SOME BIRDS OF BIRMINGHAM 
125 
breeding there regularly, and the former also nests at the 
Botanical Gardens. The song of these birds is very sweet 
and full, and from the fact that the reed warbler sings at night 
it is often mistaken for that of the nightingale, although the 
songs are quite distinct. Its nest is built among reeds, well 
above the water, and is composed of grasses cunningly woven 
among the stems of the reeds to support and strengthen it. The 
eggs are of a faint greenish tint, with blotches of dark greenish 
brown, which are thickest at the thicker end of the egg. 
The sedge warbler, a much smaller bird than the last, nests 
in low bushes near water, or in brambles well tangled with 
grass. 
The lesser and greater white-throats breed at Edgbaston 
Park and the Botanical Gardens, and the latter also at Har- 
borne Reservoir. These birds are very shy, their song being 
low and sweet. They nest among nettles or ground cover of 
that sort. 
A rarer bird than those already mentioned is the blackcap, 
which is occasionally seen at the Botanical Gardens and Edg- 
baston Park. He can be easily recognised from his splendid 
song and from his colouring, which is darker than that of the 
other warblers, and he also has, as his name implies, a black 
head. He is very shy and difficult to approach, and his nest 
is, luckily, very difficult to find, being closely concealed in 
thick brambles or undergrowth of that sort well mixed with 
grass. It has been noticed that the blackcap is more easily 
driven to desert its nest than almost any other bird. 
The wood-warbler is another rare and shy bird that used to 
breed at Edgbaston Park. A nest was once found at the foot 
of a tree about one hundred yards from Edgbaston Park Road. 
The goldcrest also frequents not only the park and Botanical 
Gardens, but also many private gardens as well, and is seen 
practically all the year round. It breeds at the Botanical 
Gardens. The nest is a deep cup of moss, somewhat similar 
to that of the chaffinch, and is usually built at the end of a fir 
branch, just out of reach. The eggs ate very small, and are 
white with dark spots, or clouded with greyish brown. 
The kingfisher is fairly numerous at Edgbaston Park, and 
since the Alpine Garden was first made has also appeared at 
the Botanical Gardens, but does not apparently breed there, 
although there is no doubt that he does so at the Park. 
Thanks to the efforts of the Selborne and kindred Societies, 
this splendid bird is becoming, like the badger, considerably 
less rare, and in certain districts is common. The nest is very 
difficult to find, and is placed at the end of a hole in a bank 
near the water. 
The green woodpecker is found at Edgbaston Park, and 
used some fifteen years ago to be seen at the reservoir. This 
brilliant bird, with his green body and red cap, is no songster. 
His harsh cry is heard mostly before rain, though apparently he 
