Osprey from the Garden

My garden's just a stone's throw away from the park, so despite it not being on my Bestwood list (yet), a very notable Osprey sighting deserves a mention. Read more about it here.

Brace for the Ducks

On the way to the Mill Lakes I only heard the Meadow Pipit on the Pit Tip Top this morning. Four Jay were heading out of the Pit Tip Plantation, and two Chiffchaff were singing at Dawson's Corner. At the Mill Lakes a Chiffchaff was singing at the Reedbed Boardwalk, another one at the end of the Peninsula, and a further was singing along the far side. Several Willow Warbler were heard calling too, one also being along the Reedbed Boardwalk.

Gadwall and Teal numbers were up again with around ten of each, and roughly equal numbers of between the Gadwall sexes. Two Shoveler were south of the Peninsula, with the female being joined by a male emerging from eclipse plumage. The Mud Island had two Common Snipe showing well today, and Julie turned up whilst I was watching them. Ralph wasn't coming this morning, but Norman joined us for a lap of the lake.

Norman and Julie had a probable female Ruddy Duck along the far bank, but I couldn't make out enough of the detail to call it for myself. We also had a few glimpses of one of the Kingfisher flying around the lake and perching in various trees along far bank. A single House Martin was passing through over the lake, but that was about it.

Walking home via the Broad Valley Stables route produced some reasonable numbers crows in the field adjacent to the lane, with Rook and Jackdaw in the majority. A few Stock Dove were also in amongst the Woodpigeon. The paddock of Broad Valley Stables produced a good view of a Mistle Thrush singing from an overhead wire, and another two Jay flew over. Just as I was about to leave the park, a skulking Robin was calling from the cover of a small tree, which made for some close-up footage.

A Duck for the Year

Another trip to the Mill Lakes produced yet more Meadow Pipit on the Pit Tip Top, and a Kestrel was hunting around the far side of the Plantation. A couple of Willow Warbler were still around at Dawson's Corner, along with a male Bullfinch.

A family party of Bullfinch were at the Reedbed Boardwalk, as was the first of two singing male Chiffchaff, the other being by the Dipping Ponds with a pair of Song Thrush feeding on the berries. One or more Blackcap were chasing about in the marshy area at the other side of the path, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over towards Moor Road.

On the water the Gadwall and Teal numbers were about the same as in previous visits, and I finally got onto the elusive female Shoveler (year tick) moving around the south side of the Peninsula. A single Little Grebe was also present along this stretch, which proved popular last year. There was no sign of the Snipe today, but I did get a nice view of a Sparrowhawk later that morning at the end of my road.

First Autumn Patchwatch Day

Today was the Notts Birders' Autumn Patchwatch Day, so I planned an early walk to the Mill Lakes via the Pit Tip to meet up with the other regulars. However, nobody else was about today, but it was still a good patch day for me with 42 species recorded, including two patch ticks.

The morning began well, with two small groups of four and three Meadow Pipit flushed from the Pit Tip Top, and another possible group of three over close to Farmer Fox's Cow Field at sunrise. A group gather here every Autumn, and it seemed appropriate that they were here in time for the Patchwatch. Dawson's Corner produced a singing male Chiffchaff, a male Linnet - seemingly part of a larger group that were flushed when I arrived, and a bright male Bullfinch feeding in the hawthorn. Near the large oak along the Sustrans path a group of between six and ten Goldcrest were my first in many months.

A respectable 16 Greylag Goose were together in the middle of the Mill Lakes , along with slightly-increased numbers of Gadwall [six males and two females] and Teal [seven eclipse/female/juveniles]. Black-headed Gull numbers were still mediocre at 52, but the single Common Snipe was showing reasonably well again on the south side of Mud Island, allowing for some better VidiBin captures. Two Kingfisher were a highlight of the morning, as they chased each other around the north end of the lake, with one settling for a few minutes on the fallen tree of Mud Island. The Carrion Crow with a white outer primary was again on Mud Island. Walking along the Railway Embankment to the Leen Pastures produced a silent Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler.

Arriving a the Leen Pastures, three or four moulting male Common Pheasant ran for cover, and a Grey Heron was on the far bank of the Leen. Two Jay were causing a commotion and flushed a Green Woodpecker, which called as it flew low over the nearest field. A Willow Tit was heard calling near the feeding station, a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over showing its lush red vent, and a Grey Wagtail was also over from the Leen and heading towards the small lake on the Golf Course.

Back at the Mill Lakes, two Rook flew over heading west, and I was about to head home when I picked out an odd looking duck from the Peninsula - in fact there were three of them. They had the feel of Wigeon, but the colouring was wrong in comparison to the Wigeon I'd seen last winter in Scotland. Luckily they were close by, and I took a mental description before getting some footage as a clincher. My initial thoughts were correct, but I'd no recent experience of eclipse male Wigeon to go by. They were moving off towards the south side of the lake, so I followed, but lost them before the Dipping Ponds. I did pick up another Grey Heron in the reeds at the far side, though.

The walk home produced a single Great Black-backed Gull slowly drifting southwards towards the Pit Tip - another patch tick. A male Yellowhammer was seen briefly flying along the hedgerow near Broad Valley Stables, and a couple of Barn Swallow were over the paddock. All in all, a great morning for me.

Owl Video Hunt (Part 1)

This morning I headed out for a brief - but early - walk in an attempt to film some owls, after my recent Pit Tip Top owl experience. I didn't manage any footage, but did hear just one Tawny Owl calling along Front Line. I also heard a Green Woodpecker from Hanging Heath, and briefly saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the large horse chestnut by the north-west corner of Big Wood School Playing Field.

First Snipe of the Autumn

The overnight weather conditions looked promising, so I headed out for a pack-up lunch and an afternoon at the Mill Lakes in an effort to see some autumn birds. A female Sparrowhawk was being mobbed by crows over Farmer Fox 's Cow Field, and as I watched the battle, another came into distant view over towards the Mill Lakes. A male Kestrel was repeatedly calling from the top of a tree at Dawson's Corner before moving off low over the fields. A Green Woodpecker was seen briefly as it flew from a fence post having been flushed by dog walker, and a flock of 35 Black-headed Gull were heading south from the direction of the Mill Lakes.

The middle section of the Mill Lakes produced the typical lonely adult Great Crested Grebe, around half a dozen Gadwall and a few Teal. Only two singing male Chiffchaff today, but one at end of Peninsula was showing very well, revealing a metal ring on its leg. I also caught a brief glimpse of a Kingfisher as it flew around one of the larger islands.

Just 41 Black-headed Gull were on the water around Mud Island, but I had seen that flock flying off earlier. The south side of the Mud Island produced a Common Snipe showing well for 15 minutes or so, but my VidiBin technique didn't really work without anything to balance the bins on. In the background, a Little Grebe was working its way around the reeds of the far bank, before I sat down for my (late) lunch. Everything went pretty quiet after that, and all I could add was a single Stock Dove and another Sparrowhawk, which was probably the same distant bird from earlier.

Quiet Quarry

A quiet late-afternoon trip to Bestwood Quarry after another volunteer session, produced a few notable birds. The entrance was very quiet, except for a female Green Woodpecker looking rather exposed on a silver birch. A Common Whitethroat was seen briefly at the hillside bend, and around the corner small numbers of Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit were moving through the trees. A Jay was nicely lit in the afternoon sun, as it flew between the trees, and a group of ten or so House Martin were over the eastern side, and began to mob a female Sparrowhawk out of the sky. Walking toward the sand bank, flushed the Sparrowhawk up from the ground and I got good views as it passed reasonably low over my head. That was about it - quiet, but pleasant.

Morning Owls

This morning I was on the Pit Tip Top early enough to hear two Tawny Owl calling from around the Shopping Trolley Pond area, and then another two (or possibly the same) were calling along Front Line just a few seconds later.

Arriving at the Mill Lakes for dawn, it was a little misty, but not bad enough to prevent me flushing a Grey Wagtail from under Vehicle Bridge. It flew off towards or into the gardens by the Hucknall tramline. A male Blackcap was at end of Reedbed Boardwalk, along with a male Bullfinch (possibly with a female too) in the Alder Carr. A Chiffchaff was also showing well. Another Tawny Owl called briefly from the trees around the Dipping Ponds, and a singing male Chiffchaff was heard too.

Heading up to the north end of the lake the Teal and Gadwall numbers were about the same as in recent visits, but the "five female Teal" now appears to be just a group of five Teal, since at least two were determined to be eclipse males showing signs of yellow undertail sides - a lesson learnt! The Gadwall were more spread out than usual, but I counted three of each sex. A reasonable 71 Black-headed Gull were on the water around the Mud Island, and a Common Gull over to the north-east was my first of the year.

Walking along the disused Railway Line towards Leen Pastures produced two Jay and a single Common Whitethroat was in the scrub along the cycle/foot path to Hucknall. A Pied Wagtail flew over Leen Pastures and Golf Course. A Green Woodpecker was calling from the wood along the Leen, and I spent some time along the river bank looking for the Kingfisher, but without a definite sighting. I did stumble upon an interesting looking fungi with the appearance of charcoal though, which I think is the destructive species Kretzschmaria deusta. Heading back to the lake I had two separate female Bullfinch sightings, including one on the Railway Embankment. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over the Peninsula area heading to woods on the far bank, and a group of ten or more House Martin were heading west over the lake.

At Dawson's Corner, a group of five or six similar-sized birds flew together along the path from Orchard Corner, towards me and over my head. All, except one, disappeared into a nearby tree, and the exception - a moulting male Reed Bunting - perched on top. There was a good chance that the other birds were also Reed Bunting, but the views were too brief to confirm this and they disappeared in the direction of the Winding House. A female Blackcap was feeding on elder berries, possibly with a male, but the other bird was too deep in cover.

On the Pit Tip, two Jay were in the Plantation; one going back and forth to to Front Line was seen carrying a small oak branch. Another two were heard and seen screeching near Shopping Trolley Pond. A group of half-a-dozen Barn Swallow were flying low over the Pit Tip Grassland. A notable Green Woodpecker sighting had three together on fence posts of the Pit Tip Plantation - two adult (presumed females) and one juvenile - all flushed as a dog ran up to me. A further bird was also heard calling from the Shopping Trolley Pond area.

Lapwing on Mud Island

An afternoon walk around the Mill Lakes with the family started by meeting Steve at the entrance to the Peninsula. He'd just had a Lapwing on the Mud Island and a Little Grebe near the middle of the lake. The Lapwing was still there, being harassed by a Magpie on the southern bank of the island, showing off its yellowish-orange vent . There was no obvious sign of the Little Grebe, but I didn't get chance for a good look. The Gadwall and Teal were still present, and I finished the walk off with a Sparrowhawk over the grass behind the Dipping Ponds heading towards the Reedbed and a male Kestrel hunting over the grass area and farmer's field by the main entrance.