Best day so far - Marsh Lane

Phew, what an afternoon!

53 sightings and 3 additions to the life tick list - weather was mainly cloudy but with a burst of clear'ish skies and some sun.

1. Yellow Wagtail - NEW
2. Wigeon
3. Coot
4. Cormorant
5. Lapwing
6. Crow
7. Shoveler
8. Little Grebe
9. Greylag
10. Gadwell
11. Tufted Duck
12. Buzzard
13. Jackdaw
14. Redshank
15. Moorhen
16. Snipe
17. Pied Wagtail
18. Black-headed Gull
19. Ringed Plover
20. Mallard
21. Wood Pigeon
22. Magpie
23. Teal
24. Stock Dove
25. Goldfinch
26. Chaffinch
27. Great Tit
28. Blue Tit
29. Reed Bunting
30. Blackbird
31. Song Thrush - NEW (for certain this time)
32. Canada Goose
33. Lesser Black-backed Gull
34. Starling
35. Mute Swan
36. Black Swan
37. Dunlin
38. Oystercatcher
39. Pheasant
40. Heron
41. Long Tailed Tit
42. Green Woodpecker
43. Greenfinch
44. Chiffchaff
45. Tree Sparrow
46. Jay
47. Robin
48. Dunnock
49. Pochard
50. Shelduck
51. Greater Spotted Woodpecker
52. Yellowhammer
53. Collared Dove - NEW

RSPB Coombes Valley

Not a very good visit at all!

Not alot of birdie's, but alot of confusion over Mistle/Song Thrush identification (still none the wiser)

Anyway, deep breath, here comes the count:

1. Great Tit
2. Robin
3. Jackdaw
4. Crow
5. Chaffinch
6. Blue Tit
7. Blackbird
8. Goldfinch
9. Magpie
10. Mistle / Song Thrush

3 short of 50 - Marsh Lane

x2 new ones for the life tick list, and a brilliant 5 minutes spent watching a Greater Spotted Woodpecker headbutting a tree! Crazy bird

A few piccys -

Grey Heron



Pheasant

Not a very sharp image of a Female Pheasant

Marsh Lane

The count:

1. Tufted Duck
2. Lapwing
3. Redshank
4. Wood Pigeon
5. Oystercatcher
6. Wigeon
7. Bluetit
8. Pied Wagtail
9. Coot
10. Canada Goose
11. Cormorant
12. Mute Swan
13. Gadwall
14. Starling
15. Mallard
16. Jackdaw
17. Teal
18. Little Grebe
19. Snipe
20. Greylag
21. Magpie
22. Shelduck
23. Black-headed Gull
24. Yellowhammer
25. Sparrowhawk - NEW
26. Crow
27. Pheasant
28. Chaffinch
29. Shoveler
30. Lesser Black-backed Gull
31. Ringed Plover
32. Dunlin
33. Great Crested Grebe
34. Moorhen
35. Common Gull
36. Grey Heron
37. Green Sandpiper - NEW
38. Tree Sparrow
39. Dunnock
40. Greenfinch
41. Buzzard
42. Greater Spotted Woodpecker
43. Green Woodpecker
44. Pochard
45. Reed Bunting
46. Blackbird
47. Long-tailed Tit

49 Birds but fed-up

Arrives at Marsh Lane this afternoon full of excitement, only to discover the batteries in my camera were flat :-(  A shame to, as i could've got some cracking shots of some Pied Wagtails that were right outside the hide, typical! I'm yet to have a visit to Marsh Lane where i haven't forgotten something or lost something!

Anyway, the lack of any piccys put aside, i did actually have a very good day. Better than last Sunday in fact, with a total of 49 for the day and 7 new ones for my Life Tick List.

Weather was, sunny, bright and clear, and actually quite warm in the sun.

The count:

1. Chaffinch
2. Greenfinch
3. Reed Bunting
4. Great Tit
5. Coot
6. Goldfinch
7. Moorhen
8. Blue Tit
9. Crow
10. Jackdaw
11. Greylag
12. Pied Wagtail
13. Shelduck
14. Lapwing
15. Wigeon
16. Oystercatcher
17. Cormorant
18. Magpie
19. Common Gull
20. Black-headed Gull
21. Mute Swan
22. Snipe
23. Wood Pigeon
24. Starling
25. Pheasant
26. Mallard
27. White Fronted Goose - NEW
28. Tufted Duck
29. Great Crested Grebe
30. Gadwell
31. Pochard
32. Canada Goose
33. Stock Dove
34. Little Grebe
35. Little Ringed Plover - NEW 
36. Ringed Plover - NEW
37. Grey Heron
38. Teal
39. Buzzard
40. Chiffchaff - NEW
41. Blackbird
42. Bullfinch - NEW
43. Wren
44. Tree Sparrow
45. Dunlin - NEW
46. Dunnock
47. Lesser Black-backed Gull
48. Kestrel
49. Yellowhammer - NEW

Marsh Lane - West Midlands

A very clear sunny day but with quite a cold biting wind, that froze your face and fingers, nevertheless, this afternoon saw the best 4 hours i've had since i started.

So, straight down to business:

1: Lapwing
2: Tufted Duck
3: Coot
4: Moorhen
5: Snipe
6: Cormorant
7: Black-headed Gull
8: Wigeon
9: Pochard
10: Shelduck
11: Canada Geese
12: Buzzard
13: Wood Pigeon
14: Chaffinch
15: Jackdaw
16: Lesser Black-backed Gull
17: Pied Wagtail
18: Starling
19: Great Crested Grebe
20: Little Grebe
21: Crow
22: Long Tailed Tit
23: Robin
24: Blackbird
25: Tree Creeper NEW
26: Great Tit
27: Mute Swan
28: Reed Bunting
29: Blue Tit
30: Greenfinch
31: Nuthatch NEW
32: Pheasant
33: Tree Sparrow
34: Magpie
35: Redshank
36: Oystercatcher
37: Goosander NEW
38: Fieldfare
39: Stock Dove NEW
40: Teal

Blue Tit

RSPB Newport Wetlands

Weather was cloudy and cold, surprize, surprize!

But a good start to the day as the first sigthing was a new one for my life tick list, a Goldfinch.

Newport Wetlands is a reasonable reserve with huge reed beds and no hides, so your left on your feet for much of your stay.
It has a floating foot bridge running through one of the reed beds that gives the unusual sensation of walking on a sponge, most odd!
The general concensus from regular local visitors seemed to be a poor one, with most of them expressing dissapointment at a lack of new visitors.
Fortunately for me with my new past time still in its very early infancy, the rest of my 2 hour visit gave me another 2 for my life list - Curlew & a Little Egret

Other pickings for the day were:

Greenfinch

Moorhen
Tree Sparrow
Mallard

Coot

Magpie

Crow

Gadwell
Tufted Duck

Pochard

Mute Swan

Mute Swans



Curlew, in the distance somewhere! Must buy a bigger lens..

RSPB Dearne Valley - Barnsley

Very cold, 'again' but it was a flying visit after popping in from visiting something else.

Not a huge total but still a good day as i managed to add 3 new birds

Oystercatcher - NEW
Lapwing
Moorhen
Redshank - NEW
Great Crested Grebe - NEW
Wood Pigeon
Coot
Swan
Black-headed Gull
Wigeon
Canada Geese
Tufted Duck
Mallard