Will it be Flooded?

With half the country in flood I took an evening walk to the Mill Lakes to see the effects. Clear blue skies on the deserted Pit Tip produced a Meadow Pipit in the nearest farmer's field - calling/singing from a fence post surrounding the few trees. Several Skylark were singing very close to me: Two flushed out of the grass alongside the plantation, which I decided to explore for the first time. Just as I was crossing the fence, a Green Woodpecker flew by in the same direction - almost certainly a fledged juvenile.

The pathways weren't too overgrown or wet, and I found my way to the far side which has great view over the fields and Bestwood Village. A group of Common Swift were hunting flies right at the spot I emerged and didn't seem to mind me standing there, as they past close to my head. I took a few photographs in the evening sunlight, before retracing my steps to head into the centre of the Plantation. A couple of Willow Warbler were calling to each other as they collected food in the trees around me, coming quite close to me and giving good views. Other than that, all was still in the Pit Tip Plantation, except perhaps a Blackbird.

As I was about to round the corner to the far side, I realized a male Kestrel was sat on one of the fence posts very close to me, and he spotted me at the same time. He was feeding on something, and after a few seconds' thought, took off with it down over Farmer Fox's Cow Field - guts hanging out. I had no luck in trying to relocate it as I walked down to Dawson's Corner, but there were no signs of flooding at the footbridge so I continued on my way. The Common Whitethroat were singing and feeding in the nettle scrub, a juvenile Blue Tit and Long-tailed Tit appeared, and a male Bullfinch also put in a brief appearance. A Song Thrush was singing from one of the concrete posts along the Sustrans path, and I could hear cars along Moor Road driving through more than just puddles.

The Mill Lakes was surprisingly quiet: No sign of the kids since the new fencing went up, and it was the torrent of water rushing under the Vehicle Bridge that caught my attention. The water on the lake was certainly raised, with the islands' tree branches dangling in the water. I headed down the Reedbed Boardwalk as it was dry. A few calls were coming from the Reedbed, but nothing I knew. Some distant movement in the reeds caught my attention and I watched them for a couple of minutes before a warbler appeared. After a few short views I knew everything was finally right for my first Reed Warbler. It flew off and all was still, so I walked along the nearside of the lake.

The water was certainly high, but not above any of the banks. Not many bird were present on the water, a single Greylag Goose chick with its parents and an adult Great Crested Grebe were the only notable waterfowl. Reasonably large groups of Barn Swallow, House Martin and Common Swift were hunting over the water, often dipping the surface for stranded flies. A Kingfisher caught my eye as it flew above the surface on the far side and disappeared behind the large island, but that was it.

It was becoming too dark to see anything, and I had a quick walk to the footbridge at the north end. It had a strong torrent of silty water passing underneath and had raised enough to collapse some of the greenery on the banks. I took a quick photo in the fading light, and turned around to walk home after a very pleasant evening.