Sometimes you see birds in places you just would not expect - big female Goshawk flying over Walsall ring road at the jnc of A34 just after midday heading towards the town centre! (delicious feral pigeon for lunch perhaps?)

7 inches of snow has not dampened the ardour of the local tawny's they're dueting their heads off already this evening

11 herons and the little egret slugging it out on the ice at Chasewater Swag. Only coots and mallards left on the dwindling small area of ice free water quite a few gulls loafing on the ice but nothing unusual

The coots and wigeon doing a good job of keeping a small area of Chasewater Swag clear of ice this afternoon

12 heron and 1 little egret on an ice bound Chasewater Swag this afternoon

Chasewater Swag 98% frozen but a decent selection Inc coot moorhen wigeon tufted duck mallard gadwell goosander pochard teal black headed, herring, lesser black backed & great black backed gulls herons cormorant a little egret and best 7 common snipe on the ice/shoreline

Popped up to Blithfield for the Red Throated Diver albeit a bit distant but a nice year tick, my first one in the UK since 2018 apart from a breeding pair on a nest in Svalbard in 2022. Also year ticked the Scaup

Red Crested Pochard pair still on Chasewater Swag this lunchtime

Red Crested Pochard pair still on Chasewater Swag at midday, no sign of the tufted/ferruginous hybrid

Found this Tufted/Ferruginous hybrid (happy to be corrected if I'm wrong) hiding under the trees on Chasewater Swag this midday

Pair of Red Crested Pochards on Chasewater Swag midday

Just been out delivering Xmas cards to the neighbours, heard at least 2 dozen tsseep's going over in about 5 or 6 minutes on an easterly wind must hundreds going over

@bbs-birds.bsky.social Dec winter bird survey done this morning and apart from the ducks & geese on the quarry pools it was pretty bleak not a single linnet, yellowhammer or skylark to be seen, the only highlight a lone female Stonechat

Really quiet at Belvide yesterday (30/11/25) so took a little time to photograph the common stuff below

Stock dove at Belvide yesterday

Belvide yesterday

Belvide yesterday

Nice couple of tits at Belvide yesterday

Belvide yesterday

Little brown jobs at Belvide yesterday

Hi @westmidlandsrg.bsky.social is this one of your ringed stonechats photographed (by someone else) at Norton Bog, Chasewater today (ringed position)

Spent an hour freezing my nuts off on the causeway at Blithfield this morning looking for the GN Diver reported last weekend with no luck, popped into Chasewater Swag on the way home watching the Little Grebes fishing

Nice to see 3 red kites thermaling over Norton Bog/ Chasewater Heath just before midday

A few of the dozen+ meadow pipits from the Hawkshutts hide at Belvide mid morning

Cracking views of this male bullfinch from the Gazebo hide at Belvide this morning, one of 3 pairs between the Hawkshutts and Gazebo hides

At least 50 goosander on Chasewater Swag this pm the highest since Jan 2011 along with 150ish tufties a lone drake Pochard with 60 or so wigeon, a few teal and shoveller, cormorants and a kingfisher

Went back for seconds with the Red Crested Pochards on Chasewater Swag this afternoon, they were a bit closer today

Incredible morning on my Winter Bird Survey @bbs-birds.bsky.social it's a 50/50 mix of farmland and quarries (was 100% farmland when I started in 2006 but HS2 has meant quarrying is taking over) 740 individuals of 46 species logged with the help of a few big flocks of starling and lapwings

Two of a trio of Red Crested Pochards on Chasewater Swag this afternoon, less than annual

My first 6 redwings of the autumn over Chase Terrace Burntwood this morning

Decorating today so no birding, the dog has been very energetic helping 😂

Couple of the Chasewater stags at Burntwood rugby club this lunchtime

The Black Tern flock yesterday at Blithfield just after the Peregrine had had a go at them ( unsuccessfully)

According to Google this is a Western Conifer Beetle (unless anyone knows different) from North America on my daughter's bedroom window this morning in Burntwood Staffordshire

This lady was cooling off in Chasewater Swag this lunchtime, birdwise about 120 Canada Geese with some in and out of the trees plus about 150+ Tufted Ducks again some out of sight in the trees plus the usuals

Finished on 51 species for Cuckoo Bank from two sessions, highlight by far was a female Goshawk this afternoon drifting east

The cocodamol has kicked in so another trip up Cuckoo Bank rewarded with the best bird of the day, a stonking huge female Goshawk drifting east. Currently on 45 species (46 if you count the Helmeted Guineafowl that's absconded from Bradshaw's alpaca experience)

Hard going on Cuckoo Bank this morning (as usual) just 41 species best being a Whinchat (I've only been able to cover about 1/4 of it because of my knee - on the waiting list for a new one - that's my excuse😂)

Kingfisher having a good old preen at Staffs Wildlife Wolesley Centre this morning

2 crossbills over Staffs Wildlife Wolesley Centre this morning

Late Swift with half a dozen House Martins over the garden this morning

First walk up Cuckoo Bank for yonks, 6 bullfinch & 4 greenfinch (inc 2 juvs) and a small flock of goldfinch in the lane, 6 chiffys 2 will warbs 2 blackcaps whitethroat less whitethroat and redstart in the other hedges + raven buzzard & sparrowhawk

Never had woodpigeons nest this close before in the garden, they usually scrap like hell. Pigeon 1 had 1 juvenile fledge last week and pigeon 2 currently has 2 juveniles being fed in the tree but not fully fledged

5 little gulls just gone over the garden heading west very high up (wouldn't have seen them if I hadn't been watching a Jet2 flight from Manchester to Dalaman go over with my bins - yes ok sad😂)

Cracking views of the Memorial flight of Britain at the National Memorial Arboretum this lunchtime

Brimstone moth at Belvide and a Bronze Shieldbug on my patio table this afternoon

Dunlins at Blithfield on Sunday and juvenile Shelduck and a Bar Headed Goose at Belvide yesterday

"Mom I want a snack" "No" "I want a snack" "Here now bugger off" Gannets at RSPB Bempton Cliffs

The Gannets and Kittiwakes at Bempton Cliffs have had a good breeding season with hundreds of juveniles, the guillemots and razorbills have already departed, also seen a Minke whale

Minke whale off RSPB Bempton Cliffs this lunchtime