Sedgley
Bedlington Terrier
What better way to start the New Year than with a bird watching session? Visited Baggeridge Country Park and with a reasonably mild and definitely dry day forecast, everything looked good for the first trip of the year.
Hoping that it was a good omen for the year, the moment I stepped foot in the park, and thus began the session proper, I spotted a male bullfinch feeding at the top of a tree in the lane. Certainly out of the common birds, bullfinches are my favourite species.
There has been a firecrest in the park for a while now and although I have made several visits, I have yet to see it. Until today that is. A great start to the year. The bird came quite close and although it was very active and difficult to get a prolonged view due to the evergreen foliage, nevertheless I managed some brilliant moments. At one stage, the bird was no more than 2 metres away. A male bird.
Also heard a tawny owl, but every time I got to the vicinity of the bird it went quiet. Then I would leave the wood and it would start again. So I would return, only for it to go quiet. I'm sure the bird must be a sandwell town supporter...
Four tit species ticked - long tailed tit, blue tit, great tit and marsh tit, with the latter being a single bird whilst multiples of the others were seen.
Numerous water birds on the pools I visited but nothing special, just the usual species. Most seen were on the Spring Pool - 32 mallards (20 m, 12 f), 6 moorhens and 3 coots. On the pool also ticked 26 black headed gulls, a straight split between adult and first winter birds.
Three great spotted woodpeckers (2 m, 1 f) and a female green woodpecker. The former were all high up in trees, the latter flew from grass as I approached.
Birds seen (in order): bullfinch, robin, greenfinch, dunnock, great tit, blue tit, collared dove, chaffinch, wood pigeon, magpie, carrion crow, firecrest, goldcrest, great spotted woodpecker, jackdaw, marsh tit, nuthatch, blackbird, long tailed tit, black headed gull, green woodpecker, mallard, moorhen, fieldfare, kestrel, grey heron, starling.
Quite funny really. Saw a firecrest but didn't see a wren.
5 hour session - 27 species
Total for the year - 27
Hoping that it was a good omen for the year, the moment I stepped foot in the park, and thus began the session proper, I spotted a male bullfinch feeding at the top of a tree in the lane. Certainly out of the common birds, bullfinches are my favourite species.
There has been a firecrest in the park for a while now and although I have made several visits, I have yet to see it. Until today that is. A great start to the year. The bird came quite close and although it was very active and difficult to get a prolonged view due to the evergreen foliage, nevertheless I managed some brilliant moments. At one stage, the bird was no more than 2 metres away. A male bird.
Also heard a tawny owl, but every time I got to the vicinity of the bird it went quiet. Then I would leave the wood and it would start again. So I would return, only for it to go quiet. I'm sure the bird must be a sandwell town supporter...
Four tit species ticked - long tailed tit, blue tit, great tit and marsh tit, with the latter being a single bird whilst multiples of the others were seen.
Numerous water birds on the pools I visited but nothing special, just the usual species. Most seen were on the Spring Pool - 32 mallards (20 m, 12 f), 6 moorhens and 3 coots. On the pool also ticked 26 black headed gulls, a straight split between adult and first winter birds.
Three great spotted woodpeckers (2 m, 1 f) and a female green woodpecker. The former were all high up in trees, the latter flew from grass as I approached.
Birds seen (in order): bullfinch, robin, greenfinch, dunnock, great tit, blue tit, collared dove, chaffinch, wood pigeon, magpie, carrion crow, firecrest, goldcrest, great spotted woodpecker, jackdaw, marsh tit, nuthatch, blackbird, long tailed tit, black headed gull, green woodpecker, mallard, moorhen, fieldfare, kestrel, grey heron, starling.
Quite funny really. Saw a firecrest but didn't see a wren.
5 hour session - 27 species
Total for the year - 27
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