Attingham Park, Shropshire

Taking advantage of the fine weather again on Sunday, we went for a National Trust day and visited Attingham Park in Shropshire, where we know there are great woodland walks, river and a deer park.

Despite being an aviation 'enthusiast; the afternoon was somewhat marred by a low flying helicopter circling the park for I would guess nearly an hour, it nearly drove us berserk! As a result there was nothing to see in the wood, everything was keeping it's head down.

There were some interesting fungi in the woods to make up for it:

Finally after the helicopter departed and we had been walking a while we came across some pheasant both in the woodland and then out in the deer park:

In all we must have seen upwards of 30.
Otherwise it was just Corvids around the deer park. Nearing the house again there were a few Mute Swans on the river

and a large number of Pied Wagtail on the lawn in front of the house.

We then went to the courtyard tea room and indulged in a slice of treacle tart with a pot of tea. It was here we had our best birding encounter of the afternoon. Nothing exciting but a good show by, Blue, Great and Coal Tits, Chaffinch and a splendid Nuthatch:

Hoping for decent weather again next weekend, I feel an Upton Warren visit is called for! Although if we have good weather in the week a lunch time walk around Haden Hill or along the canal to Warrens Hall NR might be on the cards.