Chatty

 A lovely sunny morning today albeit one that was a little on the chilly side, I made a rare winter visit to Priors Hall. This used to be one of my favourite winter birding sites but massive development over the last five or six years has all but ruined it. Today's visit is unlikely to make me visit any more often though it wasn't quite a total waste of time.

Weldon ducks and Lapwings

On my way through Weldon I stopped at the A43 pond where the usual selection of birds was on offer with a good double figure count of Gadwalls being the highlight. Moving on towards Priors I stopped to check a large flock of Lapwings in the old quarry. At Priors itself most of the ponds were frozen and there was a distinct lack of birdlife to watch. Small numbers of Siskins were noted and I flushed a Woodcock which flew up from under my feet almost causing a heart attack! Little else was seen until I reached the northern bit near Kirby Lane where a male Stonechat was feeding.

Buzzard and Crow spat and Stonechat.

On my way home I stopped off at Willowbrook Industrial Estate where I looked for the Stonechats that Alan Shorrock tipped me off about. It took a while but I eventually found the pair which I watched for ten minutes or so before heading for home.

Priors Hall.