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

In and around South Staffordshire. (1 Viewer)

Sounds like a typical days winter birding.... Time is so short at this time of year, and the weather uninviting. Another 10 mins at each site may have made the difference, but the time and the weather urge you onwards. Been there, had that day...Still there's always the weekend!
 
too right tim, i have had wonderful days in winter, yesterday was just one of those where nothing went as hoped.
Going to swallow moss tomorrow, hope to see hen harrier or two coming in to roost . fingers crossed!
 
My wife needed to go into Wolverhampton so I took advantage by dropping here off and going birding, albeit for a very short session. Visited the Valley Park Nature Reserve, right on the edge of the city.

Keep seeing bullfinches everywhere, a flock of 6 spotted briefly in a hedge before flying off and then a single male feeding in a bush.

A reed bunting spotted in a hawthorn bush in scrub.

Highlight though was the number of song thrushes seen. Saw two pairs and three singles, could possibly have been more, but couldn't say for sure that they weren't repeat sightings. But the 7 definite individual birds was enough, as I don't usually see large numbers at any one time and certainly not in a relatively small area.

Lots of feral pigeons in Wolverhampton itself on the way back. Group of c.50 alone in a tree on the ring road.

1.5 hours - 18 species
Total for the year - 53
 
not a great deal at valley park really, usually a buzzard or two, maybe a kingfisher shooting along the canal if yoom lucky, and those colourful bullfinches. I was at the adjacent Aldersley Sports stadium a few weeks back, looking out onto the track there was about 30 mistle thrushes and a buzzard perched on the grass in the middle. very bizarre. There is a pool in the middle of nearby dunstall racecourse which is really hard to view but they do get snipe on there and a few other waders at times.
There is a pied wagtail roost outside macdonalds in wolverhampton. this can be quite good with upto 100 birds.
I went to swallow moss today but it was covered in fog...so i failed to see any hen harriers and my recent dismal run continues!
 
I always check on the pied wagtails when I do Molineux winter games. Last year they roosted in the trees just outside the covered section by Littlewoods but last game (v Luton) the tree was empty. However they were around the Mcdonald's area, but not roosting, instead feeding on the ground.

Next game to check on them is Stoke in the first week of February.
 
It seems like all of us are in the middle of a dismal run(including the football team) Nothing to report from any of my local haunts. Brambling has been seen in some of them,In very small numbers but not by me. Things can only get better.
 
I'm playing football tonight. Even my team has not won for 8 games.

Hoping to go birding tomorrow though, hope to add a species or two to the list for the year. No brambling yet, but see a male chaffinch that I thought was a week or so back.
 
That was bad grammer. Or sound like Yoda. Ought to read before hit send button.

Meant to say I saw a male chaffinch a week or so ago that initially I thought was a brambling.
 
Back to Baggeridge Country Park today. New birds added for the year is slowing down but still managed a couple of species.

Saw my first treecreeper and then like the proverbial bus, a whole load came one after the other. It's often the case. Also added my first owl, a tawny owl roosting in an ivy covered tree near Whites Wood. Have been hearing this bird previously, never managed to see it, but today finally got the better of it.

Three bullfinches visited the feeder station at the ranger's office, 1 male and two females. Also several greenfinches, the only time I saw the birtds today.

Heard a green woodpecker, then saw the bird as it flew into trees. A female bird, which could well have been the same one as I spotted later in the same area. Also saw a great spotted woodpecker in Whites Wood, also a female.

Saw a blue tit visiting a nest box.

2.75 hours - 27 species
Total for the year - 55
 
Paid a visit to the RSPB Sandwell Valley Nature Reserve today. Added a few new species for the year, which I was pleased about.

Spotted a snipe feeding on the edge of the pool below the visitor's centre. Manged to get a decent enough view but not as a close as I would have liked.

Added a pochard as a male bird was spotted on the River Tame. There were four birds altogether but the others had disappeared around a bend before I focused the binoculars on them, so didn't identify the others but most likely pochards too.

The usual group of lapwings were on the island on the main pool. I didn't do a count from the hide, but from an obscured position away from the lake managed a total of 52 birds.

Several shoveler around. Largest group at any one time was 8 birds which landed on the pool below the visitor's centre.

Also a pair of teal on the same pool, feeding in the margins.

And to complete the new birds for the year, several lesser black backed gulls perched on posts in the main lake.

2.75 hours - 28 species
Total for the year - 61
 
Yesterday morning I thought I had better go a longer walk than usual, to try and bump up the local list before Stewart gets too far in front, and becomes uncatchable,(rather like Manchester United did}. Anyway I started out at the old railway station at Wombourne and headed towards Wolverhampton.Saw the usual Finches and Magpies and the obligatory Black Headed Gulls. There was a small party of Redwings and Fieldfares along the railway and also in the corner of the field were 12 Lapwing (sadly no Golden Plover). Left the railway track at Langley road and walked down Radford lane nearly to The Mermaid and joined the towpath on the canal. Saw a Buzzard perched in a tree in nearby farmland and a few Redpolls and a flock of about 130 Linnets in a nearby field. Further down the canal, towards Wombourne there were 2 Dabchicks diving for food and Siskin feeding on Alder. There are a few pools by the side of the canal where I saw Tufted Duck, Canada Geese and the usual Mallard. By the Bratch locks there is a small pool in a field and although there was nothing on the water, there were more Redwing and Fieldfare and a small flock of Meadow Pipits in the field. All in all a very enjoyable walk which took nearly 4 hours and bought the yearly local list to 52 species.
 
I know that area well John, I visualised the walk as I followed your account. Did you know that there is a mandarin duck a little further on past Wombourne? It has been there for a while, I haven't seen it yet this year but I am likely to do a canal walk soon. I will need the bird to keep the gap between us.

Saw the male blackcap in our garden again this morning. Been quite a while, I was concerned as we have a cat that loiters around the bird table
 
The bird is on the canal in Giggety Lane, Wombourne. The road bridge goes over the canal (by the ford) and the bird is there with the mallards. You will get an excellent photograph, even I managed one with my bog standard fishing camera.
 
A short sesssion down a local lane which leads to Penn Common, and then back again. New birds starting to slow down now, for obvious reasons, but still managed one - a mistle thrush. The bird was feeding in a meadow.

Flock of 20 finches landed in a tree on the Common very briefly. Managed to identify one siskin and several redpoll before they flew off again.

Four jays were spotted in a cluster of conifers on the Common, chattering away they drew a lot of attention to themselves.

Flocks of starlings (c.50) and redwings were the largest groups of birds seen at one time. There could possibly have been more of each as they were towards the top of a ridge.

Spotted single goldcrest and treecreeper on the edge of the Common.

1.75 hours - 25 species
Total for the year - 62
 
Had a pleasant walk today starting at Giggety Lane bridge on the Staffs/Worcs canal, walking to The Bratch and then returning back to the car via country lanes.

On arrival at the canal the mandarin wasn't there, but as I walked on about 30 metres, he passed me heading back to the bridge. Only new bird of the session. Counted 31 mallards by the bridge, a lot more spread out along the canal.

Passed four small groups of house sparrows, which is encouraging. Still quite common of course, but have declined greatly in recent years. The groups today were approximately 6 in each one.

Small flock c.10 (difficult to count accurately) of siskins feeding in alders along the canal. No redpoll with them, but a single goldfinch was tagging along for the ride.

Lots of greenfinches in the trees around the ford in Giggety Lane. Maximum count was 28 birds in two trees. They were chuntering away, which was a lovely sound to listen to.

2 hours - 24 species.
Total for the year - 63
 
Crossed the county border today and did some birding in Shropshire. Parked the car in the village of Worfield (near Bridgnorth) and set off to walk the local lanes, literally not knowing where I was going. I love that sort of thing, there's something about going where you haven't been before that gives an air of excitement to birding.

Added four new species to my year list. First off is a common enough bird, just that there aren't any in my immediate area where I have birded previously - the rook. A couple of rookeries today, one on the Wolverhampton - Bridgnorth road itself, the other on the edge of Worfield. Lovely noise all those birds chattering away, but I guess if you aren't into birds and you like your absolute piece and quiet, it could get on your nerves.

Spotted four red legged partridge in a field. Didn't get a prolonged view as they saw me before I saw them and so they were off pretty quickly.

A group of c.20 small birds briefly spotted in a field. Identified a couple of skylark amongst them. There may have been more, I couldn't say what the make-up of the flock was, just identified the two birds before the rest disappeared.

Fourth new bird, and the highlight of the day was a little owl. Walking a lane I spotted a small farm pool beyond the hedge. Straining against a tree to try and get a good look, I was totally taken back to see a little owl fly from the tree and head towards a nearby farm. I tried to track it down again but with no joy.

In the corner of a field with a small set-aside patch, watched a flock of c.30 tree sparrow as they flew from the crop into the hedge and back again. Impossible to watch whilst in the crop itself, but very good views when in the hedgerow.

Just one yellowhammer spotted - in a hedge. It was a lovely contrast against the drab surroundings. Had an excellent view before it finally flew off out of sight.

Numbers-wise, largest flock of birds seen today was a group of wood pigeon, with an estimated 250 birds. A well spread-out flock of fieldfare numbered about 20.

3.5 hours - 31 species
Total for the year - 67
 
I am lagging way behind now,still on 53. That thing called work keeps getting in the way.I can feel a trip to Belvide coming on to help recharge the Batteries.
 
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