Local sightings (21st March to 3rd April)

Kestrel perched high above the patch 

Coma

Small Tortoiseshell

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Peregrine

Peacock

Cold northerly winds have hindered any migration movement but most sites locally are much the same. Since the last blog we have had a number of patch year ticks - Redshank, Curlew & Dunlin both made brief appearances on 27/3, the first Swallow came through on 31/1 whilst the first Willow Warbler was singing on Saturday 2/4. The year list is now 94 species.

Best counts during the period of this blog are as follows:- 10 Little Grebe, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Cormorant, 9 Mute Swan, 22 Greylag, 35 Canada Geese, 2 Shelduck, 11 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon, 6 Teal, 145 Mallard, 14 Shoveler, 97 Tufted Duck, 1 Grey Partridge, 85 Coot, 3 Oystercatcher, 6 Little Ringed Plover, 5 Lapwing, 1 Dunlin, 1 Curlew in field, 1 Redshank, 60 Black-headed Gull, 12 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 3 Herring Gull, 3 Cetti's Warbler territories, 3 Blackcap, 3 Pied Wagtail, plenty of Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler,  Treecreeper singing, 1 Siskin, 1 Peregrine, 2 Kestrel, 10 Common Buzzard, 2 Red Kite, Sparrowhawk & 1 Stoat (seen twice).

Red-necked Grebe at Edgbaston Reservoir

Red-necked Grebe

Given we were on the M5, a summer plumage Red-necked Grebe was too much a draw not to make a visit to Edgbaston Reservoir. I'd only seen two in this plumage previously, one I found at the pits in 2017 & one at Upton Warren. Although the bird was always distant it was fantastic to see the splendid colours of the bird through my new Viking Optical scope.