Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, and his family took part in a field trip around Perton lakes and woods, last weekend.
The flock of 23 met at 10am outside the Perton Civic Centre on the Lakeside car park. In addition to Gavin and his family, the assembly consisted of members of the South West Staffs RSPB group and the South Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
The first stop of the walk was around Upper Lake and produced several water birds for the avid walkers, including a female Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Pochard and several other species.
There are two main lakes at Perton. Upper Lake is the larger and lies alongside the shopping centre, while Lower Lake is linked by a deep drainage ditch, which is also a part of the River Penk.
Along the drainage ditches, the bird watchers came across a Pied Wagtails, which were joined by a single Grey Wagtail. Along the pathway, the trees and the garden bird feeders were busy with various finches, Siskins and tits.
Leaving the water courses, Gavin and his fellow adventurers walked around the paths through Bluebell Wood, where they encountered numerous Siskins feeding high up in the Alders. A Greater Spotted Woodpecker also chipped away in the treetops and saw off a Green Woodpecker that tried to land nearby.
Over the road, by the Pear and Partridge, they went deep into the woodland and found many more Siskins, plus Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay and others.
Finally, after several more sightings, the group re-joined the course of the River Penk and retraced their steps back to the cars.
On the trip, Gavin said: "I have never seen so many Siskins in my life. My family and I greatly enjoyed the walk and now feel a lot more knowledgeable about the huge number of bird species that live in the Perton area.
“I would greatly recommend bird watching to anyone who loves nature and the outdoors, and would like to thank our bird experts for giving us this opportunity to learn a little bit more about the local wildlife.”