Packington Estate

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.

FALLEN AND DAMAGED TREES

Members are asked to please avoid, for the time being, the area immediately south of the South-West Pond and on the east side of the Back Gate Copse as a number of Willow trees have been affected by the recent high winds and the area has been fenced off.

A number of trees have also come down in Siden Hill Wood making it difficult to get around and this area is also best avoided.

Thank you.

31st December 2024

Sunny spells, strong southerly.

An early morning visit yielded a good number of birds, with 27 Goosanders on Car Park Pool at first light (eight males, 19 females), together with two Pintail and the three Whooper Swans.  These all moved off later in the morning, and the only birds of note thereafter were the adult Greater Black-backed Gull, a Mistle Thrush in the Old Road Oaks, three Collared Doves at the Car Park feeder and 14 Common Gulls.

30th December 2024

Sunny spells, fresh southerly, cold.

All four Pintail were present again today, and the pair of Stonechats had either relocated to the Dragonfly Pond or are the second pair that presumably wander around the area east and west of the A452.

272 Greylags, 96 Canadas, 296 Teal and a pair of Egyptian Geese (on the Flood Plain) supplemented the Pintail numbers, as did a pair of Goosander.

29th December 2024

Light cloud, south-westerly breeze.

A pleasant change from the regular mist of the last few days with a welcome sight in the shape of, initially, a drake Pintail on Car Park Pool (which was mobile), subsequently supplemented by two further drakes and a duck Pintail from Oak Hide.  In the Crop Field a flock of 24 Linnets and at least 40 Chaffinches were feeding at the south end of the field, occasionally wandering further north.

Other counts of note included a mobile flock of 14 Goldfinches and six Snipe.  A male Great Spotted Woodpecker showed well on the Car Park feeders, with a Green Woodpecker doing likewise opposite Car Park Hide, on the trees.  Goldcrest and Cetti’s Warbler showed well in the Causeway area.  Temperatures began to plummet in the afternoon in the clear skies.

28th December 2024

Foggy and still.

More interesting records from a full count today included the return of the pair of Whooper Swans with their juvenile in tow.  There was a pleasing increase in Wigeon to 355, but the Teal numbers had dropped to 114.  In addition, there were seven Goosanders, a Water Rail in the Reedbed area, together with a Jack Snipe.  A total of 41 Snipe was counted, but only 47 Lapwing.  Meanwhile, the thrush flock on the Flood Plain was limited to just Redwings where there were 18 of those.

Gorse on the Causeway – Photograph by Nick Barlow

27th December 2024

Foggy and still.

Pochard numbers have increased to 18 today, whilst other birds of note included 20 Redwing and 10 Fieldfare on the Flood Plain, but a reduced flock of just four Lesser Redpolls on the Concrete Road.

26th December 2024

No records.

25th December 2025

Sunny spells alternating with misty periods and a light southerly.

Pochard numbers have been varying over the last few days and there were 12 birds this morning; all but two were drakes.  The drake Goosander lingered from the preceding evenings roost, and a Water Rail showed well in the North Causeway Bay.  The best time to see Water Rails there is early morning and late afternoon, although they can appear at any time.

In the Crop Field there was a crop of 20 Linnets feeding on the remaining seedheads, along with a Skylark.  Meantime, a flock of 14 Lesser Redpolls fed in the Alders along the Concrete Road, and there were 12 Greenfinches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Collared Dove at the Car Park feeders, together with two Reed Buntings.  The latter species has been particularly scarce this winter.

Lastly, there were again two Green Sandpipers on the Patrick Farm flash, whilst a Fox patrolled the Car Park Pool margins.

24th December 2024

Sunny spells, still.

The two Green Sandpipers were again on the flash north of Patrick Farm.  Four Cetti’s Warblers were in song, two in the Reedbed area, one by River Hide and one to the rear of Oak Hide.

A juvenile Peregrine was perched in Siden Hill Wood for much of the morning.  A pair of Goosanders were present in the morning, but in the late afternoon this had risen to 13, including seven drakes.  There was also a Starling roost with an estimated 1,250 birds.  They came in, in a series of flocks, and roosted in the North Causeway Bay as a mist formed over the pools.

A pair of Stonechats were feeding from various fence posts on the Flood Plain, and there was a noteworthy count of 19 Common Gulls.

23rd December 2024

Sunny spells, light north-westerly.

The Bittern showed in the Reedbed this morning, where it seems to be favouring the north-east corner towards the lifebelt.

In the meantime, with the continuing higher water levels, there were two Green Sandpipers on the Patrick Farm flash (the wet area at the north end of the field opposite the entrance to the Patrick Farm Barns, by the RDAC building).  There was a single female Goosander plus the adult Greater Black-backed Gull, whilst a Grey Wagtail fed on the margins of Railway Pool.

There were again thrushes on the Flood Plain with 23 Fieldfare and 38 Redwing. 

22nd December 2024

No records.

21st December 2024

Overcast, showers, breezy from the west.  The full count today comprised four Mute Swans, 29 Cormorants, 131 Greylag, 90 Canadas, 20 Shoveler, 67 Gadwall, 272 Wigeon, 43 Mallard, 180 Teal, two drake Pochard, 27 Tufteds, a single female Goosander, two Little Grebes, one Great Crested Grebe, one Heron, five Moorhen, 59 Coot, a Water Rail in the North Causeway Bay, 46 Lapwing, three Snipe, 67 Black-headed Gulls, five Common Gulls, three Herring Gulls, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the adult Greater Black-backed Gull.

20th December 2024

A light frost and clear skies led to a beautiful sunrise with the best views over the Reedbed this morning.

Sunrise over the Reedbed – Photograph by Nick Barlow

At least one Bullfinch was calling around the Causeway at around 08.30 and a Jay and a House Sparrow, the latter pretty unusual, were at or by the feeders.

A female Goosander flew in just after 08.00 on to Car Park Pool, (joined by a male later in the morning) and a Little Egret did the same on Railway Pool.  A Shelduck, I think the first returning bird of the winter, was also present, along with two drake Pochard.  32 Fieldfare and 26 Redwing fed on the Flood Plain fields.

The water level is still very high on Railway Pool with most of the area in front of Oak Hide under water, together with many of the islands.  These submerged areas attracted most of this morning’s Teal and the flooded shallows in front of Railway Hide held three Little Grebes.

Only 30 Starlings appeared out of the Reedbed over Car Park Pool, although others may have departed in a different direction.  Many of the reeds on the right-hand side of the Reedbed have been bent over and broken which could be a combination of the Starlings or the roosting Bittern, although there was no sign of the latter this morning.  Just behind the Reedbed on the Central Stream a Green Woodpecker called regularly; presumably the same one was later seen towards Oak Hide.

19th December 2024

Mostly cold and clear.

The Bittern and at least 600 Starlings were visible from the south Causeway early morning.  There were 14 Redwings on the Flood Plain by the cattle feeder, a Kingfisher showed well in the Reedbed, and a Kestrel was hunting on the margins of Railway Pool in the afternoon.

18th December 2024

Sunny spells, strong south-westerly.  Heavy overnight rain between the 17th and 18th had caused substantial flooding on the Flood Plain and Railway Pool levels were rising substantially, whilst Lower Siden was already under water.

Two Siskins, along with 25 Lesser Redpolls, were present around the Causeway with the numbers being noteworthy as they have been scarce this winter.

On the pools, the adult Greater Black-backed Gull was joined by 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, six Herrings and 13 Common Gulls, together with four drake Pochard and two female Goosanders.

17th December 2024

Overcast, drizzle from the late morning, light south-easterly.

The poor weather of today manifested itself in heavy rain in the evening, and predictable flooding appeared on the 18th, see above.

A pair of Stonechats were in the Horse Paddock today with 60 Chaffinches in the Crop Field.  A Kingfisher flew south over Car Park Pool, whilst on the pools the only species making the log were six Pochard and a female Goosander.

16th December 2024

Sunny spells, fresh south-westerly.

A Water Rail showed in the North Causeway bay channels this afternoon and there was just a single male Stonechat on the Flood Plain.  Two Ravens flew over and there were two adult Greater Blacked-backed Gulls on the islands today, with eight Herring and eight Lesser Black-backs, together with a good count of 16 Common Gulls.   A female Goosander and 13 Pochard were also seen.

15th December 2024

Bright, sunny periods, light winds.

Four Goosanders, a Little Egret, the adult Greater Black-backed, 16 Common Gulls, eight Lesser Black-backed and three Herring Gulls were the main birds on or over the pools.  Later on, a pair of Ravens flew over, as did 28 Fieldfare and there were still two Stonechats by the Dragonfly Pond.

Other birds over, or visible on the site, included a Skylark, a Lesser Redpoll and two Siskins.  Few of the latter have been seen so far this winter.

14th December 2024

Sunny, fresh north-westerly.

There were 10 Goosanders briefly on Car Park Pool this morning, having roosted overnight.  A pair of Stonechats were visible on the Dragonfly Pond, and other counts today comprised six Mute Swans, 151 Canadas, 106 Greylags, 19 Shoveler, 55 Gadwall, 281 Wigeon, 21 Mallard, 223 Teal, 10 Pochard, 40 Tufteds, 34 Cormorants, six Little Grebes, a Heron, two Little Egrets, 10 Moorhen, 58 Coot, 131 Lapwing, seven Snipe, 153 Black-headed Gulls, seven Common Gulls, one Herring Gull, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the adult Greater Black-backed.

Around the Back Gate area in the afternoon there were five Redwing and a Nuthatch.

13th December 2024

Still, mostly grey and overcast.

The only birds in the log were a single Greater Black-backed Gull, one Great Crested Grebe and nine Pochard.  One of the colour-ringed Wigeon was also visible.

12th December 2024

Mostly overcast.

There were 28 Goosanders on Car Park Pool at first light, 15 males and 13 females.  300 Starlings departed from the roost, and a Bittern flew across the Reedbed just before 08.00.

11th December 2024

Overcast, light north-easterly.

256 Canadas and 135 Greylags were present on the pools this morning, together with a drake Goosander.  The male Stonechat was present on the Flood Plain fences, with three Siskins over Oak Hide and a Great White Egret along the river.  A Water Rail showed in the North Causeway Bay channels as well.

10th December 2024

Overcast, light north-easterly.  Railway Pool sluice fitted to raise levels.

Winter thrushes have been rather scarce with a quick consumption of the thorn berries this year which were fewer in number because of the wet spring; so nine Redwings and 15 Fieldfares on the Flood Plain was of note.  Also noteworthy was a count of 51 Snipe with three on Car Park Pool, eight in the Marsh and 40 disturbed when the Railway Pool sluice was fitted.

9th December 2024

Bright start and overcast, fresh and strong north-westerly.

There was a drake Goosander and 15 Pochard, together with 51 Cormorants this morning and 21 Shoveler.

8th December 2024

No records.

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.