Thursday 3rd Mar 2011 - Shenstone & Kidderminster

I've had quite a bit of running around to do today so haven't been able to give the patch my full attention. I did however have a quick whistle stop tour around mid-day.

At the Butts Lane/Back Lane area i recorded 16 Yellowhammers and 3 Linnets. 3 Skylarks were up singing. Heath Lane was desperately quiet with a Common Buzzard being the only bird of note. There were c.70 Wood Pigeons in the paddock (its a sign I'm getting desperate when I start counting Wood Pigeons!) Witch lane was equally quiet.

The highlight of Toddy's visit came from a part of the patch I don't watch as often as I should. I pulled up along at Curslow Lane on the eastern edge of my patch and scanned the large sheep field that runs across from the A450 to Back Lane at Shenstone Village (not the stretch of road also known as Back Lane that joins on to Butts Lane - confusing eh!). On scanning this field I picked up a Curlew that was walking along and probing the ground with its long decurved bill for worms. Typically, as I was setting my camera up, a Buzzard flew across the field and flushed it. The Curlew then flew of towards Witch lane. I was pleased to have picked up this bird as it was my first Curlew on the patch for 2011.

The 3 Shoveller returned to Captains Pool today and a Nuthatch was present in a tree nearby (TS)

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Prior to visiting Shenstone I had walked the dog around the block late morning. I live in quite a built up part of Kidderminster consisting of rows of terraced houses but what I found heartening this morning was the sight of 3 Common Buzzards soaring over Wood Street and a further 2 Buzzards which could be seen soaring over the Franche Road. The increase in this species over the past 15 years is amazing and now days you cant drive a mile or so down a country lane in Worcestershire without seeing one. I certainly never tire of seeing them.