Waders - At Last!

Bright with a gentle breeze was perfect weather for a morning walk. I set off early down the Pit Tip lane before dawn, seeing very little, except Blackbird, Magpie and Carrion Crow. Along the bottom was a singing Robin and at Dawson's Corner a Kestrel was hunting in the overgrowth (probably a male). There were plenty of probable Redwing too, but the light wasn't good enough to tell yet. Along the Sustrans path a single Song Thrush was singing.

At the Mill Lakes the Greylag Goose was in its usual spot with a Great Crested Grebe. Taking the anti-clockwise path, no Cormorant were around today, but a Grey Heron was in the reeds on the far side. A couple of Rabbit were around the Dipping Ponds, probably as it was still early. The Pochard flock was split in two and no sign of the recent Ruddy Duck amongst it. Several Teal were also around the far bank with a few Gadwall. A Song Thrush was singing and showing quite well around the Willow Carr.

The Peninsula didn't show too much today, a juvenile Great Crested Grebe and many Tufted Duck. Walking up towards the bridge, I stopped to get good views of the Mud Island to check for the reported Snipe. After seeing a few movements and setting the camera up, I caught sight of the Kingfisher again; flying from the river and clockwise around the shore of the lake. I'd spotted a couple of movements on the edge of the mud, which turned out to be Snipe, but the footage was poor.

I met a local birder who I'd seen before, but not talked to (other than a quick hello). I asked him if he'd seen anything and we got talking about the site and what could be seen and where. Norman (that was his name) had been coming to the site since he was a kid (I think) and remembered it before it was a lake (just a large reedbed on the river Leen). He told me about all the birds that used to breed in and around the site and gave me a few hints on where to find birds such as Pheasant, Grey Partridge and some plover species. We walked back down to the peninsula where he thought we might get a better chance at seeing the Snipe, but no luck on that score. However, he did pick out a Common Gull from the flock of Black-headed Gull, which was a site first - I think they'll arrive in greater numbers soon though. He also told me about his friend Ralph, which turns out to be the guy I found listed on Surfbirds for his Mill Lakes patch list. Ralph had apparently set up a feeding station at the Water Meadow, which I later found. After speaking with Norman, I went back to look for the Snipe and head up to the Water Meadow. Just as the sun was up high enough to hit the mud flat island the Snipe started to come out. At most I picked out six together, but there were probably more in the undergrowth.

Common Snipe

I headed up to the Water Meadow along the side of the river seeing a pair of Wren in the scrub of the wood. A pair of Goldfinch were up in the trees with some Blue Tit and Great Tit. No sign of any Long-tailed Tit all day today, but I did spend most of my time looking at the Snipe. A single Bullfinch could be seen high up in a tree (through the branches) as I approached the Water Meadow gate, and there seemed to be good numbers of birds around. The new feeding station seemed to be doing its job well, as a couple of Willow Tit were feeding there. Also a single Goldcrest was showing well in the trees by the rail track.

Willow Tit [honestly!]

On the way back from the Water Meadow I met a couple who were watching the lake from the west side. It seemed as if they didn't know the site or what to see there too well, so I let them know about the Snipe, which they seemed very interested in. Just after leaving them I met yet another birder who seemed more experienced, but was relatively new to the site. We chatted as we walked back around and over the bridge. He'd been a member of Ogston Bird Club (Derbyshire) and was now living nearby. He mentioned that he'd been to Goosedale quite a bit and some farm nearby, maybe it was Westhouse Farm or Grange Farm?

On the way back plenty of Rook were in the fields at the bottom of the Pit Top and a Sparrowhawk (probable male) was being mobbed by a crow above the Pit Top. On the path between the narrow conservation areas, a female Reed Bunting (probably first winter) flew straight in front of me and landed on the hedgerow fence. It disappeared into the hedge, but stopped long enough for me to get some footage. For me, this was a pretty good sighting, as I've only seen them once before and that was at the Mill Lakes - a more likely habitat.

Female Reed Bunting

I decided to walk around the main conservation area with the hope of adding a Green Woodpecker or Skylark to the list, but nothing new was to be seen. It was around this point that the sole came off my walking boot, making it both noisy and a pain to walk. However, I did catch sight of a probable Kestrel on the way back into The Warren, although from the silhouette the tail looked unusually long. Just before leaving the park I caught sight of a Sparrowhawk (probably male) sitting in a tree by the exit (in the garden of the bungalow), and managed to get some close footage before it flew away.

Female Sparrowhawk

A great day by my standards, with 38 species recorded and two additions to my patch list in the form of Snipe and Common Gull. It was also nice to meet so many other birders on this relatively small patch.

Plenty of Goldcrests

Today was overcast, and I took a short walk in the woods. Behind the houses in Warren Hill. I saw a Jay in the path and a group of Chaffinch at the edge of Big Wood School Field. Two Great Spotted Woodpecker were in the trees there: the first was probably a female with its black head stripe, but the view was not so great; and the second was a male. A few Coal Tit were seen in the hedges that border the park on the way to the Three Ponds.

I headed on towards the Three Ponds and found more Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Nuthatch. Also, a couple of Goldcrest were at the main gravel track area. I walked down the track and up First Valley which showed more Goldcrest, but I had trouble getting close enough for decent footage [as you can see]. In total, I recorded 18 species in the woods, which isn't too bad.

Glad I Went Back

Today I went back to the Mill Lakes to try and track down the Ruddy Duck again. I didn't spend much time recording on the way down there, but the Green Woodpecker was at the top of the very same tree on the Pit Tip. A large flock of House Sparrow (circa 20) were in a tree backing on to a garden in Rise Park, and a Sparrowhawk was over the fields near Dawson's Corner.

I went straight to the place where the Ruddy Duck was seen on Wednesday, but didn't see it. Not many Pochard were there either, so it might have been elsewhere or at the other side of the island. A single Cormorant was at Tern Island and a Grey Heron could be seen in a patch of reeds at the far side. I headed further around in the anti-clockwise direction trying to track down the Ruddy Duck and picked out more drake Teal.

The trees around the swamp and picnic area had the usual Goldfinch flocks, but bird of the day came in the form of a Lesser Redpoll flock, being life tick for me. At first a few birds were seen in a tree by the lake near the sign, and later a larger flock were on the Peninsula. The flock consisted of both male and female with one bird seen with a very pink breast in the V-shape, which I thought might have been a Linnet at the time, although it was probably just a strongly coloured male. I think it's time to become more acquainted with these finch species which seem to elude me! I noted on at least some of the birds a black bib, red forehead, single (or dominant) paler wing bar and streaking on the sides of the breast - definitely Lesser Redpoll. I got some footage, but it doesn't show anything other than silhouettes against the bright sky.

A typical pair of Bullfinch were in the hedge at the Leen Pastures and heading back I managed to relocate the single Ruddy Duck - probably a winter male. For a relatively quick visit, 35 species is a nice total for me, especially with the Lesser Redpoll life tick.

Ruddy difficult to ID

The weather was overcast with strong winds, so there was a chance everything would be hiding away. On entering the park I saw a single Greenfinch in a Goldfinch flock, and walked along the back of the Pit Tip seeing Blue Tit, Great Tit and a single Coal Tit. A Green Woodpecker was perched at the top of one of the small trees on the edge of the woodland, and I also saw a single Jay here. I followed the lane around the Pit Tip down to see plenty of Blackbird in the hedges and Rook in the fields. At Dawson's Corner were plenty of Redwing, a Song Thrush, and a flyover from a Cormorant.

I arrived at the Mill Lakes to see that a new fence had been put up by the Vehicle Bridge to prevent anyone walking down the river path which gives views over the Reedbed. On the near side the Reedbed Boardwalk had been cleared, but it doesn't give very good views. The single Greylag Goose was in its usual spot, and I decided to take the anti-clockwise path for once.

A pair of Bullfinch were in the trees/hedges, but the views weren't good. Whilst trying to get some better views I managed the best footage yet of a flock of Long-tailed Tit, which literally surrounded me at one point, coming as close as 2m away. I disturbed a couple of Cormorant around the next corner, and they flew off towards Tern Island. I also got some better footage of Teal here, but they didn't hang around for long. I counted five or more males and at least one female.

Heading up to the Leen Pastures didn't produce much today. Some kids on bikes were around, so that probably scared everything off before I got there. Another pair of Bullfinch were in the hedge that borders the meadow and a probable Goldfinch too. There were some birds calling on the railway siding, but they were well hidden from view.

Heading back down the east side of the lake showed the usual pair of Great Crested Grebe and whilst looking for other usual species, I came across the elusive Little Grebe south of the Peninsula. The group of Pochard was mostly male, but at least one female was visible. Mixed in with them was an odd looking cream-coloured duck, which proved difficult to identify as (or at least confirm my suspicions that it was) a winter male Ruddy Duck - a patch first, surprisingly.

On the way back to the bridge, a single male Chaffinch was around the small marsh pool and a Sparrowhawk was chasing some Woodpigeon around. This brought the day's total to 35 species, including a patch tick in the form of the Ruddy Duck.

A busy lunchtime in the woods

Today I took the same route as on Wednesday, but didn't go further than the so-called Toxic Pond, on Main Drive. It was lunchtime, and the paths were quite busy with walkers. At the corner of the Big Wood School Field were ten Chaffinch, and several Blue Tit and Great Tit. Further along were lots of Blackbird, a couple of Song Thrush, a Wren and a Nuthatch. Near the ponds there was a single Robin, another Wren, and a Treecreeper above the gate that leads onto the main road.

On the way back a small flock of Redwing were in the tops of the tall trees behind the Three Ponds, as were a couple of Jay and a single Dunnock too. Some Coal Tit were in the hedge along the driveway of the large private house, and behind the house there was another Nuthatch in a very large old tree, as was a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Behind Warren Hill another Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the branches of some trees that overhang the gardens of the first houses. A nice short walk on a cold but sunny day, with 18 different species seen in the woods.

The "Posh" End

It was a reasonable afternoon for a short walk, so I decided to familiarize myself with the area around Bestwood Lodge, which is now a posh looking hotel - it's not that posh, though!

I walked along the path behind Warren Hill seeing lots of Chaffinch at their stronghold, the garden next to Big Wood School Field. There were also Great Tit, Blue Tit and a single Coal Tit there too. Walking on towards the lodge, I stopped around the Main Gate. One tree here attracted lots of attention with all four of the commoner tits, a couple of Goldcrest, two Nuthatch and one Treecreeper. With good views of all, it was typical that I'd left the video camera at home. I didn't realize at the time, but this was just by the tree I'd seen and filmed my first Nuthatch in the park.

This area seemed to be that of the Three Ponds that the experienced birder was describing to me on Saturday - to me it's more like a small bog, though. Anyway, after fifteen minutes or so here, I went on to the lodge area in the hope of seeing some woodpeckers. At this time of day I wasn't going to have much luck with anything other than a timid Jay at the back of the housing estate, but at least I've become more familiar with the area.

On the way back it was starting to rain and not much was around. A single Dunnock was at the side of the path in a woodpile with a Robin. Lots of Chaffinch and tits were still at the corner of the school field, but the light was fading, so didn't stop to look. A little past here a noise above caught my attention and looked up to see a Great Spotted Woodpecker. In the trees by the exit there were about ten Goldfinch and a single Greenfinch - it seemed the rain had brought them into the trees from the nearby gardens. In all I managed 21 species; mainly woodland birds, with good views of the Treecreeper and Goldcrest.

The Water Meadow Willow

Starting out on the near side of the Pit Tip, I heard the Song Thrush in the same area as yesterday. A Green Woodpecker was at the top of a small nearby tree as I approached to find the Song Thrush, and a Robin was at the top of a nearby gorse bush.

I carried on to the Dunvegan Drive entrance and down the lane seeing many Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, three Starling, a single House Sparrow and a single Wren. I met a more experienced birder walking his dog and he gave me a few tips on seeing Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Big Wood near the three ranger-created ponds and around the Bestwood Lodge. Around the farm paths there were plenty of Redwing and a Sparrowhawk (a female, I think) was hunting low in the bushes. I heard another Song Thrush behind the houses on the Sustrans path to the Mill Lakes.

A Greylag Goose flew off as I walked down to the lake. Another was on Tern Island with a Cormorant, whilst another Cormorant flew around, eventually landing on Tern Island too. I think most of the usual residents were around, but didn't spend too much time looking today. I caught sight of a group of Pochard and then a possible small group of Teal/Gadwall, but didn't get chance to make a positive ID, as they were at the far side of the lake, where there's better cover.

On the main path along the side of the marshy area one of the regulars with some bins was looking up in the trees. Said he was looking at Goldfinch, and sure enough there was a flock of six or more moving through the trees. I watched them for a couple of minutes after he'd left and picked out some streaked pale cream/brown birds with a yellow/greenish head marking. I thought these might have been a Siskin, and tried to capture some footage for later ID. Unfortunately it was against a bright sky, so only the silhouettes could be seen. Despite the time of year, I didn't rule out the possibility of it being a juvenile Goldfinch, so without anything better to go on, I left it at that.

Near the Leen Pastures I found my bird of the day in the form of a calling Willow Tit at the river's edge, which didn't hang around long enough for me to get any footage. I also saw a single Dunnock up here (a juvenile, I think), more Redwing, lots of Long-tailed Tit and more of the other two common tits. There were quite a lot of Bullfinch around today, I managed to see a pair alongside the river, two females at the Leen Pastures gate, and another pair on my way back to the lake. I was hoping for a better chance of Redwing and Bullfinch footage at least, but cut the trip short to catch a lift home with the family.

My first Willow Tit since the start of recording gave another patch tit, and a count of 32 species made for a reasonable trip.

A Heron from the Woods

An overcast, but bright morning saw me stroll around the Pit Tip and back through the woods, giving a total of 19 species, which isn't too bad for the woodlands. On the Pit Tip there were many Blue Tit, Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit with two Coal Tit amongst them. Also, the first Song Thrush I've heard singing up here, and a Green Woodpecker in flight just as I arrived.

In Big Wood there were more Goldcrest than I usually see, and in several areas too. Lots of Jay could be seen, since most of the leaves are now gone. There were lots of Redwing around the Barbecue Area, and a single Nuthatch here too. Along Main Drive I saw more Goldcrest, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, and a Grey Heron flying over.

A Short Walk, a Short List

I took an hour's walk around Big Wood, starting down at Hanging Heath seeing some Woodpigeon and four Jay. I headed up a trail at the other side of the main path, which was quiet for a while and then a couple of Long-tailed Tit appeared. A falcon species caught my eye flying over, but it was only a short view and the light was bad (the sun was too low). It looked big enough to be a Peregrine and had a whitish underneath, but chances are it was a Kestrel.

Further on a possible Sparrowhawk caught my eye flying away from me in the trees, so I followed its general direction (up a horse trail) in hope of a better view. After re-sighting it flying away from me again, I didn't relocate it, and the view wasn't good enough for an ID. Further along the horse trail a Great Tit was calling and in came several others from various directions, a few Blue Tit and a single Wren were also drawn out.

After joining a main footpath again I stopped at a point before it joined onto the Woodman's Path. Here there were a single Dunnock, a Robin, more Blue Tit and Great Tit and a pair of Chaffinch. Then I followed the Woodman's path back to the Triangle. Near the garden that's next to Big Wood School Field I caught sight of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, another pair of Chaffinch, more Blue Tit and Great Tit and a single Blackbird.

A nice quiet walk in the bright sunny weather, but only 14 species to show for it.

Rained Off

The weather forecast was fair so I had a long walk planned; around the Pit Tip lane to the Mill Lakes and then maybe to the lakes further north and back through Big Wood. When I set out at 8am there was a light rain, which I hoped would clear. Lots of Blackbird and Blue Tit were along the path in the hedgerows. Also seen were a few Wren, House Sparrow, a pair of Chaffinch, a couple of Dunnock, and a Redwing. A single Robin was at Orchard Corner.

Further on, the rain started to get heavier, so I sheltered under an oak tree for a few minutes. There were Woodpigeon, Magpie and Carrion Crow in the nearby fields. When it became lighter again, I decided to head on a little way to Dawson's Corner, but by then it was getting very heavy, with no sign of it easing up enough for me to dry out. The bins and camera were already pretty wet too, so I headed back. Another Robin was around here, and I'd also seen a few Great Tit up to this point.

The return journey only produced more of the same, with a Greenfinch in someone's garden at the back of Rise Park. In the woods along Front Line, I had some good views of two Jay chasing each other about, then it was back home to get a cup of tea and dry off.

What a Day... to Leave the Camcorder!

I left just after 7am to get to the Mill Lakes before it got too busy, but ended up taking my time. I saw loads of Blackbird down the lane that runs around the Pit Tip, with Blue Tit, Great Tit and a single Goldcrest too. Where the path bends at a right angle at the back of Rise Park a Red Fox popped out of the undergrowth, only to see me and disappear back in again. As usual, there were loads of Rook in Farmer Fox's Cow Field, and I had close views of Goldfinch and Redwing at Dawson's Corner before heading along the Sustrands path to the Mill Lakes.

On arriving, I headed to the Vehicle Bridge to get a good view up the lake and saw some of the typical residents (Mallard, Coot, Mute Swan, Canada Goose and Tufted Duck) with a single Grey Heron hidden in the bushes on the near bank. Another Grey Heron was further away on the bank of one of the nearer islands.

There were some noisy kids down by the Reedbed area so I decided to avoid them and take the usual anti-clockwise route. I spotted my first patch Cormorant flying SE over the trees, then another when arriving at the first of the lake's viewing points. It was showing well, perched on a post just off Tern Island. I got a better view of the Grey Heron on the island bank from here, and another did a lap of honour flight around the same island before settling on the far side. One of the Great Crested Grebe was here too, maybe the juvenile, but I wasn't paying too much attention. I could also start getting views of the shy ducks from here, which included a Gadwall on the far side. Some Moorhen were also present.

The next viewing point showed three pairs of Gadwall complete with drake Shoveler in full-colour glory, two pairs of Teal and what I thought were a pair of Wigeon on the far bank, but not good enough views to tick. There were 22 Pochard in the middle of the lake staying north of one island and around 40 Black-headed Gull further up. A view from the side over the usually-quite area showed a female Sparrowhawk seemingly struggling in a bush at the near edge of the lake. After settling it flew off into a tall tree on one of the islands. A number of Long-tailed Tits were passing through here too.

I moved on to try and get some better views of the Sparrowhawk, but in doing so heard and saw another raptor over the adjacent farmer's field. It was being harassed by a Black-headed Gull, but was managing quite well (being faster) and was happy to stay around swooping, circling and soaring over the field and showing quite well in the good light. Without the bins on it it showed typical falcon shape and I thought it was a Kestrel (although large). In the bins it showed obvious barring and my first thought was Sparrowhawk. I soon realised it was something a bit more special. The wing shape and fine barring on the tail combined with the definite black "hood" all pointed to Peregrine. To rule out Hobby I checked for red/brown "trousers" and there were no signs. (Could have been a juvenile, but later ruled out the possibility of any Hobby by the time of year.) It's just typical that the day I get good views of the rarest thing I've ever seen on this patch, I leave the video camera at home as the battery was low! I spent about 3-4 minutes watching this wonderful bird, before losing it whilst rummaging for the compact camera. C'est la Vie!

Thinking that the Peregrine might have headed to the Leen Pastures, I headed along the path in that direction. Just before the bridge a large flock of Fieldfare flew up from the same field into the nearby trees. On arrival at the gate of the Leen Pastures, there was plenty to see. First to grab my attention was a female Bullfinch in the trees to the left. Plenty of Blue Tit and Goldfinch were around with lots of Redwing too. When some walkers passed along the overlooking disused railway tracks, they disturbed the birds a bit and two smaller birds also caught my attention in the trees. A male and female Reed Bunting were happy to stay around for most of the time I was there - another great patch tick for me. A Robin and Wren were also about.

Some odd noises caught my attention. It sounded like calls from a raptor, but overly loud. This happened several times whilst I was in the Leen Pastures area. Sometimes the calls seemed hawk-like and other times falcon-like (at least they did to me), always lasting 10-15 seconds and with about ten minutes between calls. It seemed to be some kind of loudspeaker device in a nearby farmer's field. One time it sounded and flushed out quite a few birds, including a male Kestrel, which flew over me to the west. I decided to try and get better views by going up the side of the rail embankment. No sign of it by the time I got there, but I was surprised to find a golf course hidden on the other side of the embankment. Other than a small pond/lake there, there was nothing much to see apart from golfers on the course and walkers on the railway track.

Heading back to the Mill Lake showed more Fieldfare in the trees by the Double Gates, along with the usual Blue Tit. The single Greylag Goose was at the north end of the lake for once. Due the the light, I couldn't see much more from this side, so headed on back via the northern entrance, getting very close views of some House Sparrow in the hedge at the entrance.

I decided to take a scenic route home and headed north on the main road out of the village and then took a right up a supposed public footpath. At the top there was some kind of private looking scrap yard with no sign of a footpath. I found a couple of signs which indicated a very overgrown path, but gave up after the undergrowth got too thick. I backtracked a bit and took an alternate route, which led into a farmer's field. About to turn back, I saw a dog walker heading towards me through the field, so I waited around to ask. He pointed me in the direction of a farmhouse and then up through a sugar beet field. After a lot of clambering through thick undergrowth, I found my way to the path around the top of Bestwood Quarry. I checked the spot I saw the Weasel the week before, but no sign of it. I headed back home through Big Wood, but no sign of anything but Great Tit at that time of day. I didn't bother to look for much anyway, not after already seeing three new patch birds.

Weasely Recognized

Today it was cold, but dry and bright with some sunny patches, so I decided to head for Bestwood Quarry. I was up and out quite early and walked behind the houses in Warrenhill seeing many birds in and around the hedge of the garden next to Big Wood School Field. These were mainly tits, but three Great Spotted Woodpecker were there and a Dunnock too. I walked on and saw a Wren at the junction of Woodman's Path. Then I headed down the path known as First Valley. A little way down I came to an area with lots of chirping sounds that showed a Wren and some very close sightings of two Goldcrest - I'm starting to recognize their calls now.

I came out on main drive right before Alexandra Lodge where the double "fence post" gate is. Before getting to the lodge, a Sparrowhawk dived into the large pine on the right, where three or four Woodpigeon flew out unharmed. I tried to get a better view of the Sparrowhawk, but it flew out of view almost immediately afterwards. I walked on through Alexandra Lodge checking all the action around its gardens. Lots of tits were on the feeders along with some Chaffinch too. Blue Tit and Great Tit mainly, but one or two possible Coal Tit too (not clear enough to see for sure). Another Wren around the feeders and lots of Long-tailed Tit in the trees around there, but none on the feeders. I had good views of a Nuthatch in taller trees behind the gardens to the left. It's the first time I've seen them this far down into Big Wood. I saw a couple of Robin chasing each other by the Woodman's Cottage, and two or more Goldcrest here too. I also heard an unknown "wi-pit wi-pit wi wa poo" call, that stood out above chirping of tits - I doubt I'll ever know what that was from that description!

I carried on to the entrance of Bestwood Quarry, seeing more Blue Tit and Great Tit in hedgerows. I also had a good view of a juvenile Dunnock in the hedge next to me (about a meter away). There were lots of Blackbird in the hedges. I walked into the quarry and took the red path all the way until it split to the sandy path, which I followed up to the top without seeing much - just one or two Magpie and the odd pigeon. I heard what was probably a Skylark singing over the main quarry, but couldn't be sure from the distant views. I carried on to the top and followed the path down to the small wood behind Mushroom Farm. I didn't go into the wood at first, but spotted two thrushes on a overhead wire running through the adjacent field. I spent some time trying to VidiBin them for an ID. Most probably they were Song Thrush, but I'm not certain. A smaller bird joined them on the wire for some time, but it was too distant to even hint at an ID.

After about 10 minutes of failing to VidiBin or ID on the thrushes, I walked into the wood only to see what I first thought was just a small reddish-looking squirrel. It turned out to be a Weasel, but had partially hidden itself in a tree hole by the time I had the video camera on it. It did sit up for a while before hiding further in the hole [see video still]. It's the first time I've seen one! I walked on a bit in the wood, but it was getting late so I didn't want to head too much further. I turned back, but took a slightly different route, sticking to the red path and turning off where it looked like there was a cut-through straight back into Big Wood.

It turned out to be a big time saver, bringing me out by Warrenhill Plantation (probably on the horse trail though). I walked a little way along Collier's Pad and cut down the middle path to Main Drive again. I walked back up to Big Wood School Field along the Second Valley path, but spent some time at the bottom watching Goldcrest, tits and with great views of a Nuthatch (couldn't get the video camera on in time, though). When back at the School Field, I had good views of male and female Chaffinch in the hedge of the same garden from earlier. Walking back home also showed a couple of Collared Dove., which meant a total of 18 species... not too bad for the woodland.

Woodland in Autumn - Blue, Gold and Green?

A short, but pleasant, morning walk in the bright sun showed just 10 species, but plenty of interesting colours. On entering the woods I turned right and heading towards the Triangle seeing a Nuthatch almost immediately. Then I headed down into Ted Heath. It was quite quiet, but I did see the a Wren on the way down and the usual Great Tit flock with some Blue Tit. Two Robin were chasing each other around down there too.

Heading up the north side to the main path showed some Goldcrest and then I had reasonable views of Great Spotted Woodpecker. Whilst at the same spot I saw my first Green Woodpecker in the actual woodland - normally I only ever see them on the Pit Tip or around the edge of the woodland. At the point I met the Woodman's Path a Dunnock was showing well at the top of a bush. I followed Woodman's Path back around to Big Wood School Field to pick up a Jay before heading home.

A Song in the Park

I set out around 7am for a walk to the Mill Lakes via the Pit Tip. I couldn't hang around long today as we'd planned a family afternoon at Clumber Park. There were a small group of Fieldfare at Dawson's Corner and I got a patch tick in the form of a Song Thrush. Of note at the Mill Lakes were small numbers of the scarcer ducks: a single Gadwall, three Teal, and two Pochard; a single Little Grebe and two Great Crested Grebe (one juvenile). I caught a glimpse of the Kingfisher, and a single male Bullfinch was feeding on the berries in a tree top along the Back Ride.

On the way home I caught a glimpse of a Blackbird with white secondaries on one wing, before it vanished into one of the gardens in Rise Park. A total of 31 species was pretty good going considering I didn't have too much time. I also got some of my first reasonable footage of Fieldfare, Gadwall and Bullfinch.

October's Highlights

I've compiled a single entry for October as I'm still just beginning to learn the area and the typical birds to be found there.

On the 2nd I got quite a late record of five House Martin heading south west over the Pit Tip. This turned out to be the last record of the year, but I'm sure they'll be plenty more in Spring. A Birthday trip to the Mill Lakes on the 7th provided me with some reasonable footage of several species, including Shoveler, Grey Heron (a personal site record of 3 birds) and Jay on the Pit Tip. I also saw a good number of Meadow Pipit (circa 10) and a Kestrel (patch tick) on the Pit Tip. Two Kingfisher were seen together at the Mill Lakes, with one chasing the other around the lake, which was an enjoyable sight.

A morning trip around the Big Wood on the 10th eventually added Dunnock to my patch list, and from the Pit Tip in the evening, a record of over five hundred Carrion Crow was both typical and notable. The twelfth and the "teens" provided several patch ticks with a single Coal Tit on the 12th, and a Common Buzzard being mobbed by crows whilst flying low over the Horse Paddock by the Adventure Playground on the 13th. The Mill Lakes had four Gadwall (a surprising life tick for me) and two Teal on the 14th, adding another two to the list. My first Treecreeper was seen by the Gerard Close entrance on 17th, and a flock of 25+ Goldfinch on the Pit Tip Grassland on the 19th was an enjoyable patch first.

A single Goldcrest was the first confirmed record of many more on the 25th, and the following day produced three more at Ted Heath. The same morning produced a nice experience of Sparrowhawk as I felt the air literally move when it dive-bombed over my head into a flock of Long-tailed Tit, unsuccessfully. The morning also produced another Treecreeper sighting and some reasonable footage.

A walk to the Mill Lakes via the Pit Tip on the 28th added three birds to my patch list. I had clear views of a Green Woodpecker in a tree at the Pit Tip, but not-so-clear views of a patch first Redwing. Another patch first was found at the Mill Lakes, as several Pochard had turned up, and my first Bullfinch of the patch was at Dawson's Corner on the way home.

On the morning of the 30th, I took a short walk anti-clockwise around the shorter Pit Tip path, then around the Plantation to the north side, and back. The dull and overcast weather made it hard to ID some of the birds seen.

There were an unusually high number of Green Woodpecker, with eight or more sightings probably being six different birds, but a minimum of four. Two Skylark were up high and singing and five Jay were seen around the conservation area. Twelve birds seen in all, but the Skylark was a patch first. A quick walk over the Pit Tip and down to Dawson's Corner on 31st gave a good view of a Green Woodpecker on a fence post and - surprisingly - my first footage of a Chaffinch on this patch.