As I said earlier, there was no birding for me this weekend.  I wanted to make a start on a small woodland which circles a resevoir at Fradley Junction, where I am based.  The woodland has not been looked after for sometime and was in need of a management plan.  I approached the BW (British Waterways) ecologist who agreed he would write a plan, and me and a mate could carry the plan out.  We started this weekend thinning out the little stuff and creating habitat piles.  We are thinning areas and leaving other areas as they are.  A few of the larger trees will also be felled so to let in more light and encourage more wild flowers.  At present, I could count the number of wild flowers on my right hand.  We will also be putting up different bird boxes, bat boxes and owl boxes.  A tern raft is also planned.  The woodland is, and never will be, a brilliant place for birding but I am making a list of the birds seen and it includes Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, Redwing, Siskin, Kingfisher, Nuthatch, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Coot and Moorhen to name just a few.  The most recent addition was a Woodcock which my mate flushed out on Saturday morning.  I did not see it unfortunately.  I will keep you up to date with what is going on in the woodland, but if you are near, pop in to Fradley Junction for a small walk and a nice drink at the cafe.

Does anyone have any plans on how to make a tern raft that works.  I am putting one in the little resevoir at Fradley Junction.

I decided to do my dog walking duties around the outskirts of Alrewas.  With plenty of habitat, the numbers of birds is usually high.  Today i was not dissapointed.  I saw Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Magpie, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Starling, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Canada Geese, Wren, Robin, Dunnock, Lapwing, Grey Heron, Black-headed Gull, Moorhen, Mallard, Teal, Coot, Mute Swan, Little Grebe, Meadow Pipit, Bullfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Song Thrush, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Pied Wagtail. 

 

 

After breakfast, I headed off to Croxall.  It was nice to see that the car park had been cleaned up of litter.  From the car park I had Teal, Mallard and a Robin.  making my way round to the East Side I saw Song Thrush, Wood Pigeon, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Skylark, Canada Geese, Fieldfare, Goldeneye, wigeon, Lapwing, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Chaffinch, Stock Dove, Grey Heron, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, and some Cormorants.  I headed straight into the east side instead of the hide and I added Magpie, Rook, Wren, Jackdaw, Great-crested Grebe, Meadow Pipit, Coot and Goldfinch.  Whilst I was here, I watched several Skylarks displaying and/or setting up terrotories (that does not look right).  It was great fun and I watched them for about twenty minutes.  Unfortuately I had to get back home so there was no time to look from the main hide.  On the way back though, I did add Blackbird and Dunnock.

 

 

A bit later on I got back out and, via Catton Where I added Red-legged Partridge to my year list, headed to the Alrewas gravel pits.  I was hoping for some warbler or crest action as I am convinced I will find a Firecrest or a non-typical warbler around the sewage works!!!!! I got more chance of that postman coming with that big sack of mail I think.   Back to the job in hand and I saw Goldfinch, Mallard, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Coot, Carrion Crow, Black-headed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Magpie, Robin, Blackbird, Great-crested Grebe, Wigeon, Canada Geese, Cormorant, Whooper Swan, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Wren, Skylark, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Reed Bunting, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and Starling.  Failed on the crest and warbler front but , as a big man in boots, leather trousers, scruffy jacket, crappy shades and a big gun, once said, I'll be back.  Cheers Sly.

 

 

The title is a bit mis-leading as I only went to the Junction Pool as I was near.  Here I saw Grey Heron, Wood Pigeon, Magpie, Cormorant, Meadow Pipit, Mallard, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Great-crested Grebe, Lapwing, and an Oystercatcher.  Around this pool, there is an excellent chance to put either a hide or a sheltered viewing screen.  It is out of the way of the local kids and a nice place for people to rest or to watch birds on the junction pool as there is always something to see.

 

Nothing brilliant this weekend.  I would love to have got the Iceland Gull at Stubber and, no doubt, photod it but it was a bit to far for me.  This weekend will be a bit sparse of birding too.  On Satuyday I am doing some work in a resevoir woodland at Fradley Junction.  It is owned by British waterways and we are carryting out a management plan for habitat creation.  Should be good fun.  Then Saturday night I am going to sample lots of real ale as I have not had much beer for the past month.  Till the next time, goodbye and I hoped you spotted the mistake.     

Unfortunately i could not get out of the house because the postman delivered so many valentines cards, I could not see the door.  And if you believe that you will believe anything.  I am confined to the local area for birding this weekend as I am on call. I also have another job, and that is the fight against mice.  I decided to start sorting out my fishing tackle the other weekend and went to my shed to take the rods out of the holdall I purchased just after xmas.  The mice had got in and ate through all of the protective bits inside, making it useless.  I was mad.  Unfortunately, as an animal lover, I vowed never to kill a mouse or rat unless it enters the house.  This weekend I am constructing, inside my shed, another room which is totally sealed so my tackle will be safe from hungary mice.

I  walked the dogs around Whitemoor Haye and saw Carrion Crow, Wood Pigeon, Blackbird, Magpie, Moorhen, Canada Geese, Skylark, Corn Bunting, Reed bunting, Blue Tit, Lapwing, Cormorant, Chaffinch, Wren, Jackdaw, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellowhammer, Kestrel, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Redwing, Grey Heron, Bullfinch and Song Thrush. 

Firstly I will apologise for not getting this blog updated until Friday evening.  One reason, technical hitch.  When it comes to computers and breakdowns, I have not got a clue.  Since wednesday I have been trying to get online but without success.

 

I went to Hams Hall industrial estate where a Firecrest has been hanging around.  I arrived on site and stayed sometime but without success.  Birds I did see were Blackbird, Blue Tit, Robin, Long-tailed Tit, Mallard, Teal, Great Tit, Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Green Woodpecker, Black-headed Gull, Grey Wagtail, Chaffinch, Sparrowhawk and Pochard.  Nothing spectacular but quite an amazing place with very close up views of all of the above.

 

 

I was intending to pop to the Ladywalk reserve but I lost my membership renewal for WMBC and did not have my pass, so I headed cross Brum to Stubbers Green aka Gull Paradise.  On arrival, I scanned the lake for the ocvious larger gulls but nothing stood out.  I saw Black-headed Gull, Canada Geese, Tufted Duck, Coot, Mallard, Lapwing, Herring Gull, Moorhen, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Grey Heron, Magpie, and Carrion Crow. I was alos convinced I had seen a Yellow-legged Gull.  The bird was in with the gulls and was showing bright yellow legs and a flattish head.  Not being good on gulls, I could only go by the descriptions in the Collins Birdguide Bible.  The bird ticked all of the boxes.  However, as I was leaving I saw one of the guys who knows his gulls and is there very often.  In passing, he said he had seen nothing, but I am sure he would have said that this gull was present, as it was showing well.  To make it worse, I was getting my camera ready when I lost it and could not relocate it.  Back to the drawing board on gulls!!!

 

 

I really enjoy this place and, having said before, I want to bird here more often.  Birds I saw were Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Wood Pigeon, Teal, Tufted Duck, Coot, Mute Swan, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Wigeon, Great-crested Grebe, Lapwing, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Cormorant, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Ruff, Song Thrush, Mallard, Pochard, Magpie, Great Black-backed Gull, Wren, Redwing, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Starling, Curlew, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stonechat, Robin, Long-tailed Tit, Stock Dove, Pheasant, Rook, Pied Wagtail, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Buzzard, Meadow Pipit and Sparrowhawk.

 

 

A days birding in north Staffordshire had been organised by Richard Powell aka Local birding for local people.  Also present were Kay and Max of Brightside birding, Reg the birder, and Pete there mate.

 

 

We all met up about ten o'clock at Doxey,,,, well those who were on time did, I had never been there before and, basically, i hadn't a clue where I was going.  I eventually arrived and found them on the reserve.  We all walked around, giving the viewing platform a good look for the Water Pipit, and one of the pools for Bittern, but non appeared.  However, the following did :- Magpie, Blue Tit, Canada Geese, Wood Pigeon, Teal, Black-headed Gull, Barnacle Geese, White-fronted Geese, Mallard, Wren, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Coot, Greylag Geese, Cormorant, Wigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Goldfinch, Mute Swan, Goosander, Grey Heron, Kestrel, Shoveler, Carrion Crow, Fieldfare, Moorhen, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Buzzard, Long-tailed Tit, Chaffinch and Song Thrush.  It was biting cold over the reserve and it was nice to get back into a the warmth of the car.  I found Doxey very interesting and will definately be returning.  we set off in convoy, Richard in the lead, to the next destination.

 

 

This is a small lake in the village of Coldmeece.  It has held Glaucous and Iceland Gull  recently, so we went and had a look.  we saw Buzzard, Blackbird, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Tufted Duck, Song Thrush, Blue Tit, Coot, Mallard, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull and Goosander.  No white-winged gulls today.  Off to the next site.

 

 

The main target here was Long-eared Owl and Little Owl which are present here quite often..........not today however.  We were not having the most productive of days.  Present here were Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Raven, Golden Plover, Great Tit, Robin, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Song Thrush and Bullfinch.  It was a very busy place, and with three community service lads messing around in the quarry rather than working, the owls were not playing today.  The last place was to be Swallow Moss, but I had reservations as the the bad weather was coming in.  We decided to go for it but was caution of the weather (it is a long story but I got stuck for three days in a stone barn and YHA hostel when I was in Scouts because of the snow).

 

 

This was a cold, cold place, with a gusting wind and snow going horizontally.  Fortunately it was not sticking.  I parked the car so that I could observe the ground through the car window.  Whilst everyone saw Red Grouse, I was facing the wrong way.  A single Carrion Crow was all we had in the first hour, and the footy match between Liverpool and Chelsea was garbage.  Fortunately the secong half picked up, football and birding wise, though only just with the last few minutes the most exciting.  A Snipe flew overhead and a Short-eared Owl briefly showed.  Then Torres scored twice to win the match for Liverpool in the dying minutes, and in the dying daylight, a cracking Hen Harrier showed, went down, showed again, then dissapeared.  It was a gorgeous male, proberbly first winter according to Richard.  I think that bird well made up for any bird we missed during the day and after a few high fives we set off on our way home.  I turned left at the crossroads and near the cattle grid I saw a raptor flying.  I stopped the car and got the bins on a great Merlin.  I was well made up, text Kay and then headed home.

 

It was a great day, despite various birds not showing.  It was nice to get out with some new people to some new sites.  Thanks for the day guys. 

Due to a full days birding planned for Sunday, I decided to get a few jobs done today.  One trip was to Halesowen, and on the way back I thought I would stop at Brownhills to see if I could a) see if the Waxwings were present and b) see if I could get a better photot this time.  They were definately there but with lots of noise and things, every time they flew down onto the berries, they would stay about a second and fly off, not long enough to focus.  Never mind.  There was also a Mistle Thrush that was trying to feed on the berries too.