A Notts Rarity?... (or Just an Escape?)

Today I headed out fairly early, planning a long walk around to the Mill Lakes via the Goosedale area. The plan was to head through the woods and up Lamin's Lane to get there, but things didn't work out like that.

There wasn't much about in the woods, but a couple of singing Wren were the first I'd seen in a while. The first notable sighting was a Common Whitethroat singing from an overhead wire up Lamin's Lane. Several Greenfinch were doing the same thing, and a couple of Lapwing were in the adjacent field. As I headed up towards Killarney Park, I realized that the map was at home, and having never come as far as this, I was a little unsure as to how I'd find my way through: the place was like a maze of dead-ends. My hopeless wanderings paid off in the form of a distant male Yellowhammer singing at the top of hedge in a nearby farmer's field and close views (and footage) of a Willow Warbler managing to sing whilst carrying a fly in its bill. There were also good numbers of House Sparrow around the park, with many of the residents providing feeders and tables.

As I was about to turn around and give up, I found a public footpath up a so-called "Private Road", which led me down through the woods and into a farmer's field. There seemed to be a choice of two paths, one headed in the direction I was aiming for, but looked as if it dwindled to nothing, and the other was a more obvious path, but led towards Broadvalley Stables. Having wasted an hour wandering around the holiday park, I copped out and took the safe root. It produced another singing male Yellowhammer and a load of Skylark on the way, with some good views too.

At the Mill Lakes there was little of note on the lake: a pair of Ruddy Duck and a pair of Gadwall were probably the pairs seen on my previous visit. The number of Mute Swan seemed to be high at 19, but I've not done serious counts before. Heading to the north end, a female Blackcap was feeding in the trees along the path, but that was about it.

I decided to walk along the Railway Line to the Water Meadow, but this didn't produce anything but unfamiliar birdsong. I didn't venture down the embankment alongside the gate, but scanned the Golf Course in the hope of a Linnet. A single Barnacle Goose feeding with several Greylag Goose caught my attention - aside from being a patch tick, an in-land Barnacle Goose on a hot day at the end of May seemed a bit odd. It wasn't until after I'd reported what is a very rare winter visitor in Notts, that I realized it must have been feral - a pencil tick! I watched and filmed it for a few minutes in the pleasant morning sun, before my attention was caught by a Lapwing flying over and settling on the hill behind. Soon afterwards, a party of golfers appeared and put the geese up into the air, flying away in the direction of the Mill Lakes.

Walking further along the railway line produced several Whitethroat species, at least one of which was a Lesser Whitethroat, as heard by Norman the last time I was here. I looked about and listened for the Kestrel at the bridge, and the male appeared, hovering and calling before it disappeared again. A female Bullfinch was seen on the lawn of the nearby garden, but that was about all until back at the lake.

As I walked around the far side of the lake, a gull flew in from the south and landed on the water. At first glance it was just a Black-headed Gull, but on closer inspection I wasn't so sure. Having recently got back into birding, I haven't seen many gulls in summer plumage for a long time now. This gulls stood out to me because it's head and tail looked very brown, I would say chestnut brown. The bill was a deep red, and seemed longer than that of a Black-headed Gull. I noted several other details too, all of which later confirmed a Black-headed Gull, the tail colour may have been a trick of the light or some form of age/moult variation.

A Chiffchaff was near the entrance to the Reedbed, and my first Sedge Warbler was singing away in the scrub opposite the Reedbed. It kept flying from a perch in the scrub to some reeds on the opposite bank and back again to sing. At the end of the Reedbed Boardwalk a male Reed Bunting was seen singing away in one of the trees that break out of the Reedbed. A nearby female was seen almost on the water's edge, chasing or being chased about by another small bird (possibly a Sedge Warbler). Leaving the board walk, a male Bullfinch was on the grass behind the Alder Carr.

The return walk produced another male Kestrel over Dawson's Corner and a distant Sparrowhawk soaring above the trees and gardens near the Pit Tip Top. In all, a great morning (despite a little sunburn), with 50+ species seen and a couple of patch/life ticks.