Well after torrential overnight rain I've never seen so much water. It was still raining in the morning so we cried off our normal Sunday morning Birding outing, no were not just fine weather Birders but we couldn't see the sence in going out and getting wet. It did finally stop about 9:30 so I thought I'd go a walk on the local patch accross TI (Walsall airfield) to Hayhead Wood and along the cut to Rushall and then home. TI was very boggy couldn't see any Wheatear yet we generally get them here at this time of year. In Hayhead wood (totally birdless except for a pair of Mallard) the paths were flooded so I was forced to take one which I hadn't been down before it seemed to follow a stream, I took this picture on the way, if anyone had said to me that there was a waterfall in Aldridge I wouldn't have believed them.

I continued down this pathway not seeing many birds only Robins Wrens & Dunnocks, wondering where I would finally come out, then I came to this big concrete cross which I recognised, I was in the middle of Cuckoos Nook ( the concrete cross was a base for a search light during the war). I found the public footpath back to Bar Common Road seeing a flock of Meadow Pipits in the field as I passed. There were loads of Rooks at the Aldridge Rookery at the junction of Barr Common Road and Birmingham Road some of them nest building. While talking about nest building I've been watching a pair of crows building a nest at the end of my Garden, they don't just pick up any old branch but they actually peck at the small branches on trees and break them off, I suppose this is because these will be pliable and easily weave together to make the nest.

I've had an interesting week in the Garden a Grey Wagatil and a Goldcrest were present on Wednesday. I'm still waiting to see my first summer visitor, Sand Martins, Little Ringed Plover, Wheatears have all been seen locally and Chiff Chaffs have been heard.