Midlands Birding Blog

Florida might be the ultimate family holiday. Every child dreams of visiting the theme parks, and even the most skeptical visitor cannot help but be impressed by their scale. Fantastic weather, great villas and hotels and easy travel make a holiday destination that would be enjoyed by virtually any family. I have been to Florida 3 times, and these have been some of the best holidays of my life. It is unusual though that such a great family destination can simultaneously offer such great birding. Without leaving the confines of the theme parks, you could easily rack up a long trip list. In 3 trips in March/April, with only a handful of visits to actual bird reserves,  I have seen a total of 137 species in Florida! The parks are vast, and have many green spaces which allow for casual birding while you go on rides. Great birds really can be seen in the most unlikely spots. I have seen a White-winged Dove on the Dr Seuss Trolley Ride in Universal IOA, I have seen a Limpkin at Disney ...

I finished last week on 66 species, far surpassing my expectations. At the end of the last post , I wondered what other surprises were in store for the patch this year, but I didn't expect the first one to come so soon. After a walk with my family on the 9th we drove over the Staunton Harold Reservoir road bridge on our way home. From the fleeting view I got from the moving car, I thought I saw the Ring-Necked Duck with the Tufties. The bird had been present from late December through to the 2nd of January, at which point it had moved to nearby Foremark and not been seen again. Obviously, from this fleeting view I didn't really trust my instinct and assumed it must have been a Tufted Duck seen at speed. I presumed the bird must be long gone, with no sightings at Staunton Harold for at least a week. I had been back a few times in the days in between and had no sign, and many others had done the same. The following day, I walked back to the area, which has been so productive for ...

Looking back now, it was quite fortuitous that the young birders decided to compete in a patch challenge in 2021. When Joe first suggested the idea in December we were all very keen, having regularly discussed our own patch birding during 2020 it seemed like a fun idea to introduce a bit of competition. We might not have guessed though that local birding would soon become the only form allowed in the third lockdown that hit the country at the start of January. It was lucky that my 2021 birding plans were already prepared for this. The rules are that we must have a specified 5 square mile continuous area that we call our patch. Most people have a smaller area than this which gives them somewhere manageable to cover regularly, but the large limit allows us to discover or test out new areas without feeling restricted. The other key rule is that we must walk or cycle around this area. My birding began on New Years Day when I did a short, but very successful, walk around the fields behind m...

It's a common birding dilemma. Do you do a patch year list? But then what if you want your list to count the Cirl Bunting you see on holiday? So instead you do a UK year list. But then where's your reward for finding that Osprey over your patch, when you can see them easily at Rutland Water? My 2021 Greener Year List hopefully combines the joys of both. Allowing you to count all the birds you see but rewarding you for finding them closer to home. If 2020 taught us anything in birding it was of the joys that can be had in staying local, with many birders now opting to do this on a permanent basis. With this 2021 GYL, local birding is, rightly, weighted higher and rewarded but a trip further afield still counts towards your list. This is a list which reflects the growing movement to limit birding carbon footprint and engage in greener birding. The Rules: The Points: (all distances are as the crow flies) Walking/cycling from home: 30 points If driving/using motorised transport: Wi...

In an isolated tree in the middle of Southgate shopping centre in Bath, hundreds of Pied Wagtails flock together to roost on winter nights. I never would have noticed them, had I not been walking by late one night last year and wondered why the tree still had leaves in the winter. It was only on a second glance that I realised those "leaves" were moving! Since then, I've been back many times. There are few things more peaceful than standing on a cold winter night in the middle of a busy city watching these birds huddled together, sleeping peacefully overhead. For me, birding has always been an escape and a way to release stress; this sight has to be up there as one of the most calming. During my three years of university, I have shown the Pied Wagtails to many non-birding friends, and every time without fail they've been met with reactions of surprise and awe, and invariably seem to spark an interest in why they're there and what sort of bird they are.  The Wagtai...

If I told you 10 years ago that I'd counted 29 Great White Egrets this morning, you might have raised your eyebrows and probably assumed they were Littles. Even then, there was a time not too long before that when 29 Littles would have raised some eyebrows. And yet I really did see 29 Great White Egrets , 11 Little Egrets and 3 Cattle Egrets today! And that's not even close to a record count, with around 50 Great Whites currently on the lake. I'm sure numbers like these aren't especially impressive for seasoned Somerset birders, but for me the novelty hasn't worn off! I have my car with me at uni in Bath this year, and today was the first day I got a chance to go birding. I decided to go to Chew Valley Lake. It's a site I've heard a lot about but never visited before. First stop was the roadside at Herriot's Bridge, where I was greeted immediately by the  Great White Egrets . 21 Pintail were on Herriot's Pool, and large numbers of Pochard , Tuft...

When you plan an autumn trip to Norfolk months in advance, you can never count on good conditions. The chances are that you won't get them. So back in August, when I booked a 4 day trip to Norfolk from the 18th to the 21st of September, I was counting on a great trip full of resident specialities, lingering summer breeders and a few early arriving winter visitors which would make for a long trip list. Besides, Cranes, Bitterns, Bearded Tits and Spoonbills are more than enough to keep me happy even in the worst migration conditions. But as the days went by, I couldn't help but start to glance at the winds on Windy.com. And there they were - easterlies - starting a few days before the trip and continuing until the 21st. I didn't let myself get excited; after all, forecasts can be (and often are) wrong, with the winds all to often swinging back round to SW at the last minute just as you've got your hopes up. But this time my hopes were realised. To say that we were lucky w...