On Tuesday, I cycled into Birmingham along the canals in search of Black Redstarts, checking out all the sites we found held the species when the WMBC carried out the Black Redstart survey over 25 years ago. All bar one have now been developed, unfortunately it is the wrong time of year for singing birds but in four trips I have not come across the species. I did however, see a cracking Lesser Whitethroat in the Aston area about a mile from the city centre. I cycled through Birmingham to Edgbaston Reservoir where there were a couple of areas that looked promising, but again I saw none.
Yesterday (Wednesday) I went over the Reservoir and picked up a Great Black-backed Gull coming into 2nd Winter plumage. I carried on around and it was obvious that there were a lot more birds around with Warblers feeding with the tit flocks. In the north-west corner in the bushes by the river there was a Lesser Whitethroat my first for the site this year, as was the GBBG.
There were also c.400 hirundines with around a dozen Swift high over the fields to the south. Again the area between the two pools held a few warblers as well. Severn Trent have had to put up a high fence to stop people messing with the controls on the weir! It looks awful and a potential death sentence for Kingfisher using the river, it must be eight foot high.
I checked out the small pool on the other side of the Railway where there were a couple of Raven but not much else. Then on my way back I saw a Hobby making its way to the Reservoir for lunch!
In the evening Joy and I went to Middleton RSPB where there was still a single Wood Sandpiper, we also saw Green Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin, Ringer Plover and 4 Little Ringed Plover.
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