It had been a strange week for weather. As Saturday approached, conditions turned wet, with easterly systems sweeping across much of the country and suggested that the best birding spots might be in the west. As it happened, a black-crowned night heron had been reported at Camp Lane Pools, Grimley, Worcestershire, from 15 July. So, when I messaged Kev @kev07713, he already knew where I’d want to go. It was one of just five UK records that week—and with a travel time of only 1¼ hours, we didn’t need an early start.
Camp Lane Pools, part of the Grimley Nature Reserve, is a mosaic of former gravel and brick pits now transformed into a haven of open water, reedbeds, and grassland, ideal habitat for wildfowl and the occasional rarity.
We left Banbury under dry skies, though rain would be following us. Fortunately, by the time we arrived at Grimley, it remained dry. Could we be lucky enough to avoid the rain altogether?
Grabbing our gear, we set off through the trees along a public footpath. A short way in, we paused at a gap in the left-hand hedge to speak with two birders scoping the water. The heron had been favouring the southern end of the main pool, and we were only halfway to the causeway, our intended vantage point. They confirmed we were on the right path and that the bird had been showing that morning.
Continuing along the path, we crossed a field and passed through a gate, turning left toward the causeway. A small group of birders was already stationed there with scopes, and as we arrived, they confirmed the heron was still in view, perched in a tree to the left. Viewing through a gap cut in the willows, we shifted to the far right and finally had eyes on the bird. Before long, the group began to move, giving us a better viewing position before more birders arrived.
The black-crowned night heron is a medium-sized, globally widespread species, but in the UK it remains a rare visitor. They’re most frequently seen in spring and summer, typically in wetlands and reedbeds, with individuals likely drifting in from continental Europe. UK sightings are often of wandering juveniles from southern Europe, which are brown with white spotting. This bird, thought to be a second-summer individual, also lacked the vibrant colours we saw on the adults during our trip to Ossett a couple of years ago (that report here).
Before long, our bird took flight, moving to the right and landing in a more exposed, leafless tree, actually a better spot for photos. From the gate at the end of the causeway, we could shoot through the willows for clearer views.
We also heard Cetti’s Warbler and Kingfisher calling nearby, though both remained stubbornly out of sight ... for now.
Kev also had a great video of the bird which can be seen on his post on X --> here .
We could hear kingfishers calling, but frustratingly, they stayed out of sight. A Cetti’s warbler also sang from the willows behind us, and we caught only fleeting glimpses as it flitted through the cover. Our friends Nick @old_caley and Anne Truby arrived not long after, but by then, the night heron had dropped down into the reeds and was now only partially visible.
The group of birders had grown, with conversations buzzing around us, yet the heron remained stubbornly hidden. Some began to drift away, though a steady stream of new arrivals kept the numbers up.
Back in front of the gap cut through the willows, we scanned the water again and were rewarded with views of great White egrets, adding to the gathering of the night and grey heron already present. We had a shower of rain, not heavy but we were under the cover of trees and would stay dry.
A kingfisher called again, this time from our left, roughly where the night heron had originally been perched - this was the fifth time that Kev had said he'd heard the call and still had not seen one. We scanned the area casually, and before long I spotted it further along the bank - it must have shifted position since its last call.
Still, we waited for the night heron to re-emerge, but it remained stubbornly tucked away in the reeds. Eventually, Nick and Anne decided they'd had enough and were preparing to leave. We were thinking the same and made our exit shortly before them, encouraged by a tip about a nearby café, Bonnie’s Tea Room and Visitor Centre at Wildgoose, just a few minutes down the road. Brunch was calling.
As we made our way out, we paused to watch a kestrel lift from the stubble field. Moments later, a peregrine falcon soared over the pools, attracting the attention of a common tern and a lesser black-backed gull. The gull soon gave up the chase, but the tern wasn’t so easily put off, relentlessly mobbing the peregrine with sharp calls and impressive aerial manoeuvres until it had cleared the water.
We stopped to talk with another birder who was scanning the hedges, and he informed us there were common redstarts flitting around them - Kev had thought he'd scoped one from extreme distance when we were on the causeway and this now seemed more likely - it took only five minutes, and we were on a juvenile. We then left for brunch.
Bonnie’s is part of Wildgoose Rural Training (WGRT), an organisation that, wherever possible, uses produce grown directly on-site. When local or British ingredients aren’t available, they prioritise high-quality alternatives with minimal food miles. Wildgoose operates as a Care Farm, a centre offering support and meaningful day opportunities for adults with learning difficulties and young people facing challenges in mainstream education.
In 2017, the charity acquired the land: a former quarry and disused asparagus field. By 2019, the main hub was up and running, and the site has continued to evolve and grow ever since.
Next to the centre is a 14-hectare nature reserve, formerly a sand and gravel quarry. The landscape retains many post-industrial features: settling ponds, a shallow reservoir, embankments, and old tracks, which have given rise to a rich mix of habitats. These include woodland, scrub, pockets of flower-rich grassland, reedbeds, and shallow open water.
After brunch, we explored the reserve, hearing reed warblers, great spotted woodpeckers, and a variety of other species. While nothing particularly unusual turned up, it was a genuinely lovely area to walk through.
WGRT works closely with the West Midlands Bird Club (WMBC) and the local RSPB group. WMBC supports the reserve by organising an annual Bioblitz, a nestbox and open nest breeding bird survey, and a ‘birds seen and heard’ report. They’ve also helped develop infrastructure such as wildlife ponds, gates, and access steps. The RSPB group carries out breeding season bird surveys and holds regular conservation volunteer work parties. The site also has a strong tradition of bird ringing, with an active Wildgoose ringing group.
We debated our next move, whether to make a stop on the way home or head back to Camp Lane Pools to look for the common redstarts. In the end, we chose the latter and were back on site within five minutes.
As we walked down the slope, I caught a flash of orange-red, a redstart’s tail, as it darted out and along the hedge. We continued down and stepped out into the field slightly to give the bird some space. After a short wait of around ten minutes, we were rewarded with another sighting - a juvenile redstart, moving steadily along the hedge, a little ahead of us. On the edge of the water, we found a Mediterranean gull preening and then asleep.
Common redstarts are striking and relatively shy songbirds that often prefer the cover of hedgerows, woodland edges, and scattered trees, especially during migration or in breeding areas. They often forage low in hedgerows or along woodland edges, flicking their bright orange-red tails and making short dashes after insects. They are nervous and agile, rarely staying in one spot long and you’ll often see a flash of orange-red as they dart from a perch, especially when disturbed.
Young redstarts are more mottled in appearance (pale speckled breast, duller tail) and often quietly work through hedges feeding, often making them harder to spot than adults.
We continued watching the juvenile, but by now there was a noticeable increase in disturbance as more people arrived, hoping for a glimpse of the night heron, among them Adrian Sparrowhawk, Bryan Manston, and Mark. Wanting a bit more peace, we moved on to another section of hedge, and sure enough, we soon picked up both a male and juvenile redstart. It’s always a treat to see the stunning colours of a male, even if often briefly.
We spent a good while observing them, occasionally joined by passing birders, and were still enjoying the views when our friends returned. They were heading off to Slimbridge, hoping to catch up with the tundra bean goose currently present there, most likely the same bird that’s been roaming the West Midlands for the past couple of years.
After a while, we decided to explore more of the site. As we crossed another track between the pools, we came across a group of birders who mentioned that the night heron had just flown from the southern end in our direction, and they were now searching for it. We pointed out a Mediterranean gull nearby, and together we watched a family group of little ringed plovers moving along the water’s edge in front of us, gradually working their way farther into the distance.
While Kev scanned the water, my attention was caught by a family of reed warblers moving through the reeds. I followed them for a while, watching the adult feeding its young both among the reeds and along the fence line.
Reed Warblers typically begin their autumn migration from the UK between August and September, with most gone by mid-September. Juveniles often leave a little later than the adults, but by October, reedbeds fall silent as the last few stragglers head south.
We spent another half hour scanning the area, but eventually it was time to head home. We’d managed to stay mostly dry, only encountering a brief shower. With much wetter weather back home, it was clear we’d made the right choice and enjoyed a fantastic day out birding - Kev's other videos from today can be seen on X --> here.
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