21-1-12, Croxall GP.

After the ups and then the downs of the Atherstone Night Heron it was back to normal sort of. Midweek my plan was to head south to see a Spanish Sparrow and a Dark-eyed Junco but after this year deciding to try and get or join people to go on twitches to share fuel but this time failing to get anyone and also doing my back in on Thursday night whilst cutting up logs, I decided to stay local. Birds noted were Magpie, Great Tit, 1 Kingfisher, about 80 Tufted Duck, about 60 Lapwing, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Wren, Blackbird, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 196 Teal, 40 Mallard, 7 (4 female, 3 male) Goldeneye, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Chaffinch, Robin, Cormorant, an amazing 483 Pochard, 1 Mute Swan, about 100 Black Headed Gull, a single Kestrel, Jackdaw, Canada Geese, 4 Wigeon, Meadow Pipit, Rook, 1 Little Egret, 2 Goosander on the river and Stock Dove.
Whitemoor Haye has been short of Pochard recently but it looks like Croxall has them all.

Whitemoor Haye.

First stop was by the pool and there was actually some life on there but I then noticed some trigger happy shooters walking around the pool blasting anything that flew past them and the worse thing is not picking anything up to be cooked or given away. Im not against shooting and my fridge has its fair share of Pheasant and Mallard breast meat ready for a nice casserole but to shoot and leave it to rot or for the fox, I don't understand it. Anyway they had driven the ducks to the road end of the pool and in the area I noted Starling, Magpie, about 25 Mallard, about 40 Pochard, about 20 Wigeon, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Goldfinch, Long-tailed Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Wren and Woodpigeon. Onto the lanes and I added Pied Wagtail, Tree Sparrow, about 1000 Lapwing, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, 1 Buzzard, 358 Mute Swan, 1 Goosander flying over, 14 Grey Partridge, Dunnock, Blackbird, Stock Dove, Robin, 1 Song Thrush, a single Golden Plover flying over and a few Meadow Pipits.

Stubbers Green.

A new year, a new list and gulls are needed so it was off to the gull Mecca of the West Midlands to try and fill some gaps however my timing was absolutely awful. I arrived just after 11.00 and noted Black Headed Gull, Mallard, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Canada Geese, Pied Wagtail, Coot, Magpie, Moorhen, Carrion Crow, Starling, Lesser Blacl-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Cormorant and Jackdaw. I left just before midday and later on when I was at home cutting up more logs news came through of Iceland, Glaucous and Caspian Gull present at 12.00. Arrggggghhhhhhhhhhh