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Thursday 12 January 2023

Sandwell Valley RSPB Reserve and another site ?????? Staffordshire, UK.

A day out birding with Friends Sharon and John.
Ebird List for Sandwell Valley.

A nice bit of fencing.
I met Sharon and John at theirs and we headed out to a local spot that I had not visited before, RSPB Sandwell Valley.
Rose-ringed Parakeet (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri).
We parked and went into the Visitor's Center where we viewed the feeders finding Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), the first of several Rose-ringed Parakeets (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri) and a Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).
Rose-ringed Parakeet (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri).
On the pool below the Center we picked up Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and the first two Goosander (Serreta Grande / Mergus merganser) of the day but we were to see many more on the larger lake.
Rose-ringed Parakeet (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri).
We walked down to the hide over looking the Forge Mill Lake, here we added Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis), Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula), 3 domestic type Barnical Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and 3x Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).
Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor).
Other species seen between the hide and Swan Pool included Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).
Barnical Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis).
We got to Swan pool but the wind was horrendous so we retreated and completed the circuit of the reserve before returning to the car and heading to another spot which I don't know the name of but we were looking for Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) but we didn't manage to find them.
However we did pickup more Rose-ringed Parakeets, Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), I am sure there were other species but I can't remember them.
We headed back to Sharon and John's and then I headed back to Albrighton.

Wednesday 11 January 2023

Green Lane, Albrighton, Shropshire, UK.

A couple of hours out in one of the very few brakes in the Rain.
Ebird List.

Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus) one of quite a few.
It stopped raining for a short while so I got the Bin's and Camera and went for a walk to one of my old birding spots just on the edge of the village, on a field full of sheep right at the start of Green Lane I had a good number of Redwings (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus) and Pied Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla yarrellii) down on the groud feeding.
As I walked up to the A464 I added Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Stock Dove (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and on the David Austin Roses irrigation lake a single Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) in amongst 70 odd Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus).
Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus).

Other more common species listed on Ebird.