Lutley Wedge 10/02/12 10.10am (0°c ) Cold and overcast with low cloud. (sleet and light snow showers overnight) Wind (SE) F2

Good numbers of Fieldfare around again including a flock of (125) heading west, but otherwise pretty quiet.
263 Fieldfare (135➝W) (33➝N/NW)
4 Redwing
70 Skylark
2 Siskin ➝SE
19 Yellowhammer


Just 'off patch' a Peregrine flew over my garden in Halesowen heading SSE, (probably the same Peregrine that has been seen hunting around Lutley Wedge between 2/2/12 - 6/2/12).

Peregrine 10/2/12 Halesowen, West Mids

Lutley Wedge 06/02/12 10.30am (3°c ) Cold with mist and low cloud.

A colour-ringed Peregrine flew over the Top Footpath hunting the large numbers of Wood Pigeon around at the moment, and was later seen perched near Foxcote Pond. A single Cormorant flew through heading WSW.
1 Peregrine
1 Cormorant ➝WSW
32 Redwing (24➝N) (4➝W/SW) (4➝S)
35 Fieldfare (21 in)
3 Meadow Pipit (in)
24 Siskin (22➝S/SE) (2➝NE)
2 Linnet
85 Skylark
400+ Wood Pigeon
2 Herring Gull 

Peregrine and Cormorant 6/2/12 

Lutley Wedge 05/02/12 11.15am (3°c ) Cold grey and misty, low cloud. 3" Snow overnight but thawing. Light (NW) breeze

'Inland Wader-fest!'
The winter birding gods finally delivered the 'perfect storm' for the inland patch-watcher, with the forecast snow duly arriving overnight and dumping a good 2-3" of snow around the patch, and with snow cover extending across the Midlands and further to the east/northeast into the 'wader rich' areas of E.Yorks,Lincs and Norfolk.
There was a 'classic' hard weather movement of waders over the patch involving mainly Lapwing, but also two flocks of superb Golden Plover including a flock of (9) that flew very low in the misty conditions right overhead. A hunting Peregrine was seen again, as well as (2) large Swan sp (Mute/Whooper) which flew high to the northeast, sadly just too high and distant to conclusively i.d one way or other. A Common Gull that flew through heading west was another cold weather refugee and a good patch year-tick, and wintering Skylark numbers increased, again no doubt due to the weather.
22 Golden Plover (9➝W) (13➝N/NW)
239 Lapwing ➝W (28 in) (largest flocks 70, 55)
1 Common Gull ➝W
1 Herring Gull
2 Swan sp ➝NE
1 Peregrine
222 Fieldfare (105 in)
11 Redwing
1 Song Thrush ➝W
16 Starling ➝W
1 Redpoll sp ➝S
5 Siskin ➝S
40 Chaffinch
10 Yellowhammer
91 Skylark

Golden Plover 5/2/12

Common Gull a quality patch year tick! 5/2/12

Lutley Wedge 04/02/12 09.55am (-2°c ) V.Cold with hard frost (-7°c overnight) Overcast. Light breeze (S/SW) F1 (-6°c windchill)

Another freezing day with snow forecast to move in from the NW later, A Peregrine was seen soaring high over Lutley brook carrying prey (probably the same as seen on 2/2) and the wintering flock of Skylarks along Top Footpath had increased to 70+.
1 Peregrine
188 Fieldfare (94➝W/SW) (33 in)
14 Redwing
70+ Skylark

Lutley Wedge 02/02/12 09.55am (-1°c ) V.Cold with hard frost (-3°c overnight) Overcast. Light (NE) breeze (-3°c windchill)

Even colder today on the patch, and more hard weather bird movements. 6 Golden Plover flew through very high to the S/SW at 11.30am, and there was an obvious influx and W/SW movement of Fieldfare. (An arrival of Fieldfare was also seen at Holme, on the North Norfolk coast, 450 today). A Peregrine was seen circling over Lutley brook.

6 Golden Plover ➝S/SW

352 Fieldfare ➝W/SW (largest flocks 75, 60)

1 Peregrine (SLC) 

13 Redwing

2 Raven ➝N

45 Skylark 

Golden Plover 2/2/12

Lutley Wedge 01/02/12 3.10pm (2°c) (-3°c windchill) V.Cold, sunny, clear skies. Wind (E/NE) F3

First signs of some hard weather escape movements, with freezing conditions on the continent and further east bringing a biting -3°c ENE windchill to the patch. A flock of 21 Lapwing flew through very high heading west followed by another 2 Lapwing also west.
23 Lapwing ➝W
546 Black-headed Gull ➝NE/E
7 Lesser Black-backed Gull
2 Fieldfare
3 Redwing
10 Yellowhammer

Lapwing 1/2/12