Check Out my Gravel Pit...

Look what turns up in Yorkshire the week after our holiday. A Brown Shrike, thats what! I didn't even know what that was until a few days ago, but I knew I wanted one. I love Shrikes! Sadly the little fella disappeared just in time for the weekend and also I was bed ridden with a cold yesterday, so we've had to make do with a trip down the Warren and then twitching a Brent Goose in Worcs today.

Highlights at Upton Warren today were a selection of waders on the Flashes (sadly not including the 2 Little Stints) 17 Curlew, 3 Green Sandpipers, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Dunlins and 4 Snipe. Also a Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, 2 Stock Dove, 2 Little Grebe, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal and Shoveler. Nice to see the ducks gradually emerging from eclipse plumage. A Kingfisher and BH Gulls over Sailing Lake. Much the same on Moors, plus c30 Snipe, 5 Pochard and 2 Jays.

Black Headed Gull

Dirty Vermin

A bit bored now, we decided to try Clifton Gravel Pits as we'd been keen to try it out for a while and there's been some good stuff there of late. Its still a working pit and there's some hefty machinary around. I don't think I'd come birding on a working day, in case I got squished.

A Shoveler

It has tons of potential here, being so near The Malverns and also with the other pits set to become flooded as the extraction progresses.

The Pale-bellied Brent Goose was not on the main pit, where it was this morning, but has been commuting from the pit to a nearby stubble field. There were 5 Pintail on the pit though, which was very nice, plus Wigeon, Shoveler et cetera. Also noted 1 Common Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, c20 Meadow Pipits, 2 Stonechat, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel.

We caught up with the Pale-bellied Brent Goose in its other haunt; the field at the top of Old Lane South, where the lane meets the A38. It cut a lonely figure as it grazed in the stubble field alone. A rare bird for Worcs and a nice WMBC region tick for me.

Record shot of PB Brent Goose