The Oycs return
Nuthatch on feeders but still no Marsh Tit in 2017
Great Crested Grebe - Hewell Grange
Shoveler - Hewell Grange
Shovelers everywhere - Hewell Grange
Canada Geese on far fields
Saturday saw a return to patch birding with a double session at Salford Priors in the morning and Hewell Grange in the afternoon.
Mark Clarke pulled up at the same time as me at the pits so we had a quick catch up as we walked to the main pit. The weather was very grim & gloomy with nothing initially catching the eye. On a positive note both of our resident Oystercatchers have now returned prospecting for a nest site for spring. It’s a tough site for breeding waders & we can only hope they have more luck than they did in the last two years when nests have either suffered with rising water levels or been predated. Only other birds different to the normal were a pair of Bullfinches that were on the edge of the plantation. Other sightings included 62 Tufted Duck, 9 Lapwing (Pophills), 75 Coot, 60 Teal, 2 Skylark, Lesser Black-backed Gull & just two Gadwall.
In the afternoon I visited Hewell Grange. For those who don’t know Hewell Grange is a Jacobethan country mansion on the edge of Redditch that was sold to the state which was then turned into a prison. The grounds contain a superb lake and woodland that has attracted species such as Osprey, Bittern, Black Tern & Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in previous years. My own visits have been few and far between as I always opt for Salford Priors but I have retained my access permit with the long tern future of the pits being uncertain. Sighting highlights included 6 Redpoll, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 23 Tufted Ducks, 9 Cormorant, 2 Goosander, Grey Heron, Nuthatch, 155 Canada Geese and a brilliant count of 127 Shoveler. Its probably one of the biggest counts I’ve done of this species and was quite a sight.
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