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
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.
NOTICE OF OVERNIGHT CLOSURES – A452 KENILWORTH ROAD
HS2/BBV are preparing to install a contraflow on the new southbound carriageway of the A452, starting Monday 29 June. There will be overnight closures on:
Monday 18 May 2026 from 8pm to 6am
Saturday 20 June from 6am to 6am Monday 22 June 2026
Friday 26 June from 8pm to 6am Monday 29 June 2026
During the overnight closures work will be undertaken to complete road tie-ins to move traffic onto the realigned road and installing street lighting. A fully signposted diversion route will be in place. If the works are completed early, the road will be reopened when it is safe to do so.
28th May 2026
Sunny and hot with some cloud, southerly.
A Red Kite drifted over this morning, and a Peregrine was also seen. Insects included eight Painted Ladies, a Brimstone and a Red Admiral with moths noted being Silver Y and Yellow Shell.
27th May 2026
Sunny, fresh north-easterly.
Not a great deal of change on the bird front, and there was no sign of the Ringed Plover this morning. There was no sign of any Lapwing chicks on Car Park Pool and the Oystercatchers there seem to have lost one of theirs.
On the insect front, three Emperor Dragonflies were the first of the year, and there was a female Broad-bodied Chaser along the Old Road.
26th May 2026
Sunny, still and hot.
Yesterday’s Ringed Plover remained on site and the two Redshank chicks were still present in the Marsh, but of the three Lapwing chicks on Car Park Pool, only one was visible this morning. There was however a new brood of two on Railway Pool. Other birds of interest included a Treecreeper in the Back Gate Copse, along with a juvenile Robin and Long-tailed Tit.
Two Emperor Dragonflies were new, and there were still four Hairy Dragonflies, a Large Skipper butterfly in the Back Gate Copse, and a single Painted Lady on Railway Pool.
25th May 2026
Sunny, still and hot.
Plenty of young birds about, but how much longer some of the small waders will survive remains to be seen. On that note, the first Redshank brood for some time saw two visible in the Marsh this morning, and the three Lapwing young on Car Park Pool remain. Other broods seen around the Reserve included two Mute Swan broods now, one on each of the pools, two Canada broods, five Greylag broods, a Canada Greylag family of two, nine Mallard broods and of the 11 Oystercatchers on site, seven were adults, two were fledged juveniles and a brood of two chicks still on Car Park Pool.
Other birds making the log today were eight Little Ringed Plovers, 11 Common Terns, a Red Kite, three Teal and a migrant Ringed Plover.
Plenty of insect activity in the warm weather saw three Hairy Dragonflies, 22 Four-spotted Chasers, five Black-tailed Skimmers, five Banded Demoiselles, and four Beautiful Demoiselles, 40 Azure, 15 Common Blue and two Red-eyed Damselflies; butterflies included three Painted Ladies (there has been quite an arrival of these), three Peacocks, three Speckled Woods, a Large White, a Green-veined White, two Orange-tips, five Common Blue, whilst moths included a Mother Shipton, two Silver Y, a Cinnabar and a White Plume.
24th May 2026
Remaining hot.
No records.
23rd May 2026
Sunny, light southerly, hot.
Even more insects today with two Hairy Dragonflies, one on the Reedbed and one on the pond by the Car Park, a male Broad-bodied Chaser and 12 Four-spotted Chasers, whilst damselflies included 13 Beautiful Demoiselles, two Banded Demoiselles, two Large Red, 20 Azure, five Common Blue and three Red-eyed. Butterflies were more diverse than yesterday with a Female Brimstone, seven Common Blues, one Large White, seven Orange-tips, a Small Copper, five Peacocks, three Speckled Woods, three Holly Blues, one Red Admiral and a Comma.
Bird and brood numbers were similar to yesterday, with additional interest on the bird front coming from three late Swifts, a Kingfisher and two Ravens.
22nd May 2026
Sunny, fresh southerly.
The pair of Mute Swans on Car Park Pool have produced four cygnets from their North Causeway Bay nest, and in addition to those, there were two Canada broods, four Greylag broods, 26 Mallard and four broods, 26 Gadwall, 71 Tufted, two Egyptian Geese, three Great Crested Grebes, eight Little Ringed Plovers, eight Oystercatchers with a brood of two, a single Redshank, still two Lapwing broods on Car Park Pool, 12 Common Terns, four Moorhen and three Teal.
Insects included a Hairy Dragonfly on the Reedbed and six Four-spotted Chasers, and damselflies were one Banded Demoiselle, five Beautiful Demoiselles, seven Large Red, two Blue-tailed, 23 Azure, 18 Common Blue and one Red-eyed.
Butterflies included a male Common Blue, one Peacock, six Orange-tip, two Speckled Woods, a Large White, a Small White, three Green-veined Whites and a Holly Blue.
21st May 2026
Overcast, fresh south-westerly.
Late passage today came in the shape of three summer plumage Dunlin on Railway Pool, visible from Oak Hide this morning. A Garden Warbler was again in song on the Causeway, a Red Kite drifted over Patrick Farm, and otherwise there were eight Little Ringed Plovers, two Redshank and the two Oystercatcher chicks with their parents on Car Park Pool.
20th May 2026
Overcast, fresh south-westerly.
Two Canada Goose broods and nine Greylag broods were counted this morning, spread across the pools and onto the Flood Plain, and there were two Mallard broods with a single on Car Park Pool, and nine on Railway. A pair of Egyptian Geese were seen mating and other counts today comprised three Teal, 36 Gadwall, nine Little Ringed Plovers, 10 adult Oystercatchers and a fledged juvenile, plus a new brood of three on Car Park Pool, still two Lapwing broods on Car Park Pool, a pair of Redshank, two Great Crested Grebes, three Little Grebes, 13 Common Terns and a singing Garden Warbler on the Causeway.
19th May 2026
Overcast, drizzle, brightening to sunny spells, fresh south-easterly.
Further broods today comprised at least six Mallard broods, whilst there were two adults and a fledged juvenile Mistle Thrush on the Flood Plain. In the evening six attended the work party and managed to dodge the showers. Most of the effort was concentrated on further tidying up around the Back Gate, mowing the paths and cutting back the hedge to River Hide. Thanks to those that attended. Whilst on site, a Water Rail called from the Reedbed area. Quite a few Sand Martins came in to feed at dusk, and appeared to be birds coming from the east and the general direction of the working quarries. A single Swift also dropped in.
18th May 2026
Sunny spells, showers, cold brisk south-westerly.
Graham is back from his holidays and today’s counts courtesy of him were three Mute Swans, 29 Canadas and three broods, 33 Greylags and six broods, 25 Gadwall, 33 Mallard and two broods, a drake Teal, 48 Tufted, six Cormorants, one Little Grebe, two Great Crested Grebes, a Heron, three Moorhen, eight Coot, 11 Oystercatchers (nine adults and two juveniles on Car Park Pool and a new brood of three on Car Park Pool), nine Little Ringed Plovers, 10 Lapwings and three young on Car Park Pool, a Redshank, 565 Black-headed Gulls, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a pair of Yellow Wagtails from 11.35 to 11.40 before they flew south, 25 Sand Martins, eight House Martins, a Swallow, five Swifts and two Egyptian Geese.
Lady’s Smock – Photograph by Nick Barlow
17th May 2026
Cool, sunny intervals.
No records.
16th May 2026
Sunny initially, but quickly clouding over and periodic light rain, light south-westerly, slightly milder.
Again, there was a light but steady movement of hirundines this morning, with a minimum of 21 House Martins, 20 Sand Martins, four Swallows and eight Swifts through by 11.00. Both Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker were present in the Back Gate Copse and there was a new Garden Warbler in song on the Central Stream and another one in the Back Gate area near Railway Hide.
At least two broods of Mallard were present on Railway Pool (nine and 11 respectively) and a Coot with four well grown young on the Reedbed Pool. There were two Canada broods present and in the slightly warmer weather early on, there was a Painted Lady in the Crop Field and a Holly Blue on the Central Stream.
15th May 2026
Cold north westerly, sunny, showery intervals.
Yesterday’s hirundine movement continued again this morning with, for example, between 08.30 and 08.45, three Swifts, 11 Sand Martins, five House Martins and three Swallows through. Between 18.00 and 19.00 in the evening the counts were 12 House Martins, five Sand Martins, four Swallows and a Swift.
A drake Goosander (which was present yesterday) and a drake Teal, were on Car Park Pool, along with four Little Ringed Plovers, and two juvenile Oystercatchers. Three Lapwing chicks were still present from Car Park Pool, and a Green Woodpecker was actively calling around the Car Park and along the Old Road.
Later in the morning there were nine Little Ringed Plovers, and a family party of two adults and six juvenile Long-tailed Tits by the Car Park gates. There was also a new Whitethroat singing opposite the Car Park gates.
Common Tern – Photograph by Steve Pattison
14th May 2026
Sunny intervals, occasional showers, cool north westerly.
There was a movement of hirundines through the Reserve this morning, which probably continued for much of the day. At least 25 House Martins, 10 Sand Martins, two Swallows and seven Swifts went through between 10.00 and 11.00.
Two Redshanks were feeding on the scrapes in Lower Siden Hill Wood and there was a Nuthatch calling from the hedgelines north of the wood.
There are at least five Common Tern nests now on Car Park Pool.
13th May 2026
Dry start, periodic heavy showers, sunny intervals, cool north-westerly.
There was a steady passage of hirundines and Swifts today, though it was quite difficult to tell how many were moving through, and how many were circulating around the Reserve. Probably 25 House Martins, three to five Swallows, 10 – 15 Sand Martins, and at least eight Swifts went through in the morning.
It is proving quite difficult to keep a tally on the Lapwing chicks. There were two still in the Marsh, at least one slightly older one on Car Park Pool, along with two new ones. There was no sign of the Oystercatcher chicks on Railway Pool, but there are still two on Car Park Pool.
12th May 2026
Sun and showers, cool north westerly.
A trickle of further hirundines and Swifts went through the day, with four Sand Martins, nine House Martins, a Swallow and at least 15 Swifts.
Despite the cool weather, a Painted Lady was seen along with Holly Blue, Orange-tips, Green-veined White and Peacock.
Other birds making the log were two Common Sandpipers and three Redshank, with a vocal Green Woodpecker present along the Old Road area. At least two Garden Warblers were also heard.
11th May 2026
Cool, strong northerly breeze, showery with occasional sunny intervals.
After yesterday’s brief Greenshank, a further two appeared today, moulting into summer plumage, and were present for much of the day. In addition, there was a passage of hirundines, with about 30 Swallows, five Sand Martins, three House Martins and five Swifts. A Lesser Whitethroat was heard singing around the Car Park.
10th May 2026
Sunny periods, cold north-easterly wind.
A Greenshank was a very brief visitor to Railway Pool this morning but quickly moved on. There were at least three Common Sandpipers, seven Little Ringed Plovers and the two Mediterranean Gulls, whilst a Hobby was seen in flight over Siden Hill Wood.
Three Swifts went through early on, with another 12 in the period between 13.00 – 13.30. There were also two Swallows and a Sand Martin.
Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Garden Warbler were all in song around the Car Park area, with two further Willow Warblers as usual, one on the Causeway and one on the Central Stream. A second Garden Warbler was singing from the Cottages.
9th May 2026
Mostly sunny, light south-easterly.
A Lesser Whitethroat sang from the Railway Embankment end of the Back Gate Copse this morning and there were still three Willow Warblers holding territory, one by the Car Park, one along the Causeway and one along the Central Stream. There are probably five Cetti’s Warblers as well. Garden Warblers have been heard from the Car Park area and by the Cottages, with occasional song from one near Oak Hide.
Other counts today included 13 Common Terns with at least three birds sitting, 10 Little Ringed Plovers, two Common Sandpipers, two families of Lapwing chicks, two in the Marsh and two on Car Park Pool.
Unfortunately, the Oystercatchers around the Orchid Field seem to have dropped to one, but there are still two Oystercatcher chicks on the shoreline below Car Park Pool.
Other counts today included a noticeable jump in Tufted Ducks to 61, 20 Gadwall, five Cormorants, three Little Egrets, two Mediterranean Gulls, two Great Crested Grebes and two Egyptian Geese.
Dragonflies and Damselflies on the wing included two Hairy Dragonflies (one in the Reedbed area and one in the North Causeway Bay channels), two Beautiful Demoiselles, also on the Causeway, a Banded Demoiselle along the Concrete Road, various Blue-tailed Damselflies, and one Large Red Damselfly around the pond near the Car Park. Lastly, there were three Holly Blues seen across the Reserve.
Holly Blue – Photograph by Paul Casey
8th May 2026
Light south-easterly, sunny periods.
Both of the Mediterranean Gulls were visitors to Railway Pool this morning. A Red Kite drifted over and waders included six Little Ringed Plovers, two Redshanks and a Common Sandpiper. A Raven flew over during the morning and there were two Egyptian Geese moving between the Flood Plain and the pools.
7th May 2026
Light cloud, sunny intervals. Light south easterly.
Initially the only entries in the logbook were of a Whimbrel, which made a brief visit to Car Park Pool late morning, and a Common Sandpiper which was in the same area mid-afternoon. Subsequently, both the second-summer and first-summer Mediterranean Gulls reappeared on Railway Pool where a Muntjac was also seen. A Kingfisher put in a brief appearance on Car Park Pool and a Comma butterfly was also recorded.
6th May 2026
Light cloud, some sunny intervals. Light north easterly.
No records.
5th May 2026
Light cloud, overcast, occasional sunny intervals. Light northerly.
A comprehensive count across the Reserve by Graham Rowling and Glen Giles produced the following:
Two Egyptian Geese, two Shelduck, Shoveler (male), Teal (male), Goosander (male and female), four Greylag broods (Car Park Pool: seven and five; Railway Pool: five and four), 16 Mallard + two broods (Railway Pool: six and one), 22 Gadwall, one Coot brood (Reedbed: two), one Moorhen brood (North Causeway Bay: one), two Mediterranean Gulls (2S+1S), eight Little Ringed Plovers, two Redshank, eight Oystercatchers + one brood (Car Park Pool: two), two Lapwing broods (Marsh: one; Car Park Pool: four), 12 Common Terns, two Grey Herons, Little Egret, Peregrine and a male Muntjac along the Old Road.
Butterflies and Odonata were: Common Blue Damselfly, four Azure Damselflies, three Blue–tailed Damselflies, six Large Red Damselflies, Painted Lady (Car Park), Red Admiral (Old Road), Peacock, three Speckled Wood, six Orange–tip and two Green–veined White.
Additional logbook entries from later in the day included: two Mute Swans, six Canada Geese, 15 Tufted Ducks, six Cormorants, four Lesser Black–backed Gulls and a Little Grebe. Warblers were well-represented with two Blackcaps, two Willow Warblers, three Cetti’s, at least one Reed Warbler and six Sedge Warblers, with half a dozen Reed Buntings also noted. Butterfly numbers had increased slightly into the afternoon: Painted Lady were up to three with two each of Peacock and Red Admiral.
4th May 2026
Mainly overcast but with sunny spells from late afternoon; light north easterly
A count across the pools yielded:
Six Mute Swans, four Greylag Geese broods (inc. a five and a four on Railway Pool), two Shoveler (male), Teal (male), two Great Crested Grebes, a Moorhen brood (one in North Causeway Bay), 10 Oystercatchers + two broods (three in the Orchid Field; two on Car Park Pool), 14 Lapwings + two broods (one in the Marsh; three on Car Park Pool), seven Little Ringed Plovers, three Redshank, 12 Common Terns and the second-summer Mediterranean Gull.
3rd May 2026
Overcast start with sunny spells later. Light westerly.
The Egyptian Geese count was up to four, with one of these perched in an oak tree along the Central Streamline, and there was also a partially leucistic individual in the group. Other records from the pools included nine Little Ringed Plovers, three Common Sandpipers, Dunlin, the second-summer Mediterranean Gull and 13 Common Terns. Log entries from elsewhere were Red Kite over, Kingfisher in the Reedbed, Garden Warbler by the Car Park Gates and Bullfinch by the Back Gate.
Lastly, yesterday’s mammal theme was continued with the sighting of a Roebuck in the Orchid Field.
Roebuck – Photograph by Paul Casey
2nd May 2026
Bright, sunny and warm. Light south westerly
A compilation of the usual Saturday count (Graham Rowling, Dave Scanlan et al) and other logbook entries as follows:
Five Mute Swans, 28 Canada Geese, 42 Greylag Geese + one brood (six on Railway Pool), three Egyptian Geese, two Shelduck, 18 Gadwall, 13 Mallard + one brood (one on Car Park Pool), one Teal (male), 49 Tufted Duck, male Goosander, four Cormorants, two Little Grebes, two Great Crested Grebes, two Grey Herons, two Moorhens, 15 Coot, five Oystercatchers + two broods (three on Railway Pool; two on Car Park Pool), 14 Lapwings + two broods (two in the Marsh; four on Car Park Pool), six Little Ringed Plovers, Ringed Plover, Redshank and 13 Common Terns.
Gulls were 1180 Black–headed, two Lesser Black–backed and the second-summer Mediterranean. Other records were Hobby, 13 Sand Martins, two Cetti’s Warblers, Sedge Warbler in the North Causeway Bay and Willow Warbler along the north side of the Causeway.
Butterfly records were: 11 Orange–tip, three Green–veined White, Peacock, two Speckled Wood, three Holly Blue, female Brimstone and four Painted Lady. Odonata were Hairy Hawker (small pond by Car Park), 10 Large Red Damselflies, Azure Damselfly and Blue–tailed Damselfly.
Finally, a Bank Vole was seen by the south west pond.
1st May 2026
Bright, sunny and warm; clouded over from mid-afternoon. Light southerly.
With the good weather continuing, a Hobby again put in an appearance. Other log entries included the second-summer Mediterranean Gull, 12 Common Terns, six Little Ringed Plovers, 12 Common Terns, a single Redshank, two Egyptian Geese and three Goosanders (2 male and a female). Two Garden Warblers were present as was a Lesser Whitethroat, the latter in the Crop Field Oaks.