Wheatley Valley

I gave the former landfill site a go this morning - been thinking about going down there for a while but its a welly job especially over the large grass flat area which is very wet (even in summer)!!
I had in mind  a possible Jack Snipe or Common Snipe but was unable to flush anything, though I guess there are both species there in winter. A bonus bird turned up trumps though, with a Woodcock flushed just as I was about to give up. A new bird for this site.

I then tried the planted area (young mixed woodland with a lot of Alder, Rowan, Willow, Birch, Hazel, Cherry etc ..) which was alive with birds including
10+ Bullfinch
30+ Redwings
1 Song Thrush singing
25+ Chaffinch
8 Greenfinch
20+ Goldfinch
Lots of Blue and Great Tits though just 2 L T Tits but no Coal Tits or Goldcrests
1 Jay
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
3 Herring Gulls over >NW
Altogether 27 sp.. in 2 hrs
Also a Red Fox - looked like a big male in superb condition and not so much red but more black than red. All in all a very enjoyable and productive  morning!