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.
Link to West Midland Bird Ringing Group: https://www.westmidlandsringinggroup.co.uk/
WORK PARTY DATES 2026
Saturday 31 January – 2.00pm
Saturday 21 February – 2.00pm
Saturday 21 March – 2.00pm
Tuesday 21 April – 6.00pm
Tuesday 19 May – 6.00pm
Tuesday 16 June – 6.00pm
MARSH LANE TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS
Starting from March/April 2026, and lasting about 9 months, there will be amended traffic arrangements on the A452/Kenilworth Road. These relate to the alterations that are taking place whereby the dual carriageway will rise over the forthcoming (God only knows when!) HS2 and a new junction with Marsh Lane is being formed. Use of the new section will commence shortly.
At that junction, a roundabout is due to be constructed and, in due course, Marsh Lane will be accessed off that roundabout. In the meantime, some lane closures will take place, but Marsh Lane and the Lorry Park will always be accessible. Signposting will hopefully mention the Nature Reserve but if not follow the signs for the Lorry Park.
HS2 WORKS – A452 KENILWORTH ROAD
Please note there will be a temporary closure of lane one on the northbound carriageway of the A452 between the Bradnock’s Marsh roundabout and the Meriden roundabout. The closure will start on Monday 26 January 2026 until Friday 20 February 2026 to enable utility works to be undertaken on the verge.
20th January 2026
Sunny spells, blustery southerly.
At least two, possibly even three, Bitterns were seen on the Reedbed early morning, when 17 Goosanders were seen on Car Park Pool before departing.
There were 446 Greylags, 19 Tufteds, 53 Cormorants and three Pochard on the pools, and there was a steady turnover of gulls all morning, with at least 10 Herring Gulls, 15 Lesser Black-backed and six Common Gulls.
Fifty Redwing and 10 Fieldfares were spread around the Reserve, concentrating on the Flood Plain, and a pair of Mistle Thrushes flew from the Tip Field towards Berkswell. A Skylark went over to the south-west, and there were vocal House Sparrows in the thicker vegetation around the Car Park feeders, with at least five birds present.
19th January 2026
Overcast, drizzle, remaining still.
At least one Bittern was present in the Reedbed this morning, and 21 Snipe were counted around the Reserve, with most of them in the Marsh.
A juvenile female Peregrine was perched in the front of Siden Hill Wood and, particularly now that the leaves are off the trees, that is always a good place to scan.
Seventeen Siskins were feeding in the Alders along the Central Stream, where there was also a Treecreeper.
The Lapwing numbers had increased to 248, and seven Herring Gulls and 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were washing and preening on the pools.
18th January 2026
No records.
17th January 2026
Sunny spells, no wind, still flooding at Patrick Bridge.
The full count of birds today by Dave and Graham is listed below, with initial highlights as follows:
A male Blackcap was seen in the hedge at the north end of the Orchid Field before flying towards the Lorry Park, presumably an over-wintering bird. Meanwhile, a male and female Stonechat were present around the Dragonfly Pond, with the male being the ringed black XB bird. Three Siskins were feeding in the Alders along the Concrete Road, and there was a Green Sandpiper on the flash at Patrick Farm, with other counts as follows:
One Mute Swan, 54 Canadas, a Canada/Greylag hybrid, 58 Greylags, 12 Shoveler, 15 Gadwall, 359 Wigeon, 14 Mallard, 148 Teal, four Pochard, 12 Tufteds, 37 Cormorants, one Heron, one Little Egret, one Little Grebe, 30 Coot, two Moorhen, a Water Rail in the North Causeway Bay, 177 Lapwing, four Snipe, 201 Black-headed Gulls, four Common Gulls, seven Lesser Black-backed Gulls and six Herring Gulls.
16th January 2026
Sunny spells, light southerly, flooding at the River Blythe.
There were again two Bitterns seen in the Reedbed, whilst the male Stonechat with the black XB ring on it was on the Flood Plain on one of the HS2 fences. Fifty Fieldfares and 30 Redwings were seen around the Reserve, a Raven flew over, there was a Lesser Redpoll in the Back Gate Copse and four Pochard.
15th January 2026
Cloudy with rain for much of the day, including heavy periods in the afternoon, light south-easterly.
There were several sightings of Bittern today, starting in the early morning, and with at least two different birds seen. Twenty-four Goosanders on Car Park Pool at dawn included 16 females and eight males.
14th January 2026
Heavy frost overnight. Dry with light cloud and occasional sunny intervals. Light south easterly
The ice on the pools has thinned after the recent milder conditions but Car Park Pool was still about 75% covered with Railway Pool around 90%.
The flock of Linnets in the Crop Field was still present but down to ten. Around 180 Redwing were recorded, most flying south, with 25 Fieldfares still around. Other sightings included Peregrine, Raven, Treecreeper (Back Gate Copse) and Kestrel (Patrick Farm).
Later in the day, a walk all the way around yielded a Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Jay in Siden Hill Wood, a Grey Wagtail on the manure heap on the Flood Plain, five Siskins, five Redpolls and 10 Goldfinches (minimum counts) in the streamside Alders, at least 150 Lapwings, two Common Gulls, 50 Black-headed Gulls and 15 mixed Blue and Great Tits on the feeders with two Reed Buntings and two Chaffinches.
13th January 2026
Overcast with occasional light rain and some heavy showers. Mild, light north westerly.
Records in the log from around the site were as follows:
Reedbed: two Bitterns, seen first at around 07.50, Water Rail, two Cetti’s Warblers and a party of 10 Long–tailed Tits.
Railway Pool: 120 Teal, 20 Wigeon, six Shoveler, two Mallard, six Tufted Ducks (four male and two female), four Gadwall (two male and two female), a male Pochard, Common Snipe, Little Grebe, six Coots, two Moorhen and around 100 Starlings. Lapwing numbers were later up to 327, an impressive count by recent standards and, from a quick check of the records, probably the highest since Feb 2019.
Car Park Pool: Twenty Cormorants, up to 80 Wigeon, 10 Mallard (six male and four female), 20 Canada Geese, six Tufted Ducks, 20 Black–headed Gulls and two Herring Gulls. A Green Woodpecker was also noted.
Car Park feeders: Great Spotted Woodpecker, four Reed Buntings (two male and two female), six Greenfinches (four male and two female), a pair of Chaffinches, six Blue Tits and two Great Tits.
Elsewhere were up to 90 Redwings and 30 Fieldfares, a female Stonechat by the Dragonfly Pool, a flock of 23 Linnets in the Crop Field and both Green Sandpiper and two Mistle Thrushes at the flash by Patrick Farm.
12th January 2026
Light cloud, occasional sunny spells, some light rain. Very mild (up to 10 degC) with a light south westerly. Most of the lying snow thawed overnight.
First thing there were 22 Goosanders (10 male and 12 female) which had presumably roosted on Car Park Pool overnight.
Later on, the pools held nine Shelduck, seven Tufted Ducks (6M+1F), a male Pochard, 252 Lapwings and eight Common Snipe. Further sightings were both Bittern and Water Rail on Reedbed Pool, five Lesser Redpolls and three Siskin in the Back Gate Copse, a single Skylark east over the Tip Field and, in terms of winter thrushes, 70 Redwings and 60 Fieldfares.
The Lapwing record continues the recent run of counts above 200 and the Shelduck count of nine is a new January record for the site (previously five), only just behind the overall site record of 10 which was set in June 2015.
11th January 2026
Generally overcast with some light rain. Became much milder during the day with a thaw setting in. Fresh south easterly.
Log entries from Sunday morning included 45 Shoveler, 210 Lapwing, 16 Gadwall as well as three Common Gulls, three Herring Gulls and the adult Great Black–backed. Up to 50 Redwing flew out from the Central Streamline and around 20 Fieldfares were also noted.
10th January 2026
Hard frost overnight, very cold, dry and sunny. Lying snow with little or no thaw. Light northerly.
The count on a very cold Saturday produced the following:
On the pools: three Mute Swans, 201 Canada Geese, 159 Greylag Geese, two Canada x Greylag hybrids, three Shelduck, 54 Shoveler, 14 Gadwall, 276 Wigeon, 74 Mallard, 43 Teal, five Tufted Duck (three male and two female), four Cormorants, two Grey Herons, Little Egret, five Goosanders (two male and three female), 41 Coot, 234 Lapwing, 16 Common Snipe, 154 Black–headed Gulls, a single Common Gull and three Lesser Black–backed Gulls.
Records from the rest of the site were 10 male House Sparrows (Car Park area), 50 Fieldfares and 20 Redwing.
9th January 2026
Heavy snow overnight (Storm Goretti). Light cloud but dry with slight thaw. Light north westerly. Pools approx. 80% iced over and Reedbed 100%. Flooding at Patrick Bridge.
Both Bittern and Water Rail were noted in the frozen Reedbed with four Tufted Duck (two male and two female), male Goosander and the adult Great Black–backed Gull on the main pools. Other sightings included Green Sandpiper (over Patrick Farm), Red Kite, nine House Sparrows (eight male and one female) frequenting the Car Park feeders and, at the junction of the Old Road and the Concrete Road, 17 Goldfinches, four Siskins and a Lesser Redpoll.
8th January 2026
Misty and very dull all day. Light drizzle turning to heavy rain p.m. Moderate easterly.
Whether there are still two Bitterns on site is unclear given their generally secretive behaviour, but one gave good views on the Reedbed Pool. Starting on the right, viewed from the hide, it walked across the ice to the other side and spent about an hour along the edge of the reeds before flying back.
The only other record making the logbook in the miserable conditions was of five Goosanders (three male and two female) on Car Park Pool.
Bittern on Reedbed Pool – Photograph by John Hunt
7th January 2026
Icy start, cold with sunny spells, becoming overcast, some light drizzle. Pools still c90% iced over. Moderate north westerly.
Redwing and Fieldfare numbers were up on yesterday, with 70 and 90 respectively. The Reedbed produced both Kingfisher and Water Rail while the Car Park feeders continue to attract House Sparrows, with three males and a female present.
The pools held 50 Gadwall, four Tufted Ducks (two male and two female) and five Goosanders (two male and three female). Gulls included five Lesser Black–backed, eight Herring and two Common.
With the pools largely frozen over, the trail camera along the Central Stream (aka RockCam) has seen an increase in activity, with visits from: Chaffinch, Wren, Redwing, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Little Egret, Wood Pigeon, Moorhen, Magpie, Lesser Redpoll, Otter, Muntjac and Rat. All of these have been captured on camera previously at this location, with the exception of Lesser Redpoll which is a new record.
6th January 2026
Frost and light snow overnight. Cold, dry & sunny, slight thaw during the day. Light north westerly
No records.
5th January 2026
Hard frost & light snow overnight. Very cold (-4.5degC at 09.00), dry and sunny, no thaw. Pools c90% iced over. Light north westerly.
Early entries in the log were 16 Goosanders (eight male and eight female) on Car Park Pool and a Peregrine. Later reports included 58 Shoveler, 30 Gadwall, a solitary male Tufted Duck, 160 Lapwings and four Little Grebes on the pools. Elsewhere were three male House Sparrows around the Car Park, two Ring–necked Parakeets over Siden Hill Wood and a total of 20 Redwings and 40 Fieldfares.
4th January 2026
Hard frost overnight. Cold, dry and sunny. No appreciable thaw. Light north westerly
No records.
3rd January 2026
Frost overnight. Cold, dry and sunny. No significant thaw. Light north westerly.
Railway Pool c70% ice; Reedbed Pool 100% ice; Car Park Pool c5% ice
The first Saturday count of 2026 was as follows:
On the pools: five Mute Swans, 242 Canada Geese, 54 Greylag Geese, two Canada x Greylag hybrids, 20 Shoveler, 15 Gadwall, 301 Wigeon, 35 Mallard, 376 Teal, male Pochard, male Tufted Duck, 50 Cormorants, three Little Grebes, Grey Heron, Little Egret, 12 Goosanders (4M+8F), four Moorhens, 30 Coot, 151 Lapwing, two Common Snipe, 78 Black–headed Gulls, two Common Gulls, Herring Gull, nine Lesser Black–backed Gulls and the adult Great Black-backed Gull.
Records from the rest of the site were a Red Kite, nine House Sparrows (Car Park area – eight male and one female), 42 Fieldfare, 70 Redwing and both Nuthatch and male Siskin in the Back Gate Copse.
During the afternoon, three attended the work party – many thanks to them for turning out on a bitterly cold day. Over 100 alder saplings were removed from the west side of Reedbed Pool as part of a continuing drive to try and stop encroachment into the Reedbed itself.
Removing the Alders – Photograph by John Woodward
2nd January 2026
Frost and some light snow overnight. Cold, dry and sunny. No significant thaw. Light north westerly.
The area around the flash to the north of Patrick Farm seems to have become a favoured area for Mistle Thrush of late and three were seen there. Other sightings of note included Water Rail (Reedbed), juvenile female Peregrine and three male House Sparrows at the Car Park feeders.
1st January 2026
Bright spells a.m. then becoming overcast. Occasional showers. Light north westerly.
The first records of the New Year were 22 Goosanders ((12 male and 10 female) which had roosted on Car Park Pool overnight and a Bittern (there are thought to be two on site currently) put in an early appearance on Reedbed Pool.
Later during the morning, a Bittern was again seen on Reedbed Pool and other sightings included 186 Lapwings, Red Kite over the Railway and Siden Hill Wood, two Mistle Thrushes in the field north of Patrick Bridge, Grey Wagtail by the manure heap along the Old Road and three Ravens: two over Siden Hill Wood and one over the north end of the Old Road. Gulls included five Herring (four over and one on Car Park Pool), two Common and the adult Great Black-backed.