Brandon Marsh :: 12 May 2012

Having been out of the country for most the last three weeks it was about time we went out for a walk. Given we were going to start out after the kids music school we decided on Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, Brandon Marsh; lunch at the Badger Tearoom.

During the lunch at the tearoom, a crowd gathered at the window as there was a grass snake curled outside the window, bathing in the sun. After we filled our bellies we set off. About halfway to the first hide, we spotted a colourful bird in the distance. As it flew closer we realised it was a jay and we stopped to take a few photos. Then suddenly we stopped and a sound was heard coming from a nearby tree. After taking pictures and narrowing down the possibilities, we concluded that it was a Garden Warbler - this needed checking as we have never knowing seen one before.

Sitting down in the Carlton Hide we waited for a kingfisher or maybe even a bittern, but we were greeted with an otter. The click of the cameras were endless. Then after our afternoon's walk we started our journey back home to Eilidh who had been unable to join us due to her GCSE revision.

The sightings (41) on our walk included: carrion crow, magpie, goldfinch, great tit, reed bunting, feral pigeon, greenfinch, blue tit, swallow, swift, robin, blackbird, lesser whitethroat, long tailed tit, jay, canada goose, greylag goose, woodpigeon, linnet, whitethroat, dunnock, coot, tufted duck, oystercatcher, lapwing, gadwall, common tern, redshank, little ringed plover, shelduck, mallard, lesser black backed gull, black headed gull, arctic tern, mute swan, blackcap, garden warbler, cormorant, pheasant, moorhen and heron.