After a recent tip-off on finding Tree Sparrow along Lamin's Lane, I planned an early walk out that way. The lane is approximately L-shaped, running from Killarney Park at the northern end to Mansfield Road at the eastern end. I get there via the north eastern side of Big Wood, where a track joins Lamin's Lane at the corner of the L. Previously, I've only covered the stretch that runs north to south, so this morning I headed along the other stretch running east to west. From the aerial photos, I know there's a small lake to the south of this stretch, in the middle of some farmer's fields. This is obviously attracting some birds to the area, as a
Cormorant was circling it on and off throughout the morning. A little further down the lane, two
Pied Wagtail flew over in that direction too. Numerous
Barn Swallow were flying low over the adjacent fields, looping up over the hedges and heading back for more.
About three quarters of the way along the lane there's a point where a few gates lead into the surrounding fields and the hedgerows converge. One of these is a small plot sign-posted as a Gedling Caravan Club site, and although there were no caravans there, the plots were set up, as were several bird tables.
It was quite a nice spot to stop, and looked good for Tree Sparrow. I could make out some small birds feeding in the scrub towards the back of the field, but they were too far away to see clearly. I didn't have to wait long for them to come closer, and they flew over my head to the hedgerow on the other side of the lane. All but one disappeared into or behind the hedge, but one conveniently perched on the top - a
Tree Sparrow.
A male
Yellowhammer landed in the dead tree about five meters away, but had gone before I got the camera out. Two more
Tree Sparrow landed on the tarmac of the lane, but a passing car flushed them before I could get any footage. After a few more brief sightings, I walked on to the end of the lane, just to see what the area was like. There was a farm house here, and the hedgerows were too tall to see anything, but I was lucky enough to catch a
Great Spotted Woodpecker, flying from trees on the far side of
Mansfield Road to a large tree in a nearby garden. Heading back didn't produce anything new, except a rather confused
Grey Squirrel, and my walk back through Big Wood was rather uneventful. Before walking home, I stopped briefly to look for any
Barn Swallow under Alexandra Lodge, and found two having a rest.
About three quarters of the way along the lane there's a point where a few gates lead into the surrounding fields and the hedgerows converge. One of these is a small plot sign-posted as a Gedling Caravan Club site, and although there were no caravans there, the plots were set up, as were several bird tables. 
It was quite a nice spot to stop, and looked good for Tree Sparrow. I could make out some small birds feeding in the scrub towards the back of the field, but they were too far away to see clearly. I didn't have to wait long for them to come closer, and they flew over my head to the hedgerow on the other side of the lane. All but one disappeared into or behind the hedge, but one conveniently perched on the top - a Tree Sparrow.
A male Yellowhammer landed in the dead tree about five meters away, but had gone before I got the camera out. Two more Tree Sparrow landed on the tarmac of the lane, but a passing car flushed them before I could get any footage. After a few more brief sightings, I walked on to the end of the lane, just to see what the area was like. There was a farm house here, and the hedgerows were too tall to see anything, but I was lucky enough to catch a Great Spotted Woodpecker, flying from trees on the far side of 
Mansfield Road to a large tree in a nearby garden. Heading back didn't produce anything new, except a rather confused Grey Squirrel, and my walk back through Big Wood was rather uneventful. Before walking home, I stopped briefly to look for any Barn Swallow under Alexandra Lodge, and found two having a rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment