An unusual visitor to the campus

A rather bizarre visitor arrived in the quad that is at the heart of the Biosciences buildings; a Woodcock Scolopax rusticola. At first, given the rather extreme weather the UK has been experiencing, it was assumed the bird was looking for somewhere to rest and feed, presumably seeking soft ground in the shelter of the buildings.

However, two days later the birds was still present in the quad and it became apparent that the bird could not fly. It was caught up and checked over for injuries but there was no obvious damage and it was not emaciated. Consequently, the bird went home with Steve Portugal for a few days (living with his pet ducks) and enjoyed eating considerable amounts of earthworms dug up for him. A few days later the bird seemed to have recovered and was released at the Lickey Hills Country Park on the edge of the city.