A quick update with a few recent sightings of what's about, seen whilst walking the main Dove Stone trail.
Starting at the main car park and this end of Dove Stone res there's in the region of fifty Black Headed Gulls on the res itself and on the sailing club pontoons. There's some first winter gulls amongst these too - look out for juvenile brown upper parts on the back and slightly paler legs. Black Headed Gulls are a common bird and I don't think it's inaccurate to say that like a lot of common birds they're perceived to be of less interest to people, but photos like this surely show these birds in a different light - it's a beautiful looking bird. Last word on Black Headed Gulls for now : where do Dove Stone's population roost ?
On Dove Stone's dam wall plenty of Pied Wagtails to be seen and on the feeders at the top of the main car park steps good numbers of Greenfinch. Moving on, reports of a Grey Heron where Chew Brook meets Dove Stone res. Also seen today was a single Redwing in the Life for a Life memorial woodland area at the foot of Chew Piece. What a stunning bird. This one was feeding on what few berries there were on a fairly young Rowan.
Redwing feeding on Cotoneaster
Slightly further on from Chew Brook I watched a female Kestrel hovering over the fields - fantastic to watch them adjusting their flight to the wind. Following the main trail round to Ashway Gap there's Coal Tits to be seen in the conifer plantations as well Goldcrest. Up at Binn Green good numbers of Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Blue Tit and Great Tit. Worth keeping an eye out for Brambling in amongst the Chaffinches too. Dropping down to the woods on the far shore of the res but above the main path sightings today of Wren, Jay, Robin, Blackbird, Bullfinch and Carrion Crow.
More soon with sightings from further up Chew Brook, around Yeoman Hey and on to Greenfield res.