A Taste of the Med in the West Midlands

A wintering Hoopoe has spent the last week or so in a small quarry area, on landscaped reclaimed land, at Wall Heath, Kingswinford near Dudley in Staffordshire. During mild winter weather there is often a wintering Hoopoe somewhere in Britain, so it was rather good to have one 50 odd miles from home. The bird showed well on and off before it flew into cover just prior to a rain shower setting in. They become rather a dull pinky-brown in winter plumage. It was finding sufficient food in the mild conditions for the time of year. A nice year tick which takes my year list on to 242.

Hoopoe – Wall Heath, Kingswinford, Staffordshire – December 20th 2015 – Tony Davison©