🦆 Cotwall End Valley nature diary: My local patch
December 1: Seen from our drive: Herring gulls (c.80) in soaring flight over the western slope, heading north. Little egret in low flight along Wordsworth and then turned towards centre valley woodland. Fourteen wood pigeons feeding on the green. Pair of stock doves landed in a tree on the green. Raven on a bungalow roof in Tennyson eating a pig’s trotter!
December 2: Herring gull in low flight over our home, heading up the western slope. Fifteen starlings in tree off Tennyson. Another c.6 birds visible in tree on the green. Common buzzard in low, lazy flight heading towards Himley.
December 3: Evening walk in the immediate area. Not much showing. Two individual starlings in flight across The Straits.
December 4: Two little egrets in flight along the centre of the valley, heading north. Seen at dawn, from the living room. Walking up the lane, heard ravens and looked to see a pair rising from the horse paddock on the left after Wordsworth. Seven mallards and one moorhen on the main pond.
December 5: Raven in flight heading north, seen from the living room.
December 6: Flock of c.70 wood pigeons over the woodland, seen from the living room. Two calling ravens in low flight, into woodland beyond Wordsworth and seen from the drive. Very late walk in the immediate area and four mallards seen in flight, heading towards Baggeridge.
December 7: Heard from the garden but not seen: Noisy herring gulls over the valley.
December 8: Morning walk in the local area. Jackdaw on an aerial in Wordsworth, another in flight over the school, both calling. Three herring gulls in soaring flight.
December 10: Walk in the local area, late evening. Lots of carrion crows, ranging from single birds to a group of four, heading towards Baggeridge / Himley to roost.
December 11: A very late walk in the immediate area. Two carrion crows, followed by a single bird off to roost at Baggeridge / Himley.
December 13: Late evening, seen from our home. Wood pigeons c70 flew up from central valley woodland, circled and then returned. First fieldfare of the year, a flock of c.70 in flight across the valley. Three redwings in flight.
December 14: Common buzzard calling in soaring flight over our home. Fox in the lane during darkness.
December 15: Morning walk in the immediate area. Several lesser black-backed gulls in low, lazy flight.
December 16: Herring gull perched on roof of a house the other side of our road, with a second bird in flight but not landing.
December 18: Walk in the immediate area. Several lesser black-backed gulls in flight. Calling herring gull, low over Wordsworth.
December 19: Dusk walk in the immediate area. Sparrowhawk in hunting mode flight low over Wordsworth. Several carrion crows heading towards Baggeridge / Himley. Three mallards heading towards the main pool in the valley, almost dark at that stage.
December 20: Two ravens in very low flight seen from our drive, looking towards the green.
December 22: Early dusk walk in the immediate area. Several carrion crows in flight towards Baggeridge, also stationery calling birds still in the area. Several robins singing.
December 23: Lesser black-backed gull on the telephone pole in Longfellow late afternoon, waiting for the fox food to appear.
December 24: Eight redwings in flight across the green heading towards golf course late evening.
December 25: Evening walk in the immediate area. Lots of carrion crows (c.20) heading towards Baggeridge / Himley to roost. Redwings 5 and 3 in flight to roost in golf course area.
December 29: Herring gull in low flight over Coleridge.
December 30: Flock of wood pigeons (c.70) in low flight over the valley. Seen from the kitchen.
December 31: Late walk in the immediate area. Mistle thrush heading into woodland on the western slope to roost. Numerous carrion crows in flight towards Baggeridge / Himley. Last bird of the year, a woodcock in very late dusk flight. Flew from central valley woodland, over our bungalow and into woodland beyond the school.