Shelduck for the Year

Heading to the Mill Lakes before sunrise produced two pair of Bullfinch together the the trees along the Sustrans path by Dawson's Corner, and a male Kestrel near the Vehicle Bridge on arrival. A Song Thrush was singing from the usual tree at the back of the Dipping Ponds, and a Pied Wagtail flew over the nearby grassland. Two men walking their dogs said hello on the near side of the lake, before letting them run wild on the far side, flushing a couple of the few remaining Snipe onto Mud Island. The gull flock was notably larger than on my previous visit, but I headed to the Leen Pastures before returning to count them later on.

The adjacent farmer's field looked to have been ploughed recently, and a small group of Feral Pigeon were feeding there with a single Stock Dove amongst them, and a couple of Woodpigeon, too. There was nothing about at the Feeding Station, or on the Golf Course, but another Bullfinch pair were in the trees alongside the track back to the lake. I bumped into Norman, and we went back to look for the Snipe, without success. The Black-headed Gull flock numbered around 120, with a few Common Gull in amongst them. We were about to head to the southern end, when I picked up on a male Shelduck amongst the gulls, just as Julie turned up to join us. Brian also joined us, as I attempted some VidiScoped footage the Shelduck, which had apparently been there in the week, too. However, most of the close-up footage just featured its rear end!

We all walked to the southern end, and Brian headed off home. At the far side we picked up a pair of Great Crested Grebe, and a pair of Moorhen were displaying. Back up at the Leen Pastures, the pair of Willow Tit were now on the Feeding Station, as was Blue Tit, Great Tit, and Chaffinch. A Green Woodpecker called from the northern end of the pastures, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into one of the large trees on the bank of the Leen.

Back at the lake, I got another year tick in the form of the Grey Wagtail on the shore of Mud Island, a Skylark was singing over the farmer's field, and a Song Thrush was singing near the Double Gates. As we left, a Collared Dove was seen by the entrance, carrying nest material , but apparently the pair in Julie's garden was already on their third attempt at breeding this year! It was a satisfying morning, with two year ticks and over forty species recorded.

Golden Plover, the Easy Way

A nice frosty morning before work, and a chance to try out my new cheap ALDI-bought scope - you can't go wrong for £25! I planned to get some decent views and hopefully footage of the Golden Plover flock that have been in the fields around Lamin's Lane, so I headed out that way at the crack of dawn.

First up was a singing male Song Thrush in the top of a tree at the Three Ponds, with another feeding on the ground nearby. Main Gate had been rammed by a car, which was dumped and torched just along the track to Woodside Liveries. I did ponder whether to take a photo of it, but soon came to my senses. Heading out to the junction on Lamin's Lane, seven Redwing were on the telephone wires, and a male and female Bullfinch were in the hedgerows.

There was no sign of anything in the fields, but a couple of distant waders flew over high up. I headed down the road to the right at the junction and spotted some movement in the fallow field where the Lapwings usually are. The ground was frosted over and the light was still dim, but I'd located a small group of ten Golden Plover wandering about not far from the hedge. I set up the scope and camera for reasonable footage, whilst the odd car and van went past. After about twenty minutes of playing around with various settings and getting frozen in the process, I packed up and started to head back.

I spotted another Golden Plover by itself in the field on the other side of the road, but even closer. Too bad that I'd already packed up. A Skylark was singing overhead, and I also got good views of the Bullfinch pair and a male Yellowhammer (year tick) from the gate of Lamin Plantation. In the woodland there were plenty of Siskin calling in the tree tops around the Three Ponds, and three Great Spotted Woodpecker, including one just ten feet from me at knee height, bashing away at a dead birch tree. Two Jay and a single Nuthatch were here too, and I was starting to wish I had more hours of daylight before having to go to work.

Plenty of Birds, Plenty of Birders

An early start to the Mill Lakes produced a pair of Bullfinch in courtship at Dawson's Corner. The pair were next to each other on a branch and the female was shaking her tail at the male - quite amusing to see! Song Thrush were singing at both Orchard and Dawson's Corners, along the Sustrans path in the same spot as last year, and just over the footbridge entrance to the Mill Lakes. A hefty flock of around 25 Greylag Goose flew off as I arrived, leaving behind one very vocal bird at the north end of the lake. The Reedbed was empty, bar a Dunnock on the Boardwalk. Other wildfowl included six Mute Swan, but only two juveniles; three pairs of Teal; equal numbers of male and female Pochard around the lake, and around fifteen Tufted Duck, some of which had paired up.

Two Great Spotted Woodpecker were chasing each other in circles around the Willow Carr and one was drumming here shortly afterwards. A group of four or five Snipe were seen huddled together on Mud Island, before I headed up to the Leen Pastures. Workmen were laying a new path back from the footbridge, but I quietly snook through before they got going. A jay flew off as I arrived, and another pair of Bullfinch were near the gate. A single Brown Hair was on the Golf Course, and a Green Woodpecker called several times from the north end of the pastures. Another two singing male Song Thrush were at either end too.

Heading back to the lake, I shimmied along the edge of the newly laid path so as not to upset the workmen, and spied Mick, a fellow birder, on the nearby opposite bank. Not wanting to chance another encounter with the workmen and their steaming asphalt, I suggested we meet at the southern end. On the way back, I did a count of the Snipe, and timed it just right to pick out thirteen distinct birds as a Moorhen ran onto Mud Island, flushing most of the birds at rest. The usual Mistle Thrush was on the Grassland to the north of the Willow Carr and, later, two were seen together on the Grassland to the south of it. A flock of Goldfinch were at the top of a tree opposite the Peninsula, and a mobile flock of Siskin were feeding in the alders by the path past the Willow Carr.

Meeting Mick, we got a single Grey Heron that flew in and landed in the shallows on the far bank, and a single Little Grebe near the bank of Greylag Island. We met Norman on the Peninsula, whilst looking at the Snipe, and he and I said goodbye to Mick and started to walk back home, but bumped into the ex-Ogston birder from Killarney Park that we'd met before. We had a brief chat as we walked back to the footbridge, then headed back along the Sustrans path, getting a male Kestrel over Dawson's Corner, and a few Skylark over the Pit Tip. At the very edge of the Pit Tip Top, just before getting back, I picked out a couple of female Reed Bunting, and soon realized they were part of a larger group. A flock of six or more birds were in the trees at the edge of the Pit Tip and woodland. This included one male in summer plumage, one winter male, and at least four females - a great end to my morning.

A Flush of Golden Plover

Headed out for a walk around the Pit Tip before work. Didn't pick up anything of note before the double cow gates heading down to Dawson's Corner, but 22 Magpie were together in the trees around there. A group of Feral Pigeon were going in and out of a building at the nearby farmyard, and more were at the Winding Engine House, where I also year ticked Jackdaw up in the Headstocks. A Song Thrush was singing near the Substation, and I got a brief view of two Bullfinch disappearing into the trees.

Walking along the main road a male Kestrel flew over Parkside Pasture, and a large flock of around 150 Golden Plover flew back and forth over the Dell's Gate area of Main Drive - probably flushed from a nearby farmer's field. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming close by, and another at Dinosaur Dell allowed for some footage before it flew off. Heading back, yet another male Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Ted Heath.