Thursday 10th March 2011 - Shenstone

I decided to walk a different part of my patch today and took the footpath that runs across the field next to Stanklyn Wood (near the Stone side of Stanklyn Lane). Believe it or not in the 4 or so years that I've regularly been doing this area as my local patch I've never walked this path. On following the path it takes you down to a small brook/gutter and a footbridge the path then heads across another ploughed field to the A448 and the most northern boundary of the patch. I'm glad I did walk it though as I saw my first few Lesser Celandine of the year in flower along the gutter. There was also a flock of 9 Siskins (4♂) in the Alders here and a Grey Heron flew over and dropped in at the nearby Stanklyn Pool.

The next area I visited was the Butts Lane triangle. The bunting numbers were down on yesterday's count, but then the flocks should be disbanding about now as individual birds set up territories. In total I recorded 8 Corn Buntings and 14 Yellowhammers. A ♀ Kestrel was also present.

I then decided to pay a visit to Back Lane (Shenstone Village) to see if there was any sign of Grey Partridge. As with yesterday's visit there were none to be seen. There were however 3 Common Buzzards up soaring and 2 Ravens down on the ground in the large sheep field.

Heath Lane paddock was empty and I didn't fair much better at the model aircraft field with c.300 Wood Pigeons and a single Buzzard being the only birds of note.

My final destination was Stanklyn Lane paddocks where 26 Fieldfare, 1 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Stock Doves and a ♂ Green Woodpecker were present. Incidentally, if anyone was wondering how to tell the difference between male and female Green Woodpeckers, it is by checking the colour of its malar stripe (the bit that looks like a moustache). In a female this is a solid black stripe and in a male it is red with a black border. That concludes today's lesson ;-)

Green Woodpecker - 10^th March 2011:


Lesser Celandine - 10^th March 2011: