A Good Start to 2008

I decided to start the new year off without a trip to the Mill Lakes, instead favouring the Pit Tip, Woodland, and Lamin's Lane. A surprising sound on the Pit Tip Top was one of several Skylark in song, with one singing male up for close to ten minutes. Several gull groups went over, including both Lesser Black-backed Gull and Great Black-backed Gull. A single Pied Wagtail flew over, and a female Green Woodpecker was on a fence post of the main Plantation. Whilst watching a single Lesser Redpoll in one of the smaller plantations, a male Sparrowhawk was hunting the finches, and flew into the Pit Tip Plantation, flushing a flock of around forty finches, which were mainly Siskin and Lesser Redpoll. Another flock came in later, from the direction of Rise Park, the total being around 65 birds.

Moving on to the woodland, a couple of Coal Tit were on the feeders at Alexandra Lodge, and heading up behind the lodge, I bumped into the local farmer that I know from the Friends of group. In the distance I could make out a male Great Spotted Woodpecker perched at the top of an oak tree at the back of the quarry near Warrenhill Plantation. Shortly afterwards, two were fighting briefly at the top of a tree: one bird called loudly as it flew in, and the other seemed to be defending its territory. A couple of Jay were also in the plantation.

Coming out onto Lamin's Lane, I heard a familiar call, and later saw two male Pheasant in one of the fields. More notable for me was the group of four Red-legged Partridge at the edge of the same field, alongside the hedgerow - a patch bogey bird to tick off! Another Jay was bathing in a puddle along Lamin's Lane, and a couple of Pied Wagtail were on the road too. A good flock of about 36 Lapwing were in the fallow field, but before I got a good look something flushed them and they flew off with two unidentified waders amongst them - almost certainly Golden Plover, but too distant for a positive ID.

All in all, a good start to the year, with 28 species recorded without visiting the Mill Lakes, and finally catching up with those Red-legged Partridge.