July 4th Sandwell Valley

Over the weekend we visited the Sandwell Valley RSPB Nature Reserve in the West Midlands. We were in Wolverhampton to support a couple of friends one who was speaking at a Methodist Conference Fringe Event and another who was being Ordained at this conference.

The Reserve produced some interesting birds including one new bird for the sabbatical this being a lovely male Ruddy Duck. Other highlights included watching Tufted Duck chicks learning to dive for food and also a Coot whose partner obviously (according to my wife) had a romantic streak, the nest was covered in flowers!

Ruddy Duck

  

Tufted Duck and Chick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Romantic Coot's Nest

   

Snipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pochard

July 3rd Inner Marsh Farm and Burton Marsh

Sorry this is late but I have been away for the weekend.

On Friday I popped down to the Wirral to call on these to sites. Burton Marsh was excellent producing lots of singing birds including several Sedge Warblers and a reeling Grasshopper Warbler which sat on top of the reeds enabling me to have a good look at him.

Two Spotted Redshanks and a lapwing (poor quality because of the rain)

I then called into IMF just as it began to rain. I was please to see three Spotted Redshank’s feeding on the reserve and I also had a distant look at a Little Ringed Plover but this bird was to far away to photograph. The most intriguing moment was watching the Grey Heron below trying to work out how to eat this eel!

Hungry Heron