Review of 2008

In 2008 I recorded 96 species - essentially the same number as in 2007, but with a few differences. Nine of the species were additions to my patch list, but some of those were confirmations of previous probable sightings, and one was a probable escape. There were a few surprises where I re-found scarce or difficult species seen in the previous year, and two patch-found life ticks. I improved on 2007 in visiting more during the passage and migration periods, but didn't cover the summer months very well due to other commitments. Here's the month-by-month overview of the highlights.

My New Year's Day visit produced a highest count of 36 Lapwing and added a predicted species with four Red-legged Partridge in fields along Lamin's Lane. Other January highlights were a pair of Kingfisher and a Water Rail on the 6th, and a flock of twelve Great Black-backed Gull on the 12th. February broke my maximum Reed Bunting count, with at least six birds on the Pit Tip Top on the 9th. The addition of a cheap ALDI scope permitted reasonable views and photos of the wintering Golden Plover flock on the 18th, and a single male Shelduck at the Mill Lakes on the 24th. March provided a high count of eleven Common Snipe on the 9th, and - on the same morning - the earliest known record of the year for Sand Martin in the East Midlands when two were present over fields around the Mill Lakes and later Bestwood Quarry - patch ticked in style.

In April I got a great phonescoped image of a Wren singing at the Mill Lakes. On the 13th, two Kingfisher and another Shelduck were present on the lake, and an unseasonal flock of ten Lesser Redpoll appeared at Bestwood Quarry and remained late into the month. On the 19th, the Lamin's Lane area held between 230 and 240 Golden Plover, many in summer plumage.

At the end of the month I dipped on a Pied Flycatcher by a day - the bird had been seen along the Sustrans path near Bulwell Forest Golf Course for a few days. The 29th of April was probably my best birding day of the year, with Herring Gull finally added to the patch list, good and prolonged views of a singing male Cuckoo, Garden Warbler life ticked, five Blackcaps, and a very satisfying Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. The eleven visits to the park I made in April had paid off! May's highlight was centered around finding a pair of Little Ringed Plover at the Mill Lakes on the 11th - another patch life tick, with the pair being seen on subsequent visits and remaining until at least June 1st, when a Common Buzzard was soaring over the lake. Subsequent June visits also produced a probable escape Ring-necked Parakeet and a pair of Common Buzzard on the 8th, a Common Tern on the 10th, and a pair of Ruddy Duck and a parachuting Meadow Pipit on the 15th and 26th respectively.

Late summer was a busy time for me, and I only managed five visits throughout July and August. July 13th permitted good views of three young Kestrel for a second consecutive year, and two Common Tern were seen fighting over a fish at the lake. August's only visit on the 24th, gained me my first half-decent shot of a Kingfisher, a high count of 250 Mallard on the lake, and a scarce patch tick in the form of a flyover Curlew at Bestwood Quarry. In early September I dipped a couple of sightings of Northern Wheatear on the Pit Tip Top, but made up for it in finding two Whinchat there and a high count of 22 Meadow Pipit. Early returning Siskin were present there on the 18th.

October produced a high count of three Common Buzzard seen soaring together from Lamin's Lane on the 6th, and three Little Grebe at the Mill Lakes on the 28th. The first Water Rail of the second winter period was seen on the 1st of November at the Mill Lakes, and a massive 350 Redwing flew west over Lamin's Lane on the 4th. A Water Rail was seen again on the 10th, and a long-awaited patch tick - a Goosander - was present on the same morning. On the 22nd November, I found five Waxwing in the oak tree on Finsbury Road in Warren Hill - the same tree as the one I found in 2007! The flock was present throughout the week, slowly increasing in numbers and gaining mild interest from birders around the city. A high count of 15 birds were present on the 30th, but the local berry stocks were depleted and the birds moved on in the following few days. Also of note on the 30th, was a leucistic Nuthatch (lacking its black eyestripe) visiting the feeders of the Wildlife Garden. On the 6th of December, a Water Rail was present at the Mill Lakes and circa twenty Waxwing were seen flying over Moor Road towards the north end of the site.

In 2008 I located around half the species that had eluded me previously and I'd set out to see. Many of these have been recorded by other birders in the park during 2008, but most were just single records. Coverage of the park's birds has declined this year, with one of its experienced and dedicated birders moving on to pastures new. This has had a noted effect on records coming from the Mill Lakes site, and the Leen Pastures Feeding Station has not been maintained. This, in turn, has drastically reduced the number of Willow Tit sightings, and I've set myself a personal challenge to try rectify this to some extent in the coming year. I'll also be hoping to tick off a few more of those scare birds I've yet to get to grips with: Woodcock, Common Sandpiper, Turtle Dove, Little Owl, Brambling, and maybe even a Common Redpoll.

The End of 2008

For my last visit of the year, I walked much of my usual route: Pit Tip, Dawson's Corner, Sustrans and Mill Lakes, but headed back the same route and walked around the bottom of the Pit Tip behind the Winding House and back up on to the Pit Tip Top via the horsetrail from the Sidings. This morning's Magpie roost at Dawson's Corner showed at least twelve birds leaving at dawn, but I suspect there to be a lot more. At the Mill Lakes, the single Greylag Goose was joined by a flock of 57 others that flew in just after sunrise. The flock contained a few pale hybrid-type birds. Just a few pairs of Canada Goose were present, including one bird with pale plumage onits face/upper neck (where plumage is usually black). A male and female Pochard were amongst the flotilla of Tufted Duck at the southern end of the lake. A Little Grebe was fishing off shore of Tern Island, a single Cormorant was on the island, and two more were over to the north. A Grey Heron was fishing from the mud bank near the Dipping Ponds Viewpoint. At least four Common Snipe could be seen in the undergrowth on Mud Island, and there was large Siskin flockof about sixty birds in alders around the Peninsula. There were about thirty Black-headed Gull on the water, with a single 1st-winter Common Gull amongst them.

It was a better than average day for gulls: ten Lesser Black-backed Gull were heading north-east over the Pit Tip and Sidings - roughly half were adult birds; and at least one adult Herring Gull was flying about over the Pit Tip Top. On the horsetrail up to the Pit Tip Top, a party of Bullfinch consisted of a male, a female and one other bird in the hedgerow alongside the cow field. I flushed a Green Woodpecker from the bottom of this field up to the Pit Tip Top were it was later seen by the main Plantation fence, and a Skylark also flushed from the Pit Tip Top.

Woodland Photo Quest

A pretty gloomy morning before work with one break in the clouds and some early morning sunshine. My quest was to get some decent photos of the local woodland birds. I stuck to the area of woodland closest to home where there's usually a good chance of seeing Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, and Goldcrest. I got lucky on all three accounts, but with mixed results.

Photobirding

Today's walk was more about giving my new camera a whirl, than the usual crawling through the undergrowth with scope in hand. Birding highlights were: a Bullfinch and a couple of Redwing at Dawson's Corner; a Water Rail feeding on the mud of the newly-drained willow area at the Mill Lakes, five or more Common Snipe on Mud Island, a Common Gull, several Herring Gull, a Great Spotted Woodpecker by the Double Dates at Mill Lakes; a flock of around twenty Waxwing flying at rooftop height over Moor Road near the Main Entrance to Mill Lakes towards the Mill Lakes; a Nuthatch at the Wildlife Garden Feeders, and two Lesser Redpoll opposite in the trees of Bramley Wood.

Leucistic Eurasian Nuthatch

For today's woodland walk, I attempted to get some better veiws of the Waxwing flock that have been present in the area since I located them a week ago. The birds have attracted some attention of county birders, having been the first county Waxwings of the year to stick around long enough to be twitched and photographed. The numbers have slowly risen over the week, and the highest weekly count of fifteen birds were present this morning. Today they were again seen in the large oak on Finsbury Close, which is visible from the Ludgate Close entrance to the park.

Aside from the Waxwings, Siskin were heard calling at the Three Ponds, two juvenile Herring Gull were flying over the field opposite the Adventure Playground, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was calling and seen above the Wildlife Garden, where a few Coal Tit were visiting the feeders. Waxwings were arguably the most significant species seen today. However, perhaps of more significance was a Nuthatch visiting the Wildlife Garden feeders due to it lacking a black eyestripe. The significance of this detail is that it indicates a leucistic bird, and only one other record of a leucistic Eurasian Nuthatch has been found - a bird found in Norway in October 2008. Aside from this find, a further Nuthatch and several Goldcrest were in the yews along Woodman's Path.

Waxwings

No long walks in the park for me today... but I glanced out of the bedroom window (well, with binoculars!) and picked up a group of Waxwing in the very same tree that I'd had one in back in 2007. There were five - possibly six - birds sat in the top of the large Oak on Finsbury Road, Warren Hill just before 2pm today. I got a poor record shot through the scope (and bedroom window) before they disappeared. However, they returned later, so I took a walk round there to try and get some better shots. I bumped into Gill on the way there and she came along too, and we managed some almost silhouetted views in the failing light before they took off again.

Finch and Tit Flocks

This morning I headed to the Mill Lakes, seeing a Treecreeper in with a Long-tailed Tit flock at entrance gate by Dawson's Corner along the way, and five Fieldfare flew over to the west. On the lake, there were thirteen Greylag Goose and four Teal (two male and two female). A Sparrowhawk flew low over the north end of lake and down the path on far bank - it was later seen hunting above the entrance to the Peninsula. At least three Common Snipe were huddled together in vegetation on Mud Island. Three species of gull were seen: ten Black-headed Gull and a Common Gull on the water, and a juvenile Herring Gull drifted south over the Main Entrance. The finch flock at the Mill Lakes contained about five Goldfinch, thirty Siskin, and five Lesser Redpoll feeding in alders around the Peninsula.

Heading back, I counted 59 Starling in a flock in Bestwood Village opposite the Main Entrance to Mill Lakes. At least one Pied Wagtail was in Broad Valley Stables' Horse Paddock, and three Mistle Thrush were on the overhead wires. A Green Woodpecker flushed from the grassy verge alongside the Quarry access road, and flew back towards the Quarry. Mixed-tit flocks by Alexandra Lodge and The Triangle contained a couple of Goldcrest, over twenty Long-tailed Tit and a Nuthatch. Two Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen today: One flew from trees by the Dipping Ponds at Mill Lakes; and another was seen tapping a dead tree by the Ludgate Close entrance.

Wetland and Woodland

The morning's birds began with a nice looking male Bullfinch calling along the Sustrans path, whilst feeding on hawthorn berries. Small numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing were seen at Dawson's Corner, with the resident small group of Redwing feeding on the berries.

At the Mill Lakes a flock of six Greylag Goose flew south and then back north, with a single bird seen on the lake. A single Common Gull was on the lake briefly with some Black-headed Gull, before flying off to the north. A male and eclipse male/female Pochard at were at the southern end of lake, with a pair of Great Crested Grebe. Two Cormorant flew in together from the south: one to Tern Island, and the other - a juvenile - landed in top of the "usual" tree on the island in the middle of the lake. I took a few photos and moved on to the Peninsula. At least two male and a female Teal were by Mud Island, and a Water Rail was calling from the reeds behind it. A Kingfisher was perched in tree branches overhanging the water nearby, and the odd Lesser Redpoll were with the Siskin flock around the Peninsula.

Heading back towards the woodland, a Mistle Thrush was in Broad Valley Stables' Horse Paddock, where a flock of 39 Starling were feeding too. Near Alexandra Lodge I watched a good-sized mixed tit flock move through containing Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, two Nuthatch, and a Treecreeper, amongst others. Just before leaving the park, a female Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the trees near to the Hatton Close entrance.

Floody Patch Ticking

I debated whether or not to make a trek to the Mill Lakes before work this morning. Now that there's so little light, it doesn't allow for much pre-work birding time. The recent rainfall had me hoping to find something interesting, so I made the effort and was duly rewarded with a patch tick. On the way there, a single Fieldfare was in a hedgerow at Dawson's Corner, and the regular Redwing group were both there, and along the Sustrans Path too.

When I arrived at the lake, the water levels were the highest I'd seen in a good while. I gave it a quick scan from alongside the Vehicle Bridge, and picked out what seemed to be a sawbill with a smaller grebe-like bird close to the far bank's small peninsula. Gripped with a mild excitement, I headed quickly to the Dipping Ponds viewpoint where the bird would be visible near the adjacent bank. Some reasonable scope views confirmed it as a red-headed Goosander, my first for the park (and for the year too!). Also present was a single eclipse male Pochard.

The Goosander was moving towards the southern end of the lake, but also heading towards the nearside bank, so I made my way back to the Vehicle Bridge to gain a better view. At first, there was no sign when I got there, but then I came out from behind some overhanging trees just 15-20 meters from where I was. I got the scope on it for some great views, confirming it was an eclipse male, rather than female, before I and started to snap some shots with the phone. By this point it had become aware of my presence and was determined not to let me get a focussed image by heading back towards the far bank. Then it had a change of heart and took flight, heading south, past me, and over the Vehicle Bridge low over the Leen. It looked as if it might have settled on the river alongside the Reedbed, but it was out of view by then. In flight, it's large white wing patched were more obvious. As all the photos came out blurred, I made some sketches instead; something I should do more often, as I need the practice!

The notes with the sketches read: hooked bill (x2) rusty colouring on head pale/white breast mottled grey flanks dark tail longer neck than this! (drawing error) large obvious white panels on wings sketch from Collins (for comparison/colour test) Eclipse Male Goosander Mill Lakes 10/11/2008

Also on the lake were two Great Crested Grebe together at the western side, two Cormorant flying low over the water at the southern end (probably departing from Tern Island), and about 25 Black-headed Gull in the middle part of the lake. The usual Siskin flock was in its twenties feeding in the alders, and a single Water Rail was seen close to the wooded area on the north-west bank by Mud Island.

A hurried walk home via Broad Valley Stables and the woodland produced two Mistle Thrush on the overhead wires at Parkside Pasture, and a Green Woodpecker flying over to the top of a tree behind The Rectory, which suggests some birds seen on the Pit Tip Top may be the same as those seen at Bestwood Quarry. The Wildlife Garden's feeders had visits from both Coal Tit and a Nuthatch, along with the more regular Blue Tit, Great Tit and Chaffinch.

Wave of Redwings

This morning I headed out for a walk out to Lamin's Lane, although the conditions were pretty dismal. It was dark, misty, with a light rain when I set off, and the same when I got to Lamin's Lane. Most of the fields were still cropped, so I couldn't make out any birds in them, including the Golden Plover, which were meant to be around. Two Meadow Pipit heard calling and flying between fields were the first birds of any note. A couple of Fieldfare flew over towards the very back corner of Bestwood Quarry, and that was about it... until a large flock of Redwing flew over heading west in an elongated wave-like formation. I quickly counted/estimated around 350 birds, which is the most I've ever seen together by quite a way, so that made my morning.

More Frost

Another frosty morning, and with the north-easterlies still coming in, I hoped for something interesting to turn up. The first notable sighting was a juvenile Meadow Pipit on Pit Tip Top. Not very notable in itself, but it let me approach to within five meters as it sat in one of the mud puddles. At the new Pit Tip Pond, a female Green Woodpecker was drinking from the bank, and a Water Boatman was swimming about in the half-frozen water. The odd Fieldfare and Redwing were about, and at Dawson's Corner a male Bullfinch showed well as it fed on berries near the footbridge.

At the Mill Lakes there was no sign of the Little Grebe, Pochard, or Snipe, but a Sparrowhawk flew to the trees by Main Entrance as I approached the Peninsula. There were about ninety Black-headed Gull spread across the lake, but no Commons amongst them. Whilst looking for the Snipe, I got a good, but brief, view of a Water Rail moving in front of the reeds on the far bank adjacent to Mud Island. On the way back another Sparrowhawk was hunting the gardens along the Spinney path, and later one was over Khalsa Wood. A juvenile Herring Gull was over Broad Valley Stables to the west, and a Coal Tit was seen in Bramley Wood close to Dell's Gate.

Fieldfare Flock

No usual Sunday walk this morning, but saw a flock of about sixty Fieldfare (my first of the winter) fly north over the house and then over to the woodland.

Winter Firsts

My last visit of the month proved to be a successful morning, coinciding with the first frost of the winter, and covering the usual route of Pit Tip, Mill Lakes and Bestwood Quarry. At dawn a female Green Woodpecker was in the western Pit Tip Plantation, and three Cormorant were seen flying high to the south over the Mill Lakes. A single juvenile Herring Gull went over Dawson's Corner to the south with a small flock of Black-headed Gull, and a male Pheasant was on the path between Orchard Corner and Dawson's Corner. Small numbers of Redwing were all around the park today, including Dawson's Corner.

At the Mill Lakes the main Siskin flock - about fifty birds - was around the Reedbed area today. The Shoveler pair were again present with another female or first winter at the far bank, along with a Kingfisher. An obvious visual migration of Woodpigeon had three consecutive parties of around a hundred flying south, high over the Picnic Area at 7:45am. Two more Cormorant were fishing off Tern Island. A single Common Snipe - my first of the winter - was sat on the southern point of Mud Island, and a got a few half-decent phonescope shots just before my friend Norman turned up. We had a walk down the near side of the lake and picked up three Little Grebe fishing together around the island close to the Willow Carr, and two female or first-winter male Pochard between Tern Island and the Dipping Ponds, before heading back.

Parting company with Norman at the entrance to Bestwood Quarry, I had a quick walk around, but most of the notable sights were around the entrance; except a female Sparrowhawk perched on a fence post that I failed to phonescope (by about half a second) as it flew off. Around the entrance, feeding in the hedgerows were plenty of Redwing, three Yellowhammer, Chaffich, Goldfinch, a group of about ten Greenfinch, and a single Goldcrest was showing well by the gate. As I was leaving, a male Kestrel flew from the Quarry over to Parkside Pasture, and the morning was finished off by a female Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in a tree by the Hatton Close entrance. The cold weather has its advantages!

Four in a Row

Arrived at the Mill Lakes at first light this morning to pick out two Great Crested Grebe together at the southern end of the lake. I flushed a pair of Shoveler from right at the bank just south of the Peninsula and they flew off towards the far side of the lake. The group of Teal had risen in numbers to a dozen, and the males seemed to be past their eclipse plumage now, with five of the group being female or first winter males. I got a brief glipse of a Grey Wagtail on Mud Island whilst unsuccessfully search for Snipe, and the group of four Mute Swan signets posed for me, as I walked to the footbridge at the north end.


From the small peninsula on the far bank I caught up with the Shoveler again, and another female was with them. Several small flocks of Redwing flew over to the west around the Wild Flower Garden, and two Cormorant were now on Tern Island. At the Vehicle Bridge a Kingfisher was perched on a branch just downstream next to the Reedbed Boardwalk. It flew off downstream before I could get the scope on it. Back at Dawson's Corner, at least one Redwing was seen in a hedgerow - my first grounded bird one of the winter.

Redwings Heading West

Had a quick walk to the Mill Lakes and back via the Pit Tip before work this morning. At Dawson's Corner a Sparrowhawk flew past me along the paths whilst hunting, but otherwise it was fairly quiet. There were three Gadwall and seven or so Teal at the Mill Lakes, and small groups of Redwing were moving through to the west, including a group of 25-30 birds that I saw with Norman who was also out for the morning. Heading back onto the Pit Tip Top more small groups of Redwing were passing through to the west, fairly regularly, with about a hundred birds seen heading west throughout the morning. Small numbers of Meadow Pipit were still around, and Skylark too - with two singing males in the morning sun. Still no sign of any chats, so I guess they've moved on.

Pit Tip, Quick Trip

A quick trip onto the Pit Tip. Still a respectable number of Meadow Pipit around (11), and a late Chiffchaff calling along the edge of the woodland.

A Day in the Park

Spent a long day in the park, birding the Mill Lakes and Leen Pastures in the morning, volunteering through the day (with lunch at Khalsa Wood), then Bestwood Quarry, a walk up Lamin's Lane, and back onto the Pit Tip to finish off before dinner.

On the Pit Tip at dawn were the usual species, including Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Siskin, and a couple of small flyover Redwing groups. A female Sparrowhawk was on a fence post of the main Pit Tip Plantation between Dunvegan Gate and new pond, and flew off right past me and over to Rise Park. Heading around past Vincent's View, a characteristic Green Woodpecker was on one of the fence posts at the top of Farmer Fox's Cow Field.

The juvenile Mute Swan were still at the Mill Lakes, and two more Greylag Goose had joined the single resident bird. At least three Teal were on the lake, plus a Grey Heron, a Cormorant, and a Great Crested Grebe. There was a single male Common Pheasant sat on a fence in Leen Pastures, and a Willow Tit was heard calling along the Leen, near the south east corner of the first pasture. Heading back through Broad Valley Stables' Horse Paddock, it was the right time of year for the odd Pied Wagtail on passage, and I picked out six or seven - including two or three first winter birds - whilst being mobbed by a crowd of horses. Walking to the ranger's office, I noticed a pair of Lesser Redpoll in the tops of the trees along Main Drive, close to Khalsa Wood. I returned here at lunchtime to try and see some of the usual woodland species, but failed dismally.

After the volunteering session had finished I had a walk around Bestwood Quarry, which was pretty quiet at that time of the day. Another male Common Pheasant was again sat on a fence on the hillside, and a late Chiffchaff calling constantly on the hillside bend was the most notable bird. I walked back through the woodland and out onto Lamin's Lane seeing plenty more Pheasants, but no Partridges. In the distance, beyond the mast I caught sight of a couple of Common Buzzard soaring above the tree line. When I got the birds in the scope another appaeared, and I was enough to see the three birds together soaring and playing over the field next to Woodside Liveries - the highlight of my day. Further up the lane, four ro so Mistle Thrush were on the wires over one of the farmer's fields, and the regular group of Tree Sparrow were frequenting the feeder of the first house.

A Sign of No Birds

This morning's trip to the Mill Lakes produced six or more Gadwall, at least eight Teal, and a pair of Shoveler, with the male in eclipse plumage. Whilst scanning the ducks, I got onto a Kingfisher flying low over the middle part of lake, and the Siskin flock were in the trees on the Peninsula. Not much else to say really, so here's a rubbish photo of the park's sign:

Less Drinking, More Birding

Generally quite a quiet morning, but I was out and about late, so it's my own fault for drinking too much wine the night before. Little has changed since my previous visits. About twenty Siskin were at the western edge of the Pit Tip Plantation and down to the Cow Gates, with another fifty or so feeding in a group near the Willow Carr at the Mill Lakes. At least six Teal were by Mud Island.

A Scenic Route to the Playground

This morning - late morning - I took my two-year-old to the Adventure Playground whilst his sister was at her dance class. We took the scenic route, via the Pit Top to see if anything was knocking around - just a birder friend, who'd seen nothing of interest (but had heard a Water Rail on the Reedbed earlier in the week!). A couple of Skylark were on the Pit Tip Top with the greatly-diminished Meadow Pipit flock. A party of six or more Barn Swallow were feeding over the eastern edge, whilst a party of eleven House Martin were high over the western edge by the Pit Tip Plantation. At the Adventure Playground a Pied Wagtail flew over from the horse field, and I met Steve as he was walking past. We had a catch-up before heading off when the playground got busier. On the way back there was a Nuthatch tapping on the large dead tree at the Three Ponds and a single Coal Tit in the trees that border Warren Hill.

A Quiet Lunch

I worked from home today and had a very quick twenty-minute walk around the Pit Tip at lunchtime. Several Meadow Pipit were around and the odd Skylark too. A group of six or so Barn Swallow were hunting high and low over the grassland, and about ten or so House Martin were hunting high above the Plantation.

Siskins Return

This morning I had a quick check of the Pit Tip Top for any further sign of the Whinchat after hearing that Steve had seen two the previous morning. Despite an hour and a half of searching in the morning sunlight, I couldn't relocate them. There were still a few Skylark and Meadow Pipit around, and I heard a Green Woodpecker calling a few times. Other than that, there wasn't much about. The best I could find was a single Grey Heron heading ENE high above the fog and calling, two Chiffchaff calling and showing at the edge of the main Plantation, and two small flocks of Siskin along the western edge.

Whinchats Return

I was out looking for migrants again this morning as another Northern Wheatear was seen on the Pit Tip two days ago. Initially, all was quiet, with just a handful of the usual Meadow Pipit and Skylark around, and several ones and twos of Lesser Black-backed Gull heading over.
As I headed around the path towards the western end of the Plantation, two Mistle Thrush flew through to the west, and a wagtail species also flew over high in the same direction - the tail length, clinched its ID as a Grey Wagtail.

There was no sign of the Wheatear, but coming back over the Pit Tip Top I glimpsed a bird perched on top of one of the seed heads. It looked like a Whinchat... and it was. In fact there were two of them, and I got some good scope views, and half-decent phonescoped photos. Just before heading back I counted a decent number of Meadow Pipit as the flock was flushed by a dog walker - 22 birds! A great morning with migration now in swing.

Not Much to See

I had a quick walk around the Pit Tip Top this morning before the rain came in. There was very little to see, just a few Meadow Pipit on the main ride and the other usual suspects.

A Late Cluster of Warblers

This morning I went out to look for the two (or any!) Northern Wheatear that were seen on Friday afternoon on the Pit Tip. I didn't count on finding them, and I didn't find them. They've almost certainly moved on. Oh well- that's how it goes.

At the back of the Pit Tip Plantation a Red Fox was trotting across the path and down through the cow field, completely unphased by my presence. Heading down to Dawson's Corner three Grey Partridge were together in the cow field to the north. Dawson's Corner itself was pretty active with warblers. Chiffchaff were calling and one was singing, a male Blackcap was feeding on elder berries, and a Common Whitethroat was hanging about too. Along the hedgerow of the horse field, a low babble-like song caught my attention, and I got onto the Lesser Whitethroat that was singing it - a bit late in the year, eh?

At the Mill Lakes two juvenile Cormorant were on Tern Island showing off their white/pale breasts. In the middle part of the lake a single eclipse male Shoveler was being typically shy and swimming off after seeing me, and a female Ruddy Duck was knocking about there too. At least two pairs of Gadwall were present at the north end of the lake, and there were two female or eclipse male Teal around Mud Island. Heading back along the Sustrans path there was at least one juvenile Common Whitethroat moving through the trees near to the footbrdige, and whilst watching it a juvenile Goldcrest appeared.

Back at Dawson's Corner the warblers were still active, and a juvenile Chiffchaff was tagging on to a mixed Tit flock that also contained a single Coal Tit. Up on the Pit Tip Top a Sparrowhawk was sat in the trees of the conservation area along Front Line, and a dog walker flushed a group of eleven Meadow Pipit for me to count. Before heading home, I had a quick walk up Lamin's Lane in the hope of picking up the odd migrant, but it was all rather quiet. Three Mistle Thrush flew over heading for the woodland, a couple of Yellowhammer were on the wires, and a male Kestrel was hunting over Lamin's Plantation. Almost fifty species recorded, so I can't complain.

Quietly Content

Two Spotted Flaycatcher were reported on the Friends Forum, near to the Hatton Close entrance to the park. Almost certainly passing through, but there was a chance they were still around, after all, the Pied Flaycatcher was around for a few days. Anyway, I headed out at first light, and there wasn't much to see or hear along the path behind Warren Hill, so I headed out onto the Pit Tip, where it was also quiet. I did meet Carl (the guy who'd seen the Spotted Flycatchers) though, and he gave me all the details - they'd moved on. The only notable sightings on the Pit Tip were a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gull flying over, and a singing male Chiffchaff at Dawson's Corner and a further bird heard calling at the Sidings.

I didn't have too long before heading off to work, so I put in a quick visit to Bestwood Quarry. At the entrance a Great Spotted Woodpecker flushed into a nearby tree and remained out of view as a Sparrowhawk flew over. Heading down to my usual scoping spot, in front of the hillside, a scruffy looking Common Buzzard was being mobbed by two crows as it flew over from behind the hill towards Warrenhill Plantation. From the brief views, it looked to be a pale-phase juvenile.

I was about to head back when I heard alarm calls coming from further along the valley, and looked up to see a raptor in an odd flight manoeuvre. It was a small- to medium-sized bird, and seemed to be making a short vertical lifting flight whilst calling, up from one of the trees, or possibly from behind it. All I could make out was the underside - pale and streaked or barred, with an orange or rusty colour around the legs. I made my way up the path, nearer to the bird's location, hoping it might have been a Hobby. A Red Fox darted across the path from the approximate location of the tree that the bird had been near to. This, I assumed, was the cause of alarm. Reaching the level of the tree's top, there was no sign of the bird around the tree, but a Sparrowhawk was gliding lower down through the valley, and so I assumed that it was the same bird.

From the higher vantage point, I scanned the opposite hillside as the sun began to warm everything up. I located a single Common Whitethroat, and heard some more Chiffchaff calling. A small party of larger gulls flew over to the east, containing five Lesser Black-backed Gull and two Herring Gull, and a Common Buzzard was calling in the distance, but remained out of sight. A relatively quiet morning, but enjoyable nonetheless.

First in a While

Well, since I'd not been out for over a month I decided to make a good morning of it and visit most of the park - weather permitting. However, the weather wasn't very permitting, and it rained most of the morning, making life difficult for my optics and my not-so-waterproof left walking boot!

At dawn, there was little to see or hear on the Pit Tip Top. No Skylark, no Meadow Pipit, just a lowly Lesser Black-backed Gull flying over. Even the very common stuff was eluding me - except a load of Woodpigeon - but it's hard not to see one of those. Dawson's Corner was scarcely better. I could hear a couple of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff calling, but never saw them.

The Reedbed was bare, except for a Wren on the Boardwalk and another Willow Warbler calling nearby. The two remaining juvenile Mute Swan were together on the lake, and a single Cormarant briefly flew around the south end. Duck-wise there were far more Mallard than are usually present, with around 250 birds seen. They were very flighty, and seemed to be working their way toward the south end, where most of the 20 or so Tufted Duck were. At the north end was a single Gadwall, and an eclipse male Teal. A Kingfisher calling from a perch on Mud Island, provided the best footage I managed to-date, and returned to the perched a few times throughout the hour.

The Leen Pastures and Broad Valley Stables were both very quiet, with nothing of note during a light rain shower. At Bestwood Quarry the quietness continued, and two Green Woodpecker flying over were the only new birds I picked up on. I sat down to try and scope the hillside, but it was silent and still. Looking up, something was flying over towards Lamin's Lane, it looked gullish, so I got the bins onto it before it disappeared. How glad I was that I bothered to look - it was a Curlew. My first for the park! Keeping my eyes to the sky, I also picked up a distant Sparrowhawk high over the back of the Quarry before I headed home.

A Visit to Tophouse Farm

This evening I walked to the Friends of Bestwood Country Park meeting that was held at Tophouse Farm. On the way there I glimpsed a pair of Grey Partridge with at least one juvenile, as they ran into cover in the cereal field to the north-east of the junction on Lamin's Lane. Later that evening we saw - what I assume was - another pair in the middle of the field to the west of the junction. A Grey Heron was also flying over near the farm, probably from the lake at Lakeside (Papplewick Pumping Station), and there were good numbers of Barn Swallow and House Martin around the farm too. Walking back after dark, at least two Tawny Owl were calling from around the Dinosaur Dell area.

One Gone, Two to Stay?

This morning there were at least nine Skylark over the Pit Tip Top, and a singing male Meadow Pipit on top of a fence post on the track to the Cow Gates. Three juvenile Chiffchaff were catching insects at the Sustrans entrance to Dawson's Corner, and two Willow Warbler were calling nearby too.

At the Mill Lakes the Mute Swan family seem to hae lost one of their young, with only two juveniles present at the southern end of the lake. A female Ruddy Duck was also seen at the southern end. At the other end of the lake there was a single male Teal, and 23 Black-headed Gull were on the water, including two juveniles. At least two Sand Martin were amongst a larger group of House Martin that were hawking insects over the lake, and a Grey Wagtail was seen briefly on Mud Island before flying off to the north. On the way back, a group of four Mistle Thrush were on the Horse Paddock near the entrance to Bestwood Quarry.

Playing on the Line

Four Meadow Pipit were showing well on the Pit Tip Top this morning, and a Mistle Thrush flew over the Plantation from the direction of Dunvegan Gate. A Brown Hare was alongside the Plantation gate by the pond, and another Meadow Pipit was displaying from a fence post along the path down to the Cow Gates. At Dawson's Corner there was a juvenile Common Whitethroat, and a singing male Chiffchaff.

At the Mill Lakes, three of the juvenile Mute Swan were with their parents, and a group of three Jay flew to a tree on a nearby island whilst I was trying to scope an elusive duck, which turned out to be a female Ruddy Duck. Before heading to the Leen Pastures I noted a pair of Chiffchaff were again at the Double Gates - a singing male and a calling female. A Common Whitethroat was singing along the Railway Embankment at Leen Pastures, and a pair of Bullfinch were seen there too. Two Herring Gull flew north-east together over Leen Pastures, and I got some great views of a party of three juvenile Kestrel playing together on the Railway Line: Two perched on the old signal ladder, and one down on the rails.

Back at the lake a pair of Common Tern were over the north end. Both were calling, and one was carrying a small fish, with the other was chasing after it. They flew around several times low over the lake before heading off. On the way home, a female with a juvenile Green Woodpecker were seen calling in a tree between Alexandra Lodge and Calluna Clearing.

Signets

My morning visit to the Mill Lakes produced a male Bullfinch feeding in a hedgerow along Sustrans path - the first I've seen in ages. A Grey Wagtail flew from close to the Vehicle Bridge over the Reedbed towards the tram line as I arrived at the lake, whilst a couple of Reed Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat were singing close to the Reedbed Boardwalk. A male Kestrel was over the scrub opposite the Reedbed, and a pair of Mute Swan were with three young at the southern end of lake - probably the pair that nested nearby.

At least 80 Canada Goose were present in three large groups, including one bird that had odd head markings and pink bill, possibly hybridized with a Greylag Goose. A single male Gadwall was present at the northern end of the lake, and a single adult Black-headed Gull flew over and settled on the water. A relatively quiet morning.

Parachuting

A short trip to Bestwood Quarry this morning produced my first juvenile Green Woodpecker of the year, flying around in circles near the birch plantation. Two Garden Warbler were on the hillside there, along with a singing male Common Whitethroat. On the way to the Quarry, two relatively-tame Jay were together on the ground along Front Line - probably juveniles, and an adult male and a juvenile Common Whitethroat were at Dawson's corner. The highlight of my morning was seeing a male Meadow Pipit displaying from the top of small tree in Parkside Pasture. It was the first time I've had good views of their parachuting display, and even phonescoped a few shots. Sadly, the only shot that even had the bird in frame wasn't exactly "framed" well!

Pair of Stiff Tails

First thing on the Pit Tip Top a Meadow Pipit was on the main ride, and a Blackcap was singing on the woodland edge, whilst a group of five Lesser Black-backed Gull flew over to the north east. At the Reedbed, an adult male Reed Bunting flew up from the reeds to a tree in the middle, but there was no sign of any of the Reed Warbler. A pair of Garden Warbler were on the island closest to the Willow Carr, and a male Gadwall was still at the north end of the lake. A pair of Ruddy Duck were present, and I was lucky enough to see the male displaying to the female (rather than to another male, like last year!). A male Blackcap was feeding in the nettles opposite the Dipping Ponds gate, and two adult Carrion Crow were mobbing a Magpie at the north end, with a recently-fledged juvenile hiding in the long grass, and seemingly unable to fly off.

Over at the Golf Course, a male Kestrel flushed from the ground in the south-west corner, and there were still no signs of any young around the Mute Swan nest, but the pair were still at the nest. A Mistle Thrush was on the nearby fairway, and another was back at Broad Valley Stables' Horse Paddock , with a single Tree Sparrow calling from a tree along the path.

First Tern of the Year

The male Reed Bunting was again singing on the Pit Tip Top at sunrise, and a single Meadow Pipit was also present. At the Mill Lakes a pair of Gadwall were on Mud Island again , and a juvenile Grey Heron was in the shallows near Greylag Island. Highlight of the morning was brief, in form of a Common Tern over the north end of the Mill Lakes, heading ENE at around 6:30am. On the way home an adult Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen feeding a juvenile male along the back of Warren Hill.

A Great Escape at Mill Lakes

This morning I got some shots of a male Reed Bunting as it sat singing from on the Pit Tip Top. A Meadow Pipit was also perched on a small tree on the Pit Tip Top. Heading down to the Cow Gates, a female Green Woodpecker was sat on one of the fence posts and flushed to another fence post in the middle of the Cow Field. As I walked along the Sustrans path to the Mill Lakes a Tawny Owl called twice from the Reedbed area well after sunrise. The Reedbed Boardwalk produced at least two Reed Warbler (one singing male), and my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year, which flew from the back of the Reedbed to a willow near the gate, showing well and calling several times.

Coming back out to the lake I met Norman, and we walked around the usual route. The Great Crested Grebe are nesting at a new location off Greylag Island, and now three Gadwall (2 males and a female) were at the north end of the lake. Highlight of the morning was my first ever Ring-necked Parakeet - too bad it was probably an escape. It flew low over the north end of the lake, calling two or three times and heading in the Hucknall direction. Coming back over by Board Valley Stables, the sun was shining gloriously and Norman picked up on two Common Buzzard soaring together over Moor Road, and drifting over towards the Quarry - a fantastic sight. To finish the morning off, a single Pied Wagtail was feeding in Broad Valley Stables' Horse Paddock, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was on the large birch at Calluna Clearing.