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.