Sunday 13th January 2013

Walk from Pool Hall to Newbridge following Smestow brook, Staffs & Worcs Canal and old railway, via Wightwick fields, Boots fields and Compton barleyfield.

Overnight frost, calm, cold, high broken cloud, 10.15 to 12.45am.

Few fishermen at Pool Hall, film of ice round lake margins.  Family of Mute Swan (two adults and three adult-sized youngsters, raised at the site last summer) feeding on a low bank by the main water, with 22 Coot active and aggressive towards each other on the dam lake.  Flooded fields below the dam and to the north west of Mopps Farm Bridge had attracted more than 200 Black-headed Gull, with up to ten Pied Wagtail foraging along the waters' edge, and large numbers of Starling and Woodpigeon feeding in stubble nearby.  Nine Lapwing in fields nearer the Bridgnorth Road were a welcome sight, a single Skylark flew to perch on phone wires, and foraging Fieldfare flew from near the Smestow below Perton Mill Farm.  Walking by the Smestow at the southern end of Wightwick fields I disturbed a male Kingfisher, which flew only a short distance before perching and plunging into the shallows (it flew in front of me as far as Windmill Lane, almost certainly the same bird seen in recent months on its winter territory).  A Mistle Thrush flew to perch just below Windmill Lane, and a Common Buzzard glided low along Wightwick ridge towards Tettenhall.  The hunched shape of a Grey Heron was glimpsed by the brook as I crossed Windmill Lane and onto the canal towpath, with the tinkling song of a Goldfinch lightened the the freezing conditions.  Leaving the canal at Wightwick Mill lock, I heard a Nuthatch calling from a copse by the pines hill, and was aware of a beautiful male Kestrel perched on the edge of the flat grass fields just to the north, grey-headed, warm brown plumage perfect in the clear light.  Two female Bullfinch called from a hedge by the Wolverhampton Environment Centre just below Boots fields. The mid-day "lull" was approaching in what was already a quiet day for birds, but three Stock Dove went low over the Compton barleyfield, a female Reed Bunting flew up from long grass to perch near the Graiseley brook culvert exit, and a eight-plus Long-tailed Tit flicked their way through trees by the old railway just south of the old Tettenhall station.  That was that.  Home for hot soup.