Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Britain.

Out with Sharon and John again.

Ebird List for Pole Mere, 28 Species.

Ebird List for Battlefield, 2 Species.

Ebird List for Venus Pool, 54 Species.

Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis) at Pole Mere.

Sharon and John came over to Albrighton and we headed out along the M54 and A5 to Pole Mere a place none of us had been before where we were looking for a male Green-winged Teal (Cerceta americana / Anas carolinensis). 

Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope) and Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser).

Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope).

We arrived and walked down to the hide were we started the day list off with Greylag (Ansar Común / Anser anser) and Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) out on the water but there was no sign of the main target unfortunately.

Venus Pool from the main hide.

Venus Pool from the main hide.

Away from the water we saw Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Fieldfare (Zorzal Real / Turdus pilaris), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and a distant Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) which flew over the fields where most of the geese had gone to feed.

Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

We had given the Teal a good try but decided we would cut our losses and head for Battlefield on the outskirts of Shrewsbury where I had my first Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) for Shropshire which had been my original birding patch.

Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).

There were 7 Western Cattle Egrets as well as 2 Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) in the flock and in the same area we had Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and whilst here we met a couple more birders who gave us some extra info about birds at Venus Pool and also put me on the Shropshire Whatsapp group which will be good for future visits.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

From here we went to Venus Pool, one of my fairly regular birding spots twenty years or so ago, we started in the main hide below the car park where we saw lots of the species we had already seen but added Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) which was a new species for Shropshire, Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), a female Goldeneye (Porrón Osculado /Bucephala clangula), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and another Little Egret.

Egyptian (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) and Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis).

After a while we decided to go for a walk around the field nearby where we were told there had been a flock of around 30 Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), as we walked new species for the day included the first of 3 Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and then we had part of the Corn Bunting flock fly up and quickly drop back into the weedy field.

Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

As we continued on around the field edge we added a European Green Woodpecker (Pito Real euroasiático / Picus viridis), Stock Dove (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas), Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and at the point where we could see out over the fishing lake we saw Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and a fly over Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus).

Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

We walked back along the roadside edge of the field and then at the first corner we dropped down to the river seeing a distant European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) a couple of fields away, down by the river we saw nothing new bird wise but found some Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis).

Mute Swans (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor).

Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor).

We returned to the car park again seeing a Goldcrest (Reyezuelo Sencillo / Regulus regulus), and after getting a coffee / tea we walked back down to the main hide again where we spent the rest of the time before dusk adding Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and as the light dropped the first of two Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) dropped in.

Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis).

Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Sharon and I walked back to the car while John chatted in the hide and whilst he was there 3 Little Egrets and another Great White. 

Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna).

We made our way back to Albrighton where we said bye after another really good days birding, thanks to you both and look forward to our next trip out birding.

Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser).