Drizzle has accompanied us several times when we’ve done the February urban walk and this year was no exception. However, it was very light and intermittent and 18 members set off from Millennium Square without any opened umbrellas. Several Cormorants were soon spotted with breeding patches showing. Searching the buddleia and brambles past the new M-Shed museum was at first unrewarding – quite a bit of cutting back had been done and the houses above seemed to be devoid of any feeders. However, patience paid off as we eventually saw Blue and Long-tailed Tits, Robin, Blackbird, Goldfinch and Collared Dove – and the bacon sandwiches at the Buttery did smell good! Leaving the water to cross Cumberland Road, a high altitude Wren was singing on the roof of an abandoned warehouse. We scanned the mud in the New Cut for Redshank and Common Sandpiper and everybody eventually managed to see both as well as plenty of Black-headed Gulls – heads in various stages of colour – and Herring and Lesser Black- backed Gulls. There were more signs of spring with both Greenfinch and Song Thrush heard. Margaret led us on a new bit of path with views across to Rownham Hill and down river before we turned back towards the Centre, adding Pied and Grey Wagtail to our list. Some of the group left us before the climb up Brandon Hill, where we were rewarded with good views of both Redwing and Mistle Thrush, bringing our total to 31 species. Many thanks to Margaret for leading.
Nancy Barrett