Lickey Hills

Thousands of ordinary people across Birmingham care for the city’s parks, nature reserves and open spaces Please consider sharing and donating to this fundraiser, created as a legacy in memory of my father, to support those unsung heroes via @BOSFonline justgiving.com/page/unsung-h…

A fabulous walk with @MattTheHairy at @BibbeysWildFarm and Edgbaston Reservoir brought great company plus quality farmland and urban birding Highlights: flocks everywhere, 26+ Stock Dove, 40+ Skylark, 20+ Reed Bunting and 2 male Kestrel, followed by.a male Goldeneye at the Res’

….14/4 as daylight faded I reached my journey’s end at Witton Park Lakes and Perry Common Meadows after over 26 miles and started reflecting on the day’s events and experiences. Wigeon, Teal and Pochard made it 54 species of bird seen in Brum during a wonderful day 😎👍👌

….13/14 Daylight was fading fast as I made my way from the Spaghetti Junction to Brookvale Park, where there was an impressive Cormorant roost building that involved at least 39 birds……

….12/14 The final leg of my epic journey took me north out of the city centre along the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal to Salford Park where 5 Shoveler became the 51st Brum bird species of the day….

….11/14 It was great to briefly turn my attention to Brum’s rich art, culture and history as I made my way to Gas Street Basin where I would reconnect with the city’s green and blue spaces…

….10/14 @cannonhillpark always brings back wonderful memories of life with my nan and it was great to see so many people appreciating the park’s birdlife as I passed through on my way to Calthorpe Park where there were plenty of gulls…

….9/14 The festive season was reflected at Pebble Mill Playing Fields and Holders Lane Park by a Mistle Thrush, living up to its name! I stopped to connect as many Brummie hearts as possible to a gorgeous Kingfisher…

….8/14 Continuing north whilst following the river Rea I then passed through Dad’s Lane Recreation Ground and Ten Acres Nature Space where it was fantastic to see 5 Greenfinch, a species that has recently been added to the red-list for highest conservation concern….

….7/14 I then headed to Hazelwell Park by returning along the Stratford-upon-Avon canal and then heading north along the Birmingham Canal. A good variety of birds were seen along the way but no new species for the day list….

….6/14 Next up, Kings Norton LNR, Park and Playing Fields followed by a walk along the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal to Lifford Reservoir. Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Collared Dove, Moorhen, Kingfisher, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, & Goldfinch made it 48 bird species….

…..5/14 To complete the challenge I had to walk at almost 3.5 miles per hour throughout the day. I hadn’t expected to be able to pick out a Treecreeper at that speed so I was lucky to spot one along the Rea Cycleway from Kings Norton train station as well as a Stock Dove…

…4/14 Ley Hill Park and Allen’s Cross Recreation Ground looked fabulous in the morning sun, where Green Woodpecker and Ring-necked Parakeet were added to the day list….

….3/14 From Senneleys Park I walked to Bartley and crossed the dam. Canada Goose, Mallard, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Starling and House Sparrow made it 34 Brum bird species by 9:30am…

….2/14 First up was Woodgate Valley and Senneleys Park. 24 bird species were recorded including Little Egret, Tawny Owl, Goldcrest, Song Thrush, Redwing & Bullfinch…

1/14….The Boxing Day challenge was simple; walk a marathon (26.2 miles) during daylight whilst connecting with Brum’s birdlife! It was a fabulous day that took me back to childhood, connected others to the city’s birdlife along the way and inspired great vision for 2024….