A Welcome Return.

Hi all, another installment of birding for you to have a read through. This week was a relatively quiet one, we only really went over to Sandwell Valley today in actual fact we stuck around the valley area for a lot longer than usual and didn't really leave much time to go anywhere else. But there was some good birding to be had at the valley today.

Firstly as usual we headed down to the hide, this week I had a tone of stuff in my hand, including a sign with what time the car park closes (4pm if you would like to know), to great laminated photographs that were taken by Bob Bunn, and a bag of Milk, yes a bag of milk (yes bag). On arrival we sorted everything out and got to the birding, today a great 4 LRPs were in the island and were constantly displaying all morning, I'm presuming there are 3 males and 1 female. Two Common Terns were around throughout the morning although there were originally 3, and a Common Sandpiper also made an apearance throughout the morning. 

Around mid morning I decided to scan through the Hirundines, and caught a glance of what appeared to be a Swift. So I decided to have a look from the back of the hide only to be greater by a load of Swift the first I have seen this year, and in great numbers to. Two Teal are still around on forge mill lake reluctant to leave it seems. As well as that plenty of Tufties were around all morning. A Little Grebe made an apearance once throughout the morning as well as a couple of Great crested Grebes. 

The two Oystercatchers were still on the main island, however from what I have heard their first nest has been trampled on by the Canada Geese, the birds have created a new nest site next to the old one so let's hope eh. What's funny is that the area where the birds are nesting was made to stop the geese going on it, metal wiring covers the area where the Oystercatchers are nesting and guess what the geese did they walked underneath the wire, what's also funny is they have left around 9 eggs neglected in the same area. It's something that is trying to be stopped but the geese are causing a lot of problems for breeding birds. 

Any way, yesterday 2 Whinchat were reported around the Valley somewhere so we decided to guess where they would have been and headed for Swan Pool, we walked all around the paddocks with no luck, the odd Whitethroat made an appearance that was all of note. We walked back towards to carpark and began speaking to another birder who mentioned where the chats were in the field to the right of the slipway so we had a more detailed look in this area with only another Whitethroat making an appearance, we ended up walking around some fields looking out on the grassland hoping for a Whinchat, all these fields were somewhere I had never looked before in fact I never new they existed, a great bit of habitat right under our nose. No sign of the chats but a Green Woodpecker did make an apearance. 

So that's all this week, I know it's not much but things are getting quiet again, we should be looking somewhere different next week as well as our usual visit to Sandwell Valley so keep an eye out for the post. I will add a few pictures from this week and last week now hope you enjoy,

Swift, RSPB Sandwell Valley. 

Common Sandpiper, RSPB Sandwell Valley. 

Jay, Swan Pool.

Photos from last week at Middleton Lakes- 

Song Thrush, RSPB Middleton Lakes

Song Thrush, RSPB Middleton Lakes

                               

Reed Bunting, RSPB Middleton Lakes. 

Grasshopper Warbler (honestly it is), RSPB Middleton Lakes

So a few photos for you to look through there, the last four are from last week, I didn't get chance to post them in the week so there they are, as fa as I know there should be a post next week as normal.

Thanks for reading and have a good bank holiday all- WMBB