A day out in Wor-Ces-Ter-Shire

But before that, Uttoxeter Quarry purple patch continued. 10 Green Sandpipers and a Greenshank on the evening of Wednesday 15th. Then on the evening of Friday 17th Andy found a female Red-breasted Merganser, which I had a sneaky peek at. Annoyingly I left my camera at home.

Saturday 18th July.

It's good to do something different for a change, so I had a day's birding with Kay and Max in Worcestershire. A journey of discovery and enlightenment. Well no not really, just birding. The first port of call was Kemerton Lake, near Kinsham.



Then Gwen Finch Nature Reserve, near Eckington.



Notice that by now I would mention a list birds. Well, there weren't any. Actually that's not true, a drake Pochard and plenty of Yaffles at Kemerton, then Blackcap and Grey Wagtail at Gwen Finch. Both sites look like they would be good for winter wildfowl and warblers in the spring. Picturesque around here as well.

Next on the agenda was Ryall gravel pits. Working in I.T. I've come across plenty of nerds in my time. I've never considered myself a computer nerd, it's just a box to help me do my job, and waste time on the internet (but not when working, please don't sack me!). However, I am a self-confessed nerd when it comes to holes in the ground, created by the extraction of sand, gravel and aggregates.



Ooooohhhhhh, corrrr, I like the look of this one! Ryall GP's is also right next to the River Severn. As for birds, a Redshank and flock of Lapwing, three Ravens and a rather lovely Hobby.



After a spot of lunch Clifton was next. Again, quiet at the moment. Not a lot of shoreline and I would imagine better in the winter. I was impressed with Grimley New Workings though. 2 Little Egrets were present along with plenty of Common Terns. The day finished with an excellent view of a Spotted Flycatcher around a nearby churchyard at Holt. Body and mind were flagging somewhat by now due to the early start after a busy working week, hence the lack of photos by now.

In conclusion, areas of gravel workings for birding in Worcestershire are small compared with some of the complexes you get in the Trent and Tame valleys, and indeed at Uttoxeter. But nonetheless it was a most enjoyable day, with quality rather than quantity on the birding front. Cheers Kay and Max!