Spennells and Hurcott

Sunday morning and although not raining the weather wasn't too bad, Captain's Pool was quiet again, had a nose round the fields but only seeing the usual suspects, quite a few twitchers about though, they all seem to have one thing in common, they're looking for corn buntings.

I did see a couple of stonechats in the dead man's allotment with a thrush looking over them.

A walk up to the college and then around the cornfields revealed nothing unusual so I wandered down to Brett's stump, I have found out what's been eating the peanuts, pigeons! Haven't seen the jays lately.

And so I went home for coffee.

Lunch time saw some really dark clouds passing over and with the sun shining as well it made for some lovely lighting so I decided to pop down Hurcott for a change, of course not long after I arrived the light went flat, I did manage a couple of photos before I trotted off home.

Sadly it's going to be a few days before I get out around the fields again, somehow managed to get a trapped nerve in my neck.

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Cannock Chase

With a good day's weather being forecast for today Brett and myself headed up to Cannock Chase, were there by 8am, apart from a couple of dog walkers we were the only ones there, not surprising though as contrary to the forecast it was quite dull, there was some blue sky at first but that soon clouded over.

 About 15 mins after the above photo I took this one, as you can see the blue sky had gone somewhere else.

Did see a few deer not long after entering the Chase but they had gone by the time we parked up.

We found a good spot and set up cameras and just hoped for some decent light, as we wanted to try and get bird in flight shots we needed some good lighting, unfortunately that didn't arrive till lunch time.

All we could do really was take some bird portrait shots, but hey ho a couple came along and parked next to us and promptly threw a couple of ton of seed and bread all over the floor, so that was that for a while, it went dead, finally they drove away after an hour, we did manage to clear most of it up and put the seed where we wanted it.

Slowly the light got better and the birds started to arrive, not the perfect light but we did manage to get a few respectable photographs.

Here are a few that I have processed so far.

The top photo is quite interesting, a tree creeper and it is sat on a log which was lay on the floor, usually find these birds running up the side of tree trunks.

Well the light started getting better and as it did three more cars arrived, all three put cartons of bird seed on the car bonnets and the birds quickly went over to them for there free and plentiful supply.

On way out of the Chase we were luckily enough to see a few deer and managed to get this image of a buck, had to turn the background into black and white as it merged too well and not easy to see.

All in all it was a pleasant day and looking forward to visiting again at some point.

Stormy day

I should have named this blog 'The art of getting wet', because for sure I am an expert at getting soaked.

The day started with taking the wife shopping and then I managed an hour or so before lunch, a stroll along the Cloisters revealed not a lot so a stroll up to Edna's Tomb and it was the usual activity, lots of tits, dunnocks, robin, fieldfare and a few redwings.

I did see four people this morning who said they had seen a corn bunting and a merlin!

I saw the stonechats in the dead man's allotment, wonder where they have been the past few days.

Reports that 25 bramblings were spotted yesterday, but I didn't see them today.

No photos from this morning though, back home for lunch and promptly back out again as the sun was shining as I wanted to try out my new carbon fibre monopod.

 The weather starting to look a little dodgy.

Great tit with a nut.

Robin giving me the eye.

Female Chaffinch.

Was walking along Stonechats Lane when it started to spit with rain, I did stay out far too long, but I was living in hope of spotting the merlin which is the UK's smallest raptor, but it wasn't to be.

Rain started to come down quite heavily so it was a quick march toward home, I did spot a different bird up Christmas Lane and after checking my book it could possibly have been a corn bunting.

By the time I got home I was soaked through to the skin.

The one below I took on the way back from Stourbridge yesterday afternoon, it made the BBC weather.

Skylarks and some moss

Well at least we had a dry day and a couple of nice sunny spells, sods law though a week off work and the weather goes poor, just like last time.

I started off with a walk down by the stream near the playing fields, hoping to see a kingfisher, but didn't see one, walked down the one side of the stream and back the other side along the walkways, no sign either along Spennells Valley Road, I have seen the kingfishers here before but always on the wing.

Only had the small Olympus 4/3 camera with me as I so wanted to try it out, will take some getting used to with it being so small, poor lighting, but think it will be okay.

Bit mucky over the fields as you can see here at the three pools.

A stroll over the road to the golf course, surprised to see them playing as the ground was so soft and mucky, best part of this walk was finding some nice mossy branches.

A walk to Captains and that was quiet, I put some nuts down in the Cloisters and the jays were there in minutes, shame that the light had gone dull.

A stroll then along the cloisters and the Captain's stubble field, lots of small birds around, chaffinches and goldfinches mainly, then all of a sudden the small birds flew off in a hurry and as I looked up I saw three skylarks hovering above the field.

Thanks Jason for the ID.

 Back down the carrot field and home for lunch.

Spotted several Long Tail Tits on the walk home, love these birds.

Not very bright after lunch but I decided on another walkabout, put some more nuts in the Cloister's and then up to Edna's Tomb, put a little bit of seed down and had a walk around the corn fields, on then to Stonechats Lane, no sign of the chats in the dead man's allotment, spent a while there but no movement, back down the lane and there were plenty of redwings and fieldfare around.

 With the light so dull I decided to try out one of the mossy branches from the golf course, look forward to trying on a better day.

With the sun vanishing and starting to feel colder I decided to call it a day, had to take a shot of the suns rays, pity I hadn't got the smaller camera with me, all I had was the big lens and I forgot to drop the ISO down.

This view looking toward the Abberley Hills is my favourite view around the fields.

Good news is that the food I put down yesterday had all been taken.

Spooky chill in the snow

What a horrible morning to wake up to, choices, work on clearing up the garage or go walkies, the latter won, it was raining when I left home but soon turned to snow, thought it was going to stop but it didn't, blimey it was cold.

I had a few ideas hence why I wanted to get out, a walk around the carrot field only to find it so quiet, got a few places in mind that I wanted to drop some food, had the bridge camera in my bag but wasn't expecting to use it.

A walk up past Edna's tomb and then down to Stonechats lane, snow slowly sticking on the tarmac and my feet were getting colder, had a quick look round the dead man's allotment and found that to be extremely quiet, hardly surprising, hardly anyone about at all let alone any birds.

So off home it was for a late breakfast, then trip to Redditch to pick up my latest camera purchase, don't tell the wife!

Nice and cosy at home and spent the afternoon watching the snooker, was dark when the afternoon interval came along, but undeterred I went out again, wanted to see if any of the seed I had left had been taken, hard to tell with the torch, but I dropped some more to be on the safe side.

Didn't feel as cold as this morning, but felt chilly walking along the Grey Lady's Cloisters, kept getting the feeling that someone was watching me while walking back along there, I certainly quickened my step, now while I don't believe in ghosts I did not feel comfortable at all. 

. I nearly fell over when climbing back through the hedge, I certainly got the feeling someone was walking behind me.

I must get some new batteries for the torch, it started flickering a bit by the time I was down by the pool.

Grey Lady, utter nonsense, but roll on the spring, I don't like these cold dark nights.

I was told by an elderly gentleman ages ago about the grey lady who walks along here at night, hmmm, whatever I thought

Sunny but cold.

Jan 19th

Never had chance to post yesterday, was a bright day and managed a couple of walkabouts, Captain's was very quiet, hardly surprising as it was froze over, had a nose along the Grey Lady's Cloisters, few small birds about including a wren, goldcrests and a greater spotted woodpecker making hell of a racket at the top of one of the alders, too high for a decent photo, but still good to see.

I moved on up to Edna's Tomb, again lots of small birds, redwings and fieldfare were in abundance, interesting to see that someone else had been using our feeding station.
A stroll along the Vixen's Run proved very quiet apart from a small flock of goldfinches.

A walk around the fields proved very quiet and so down into Stonechats Lane, very quiet at first due to the male kestrel being very active, here he is at rest.

I proceeded to walk the full length of the lane, spoke to many bird watchers and photographers along the way, the majority were looking for corn buntings, one person said he had seen three, I doubt this very much as everyone else said they hadn't seen them. I did see some linnetts, chaffinch, redwings, fieldfare, couple bramblings, couple buzzards, the friendly robin was hovering around as usual.

The stonechats were still in the dead man's allotment and again got a few photos, just love standing there and watching them dart everywhere, very quick birds, below are a few shots, spent a couple of hours watching these, but time to move on from the stonechats now and find something else to focus my attention on.

Kestrel time

Yet again a quick hour after work, so concentrated down Stonechats Lane, got camera out of the car and walked up to the Dead Man's allotment, blow me if it didn't rain whilst the sun was shining so strong, managed a rainbow shot though, good job I had the bridge camera in me bag.

You may wonder what's in the bag, officially it's top secret but as you are all friends I can tell you some of it's contents, canon sx50 bridge camera, mixed bird seed, sunflower hearts, peanut butter, peanuts, spare batteries for cameras, cable releases, 20p as it fits the screw on the tripod head and of course a spare lighter for me smokes.

But please don't tell anyone what's in the bag, actually it is getting a little heavy to carry around, so currently looking for a smaller camera to replace the bridge, I love my landscapes and never know what may present itself, wife doesn't understand why I need another camera, come on it's a man thing!

Looking down Stonechats Lane, this one made the BBC Midlands weather tonight.

Only there a few minutes and then the kestrel appeared and this caused the birds to disappear.

Shame it was too far away while hovering as it would have made a cracking shot.

And below is my best one of the day, blimey this would have been painful if she had landed a couple of mm either way.

Till the next time.

Couple very small walkabouts today, always tough to get out much early part of the week due to work, really bright sunshine this morning but managed a walk along Stonechats Lane, down by Devil's Gate it was very hectic with small birds, mainly chaffinches but wouldn't come near enough for me to even try and identify any of them.

Walking along the lane I saw lots of great tits and long tailed tits, as I hadn't got long I popped to the dead man's allotment, first this I saw was a kestrel flying over the far field, so a little quiet for a few minutes, then a goldfinch landed on the grasses.

 The stonechats were quite active but so was the sun so no decent shots, but managed a few half decent shots over the past 10 days or so, although I will still visit the allotment now and then I want to start walking more of the Spennells area in the hope of seeing a rare migrant before the winter is over.

That was that, trip now to Stourbridge to fetch Rosie from Kindy.

On return home I was granted permission to have a quick walk so popped up to Captain's Pool, saw Great Crested Grebe touring the margins.

A nose up the lane revealed standard small birds, looking over to the Grey Lady's Cloisters I saw 2 green woodpeckers and a fieldfare on the ground, a greater spotted woodpecker was in the tree by the pool. Then had a nose round the nature reserve, 2 bramblings, treecreeper, couple wrens, nuthatch and couple goldcrests, something large flew out the far end which I presume was a buzzard.

Here's hoping the next 10 days will be productive as I shall be on a break.

Another cold and dull day.

Well what a cold and dull day, I started out around 8.30ish, had a look at Captains Pool, loads of gulls, ducks and geese, one at the far end was this male gooseander was a long way out so quality not the best.

I walked up the lane to Edna's Tomb, a few birds in the area, goldfinches, couple fieldfare and other small birds.

Then a stroll along Stonechats Lane revealed not much at all, lot's of goldfinches in the dead man's allotment.

Couple stonechats in the distance, a wren in the vicinity and also a raptor flew past, probably a buzzard but it did seem very small to be one of those.

From there I walked up the carrot field, usually lots about round there, but today unusually quiet, walked down to the swamp and made my way back home through the Grey Lady's Cloisters, another quick look at the pool, but still quiet there, a canadian goose having a clean, so it was time for coffee and lunch.

The weather was still dull after lunch so I just had 90 minutes or so at the Dead Man's allotment, the stonechats were showing but they didn't come that close and the light being so poor meant no quality images, this was my favourite from the day.