Slow Autumn movement at Salford Priors

 Stonechat

 Stonechat

 Looking east from main pit

 Riverside

 Four Grey Herons

 Wheatear

 Wheatear

A double header of patch birding this weekend with visits on Saturday & Sunday. We have received some very disappointing news in terms of pits surviving in the near future from the land owners Ragley Estates who are pushing ahead fast now with returning the land to agricultural use. West Midland Bird Club were very interested in putting forward a financial proposal to take over the site however it seems that this will not be considered at all much to every ones disappointment. At the end of the day the land is owned by Ragley Estates and they are under no obligation to do anything other than what they want however it would be a real shame if all the great wildlife moves on from this area of Warwickshire.

After checking around the normal area's Paul and I headed headed down to the river and walked a circle of the area towards Wixford. The area by the old station was full of Goldfinches and Tits. The scrub area looks very promising for a potential Firecrest but this time we had to settle to watch good numbers of close Goldcrests. There wasn't much to note on the river except a few Mallard, a Kingfisher fly pass, singing Chiffchaffs and about five Bullfinches. When reaching the fields we picked up a nice flock of 11 Yellowhammers.

Despite the easterly winds the pits remained quiet on Sunday. The Pintail's are edging closer to their breeding plumage on the main pit that were in the company of 96 Teal, 35 Little Grebe, 22 Tufties and a single Wigeon & Pochard. A Stonechat could be observed on the bund by the main pit. 

A Little Egret was a welcome sight on the old workings lagoon and it wasn't long until we found two very smart Wheatear enjoying the freshly ploughed Snipe meadow. The Skylarks were singing again above the meadow whilst 4 Grey Herons had found something of interest in the same area. 

Birds of prey were restricted to Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Common Buzzard. Two good mornings of patch birding in good company but nothing to get the heart racing.

I finished the weekend by visiting Upton Warren for the Sunday gull roost where I recorded my first Upton Warren Barn Owl.