A pleasant area of countryside where Sky Larks and Ravens nest
This is a surprisingly tranquil spot not far from the conurbation, dotted with small woodlands and arable farmland, with a picturesque golf course and a good list of breeding species from Raven and Buzzard to the diminutive Goldcrest. Horse paddocks attract a few passage migrants, while fields of wheat play host to nesting Sky Larks.
WHERE TO WATCH
1
From Walsall Wood Road follow Hobbs Hole Lane downhill – the song of Sky Lark, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Song Thrush and Whitethroat fill the air from spring through to summer. There’s the chance of a Cuckoo from late spring, although they’re now becoming scarcer in the area. Stock Dove, Linnet, Goldfinch and corvids are common.
2
A good site for singing Goldcrest is where the golf course splits and crosses the road – there is also a chance of Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Greenfinch and Great Spotted Woodpecker.
3
Follow the road down, checking paddocks, and turn right into a more open aspect which attracts Buzzard, Kestrel and sometimes Hobby in late summer. Check pylons for nesting Raven, which have been present for several years now. Red Kites are being seen more regularly in south Staffordshire, so it seems likely that the surrounds here will also favour these majestic birds.
4 Retrace your steps and take the path at the edge of Druids Heath golf course walking towards Aldridge. The horse paddocks play host to Green Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Jay and passage Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear and Meadow Pipits and occasionally Redstart and Whinchat. Swallows hawk low, with Swift and House Martins overhead in summer. Gulls feed on the short turf. Winter brings Siskin, Lesser Redpoll and occasional Woodcock with Redwing and Fieldfare in good supply
Hope Farm is not a nature reserve but a commercial farm that shows agricultural advisors what can be done to improve wildlife on other farms. Visitors can explore the site by following the public footpaths marked on the map and on the ground. The RSPB started managing the 181 hectares of farmland in 2000 and has since seen a steady rise in the number of arable farmland birds.
ABIGAIL HAMILTON-THOMPSON
WHERE TO WATCH
1 The hedgerows are cut every three years to encourage more berries on the bushes, which attract winter thrushes such as Redwing and Fieldfare, and during the nesting season Yellowhammer and Whitethroat.
2 By keeping areas of wet ground during the breeding seasons, these spots encourage the earthworms to stay near the surface, thus providing sustenance for birds such as Song Thrush. The river attracts a variety of insects which in turn entices Reed Bunting, Yellow Wagtail and young Lapwing.
3
The rotating winter bird seed plots attract flocks of Goldfinches, several varieties of bunting, Linnet and Yellowhammer. Resident Barn Owls can be seen in the evenings. New species that have recently arrived at Hope Farm include Grey Partridges and Yellow Wagtail, and Lapwings began nesting in 2006, after an area of land was set aside specifically for this purpose. The uncropped margins around the fields provide safe nesting habitats for Grey Partridges.