Very wet day spent around here today; cracking day though, on a great reserve. Highlights:
Chiffchaff, willow warbler, blackcap, reed warbler, Cetti's warbler (seen, for a change, my first view for a good while), linnet, reed bunting, sand martin, house martin, swallow (perhaps c150 birds in all, with a pretty even split, as far as I could tell) skylark, song thrush, etc. 2 stock dove 4 gadwall (one male paired up with a female mallard) 6 shoveler 53+ tufted duck 4 mute swan 5+ little grebe 1 great crested grebe 3 little ringed plover 1 ringed plover 10 lapwing 5 common sandpiper 23 avocet 5 oystercatcher 3 common tern c600 black-headed gull 1 Mediterranean gull (1cy) 4 lesser black-backed gull
Reed warbler, house martin, little ringed plover and common tern all my first of the year, and lots of breeding activity to be seen.
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Tuesday 24th of April 2018 08:17:07 PM
I think this reserve has become conflated with Sandwell Valley RSPB, which is near West Bromwich; Upton Warren's in Worcestershire, just outside Bromsgrove. Regardless of where it actually is, I was there yesterday, and these were the highlights:
1 goldcrest 7+ lesser redpoll (mixed in with goldfinch) 8+ reed bunting 1 great spotted woodpecker 1 stock dove 1 water rail heard c50 teal 14 shoveler c25 tufted duck (majority on sailing lake) 20 pochard (2 female) 3 mute swan 1 whooper swan 5 great crested grebe (all on sailing lake) 450+ lapwing 5+ snipe 12 curlew 2 or 3 grey heron 2 buzzard
Great views yesterday and today of the Baird's Sandpiper at Upton Warren, which was originally found late on Friday evening - unfortunately the text came through on Friday whilst the I'D was being clinched and just too late to make the short trip down before dark!
Can't edit, but this reserve is in Worcestershire, not West Brom. Fri lunch: 2cy Little Gull 1st Summer Mediterranean Gull Cettis Warbler Green Woodpecker 2 Dunlin Little Ringed Plover Ringed Plover Many Avocet with young 8 Common Tern 7 Reed Warbler Kingfisher Cuckoo Common Sandpiper