Thursday 30th Dec 2010 - Shenstone & Hartlebury

Today I decided to spend some time around the Heath Lane area of the patch. At the paddock there were 3 Linnets on the wires and 22 Redwings were in the trees between the paddock and the Islamic School. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling from the trees next to the schools playing fields.

Large numbers of Redwings and Fieldfares were feeding on the stubble in the model aircraft field and when (at one point) they all went up I estimated that there were c.100 Redwing and c.40 Fieldfare. Along the hedgerow on the left side of the field were a flock of 8 Yellowhammers (2 adult ♂). A Common Buzzard was also seen at the rear of the field.




Prior to visiting the patch I had done a bit of gull watching at the nearby Hartlebury landfill site. The things you do during the winter months to make your birding more varied....roll on Spring migration! Actually its not as bad as it sounds and during certain tines of day the gulls all sit in a nearby field which allows for easier scanning and a much more pleasant experience!

On today's visit there were c.200 Black-headed Gulls, c 60 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 20 Herring Gulls present. The highlight though was a single adult Yellow-legged Gull, a scarce but increasing bird in the county. Also present in the same field were 9 Pied Wagtails.

4 comments:

  1. Roll on Spring migration indeed Jason.
    In the meantime, happy new year to you.

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  2. I hope you have an excellent birdy year next year Jase, i'll follow your progress :-)

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  3. Thanks guys...Happy New Year to you all...Roll on 2011 and whatever it may bring!

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