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.

 



Thursday 21st February 2013

 

 

Weather :- cloudy with sunny spells and a chilly wind.

 

 

Reservoir :- showing 112 black-headed gulls with a few starting to moult into summer plumage. 22 coots, 11 mallards and 3 tufted ducks, (1 male, 2 female ). Little grebe and great crested grebe, that was seen only yesterday, according to the birdtrack app, seem to have left. 2 coots were gathering nesting material.

 

Woods :-  Fairly quiet, may be due to more people as it's half term. 16 long-tailed tits, amongst the usual suspects. Buzzard and bullfinch heard.

 

Found some interesting lichen on some trees.

 

 



Thursday 23rd January 2013

 

 

 Before I go any further, today proved that you never know just what is going to turn up. While looking over Doulton's Claypit, where the only thing moving were magpies, a sudden glint of white in the sky caught my attention. Flying eastwards was a great BIG patch first. A little egret, which left me with a great big silly smile on my face!

 

Weather :- what a difference a couple of weeks can make. Snow still on the ground, cloudy but sun trying to peek out.

 

 

Reservoir :- 2 cormorants now present and a male and female tufted ducks have arrived. Otherwise 119 black-headed gulls, 22 coots, 23 mallards and 3 mute swans.

 

Woods :- Amongst all the usual suspects was a male blackcap, nuthatch, male bullfinch and 3 redwings.

 

 

And thanks to Netherton colts, who has given me good directions, I finally found the dragon.

 

Oak leaf galls



 

 



Tuesday 1st January 2013

 

Not the best day, still suffering with the flu but determined to keep up my New Year's tradition of hitting the patch. Only managed a quick hour, then had to give up. Missed more birds then spotted - so never go birding with a dodgy head!

 

Weather :- Clear blue skies, sunny and warm.

 

Reservoir :- showed 1 moorhen, 25 coots, 3 canada geese, 70 black-headed gulls, 1 lesser black-backed gull and 3 mallards. The highlight being the winter cormorant had appeared - but never stays for long.

 

Woods :- 2 grey squirrels put in brief appearences. Otherwise usually suspects - magpies, crows, blue tits, great tits, chaffinch, bullfinches heard, wren, greater spotted woodpecker, blackbirds, woodpigeons, dunnock and the robins had turned shy and kept disappearing.

 

Still unable to find the dragon sculpture, beginning to think it doesn't exsist.

Tuesday 18 December 2012

 

 

Weather :- Cloudy blue sky, light breeze and mild.

 

Stayed in the woods today, mainly following the sculpture trail, but did check out the reservior.

 

 

Reservior showed 28 coots, 63 black-headed gulls and 2 lesser black-backed gulls.

 

Woods:- The usually suspects around. Blue/great/long and coal tits, both nuthatches showing well, woodpigeons, magpies, crows, jay, blackbirds, robins being cheeky as usually and chaffimch heard.

 

The big surprise was when I was looking for a bullfinch I could hear, briefly saw as a male, but also found this lost fellow.

 

Yellow crowned amazon parrot - well think it is anyway. Anyone lost one??

 

Found 2 more of the new sculptures.

 

Dragonfly

 

Owl

 

And not forgetting this greater spotted woodpecker.

 

 

Most of the berries and fruits have now been stripped, but the ivy berries are growing well.

 

 

 

 



Thursday 23rd August 2012

 

 

Weather :- Cloudy with sunny spells and a light wind.

 

 

Finally found a bit of spare time to hit the local patch, covered the woods, reservior, canal and Netherton hill. Hardly any bird activity. Grey heron in the grass, at the bottom of Netherton hill. Young blackbird spotted in  the woods, 39 herring gulls on the reservior and 20 female mallards on the canal. Male bullfinch put on a brief viewing by the canal. Buzzard soaring high over Netherton hill.

 

 

 

Lots of insect activity seen :- Over 20 gatekeeper butterflies on Netherton hill, few more spotted in the woods. Also burnet moths on Netherton hill and small skipper and small copper butterflies.

 

Blackberries and rowen berries are ripening. Flowers include herb robert, spear thistle and tansy.

 

Sheathed woodtuft

 

There are also new sculptures around the sculpture trail. As I didn't do all of the this trail, only found 2 today.

 

 

 





Tuesday 29th May 2012

Weather :- Started dull and overcast, but brightened up.

Woods :- Noisy but not much in the way of birds actually seen. Chiffchaff singing in his normal place on tabletop, mistle thrush nest found with adult on nest. Great tits have fledged and adults still feeding young. Lots of young grey squirrels around.

Reservoir :- herring gulls, lesser black-blacked gulls, mallards, coots, great-created grebes and a mute swan.

Canal :- More mallards and coots and the moorhen family have hatched their young - 4 in total all looking well.

Netherton Hill :- Linnets, male blackbird singing happily away, 2 buzzards soaring over. Whitethroat finally spotted. 

Insects include :- ladybirds, carder and white-tailed bees.

Flowers :- Red champion, red valerian, oxeye daises, columbine, bush vetch, speedwell.