Late January

I have paid a few visits to the reservoir but it has been really, really quiet.

I have been birding, so far this year I have been the Wyre Forest (on the way to walk the Malvern Ridge) and seen two male, and one female Two-barred Crossbill. A week later  saw “The Captain” and Godfrey (think Dads Army) accompanied me on a day in Nottinghamshire where we saw several Parrot Crossbill.

I have also been to Norfolk enjoying a good day out birding, only to hear that a Hume’s Leaf Warbler had turned up on one of my “patches”, namely the Hams Hall Outflow. When the weather eventually cleared on Sunday I managed to get reasonable views. I went back on Monday and the bird was performing much better.

I have seen a lot of finches and buntings in the Moat House/Holly Lane area but it was the first time I had really had a chance to grill them. Viewing is really difficult as of Monday the hedges hadn’t been trimmed back. Anyway to cut a long story short I found a Brambling, there may well have been more there are certainly a lot of birds.