female tufted duck.

Decided not to take camera, so soz for the lack of photos. Birds seem to know, most came so close and missed lots of good photo opportunities. Will never do again!

Wednesday 4th December

Finally a day off work, that I'm not called in to do overtime. So time to hit the patch.

Weather:- After a dull start, blue sky appeared and sunshine. 

Woods:- The usual suspects - blue/great tits, long tailed tits, blackbirds, robins, wrens, etc. 

Reservoir:- 59 black-headed gulls, 2 little grebes, sub-adult mute swan, great crested grebe, coots and mallards. Grey wagtail messing in guttering of the keepers house, then flew off.

Netherton Hill:- carrion crows, magpies, more woodpigeons. Redwings have arrived, grey heron on pools bottom of the hill. Bullfinches around the edge by the lane. 2 buzzards soaring fairly low and a female kestrel.

The autumn colour was stunning today, as the sun came out. Still quite a few leaves on the tress.

Then on tabletop, lots of fallen leaves, showing oak galls and droplets of rain.

Monday 26th August 2013

Weather :- warm, overcast with sunny spells.

Woods :- Birds very quiet, magpies, woodpigeons, blackbirds, robin, blue tits etc.

Reservoir :- greater back-backed gulls, mallards - ducklings growing their adult feathers, coots.Three cygnets and one great crested grebe with 2 young.

Canal :- more mallards, moorhen and young moorhen.

Netherton Hill :- more magpies and woodpigeons.Chifchaff heard, female wheatear and a grey heron by pools at the bottom. A surprise showing of a female black redstart, made the day.

Flowers :- include buttercups, dandelions, herb robert, common toadflax, ragwart.

Butterflies :- Good numbers of small and large whites, peacocks, comma, meadow brown, gatekeepers and common blue butterflies. Also a small coppr seen and a few small skippers.

Also apples, plums and blackberries ripening and acorns growing.

Saturday 20th July 2013

Weather :- sunny, warm with light wind.

Fairly quite on the bird front, but lots of insects about.

Woods :- usually suspects including treecreepers and swifts

Canal :- Chiffchaff, moorhen with juvenile.  Three Mallard ducklings still doing well. Rat also seen.

Reservoir :- mallards, coots, black-headed gulls, herring gulls, lesser and greater-black backed gulls.

Netherton hill :- carrion crows, chiffchaff, greenfinch

Butterflies :- flying well in all grassland areas. Including 6-spot burnets, gatekeepers, ringlets, meadow browns, small skippers, speckled wood and a couple of marbled whites on tabletop.

Also lots of common blue damselflies, ( 3 joined pairs ) and a southern hawker.

Flowers :- These include  brambles, herb robert, red clover, red Valerian, spear thistle, common/white and red dead nettles.  Cow parsley, oxeye daisy's, creeping buttercups and reedmace.

Monday 3rd June 2013

Weather :- Sunny, warm with a light wind

Woods :-Robins, blackbirds, blue and great tits all seen busy looking for insects and seen taking back to nests. Male chaffinch and chiffchaff seen singing. Treecreeper x2. The highlight was finding the nuthatch nest. Both adults seen bring in very large, juicy caterpilars and a young nuthatch kept popping their head out. But not quite brave enough to fledge yet.

Young nuthatch

Canal :- The 5 mallard ducklings still doing well. 11 male mallards and 5 female mallard present. Another 3 chiffchaffs, male house sparrow and male blackcap singing, with good views. Male blackbird also seen taking worms back into bushes.

Netherton hill :- Fairly quiet. Male greenfinch flew over, jackdaw, 2 mistle thrush in the trees by the pools.

Reservior :- Again fairly quiet. lesser black-backed gulls 16, 2 swift flying high above. 6 coots, but 2 young seen - look recently hatched and another juvenile with a different parent. Only one great crested grebe seen and no young.

Flowers include :- herb robert, dandelion, daisy, first stinging flower seen, buttercup, red clover, red valerian along the canal, ribwort plantain and bluebells.

Insects include :- buff and white tailed bumblebees, small white butterflies, speckled wood butterflies, peacock butterflies. First 2 common blue damselfies of the year, red tailed bumblebee, craneflies and a large white butterfly.

Bluebell