Albrighton, Shropshire, UK.

A walk around the village and more time with family.

The gate into St Cuthberts Church, Donington.

In the morning Brenda dropped Jayne and me in to Wolverhampton to pick up the last bits we needed before our return flight tomorrow. By lunchtime we were back in Albrighton, we had a walk-up to the Chuch at Donnington via the village pool, so that Jayne could visit the family stones and plaques, we later went to St Marys Church to check on my father's Plaque. 

St Cuthberts Church grounds, Donington.

It was nice to have a walk around the area that I had grown up in but as always it is quite depressing when you see all the changes. 

As with most places most changes have not been for the better but I think that the most notable thing was the amount of rubbish everywhere, the worst example was around the St Cuthberts well and Donnington Pool areas. 

St Cuthberts Church, Donington.

These spots had away been kept nice and well preserved.

Later we again visited Mark, Nicky and the boys before getting ready and going for a meal with my Mother and her partner John, we had a nice evening and then went back to Brenda's. 

Donington Pool.

During the walk around the village I picked up Fieldfare (Zorzal Real / Turdus pilaris), Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus iliacus), Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrushes (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Common Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).

St Cuthberts Well, Donington.

Albrighton, Shropshire, UK.

Time with the family.

I spent most of the today with my brother and his family but popped in to see a few other friends in Albrighton, we had a nice lunch in one of my old drinking haunts and then went back to his house to await the arrival of the kid from school. 

After a nice day I wandered back to Brenda and Keith's house, on the way I noted a few bits including European Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), more Dunnocks (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis), Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Great (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Eurasian Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba subsp yarrellii), Herring (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus) and Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) amongst others

Ironbridge Gorge, Telford, Shropshire, UK.

Visiting a favorate site.

The Iron Bridge.

Today we spent the morning in the town of Ironbridge with Jayne’s sister Brenda and her husband Keith. We parked and had a walk through town towards the world heritage site The Ironbridge, building was started by Abraham Darby the 3^rd in 1779 the bridge opened in 1781 on New Year's Day. 

The town and River Seven from the Iron Bridge.

It still looks as impressive today as it away has, spanning the River Seven deep in the bottom of the gorge. We had a walk and did a bit of nic-nac shopping and then went into one of the many cafés for a Hot Chocolate and a warm.

Looking back up to the Bridge.

On the way around I either heard or saw several Eurasian Nuthatchs (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Coal Tits (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris).

The Towns war memorial.

Looking back across the bridge to the main town.

Various Sites near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK

Another day with UK Birds.

Goosanders (Serreta Grande / Mergus merganser).

Jayne and all three of her sisters arranged a day's shopping at Telford town centre and as tempting as it was to join them I was talked out of it by a friend and spent a day visiting some of my old birding haunts when I live in Shropshire.
John Morgan kindly gave up a day's work so that we could catch up on things and do some birding, we met at Priorslee lake which is just off junction 4 of the M54 on the edge of Telford new town. 

While we were there, I picked up another very common species in the UK which I had not seen for some time, a European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus). 

In the far corner there was a largish flock of Tufted Ducks (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula) and Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), along with a single Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), several Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus).

Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis).

We then went towards Shrewsbury and called in at Venus Pool, one of the best sites in the county, but today it was fairly quiet. From the main hide the highlight was a single Marsh Tit (Carbonero Palustre / Poecile palustris) which was feeding on the dried out heads of Teasels along with several European Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis). 

Out on the pool the commonest duck was Eurasian Wigeon (Silbón Europeo / Anas Penelope), closely followed by Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata) and Common Pochard, with a pair of Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta) and a single Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna). 

I was quite surprised to find just a single Greylag Goose (Ansar Común / Anser anser) as in the past there were usually large flocks of both them and Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense / Branta canadensis) present. 

We then had a walk to the woodland hide where several feeders hang and large numbers of passerines come to take advantage along with several Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Great (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Marsh and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) were all there along with Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), several Dunnocks (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and European Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula). 

Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense / Branta Canadensis).

Later we had a walk along the hedges of the top field towards the fishing pool, here we picked up good numbers of Yellowhammers (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella), Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer Montanus) and a single Common Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus). 

Other species seen here included Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba subsp yarrellii).

Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor).

We then carried on towards a small pool just on the outskirts of Shrewsbury called the Mere, hoping for some views of some reported Goosanders (Serreta Grande / Mergus merganser). 

They were almost the first birds we saw, 3 males and 5 females were swimming on this quite unlikely site in the middle of a housing estate along with Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense / Branta Canadensis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata).

Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).

On our way back towards Telford we stopped on the verge to look at a flock of Swans some way off on a Beet field, all but one were Mute but there was a single adult Whooper (Cisne Cantor / Cygnus Cygnus) amongst them.

Our final stop was at our starting point at Priorslee Lake for the Gull Roost, the best bird turned out to be an adult Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis). 

Not very exciting for me, I was much happier watching the few European Herring Gulls there, accompanied by hundreds of Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus).

What had been a great day had come to an end all too quickly and John dropped me back to Albrighton, Thanks John for a great day.

Whooper Swan (Cisne Cantor / Cygnus Cygnus) middle bird.