March Migrants

The last day in March provided a challenge to find some early migrants, so I set off early to do a fair-sized walk of the park. At first light there was a family party of four Bullfinch were at Dawson's Corner. On the Reedbed Boardwalk I got my first Blackcap of the year - a skulking male in the willows. A Chiffchaff was singing from the Willow Carr, and a male Kestrel was sat in the trees at the back of the Dipping Ponds at sunrise.

On the lake, the wildfowl seem to be pairing up. At least six Greylag Goose were in pairs, and another two male Canada Goose were fighting again. A Green Woodpecker was calling as it circled the lake, and only three Snipe were apparent this morning. Two summer plumaged Little Grebe were present at the northern end of the lake, seen at same time, but not in a pair. I gave the Leen Pastures a miss today, I wanted to look in on Bestwood Quarry before heading off to work.

Just behind Broad Valley Stables, two Tree Sparrow were in one of the garden's trees, and a pair of Dunnock were engaged in courtship display. At the entrance to the Quarry, there were another two courting Dunnock, and another two Bullfinch. A Yellowhammer was heard singing nearby, and a single male Linnet was on top of the hillside, with two more Chiffchaff singing around the corner. Two Great Spotted Woodpecker were drumming nearby before chasing each other from the direction of Bramley Wood to the hillside.

The walk home produced a Long-tailed Tit carrying nest material, a pair of Jay, a pair of Song Thrush, and a Stock Dove and female Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen behind Warren Hill.

Greylag on a Heron's Nest

Good weather had been forecast for the morning, but I couldn't get out for a morning's walk. Instead, the whole family went for a walk around the Mill Lakes - a little later than my usual visits! No Snipe were obvious from the end of the Peninsula, but a pair of Teal were resting on the far bank. One or more Great Crested Grebe were looking their part in breeding plumage.

My first Chiffchaff of the year was singing in the woodland between the Back Ride and the Railway Embankment. I chatted to a couple of bird watchers from Hucknall who were watching the Heron nests, but there weren't any actually on the nest. However, one of the nests did have something in... it was the white domestic-type Greylag Goose! Just before we left, I did catch sight of one Grey Heron, but it was fishing in the reeds - hopefully it won't be out-psyched by the Greylag.

Exclusively Lamin's Lane

Headed out to Lamin's Lane in the car with my dad this afternoon to try and get him a glimpse of the Golden Plover - a lifer for him. We pulled up just before 3pm and got onto the flock immediately - predictably in their usual field. We got the scope set up, and I did a count: 51 birds. A few Lapwing were also in the adjacent field. Then a Red-legged Partridge came out of the hedgerow we were stood by and started to feed at the edge of the field about 25 meters away from us, providing great views - and some phonescoping opportunities. The odd light drift of snow came through, but nothing to complain about.

After about twenty minutes, another nine Golden Plover flew in from the east to join the flock. Several Lapwing flew over our heads calling, and a larger flock came in, bringing the original three into the Golden Plover field too. Just as we were about to head back, another dozen Golden Plover flew in, again from the east, and made up a total of 72 birds, many now in summer plumage. Before driving back, we had a quick look for the Tree Sparrow in the private garden, and two birds were on the feeder. A nice trip out to this great area, without having to walk home.

Goose Fight

Today I got an early start, with the intention of covering quite a bit of the park. At dawn there were two singing male Skylark on the Pit Tip, with another on the main ride of the Pit Tip Top that let me get within ten meters. A male Bullfinch was at Dawson's Corner, along with a single Redwing and a Mistle Thrush near the farmyard.

At the Mill Lakes there were three Cormorant, including one perched on the typical Tern Island post and another in a tree at Greylag Island. Two Mute Swan were doing their courtship "dance" near Mud Island, a pair of Great Crested Grebe were looking like they should be courting, and two Canada Goose were really fighting it out in the shallows, with bills clamped onto each other's neck and lots of wing flapping. The apparent victor, even chased off others afterwards. Spring is definitely in the air... or in the water. At least five Snipe were along the far bank by Mud Island.

Just before I left I got the chance to phonescope (digi-scope using phone camera) a male Bullfinch feeding in the trees of the railway embankment by the Double Gates. These have turned out to be best images I've managed to capture of Bullfinch - they always fly off when my camera's ready!

On my way back to the main site, two Lapwing flew over Broad Valley Stables' Horse Paddock, heading west, and a single Mistle Thrush was in the paddock. Nothing of note was at Bestwood Quarry during a brief walk around, but a quick walk up Lamin's Lane produced a single Sparrowhawk over the field behind the Quarry, and a pair of Kestrel on some of the overhead wires. A small flock of about fifteen Golden Plover were seen briefly as they landed in their usual field, but I spent most of the time talking to the ex-Ogston birder near the private house. He was telling me about some of his more interesting records for that area (Whooper Swan, Merlin, Hobby, Wheatear, and Curlew!), and we saw a Coal Tit and at least seven Tree Sparrow (year tick) using the large feeder in the garden. A very nice morning, with a respectable 45 species recorded.

Good Views of a Meadow Pipit

Pre-work walks are starting to get easier as it's light by 6am, and that gives me about two hours of birding before I haul myself into the city centre. This morning I focussed on the Pit Tip with a view to covering the valley near Ted Heath. I was hoping for some more early migrants, but - surprisingly - there wasn't much about.

Most notable on the Pit Tip were a single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull over to the north, at least four active Skylark, including two singing males, and my best ever views of Meadow Pipit. It was perched on a fence post, calling at the edge of the Pit Tip Top, then flew off to the north, and was joined by another over the cow field. A Green Woodpecker was calling regularly and frequently from the Pit Tip Plantation, probably trying to attract a mate.

A single Jay was screeching near Shopping Trolley Pond, and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming in the valley near Ted Heath. A Song Thrush was also singing in the valley and a single Coal Tit was feeding in a yew nearby, too.

An Early Return

At sunrise, a single singing male Skylark was over the Pit Tip Top, with another over Farmer Fox's Cow Field, and a Redwing and two Bullfinch at Dawson's Corner. Along the Sustrans path, a singing male Greenfinch was a surprisingly-late patch year tick, and a Dunnock was also singing along here. A Green Woodpecker was calling regularly near to the Reedbed at the Mill Lakes - possibly trying to attract a mate.

I bumped into Norman, who was about to start his WeBS count (BTO's wetland bird survey), and I tagged along. The usual suspects were around, along with two male and a female Pochard. Just a single Great Crested Grebe today, six Teal (the males now in summer plumage), and two Cormorant were on Tern Island. Three adult Grey Heron were in the trees, nothing out of the ordinary gull-wise, and eleven Common Snipe were in their usual locations. The regular Mistle Thrush was also on the grassland by the main entrance.

We decided to check out the quarry, but as we were leaving I caught a glimpse of a martin over the farmer's field. Two Sand Martin (patch tick!) were together flying around the field next to the footpath, and two Yellowhammer were feeding in the field too. In the field behind the Spinney, another two Sand Martin were doing the same, probably picking up flies from over the hedgerows.

Bestwood Quarry provided yet more excitement, with a single Grey Partridge (year tick) flushing from the valley, a Fieldfare 'chacking' near the entrance, a group of seven Redwing in trees at top of the hillside, and at least three Linnet (year tick) there too. At least two Mistle Thrush were on the hill, and a singing male Song Thrush was at the bend. A Stock Dove flew over, and a Skylark was singing away. A Meadow Pipit (year tick) flushed from the plateaux area at the top and a female Green Woodpecker did the same, but landed in a nearby tree.

In the main woodland a Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming close to Dell's Gate, and Norman located a Treecreeper (by its call) along Main Drive. The, now regular, Siskin flock was at the Three Ponds, and another Treecreeper was near the Triangle. With four year ticks, including a relatively early Sand Martin, it was a great morning.

More Golden Plover

On my second pre-work walk of the week, I headed out to Lamin's Lane via the Three Ponds route. The walk there produced four drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, and three singing male Song Thrush, all in their regular spots. As I walked up Lamin's Lane, a flock of sixteen Redwing flew from one or two of the oaks towards Bestwood Quarry, and a flock of seventeen Lapwing were flying about behind the first field. Four Mallard flew off from the direction of the lake that's hidden away in the fields, as did a Cormorant too.

A small group of six Golden Plover were in the fallow field, and I set up scope just short of the junction for a better look. After getting some footage, a larger flock flew over the field and another two-dozen more joined the original six. It was great to see a few of them coming into their summer plumage, where the birds actually do look golden, and have black underparts.


Two male Skylark were singing over the fields, and a male Pheasant was in Lamin's Plantation. A Yellowhammer had been singing from a hedgerow nearby, and flew off towards the back of Bestwood Quarry. Yet another Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over, heading in the same direction. Heading back, produced three more Pheasant in the field by Woodside Liveries, including one of the "green type" birds, which I've never recorded near the park before, but are quite common in the north of the county. The last bird of note was a single Treecreeper back at the Three Ponds.

Working the Woodland

This morning I worked the woodland area that borders Big Wood School Field from sunrise for about an hour and a half. A Mistle Thrush was singing from the top of a tree at the edge of the School Field, and two Song Thrush were singing from their usual posts nearby. A small number of Black-headed Gull were over the field, with one immature larger gull too, but views were only brief. Several Starling were feeding in the field at sunrise, and handfuls of Chaffinch were visiting the garden at the north-west corner.

The main focus of the morning was around the Three Ponds, where a group of Siskin were again feeding in the tops of the trees. Three drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker were heard between the ponds and the Triangle, with a female on the large dead tree. A male Nuthatch was defending his territory from another male, and subsequently singing victoriously from a nearby yew. He was also very obliging for my video camera, and produced my best footage of this species to date. A Wren darted for cover as I moved on toward Main Gate, and I heard a Pheasant call from the School Field.

Yet another Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming from the trees near the burnt-out car refuge, but went quiet as alarm calls went out for the Sparrowhawk going over - probably a female by the size of it. Looking into the eastern School Field, I picked out the male Pheasant near to a derelict-looking chicken coop (or something similar). Back at the Three Ponds, a Treecreeper was ascending the trunk of the large dead tree before I moved on to Dinosaur Dell, flushing a Jay from the woodland floor. Another pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker were here, and I witnessed the female drumming on the same tree as on my previous visit. Another (or one of the same) Nuthatch was about too, and the Sparrowhawk flew over again, heading westwards. More of the same on my way home, and a respectable 25 species recorded in total.