Kings Norton Nature Reserve 21/02/16

On Sunday I was very happy to be back at my local patch for the first time in a few weeks - the previous weekend I'd been both ill and not in Birmingham, and the weekend before that the weather had been truly dreadful! I still wasn't feeling 100% recovered from my illness (which I'd decided with the help of Dr Google was probably a chest infection), but I was determined to see what I could find at Kings Norton Nature Reserve. It was a good trip, assuming that none of my sightings were illness-induced hallucinations! I took plenty of (admittedly dreadful) photos of the best one, to be extra sure ;o)

Here are my highlights; I saw 38 species in all, of which one was a new one for me at this site. I've now seen 56 species in total at the reserve. It was a bit of a wildfowl extravaganza this time around....

• 11 Teal on Wychall Reservoir - as far as I could tell. The marshy nooks and crannies of the reservoir make it a bit difficult to count the Teal, but obviously provide them with some nice habitat!
• Four Goosanders and seven Tufted Ducks on Merecroft Pool.
• Also on Merecroft Pool, TWO male Shovelers - I'd only previously had one there.
• My most unexpected and exciting bird of this trip - a lovely male MANDARIN DUCK on Merecroft Pool! Provenance unknown but it sounds like he'd been doing the rounds of various local sites - I bumped into another birder who said a Mandarin had been seen at Upton Warren in the week, and Adrian (a fellow KNNR patch birder!) spotted a Mandarin in Cannon Hill Park on Monday morning. Most likely all the same bird. We may not ever see the Mandarin at KNNR again but I don't know, there are some very nice overhanging branches and secluded spots around the edge of the pool of the type favoured by Mandarins, I think he should come back ;o)
• A pair of Grey Herons building a nest in an Alder on the island in Merecroft Pool.
• A very large flock of Goldfinches in the bushes around the top end of British Waterways Meadow, with a few Siskins interspersed among them. I watched and listened for ages but couldn't find any Redpolls in there.
• A Sparrowhawk flying over the Paddocks.
• A Buzzard over Wychall Reservoir.
• A Treecreeper in trees along the Rea Valley route, not long after I'd entered from Westhill Road.

Sadly I neglected the West Extension once again - I'd pretty much run out of energy by the time I reached Popes Lane, but am looking forward to getting back to KNNR for the guided walk this Saturday, by which time I am sure I'll be 100% recovered.

Here are a couple of scenes of the reserve from my trip:

Path down the side of the paddocks.

Pinehurst Meadow (HDR) - it was a bit windy for HDRs really, some dodgy alignment in there.

Unfortunately I hadn't brought my zoom lens with me, so could only take some truly dreadful record shots of the Mandarin!

View full size to spot the Mandarin!

View full size to spot the Mandarin!

I also took a few photos of the Herons building their nest, again rather far away:

Grey Herons nesting.

Grey Herons nesting.

The reason I'd left my zoom lens behind was to bring my close-up lens instead, to photograph some plants - I've recently started a new course, Identiplant, which will enable me to develop my botanical identification skills to a more advanced level. At the moment I know quite a few common plants, but this course should equip me with the skills to use a floristic key properly and therefore the ability (in theory) to identify any plant! As part of my first assignment I had to find three monocots in flower; not too hard at this time of year, especially with the warm weather we've been having over much of winter. I don't actually have to take photos of the plants I find for my assignments, but I enjoy doing it and it's a good way to keep records. Here's what I found, hopefully my identifications are correct:

Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop).

Crocus vernus (Spring Crocus).

Muscari armeniacum (Garden Grape Hyacinth). OK so I cheated a bit, I actually took this photo in our neighbour's front garden when I got home!

FULL BIRD LIST

Blackbird	Goosander	Nuthatch
Black-headed Gull	Great Spotted Woodpecker	Robin
Blue Tit	Great Tit	Shoveler
Bullfinch	Greenfinch	Siskin
Buzzard	Grey Heron	Sparrowhawk
Carrion Crow	Herring Gull	Starling
Chaffinch	Jackdaw	Stock Dove
Coal Tit	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Teal
Coot	Long-tailed Tit	Treecreeper
Dunnock	Magpie	Tufted Duck
Feral Pigeon	Mallard	Woodpigeon
Goldcrest	Mandarin Duck	Wren
Goldfinch	Moorhen

Swallow painting for Brewood Ringers

A few months ago, Ben from Brewood Ringers got in touch with me via this blog to ask whether I would donate a painting to the ringing group, for them to raffle off to raise money for their activities. I was happy to oblige - a nice excuse to do something a bit different from my usual paintings for this blog (sorry about the lack of these lately!). I was given free rein but asked Ben if there were any species in particular that might be particularly relevent to the group; he suggested a few and from those I chose Swallow. I hadn't yet painted anything with similar colouration to a Swallow so was looking forward to working in this pallette; also I hoped that this would be a nice subject for a painting that someone would be happy to win in a raffle - everyone likes Swallows! I painted in my usual medium of watercolours; here's the finished painting:

Swallow watercolour painting.

And here it is in its frame:

Framed Swallow painting.

I delivered the painting to Brewood Ringers at the weekend, at one of their ringing demonstrations at Ashwood Nurseries near Kingstanding. It was great to meet them and catch the end of their demo; I got to release a Greenfinch :o) Afterwards we headed over to nearby Wall Heath to catch up with the Hoopoe that has been there all winter. There were a few birders there and it wasn't long before one of them found the Hoopoe, feeding and bumbling around in some long scrubby grass. This habitat didn't make for the best photos but we enjoyed some nice close views through binoculars; see if you can pick out the Hoopoe in my dreadful record shots below!

Greenfinch.

Me about to release the Greenfinch.

View full size to find the Hoopoe!

View full size to find the Hoopoe!

View full size to find the Hoopoe!

I hope the raffle ticket sales raise lots of money for the group, and that whoever ends up winning my painting likes their prize!

Kings Norton Nature Reserve 30/01/16

I was back at my local patch, Kings Norton Nature Reserve, on Saturday for my weekly stroll. Being full of cold I'd eaten an extra-large lunch and put on all my warmest clothes before setting out, however I still wasn't quite feeling on my A-game so may have missed a few birds this time around! However I still saw 38 species so not too shabby :o) Here are the highlights!

• Mr Shoveler was back on Merecroft Pool, feeding furiously!
• A Mistle Thrush hopping around the Paddocks, only my second sighting of this species at KNNR.
• Some very furtive Lesser Redpolls hiding deep in some bushes near British Waterways Meadow.
• A pair of Goosanders on Merecroft Pool.
• A Kingfisher flying east over Wychall Reservoir.
• Redwing feeding unobtrusively in the mud just to the west of Wychall Reservoir.
• Four Stock Doves flying around the Merecroft Pool area.
• A Treecreeper in the fading light in the area (not open to the public) northwest from Wychall Reservoir.
• Just as I was leaving, a small group (6-8) of Pied Wagtails flying overhead to roost somewhere for the night.

Here are a few photos - just scenes of the reserve, as I was wearing my massive duffle coat for extra warmth, I didn't have enough pocket space for my zoom lens as well!

British Waterways Meadow (HDR, a bit windy).

Next to Merecroft Pool (HDR).

Was pleased with this one of Merecroft Pool - a view I hadn't much experienced before due to the extremely muddy path! (HDR).

West of Wychall Reservoir just after sunset (HDR).

FULL BIRD LIST

Blackbird	Great Tit	Pied Wagtail (yarrellii)
Black-headed Gull	Grey Heron	Redwing
Blue Tit	Herring Gull	Robin
Bullfinch	Jackdaw	Shoveler
Carrion Crow	Kingfisher	Song Thrush
Chaffinch	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Starling
Coal Tit	Lesser Redpoll	Stock Dove
Coot	Long-tailed Tit	Teal
Dunnock	Magpie	Treecreeper
Goldcrest	Mallard	Tufted Duck
Goldfinch	Mistle Thrush	Woodpigeon
Goosander	Moorhen	Wren
Great Spotted Woodpecker	Mute Swan

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker painting for KNNR newsletter

Since I adopted Kings Norton Nature Reserve as my local patch last October, I've made contact with various lovely people from the Friends of Kings Norton Nature Reserve and their committee. Recently their Chairman Phil Evans asked if I would mind writing an article for their next newsletter about my birding experiences so far at the reserve. Of course I was happy to contribute - it would be a nice opportunity to put something back into the reserve that I have already got a lot of enjoyment from.

Phil asked me to provide some photos with the article I wrote; although I've got plenty of scenes of the reserve, I don't really have any good ones of birds I've seen there, so I decided to do a painting instead of my favourite sighting at KNNR so far - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. It's done in my usual preferred medium of watercolours; I'm pretty happy with how the woodpecker himself has turned out, but I am not so good at backgrounds (I've had less practice, and find them so much less interesting to paint than lovely birds!). I kind of ran out of time a bit so the tree trunk isn't looking as good as I would have liked! I think I could probably improve it with a bit more work but the newsletter deadline is here so the image and article have been sent off, and I am a bit more excited about starting on the next painting to be honest :o)

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker watercolour painting.

Kings Norton Nature Reserve 23/01/16

On Saturday afternoon I was back for my weekly jaunt around my local patch, Kings Norton Nature Reserve. The weather was warmer than on my two previous visits; would I see more springtime-type activity from the birds as a result?

I saw 33 species, a bit down on my last couple of visits but there were still some lovely sighting nonetheless :o) Here are the highlights!

• Kingfisher! I'd only seen one here once before, on my very first visit, perched in the middle of Wychall Reservoir. Adrian (who has also recently adopted Kings Norton Nature Reserve as his local patch) had had more sightings than me and told me a certain spot to check - the edge of a reed-fringed pool just about visible from the path, west of Wychall Reservoir. I was heading over there from the West Extension, hoping to see a Kingfisher....however before I'd even got that far I saw one (a male) perching on a twig overhanging the River Rea, just past the weir. He flew off after a little while, and I continued on. I soon relocated him in the spot that Adrian had told me about, hurrah!
• I started at the West Extension this time around, and it was pretty productive. I found at least two Lesser Redpolls feeding on the ground upon the seedheads of fallen willowherbs and umbellifers; they were very quiet and unobtrusive and although I only saw two for sure, I think there may have been a few more in there.
• Also in the West Extension, four Stock Doves feeding on the path in the open grassland area, being closely watched by a cat who slunk off after a while.
• Some nice views of Jay this time, in the West Extension again.
• Just two Goosanders on Merecroft Pool this time; no Shoveler or Little Grebe, maybe because the weather had warmed up?
• A pair of Grey Wagtails, one of them very loudly singing, on the shore of Merecroft Pool.
• Seven Teal on Wychall Reservoir.

Four Stock Doves; cat slowly losing interest.

I also met another member of the Friends of Kings Norton Nature Reserve who was walking her dog near Merecroft Pool; it was nice to chat to her about the reserve, and she showed me another part of the reserve that I'd never worked out how to get into before - a field next to the paddocks where there is a bird feeding station, among other things.

Here are a few more photos - HDR is great for making cloudy skies look extra-dramatic!

The West Extension (HDR).

The West Extension (HDR).

The West Extension (HDR).

The West Extension (HDR).

The West Extension (HDR).

FULL BIRD LIST

Blackbird	Great Tit	Magpie
Black-headed Gull	Grey Heron	Mallard
Blue Tit	Grey Wagtail	Moorhen
Bullfinch	Herring Gull	Robin
Carrion Crow	House Sparrow	Song Thrush
Chaffinch	Jackdaw	Starling
Coot	Jay	Stock Dove
Dunnock	Kingfisher	Teal
Goldcrest	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Tufted Duck
Goosander	Lesser Redpoll	Woodpigeon
Great Spotted Woodpecker	Long-tailed Tit	Wren

Kings Norton Nature Reserve 16/01/16

I took my weekly trip to my local patch, Kings Norton Nature Reserve, last Saturday afternoon. This time I saw or heard 40 species, smashing my previous record of 39 on my last visit! Nothing I hadn't already seen here before; here are the highlights:

• Very frustratingly, I heard what I'm 98% certain was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming several times, and calling once - but I couldn't see it! It was coming from the vicinity of a large Willow next to Merecroft Pool, at the edge of the paddocks. I'm not awfully familiar with the drum and call of LSW having heard it so infrequently, but the drumming was certainly much less deep and resonant than I would expect to hear from a Great Spotted Woodpecker. It matches well with recordings I've listened to subsequently. Plus if it had been a GSW I think I would probably have been able to see it, given that they are so much bigger!
• The male Shoveler was still present on Merecroft Pool.
• Stock Doves were also once again more in evidence than on most previous visits.
• After losing its mate and being AWOL last week, one of the Mute Swans had returned.
• No Goosanders on Merecroft Pool, but I did see three fly over.
• A Little Grebe was still present on Merecroft Pool.
• I caught a very brief glimpse of a Lesser Redpoll, where I have seen them before - eating seeds from the Phragmites seedheads around Wychall Reservoir.
• Four Teal on Wychall Reservoir. 
• I heard a green Woodpecker from Popes Lane.
• Lovely singing Treecreepers in the West Extension.
• Roosting Redwings settling down for the night in the West Extension.
• Another mammal encounter, also in the West Extension - a smashing Fox who regarded me for some time before setting off on a patrol of the reserve perimeter, all the while keeping one eye on me!

Merecroft Pool just visible through the trees (HDR).

Probable location of the drumming Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - the tallest Willow on the right (HDR).

The Shoveler.

This Coot seemed happy to pose for photos.

I nearly missed out the West Extension again as the light was failing and I was getting a bit cold, but I'm very glad I didn't neglect it this time. The Treecreeper sightings were the best I'd had so far here, I think there were two birds and it was lovely to hear them singing. The Fox was great too, he was just sitting there out in the open, watching as I emerged from the trees. He was quite distant and the light was too bad for photos, so I attempted a couple of (slightly shaky) videos instead!

FULL BIRD LIST

Blackbird	Green Woodpecker	Moorhen
Black-headed Gull	Greenfinch	Mute Swan
Blue Tit	Grey Heron	Nuthatch
Bullfinch	Herring Gull	Redwing
Canada Goose	Jackdaw	Robin
Carrion Crow	Jay	Shoveler
Coal Tit	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Siskin
Coot	Lesser Redpoll	Stock Dove
Dunnock	Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	Teal
Goldcrest	Little Grebe	Treecreeper
Goldfinch	Long-tailed Tit	Tufted Duck
Goosander	Magpie	Woodpigeon
Great Spotted Woodpecker	Mallard	Wren
Great Tit

Sandwell Valley January 2016

On Sunday I was back for the first time this year for my monthly volunteering day at RSPB Sandwell Valley. We started the morning with an enjoyable half an hour watching the feeders from the warmth of the visitor centre, where alongside the usual suspects the highlights were the occasional Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Reed Bunting and Song Thrush; it was also good to see such high numbers of Greenfinch, which seem to have well and truly bounced back after their populations here were decimated by trichomonosis a few years ago.

It was then time for my stint down in the hide and I had wrapped up well in preparation. It was rather chilly! We were on the lookout for a female Smew which had briefly spent some time on Forge Mill Lake the previous day, but sadly she didn't show up again. No Goldeneyes either despite the freezing temperatures! We made do with a couple of Wigeon, some Shoveler, Pochard, Goosander, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Lapwing, as well as the ever-present Black-headed Gulls. There was also a Grey Wagtail and a Pied Wagtail around, and a nice group of Snipe sheltering by a large willow stump at the end of one of the islands, which I attempted to draw:

Snipe sketch.

The female Oystercatcher also put in an appearance, having first returned to the reserve in December, a couple of days before New Year - around a month earlier than her usual return date! We know it's the same one every year as she only has one foot. We did see one more unusual visitor to the reserve - a Great Black-backed Gull.

The female Oystercatcher.

Great Black-backed Gull.

I went back up to the visitor centre to eat my lunch and warm up; luckily there were enough volunteers in the hide that afternoon for me to stay in the warm for the rest of the day! We continued to watch the feeders and there was quite a bit of excitement when a Fox appeared underneath them and swiftly dispatched a Rat that had been eating fallen birdseed! This Fox has been seen taking out Rats in this fashion a few times - it seems he has become quite skilled at it. We saw him again, although he didn't catch a Rat the second time. It was amazing how he just seemed to be able to appear out of nowhere!

Fox with his tasty Rat prize.

Fox.