RABBIT ACTIVITY
As regular visitors will have noticed, rabbit activity is causing holes on the hard core tracks and whilst we try and in-fill them, please be aware that the tracks are more uneven than normal as a result of the rabbit diggings.
TRAFFIC REGULATION ORDER – MARSH LANE, HAMPTON IN ARDEN
Please note that with effect from 20th January 2021 Marsh Lane, Hampton in Arden will be gated just north of the railway bridge which accesses the Marsh Lane Nature Reserve car park, to the west of Siden Hill Wood. The gate is going to be locked overnight. Solihull Council have deemed this has become necessary due to frequent problems of anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and other forms of environmental crime at Bradnocks Marsh.
The closing/opening times will be as follows:
- 1st April – 30th September 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- 1st October – 31st March 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Work Party Dates
2025
Saturday 11th January – 2pm
Saturday 8th February – 2pm
Saturday 8th March – 2pm
Link to West Midland Bird Ringing Group: https://www.westmidlandsringinggroup.co.uk/
Combination Lock Code
A reminder that the code for the combination locks at the Reserve changed at the beginning of September. Details of the new code were provided in permit renewal letters, but if there are any queries, please contact Bernice on 01676 526711.
7th December 2024
North-west gale on the back of Storm Darragh, overcast and showers.
This morning’s count, care of Graham and Dave, showed a notable jump in wildfowl with, for example, Wigeon increasing from 230 yesterday to 375 today and Teal doubling from 225 to 460.
Full counts were: four Mute Swans, 230 Canadas, a Canada/Greylag hybrid, 78 Greylags, 12 Shoveler, 113 Gadwall, 375 Wigeon, 80 Mallard, 460 Teal, 10 Pochard, 23 Tufteds, four Goosanders (see below), 47 Cormorants, a single Little Grebe, two Herons, four Moorhen, 51 Coot, 62 Lapwing, seven Snipe, 15 Black-headed Gulls, a single Common Gull, five Herring Gulls, five Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the adult Greater Black-backed Gull.
Two pairs of Pintail were the highlight of this morning’s wildfowl watching, with the birds moving between pools and probably also the Flood Plain. Two Grey Wagtails were present on the Flood Plain and up to 15 – 20 Linnets were visiting the seedheads on the Railway Pool islands.
Despite the ravages of Storm Darragh, eight attended the work party and a lot was achieved with the remainder of the Railway Pool islands strimmed, the bank to the right of Oak Hide opened up to improve the view into the Marsh with some channels cut there, the path from Oak Hide towards Railway cut back, more Alder clearance in the Reedbed and the clearance of the area in front of the crop Oaks to encourage the finches to feed there, with the area being seeded. Many thanks to those who attended.
Over coffee and mince pies in Car Park Hide at the end, at least 1500 Starlings were watched swirling in the wind, before dropping into the North Causeway Bay to roost. This seemed to be counterintuitive as this was taking the full force of the north-westerly wind and the Reedbed would appear to have been a much quieter place to roost. Twenty-three Goosanders had arrived by dusk, 13 of which were males.
6th December 2024
Sunny early on, turning overcast, light south-westerly. Flooding at Patrick Farm.
The three Whooper Swans were joined by a female Goosander this morning, along with the adult Greater Black-backed Gull. A Water Rail was visible from Oak Hide on the far shore of Railway Pool and additional birds in the morning included 11 Pochard, an Egyptian Goose and a Treecreeper.
Later counts were as follows: two Little Grebes, 120 Gadwall, 230 Wigeon, 225 Teal, 21 Tufteds, 22 Snipe, 97 Lapwing, five Goosanders, including three males, and 38 Cormorants.
5th December 2024
Mostly overcast, light south-westerly.
The Bittern was seen again, this time in the North Causeway area in the early morning. A pair of Tawny Owls were heard calling to each other from the Back Gate Copse, and the two adult Whooper Swans with the juvenile were on Car Park Pool.
4th December 2024
Still, cool and misty, sun trying to break through.
The pair of Whooper Swans with the juvenile were on Car Park Pool this morning, initially in the North Causeway Bay area before moving out into the main pool. There were also two drake Goosanders.
A flock of 22 Chaffinches, eight Greenfinches and a Linnet were feeding in the Crop Field and were using the Oaks nearby to fly backwards and forwards from. Four Redwings went over and the male Bullfinch brightened up the Causeway area.
Water Rails were either seen or heard from the Reedbed area and in the North Causeway Bay. The adult Greater Black-backed Gull roosted on the Car Park Pool islands, there were six Little Grebes spread across the pools and a single Little Egret.
3rd December 2024
Sunny after early mist, still.
The pair of Whooper Swans with the juvenile were on site again, along with three Egyptian Geese. The pair of Stonechats were by the HS2 settlement ponds, and below Railway Hide a Weasel showed well. A Fox ambled along the far bank of Car Park Pool during the morning.
2nd December 2024
Sunny spells, breezy from the west.
The two adult and single juvenile Whooper Swans were back on site today, and there was also a single Egyptian Goose, eight Pochard and a Great Crested Grebe. Overhead, or actually on site, a single Raven, a Lesser Redpoll and 26 Redwings were the other additions.
As the afternoon wore on, five Goosanders came in to roost and there was also a Starling murmuration with birds roosting in the Reedbed, but no numbers were recorded.
1st December 2024
Early rain, cloudy, light south-westerly.
A good miscellany of birds today included the pair of Stonechats by the fenced compound on the Flood Plain together with a Grey Wagtail, three Mistle Thrushes around the Car Park, a Bullfinch and a Lesser Redpoll on the Causeway, a Kestrel by Patrick Farm and three Cetti’s Warblers in song (Reedbed, North Causeway and Dragonfly Pond).
On or around the pools were 285 Canada Geese, two Egyptian Geese, six Pochard, two female Goosanders, a Water Rail and five Common Gulls.
Both male and female Sparrowhawks were seen.