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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Hill Hook Nature Reserve (1 Viewer)

More of those elegent sawbills again! :t:
 

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Back to some sightings. The strong wind today pushed many of the duck to the vegetated edges of the Mill Pool making counting difficult. However species presented included the return of Goosander with 4 redheads, 10 Tufted Duck (6 male and 4 female) and 2 LBB Gull.

Needless to say the bluster made woodland birding difficult but both Nuthatch and Treecreeper showed well from the second bridge south of the Mill Pool.
 

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Ice covered around 20% of the Mill Pool this morning; present were 1 Mute Swan, 3 Greylag Geese, 15 Tufted Duck (an increase on recent numbers), 3 Goosander (a male and 2 redheads) and 2 LBB Gulls.

The woods had good numbers of Coal Tit and Nuthatch with a Grey Wagtail over and 2 Buzzards perched in the usual large willow tree in the northern section of the reserve.
 
Egrets, I've had a few ...

... but one on your local patch is always special

Goosander numbers on the Mill Pool were reduced to just a single redhead; also present were 14 Tufted Duck (8 males and 6 females), 1 Mute Swan and 1 LBB Gull. The southern woodlands held standard fare in the form of Coal Tit and Nuthatch plus a flock of around 20 Chaffinch and a possible Chiffchaff flitting around the stream.

The northern half of the reserve was more productive with a mobile Goldfinch flock, more Chaffinch, 1 (possibly 2) Lesser Redpoll, a Jay and a Stock Dove over. Looking over the adjoining ploughed field I disturbed a LITTLE EGRET which circled low over the field before landing in the centre of the field alongside a Grey Heron. After a few minutes it flew north over Blake Street and appeared to drop onto Aston Wood golf course.
 
Hi Phil
Do you keep records of birds on your patch/species lists?
Regards

I have a species list on my old laptop which my toddler has nearly completely trashed - think its around 80 species (Crossbill and Lesser 'pecker probably being highlights) and could probably reel them off without checking back. Just summarising the headlines for the last two years for the county recorder.
 
midday visit , 3 male goosanders and 6 redheads, stock dove in wood, Little egret back in field with grey heron , 2 LBB

Good to know the egret is still about; will take my camera out next Saturday in the hope that it is still lingering

Strange how the Goosander numbers can vary so much over a 24 hour period - perhaps next year we could organise a Goosander census across the West Midlands "county" on a couple of winter dates?
 
Typically a stroll yesterday in the early afternoon armed with my camera failed to connect with the egret.

The Mill Pool held 4 Goosander (2 males and 2 redheads), 14 Tufted Duck (8 males and 6 females) and a Mute Swan. The woods held plenty of Great Tit, Blue Tit, Goldfinch and Chaffinch feeding on the ground plus Nuthatch and Treecreeper. A Buzzard was in its usual willow in the northern section whilst a Collared Dove flew over; a Grey Heron was flushed from the stream close to Blake Street.
 
Hi All
Just back from an hour or two strolling around the reserve ... nothing out of the ordinary ... the best being a Chiffchaff singing for 10-15 seconds out of sight near the stream beyond the first wooden bridge, a drumming GSW, also out of sight, and a single Grey Wagtail 50 metres downstream from the millstone. The number of Greenfinch on the north-east side of the reserve was encouraging for that species however and there are now 18 Tufties on Mill Pool, including 11 males.
Cheers
Andy R.
 
The reserve was very quiet yesterday afternoon with no singing Chiffchaff :-C The Mill Pool held 2 Mute Swan, 2 Canada Geese, approx 15 Coot, 16 Tufted Duck (10m,6f) and a Little Grebe. Other sightings included Grey Wagtail, 2 Buzzard, Mistle Thrush and a few Redwing and Fieldfare plus good numbers of Greenfinch and Goldfinch in the northern part of the reserve.
 
No sign of any migrant Blackcap of Willow Warbler today

The Mill Pool held two Mute Swan (pen on a nest), eight Tufted Duck (5m,3f), a dozen Coot and a lone Canada Goose.

Two Chiffchaffs were singing south of the Mill Pool whilst one was singing north of Hill Hook Road. There were at least three calling Nuthatch whilst the field adjacent to the northern section contained both Skylark and Grey Wagtail.

Butterflies on the wing included at least two Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and a white sp.


Late news from Friday was two Buzzards soaring over Blake Street
 
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New for the patch was Tawny Owl calling from the northern section of the reserve on the way back from pub just.
 
This morning the Mill Pool held the pair of Mute Swan (female still on the nest), singles of Canada Goose and Grey Heron, 2 LBB Gull, at least 4 Moorhen, a very respectable 18 Tufted Duck (9 pairs) and a brood of 3 Coot (probably around two weeks old).

There were plenty of 'hooet's and 'tack's but only one each of singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap. However there were 2 singing Treecreeper and at least 3 Goldcrest.
 
A visit yesterday afternoon revealed that the swans have six cygnets but the only other young birds on the Mill Pool were a well developed brood of three Coot. Ten Tufted Duck (6m,4f) were also present whilst several Swallows feed low over the water. The woodland was quiet with very few singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap.
 
This afternoon uncovered aTufted Duck brood with 3+ young, the pair of Mute Swan with now 4 cygnets, many Mallard families, 3 broods of Coot (1 fledged bird, a family of 3 half grown chicks and a brood of 1+ small chicks) plus Grey Wagtail and Kingfisher.
 
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