Brandon Marsh Thurs 28th Oct

Brandon Marsh, a former gravel pit in Warwickshire not too far from Rugby, well, its actually nearer Coventry than Rugby but who's going to argue over ten or so miles!

I've not been to Brandon for a good few years, probably ten or more, and with a rare weather window, it was very much a last minute decision, dictated by HS2 road closures, I did have Middleton Lakes in mind which is just to the side of HS2 Phase 2.

I was first greeted with a very pleasant welcome by a helpful young lady who not only ensured I wasn't paying too much and charged me a concession rate, also explained many of the recent changes on the reserve.

BTW, I have had similar welcomes from RSPB reserves, and all get 20/10 for the welcome, however, this one reserve in my feelings and a few others had become very introvert and unwelcoming, so a very pleasant change.

Anyway, less of the politics and more of what I had gone for, the wildlife and nature, and boy, has there been a lot of changes. The grasslands had virtually disappeared and were overgrown with scrub and brambles, which before anyone thinks I'm criticising, far from it, for nature would do just that left to its own devices, so how far a reserve is managed is dependent on what they want to achieve, and lets not forget, 2020 was a lockdown year, so any clearing work would most certainly have been put on hold, so for my visit, it was all to be positive and supportive in whatever way I can.

It was good to see the reed beds removed on my previous visit, all restored and as I understand to remain in place for the foreseeable future and most areas and hides had been renamed, so there has been a good attempt at rebranding if that is the right term to use.

As always, all corrections welcome.

Whilst waiting for the doors to open a magpie decided to check me out.....

I followed the route I always took, which unlike most, I head for the wooded via the 'New Hare Covert', a route I used to take my son when we went there, and was always full of rabbits which delighted any youngster, which was once a small grassland patch, now full of brambles, but full of birds, hiding!

I could here blackbirds, robins, and various others calling: "there's a stranger on our patch!"

As I got into the the small wooded area, a robin decided to check me out from the safety of the trees!

From there, following the path round to the pools and hides, past the now closed golf course, which in days gone buy, was a battleground between geese and golfers, and the geese always seemed to win!

My son and myself used to quietly chuckle as golfers tried to move the geese so they could pot their golf balls on the green into the holes, and the geese weren't going to be moved.

As I walked this path, I was delighted to see the reed bed had been allowed to re-establish again. Many was the time blue tits were on the bull rush seed heads along with other small birds, so perhaps that will happen again.

Anyway, that was quiet today, so it was around to the first hide, Wright Hide and as yet, not renamed, but a good morning viewpoint looking west and on a sunny day the morning sun was behind you (today was cloudy). As was in the past, a good selection of waterfowl on the pool, called East Marsh Pool, little egret, PB's old acquaintances, cormorants a plenty, mute swans, gadwall, tufted ducks, lapwings, pochard, wigeon and plenty of black headed gulls, though this time, the lapwings I think more than outnumbered them.

But no Canada or greylag geese!

Cormorant

this one decided to pass and pose right in front of the hide

Wigeon photobombed by a male teal that decided to stand up!

Gadwall

A male shovelor almost in adult plumage

Lapwings that decided to have a flurry, as they do.....

A male tufty almost in adult plumage

As graceful as ever, a mute swan

that decided to be a mooning swan!

Not even with a clean bum, how rude!

Another mooning bird!

That came up to have his piccie taken....

It was time to move on, though I could have stayed there all day, and head back toward the visitor centre before I could take the paths to the other hides. The next two hides Steetley (I think named after the aggregate company that used to own the gravel pits and did support the reserve in many ways) and Riverpool, because it was aa lagoon just off the passing by River Avon, had very quiet viewings, and to be fair, the weather wasn't that brilliant and any sane living thing would be stopping in.

Walking along the newly cleared path I bumped into a former colleague working as a volunteer clearing the scrub back. It was good to catch up on the gossip.

Then on to the Teal Hide, which overlooks a normally quiet pool, but always worth a look, before nipping across the path into what was called the East Marsh Hide as it overlooks the East Marsh Pool, and now called the John Walton Hide and often a very productive hide and today, was no different.

It was also the hide which back in I think 2006 I saw my first and only bittern from!

Today, it came up trumps again, not a first viewing, but a rare viewing for me....

So here goes, the not so exciting stuff first, but still worthy of a mention and piccies......

The ream of black headed gulls in winter/juvenile plumage.

Seemingly quiet and calm!

Not for long, bottoms up!

Wigeon on a nearby island

I did say the BHG weren't to be quiet for long....

And more BHG dives!

and to become upright and recompose oneself

Mrs Pintail

They greylags had not long flown in...

Now for the prize of the day

Yes, a snipe.

Well, there were at least half a dozen among the reeds, but not many came out for a photoshoot....

oh, let me spruce myself up first sir.

Just getting brave...

and the photoshoot....

And hiding right in front of me, can you see?

I did get a little carried away, but I'll spare you the endless snipe photos with this last one

And the last but definitely not least scoop of the day, a water rail that just suddenly came out from the reeds...

All in all, as always, a good day and it was good to see such positive changes to the reserve.