wolfbirder
Well-known member
I live on a privately-gated site at Wergs Hall, metres from the Wolverhampton/West Mids border, which was an old stately hall with private flats built as an annexe.
Its not as posh as it sounds, with flats for rent and those for sale via a leasehold purchase go for as little as £180,000.
Anyway, I have been here since August 2021 and the views I enjoy from three different windows overlook the old hall green with tall trees and a ploughed field beyond, then from the side window over a rough meadow and the edge of a superb Japanese garden with Wergs Hall pools and fisheries and River Penk in view, and then the front overlooks a car park but with a number of trees and scrub.
Its not the ornithological paradise one might imagine due to the number of Grey Squirrels and also active Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, and Buzzard, and the usual corvids including Jackdaws, Crows, Jays and Ravens too. But the usual tit species prevail including Coal and Long-tailed Tits, many Great and Blue Tits, and the usual Robins, Dunnocks, Wrens, Blackbirds, Mistle Thrushes, occasional Song Thrush, several Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, a few wintering Starlings, Siskins, occasional Redpolls, and in summer the usual hirundines - I had a very early Swallow on 12th March last year, and House Martins nest in the buildings under the eaves of the Old Hall. Stock Doves and Wood Pigeons abound, but I have only ever seen one Collared Dove near the entrance gates, and 2 Feral Pigeons one of which was taken by a Sparrowhawk on the main lawn.
There is a Kingfisher pair on the river frequently seen, and in autumn and winter several Goosanders are often seen along with up to 50 Canada Geese, occasionally a few Greylags, as well as Mute Swans, Mallards, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, occasional Little Grebe, up to 10 Cormorants, and gulls frequently pass through, best so far was an adult Yellow-legged Gull. Lapwings are occasionally seen in the fields beyond the river and I have had a few Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets fly along the river, and Grey Heron is resident. In the adjacent scrub it is not uncommon to come across a Chiffchaff or two, occasional Willow Warbler and Blackcap too, in spring and summer of course. I have seen a wintering Blackcap this year. Goldcrests are commonly seen in the pines, but I am yet to come across a Firecrest. Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker can all be seen sporadically, and Green Woodpecker has been seen a few times but is often vocal at certain times of the year. I have occasionally had nice views of a Grey Wagtail pair, and White Wagtails have sometimes been seen on passage, but more common on rooftops are a few Pied Wagtails.
Highlights include up to 13 Ring-necked Parakeets overhead, including one on my fat-ball feeder, though they are absent this winter. I think they can be found around Codsall. Tawny Owls roost in the trees of the Japanese Garden, but they too have been quiet this year. I have only managed a single sighting even when I go out at night with a torch. Bullfinch can occasionally be seen, I had a nice male a few weeks ago at the front. I also had 3 Spotted Flycatchers in the Japanese garden last summer briefly, possibly suggestive of breeding. A few Fieldfares can be seen in treetops in winter, but Redwings are far more common sometimes in a flock of around 100 birds, but again it is quiet this year and I have not seen a long-staying flock unusually. However, in November a flock of 80 Redwings contained 6 Hawfinches, and one of the latter has stayed in the grounds for the past 2-3 months, and though elusive, for around five minutes it sporadically pops up on the tallest tree to sing and look around. I have now seen this bird around 6 times, including today. A clear highlight to date.
Apart from the many Grey Squirrels, a pair of Red Fox is often seen and is very vocal at night. A badger apparently has a den in the Japanese Garden though I am not sure as I have never seen it. I have seen a Muntjac Deer on a few occasions early morning, which is a pleasant surprise. In summer, the meadow is alive with butterflies, and I have also seen Migrant Hawkers, Common Hawkers, Brown Hawkers, a single Southern Hawker, and on the river Large Red Eyed Damselflies and Azure Damselflies.
Across the road from the main entrance of Wergs Hall, and in a rough field adjacent to the northern half of Wergs Fisheries, I have flushed Snipe and possibly a Woodcock once, but I'm not clear about that.
I'd expect to connect with Red Kite, Peregrine, possibly Hobby at some point at Wergs Hall, as I have had them over Bilbrook (part of Codsall) where I previously lived, just a mile away. Is Osprey even possible at Wergs? There are adjacent tall pines where they might roost next to the river. Is Merlin even possible in the adjacent flat fields?
Indeed, within five miles of Wergs Hall, there are various sites of note, and of course Belvide Reservoir and its delights are nearby too. A single Corn Bunting, Ring Ouzel, and Redstart were seen a few years ago in the fields around Bilbrook with a number of White Wagtails, and currently we have a juvenile Black Redstart and Stonechat at the I54 Industrial site, where I also found a wintering Short-eared Owl when the site was being developed several years ago. Many people, including myself, enjoyed views of a White-tailed Eagle at an undisclosed site five miles away a couple of years ago, where Red Kite, Peregrine, Goshawk, and Little Owl have been encountered, as well as a Merlin just once. Yellowhammer, Linnet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Whitethroat, Red-legged Partridge, and Common Pheasant are seen around the adjacent country lanes. I also visited a site a mile away near Perton many years ago that contained a few Jack Snipe.
All in all, I am very privileged to live in a beautiful place, its not the paradise ornithologically that it might sound reading this - often I can have a walk around the grounds and it appears bird-less. But it really helps having a 1st-floor flat that enjoys commanding views in three directions, a key reason I wanted this specific property when it came available.
I will continue to update as sightings occur. Hope it is of vague interest to others.
Its not as posh as it sounds, with flats for rent and those for sale via a leasehold purchase go for as little as £180,000.
Anyway, I have been here since August 2021 and the views I enjoy from three different windows overlook the old hall green with tall trees and a ploughed field beyond, then from the side window over a rough meadow and the edge of a superb Japanese garden with Wergs Hall pools and fisheries and River Penk in view, and then the front overlooks a car park but with a number of trees and scrub.
Its not the ornithological paradise one might imagine due to the number of Grey Squirrels and also active Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, and Buzzard, and the usual corvids including Jackdaws, Crows, Jays and Ravens too. But the usual tit species prevail including Coal and Long-tailed Tits, many Great and Blue Tits, and the usual Robins, Dunnocks, Wrens, Blackbirds, Mistle Thrushes, occasional Song Thrush, several Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, a few wintering Starlings, Siskins, occasional Redpolls, and in summer the usual hirundines - I had a very early Swallow on 12th March last year, and House Martins nest in the buildings under the eaves of the Old Hall. Stock Doves and Wood Pigeons abound, but I have only ever seen one Collared Dove near the entrance gates, and 2 Feral Pigeons one of which was taken by a Sparrowhawk on the main lawn.
There is a Kingfisher pair on the river frequently seen, and in autumn and winter several Goosanders are often seen along with up to 50 Canada Geese, occasionally a few Greylags, as well as Mute Swans, Mallards, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, occasional Little Grebe, up to 10 Cormorants, and gulls frequently pass through, best so far was an adult Yellow-legged Gull. Lapwings are occasionally seen in the fields beyond the river and I have had a few Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets fly along the river, and Grey Heron is resident. In the adjacent scrub it is not uncommon to come across a Chiffchaff or two, occasional Willow Warbler and Blackcap too, in spring and summer of course. I have seen a wintering Blackcap this year. Goldcrests are commonly seen in the pines, but I am yet to come across a Firecrest. Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker can all be seen sporadically, and Green Woodpecker has been seen a few times but is often vocal at certain times of the year. I have occasionally had nice views of a Grey Wagtail pair, and White Wagtails have sometimes been seen on passage, but more common on rooftops are a few Pied Wagtails.
Highlights include up to 13 Ring-necked Parakeets overhead, including one on my fat-ball feeder, though they are absent this winter. I think they can be found around Codsall. Tawny Owls roost in the trees of the Japanese Garden, but they too have been quiet this year. I have only managed a single sighting even when I go out at night with a torch. Bullfinch can occasionally be seen, I had a nice male a few weeks ago at the front. I also had 3 Spotted Flycatchers in the Japanese garden last summer briefly, possibly suggestive of breeding. A few Fieldfares can be seen in treetops in winter, but Redwings are far more common sometimes in a flock of around 100 birds, but again it is quiet this year and I have not seen a long-staying flock unusually. However, in November a flock of 80 Redwings contained 6 Hawfinches, and one of the latter has stayed in the grounds for the past 2-3 months, and though elusive, for around five minutes it sporadically pops up on the tallest tree to sing and look around. I have now seen this bird around 6 times, including today. A clear highlight to date.
Apart from the many Grey Squirrels, a pair of Red Fox is often seen and is very vocal at night. A badger apparently has a den in the Japanese Garden though I am not sure as I have never seen it. I have seen a Muntjac Deer on a few occasions early morning, which is a pleasant surprise. In summer, the meadow is alive with butterflies, and I have also seen Migrant Hawkers, Common Hawkers, Brown Hawkers, a single Southern Hawker, and on the river Large Red Eyed Damselflies and Azure Damselflies.
Across the road from the main entrance of Wergs Hall, and in a rough field adjacent to the northern half of Wergs Fisheries, I have flushed Snipe and possibly a Woodcock once, but I'm not clear about that.
I'd expect to connect with Red Kite, Peregrine, possibly Hobby at some point at Wergs Hall, as I have had them over Bilbrook (part of Codsall) where I previously lived, just a mile away. Is Osprey even possible at Wergs? There are adjacent tall pines where they might roost next to the river. Is Merlin even possible in the adjacent flat fields?
Indeed, within five miles of Wergs Hall, there are various sites of note, and of course Belvide Reservoir and its delights are nearby too. A single Corn Bunting, Ring Ouzel, and Redstart were seen a few years ago in the fields around Bilbrook with a number of White Wagtails, and currently we have a juvenile Black Redstart and Stonechat at the I54 Industrial site, where I also found a wintering Short-eared Owl when the site was being developed several years ago. Many people, including myself, enjoyed views of a White-tailed Eagle at an undisclosed site five miles away a couple of years ago, where Red Kite, Peregrine, Goshawk, and Little Owl have been encountered, as well as a Merlin just once. Yellowhammer, Linnet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Whitethroat, Red-legged Partridge, and Common Pheasant are seen around the adjacent country lanes. I also visited a site a mile away near Perton many years ago that contained a few Jack Snipe.
All in all, I am very privileged to live in a beautiful place, its not the paradise ornithologically that it might sound reading this - often I can have a walk around the grounds and it appears bird-less. But it really helps having a 1st-floor flat that enjoys commanding views in three directions, a key reason I wanted this specific property when it came available.
I will continue to update as sightings occur. Hope it is of vague interest to others.
Last edited:
