A Cockatoo at the Mill Lakes

After a great morning at Welbeck, I popped into the Mill Lakes to show my dad around. The weather was nice, and the park was busy with dog walkers, but at that time of day it was to be expected. There was nothing much of note, except a Mute Swan swimming whilst holding its left leg clear out of the water - possibly broken. As we were on the way out, my dad picked up on a call, which was unfamiliar to me - a cockatiel! I'd recently been told that a cockatiel had been heard or seen around the Railway Embankment. This call was coming from the trees around the Dipping Ponds, and before we managed to connect with it, it had disappeared towards the north. Just five minutes later, as we were getting in to the car, we saw a Cockatiel fly over from the direction of Broadvalley Stables and heading to the Mill Lakes - so it certainly gets about. Despite it being an escape, it was still the highlight of our visit.

Editor's note: This entry has been edited because the cockatiel was wrongly identified as another species of cockatoo in the original entry. Thanks to my dad for putting me straight on that one!