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

Tuesday 14th May 2013

Weather :- Started of sunny, but turned to rain.

Reservoir :- Quiet today. 11 lesser-blacked backed gulls, 4 herring gulls, house martins, swallows and 1 swift, 2 coot nests. 2 great crested grebes - one sitting on a nest and a few mallards and coots. Also 2 common terns.

Canal :- few mallards. one family group with 5 ducklings.

Cute or what?

Woods :- blackbirds, robins, blue tits and great tits all seen with insects in beaks. Male blackcap, bullfinch, chiffchaff and willow warbler heard.

Flowers :- dandelions, herb Robert, wood-forget-me knot, buttercups, lily of the valley and nettles all flowering. And lots and lots and lots of bluebells.

Bluebell

Laurel flowers

Monday 22nd April 2013

Weather:- Cloudy with sunny spells and windy

Woods:- Usual suspects - blue/great/long tits, robins,great spotted woodpecker, male bullfinch, blackbirds, etc. One female blackbirs seen with nesting material in her beak.

Canal:- mallards, moorhen and coot among the common birds. First chiffchaff heard and a house martin flying over. Male and female bullfinches and chaffinches present.

Reservoir:- 1 canad goose, mallards, 2 black-headed gulls, 12 lesser black-backed gulls, 2 herring gulls, 4 great-crested grebes with 1 possible nest and coots. 2 coot nests, 1 with 1 egg present. 7 tufted ducks

Netherton hill:- buzzard soaring over and a hunting female kestrel. Second chiffchaff heard and a willow warbler present.

Plants:- goat willow catkkins and hawthorn blossam flowering. Also wild daffodils, primroses and wood anemone.

Insects:- peacock and speckled wood butterflies, buff-tailed and white-tailed bumble bees and 2 tree bees seen.



Sunday 7th march 2013

Thanks to qb bull for letting me know that the first chiffchaff is back on netherton hill. Also 5 great crested grebes on reservoir. 

Tuesday 2nd April 2013

Ok, computer has just died, so I'm afraid any photos will have to be added later.

Weather:- cloudy with sunny spells and windy.

Woods:- usually birds around, but a male bullfinch displaying well.

Canal:- mallards, moorhen. Greater spotted woodpecker seen briefly, then one heard drumming. Female greenfinch seen with nesting material in beak.

Reservoir:- 45 black-headed gulls, lesser black backed gulls, coots and mallards. Two great-crested grebes also present.

Netherton hill:- carrion crows, magpies and a buzzard soaring over. The big surprise was a red kite flying east. Seems to be the year for surprises, third outing in a row and the unsuspected has been spotted. Just goes to show, doesn't it. There was a male reed bunting at the bottom of the hill, by the cattle bridge. Another first sighting for me.

If I've missed anything, I'll add it on later when computer hopefully feels better. Just wanted to put up a quick post.

Tuesday 5th March 2013

 

 

Weather :- cloudy blue skies, sunny and quite warm

 

Woods :- blue tit checking out a nest box. Male bullfinch singing, female bullfinch also seen. Goldcrest put in a good view and green woodpecker heard, as well as the usual suspects.

 

Reservoir :- great crested grebe, 53 black-headed gulls, coots, mallards and a male and female tufted duck.

 

Canal :- more mallards and moorhen. House sparrows spotted behind the reservoir. Female greenfinch in the trees and dunnock. Wren in the reeds.

 

Netherton hill :- Murray cattle roaming around, one buzzard soaring, male chaffinch singing, sparrowhawk and a feral pigeon.

 

 

 

The big surprise, now I've had the photo checked, was a yellowhammer spotted in the gorse at the bottom of Netherton hill. Then flew of to the top of the trees, along the canal at the base of the hill, to do a bit of singing. First recorded record that I can find on birdtrack, but a pair was last seen in 1990. I believe it was more common, before the loss of farmland, when they built Merry Hill. So I hope that this is a good sign of things to come.