Over the summer we visited various places not too far away including Upton Warren where we saw an Osprey which was the highlight and a female Manadarin Duck in Sutton Park which was a suprise sighting and best we've had in Sutton Park.
Talking about the weather, the water level in one of the ponds about 2 weeks ago flooded onto the path and there is still debris and silt left from when the level got back to normal.
It was quite funny to see ducks and geese swimming where I'd normally walk round.
Notable sightings start this morning when I was driving past the car park near the Red House itself and saw a Jay. My first seen at the park. There was a Little Grebe seen regularly about a month ago for a week or so and a sighting I challenge anyone to equal was on 16th September in the woodland walk a Nuthatch and a Treecreeper spotted on the same tree either side of the trunk.
I mentioned earlier that I walk around the park in the mornings. On 22nd September I nearly bumped into a Green Woodpecker on the play area next to the tennis courts amongst half a dozen pigeons. The swans have done well again and there are some late juvenile coots and moorhens around. A regular that I've noticed near the Grove Vale end is a Grey Wagtail. He's been seen flying off to the island as I speed around in the mornings.
Weather permitting I'll get around to have a propper birding session in the next week so hopefully there will be some winter migrant news as they are starting to come in around the place. Sandwell Valley has boasted Teal for some weeks now. Shoveler and Goosander have also been recorded down there along with Wigeon and Pochard.
