A Great Spot

This morning I had a quick look for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, but with no luck. A pair of Green Woodpecker were in the dead tree at top of Ted Heath where I'd seen the LSW yesterday. I got some decent scope views, but they flew off before I could get any photos. Two Nuthatch were calling to each other at either side of the Three Ponds, and singing male Blackcap were at the Landman Compound, Three Ponds, and Ted Heath. Along Bestwood Park Drive a singing male Goldcrest was at the top of a yew near the vehicle refuge, and a pair of Jay were collecting nest material nearby. On the walk back, I had some good views of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Triangle.

Proper Patch Ticks

A great morning around the park today, with three 'difficult' species added to the year list; two of them were 'proper' patch ticks in the sense that for whatever reason my previous sightings weren't quite good enough. The morning began with a long-awaited Herring Gull patch ticked over the Pit Tip Top to the north east (possibly avoiding the fog that was covering the surrounding lower areas). Not very much to see at the Mill Lakes, but a count of five Blackcap wasn't bad.

Heading via Broad Valley Stables' Horse Paddock there didn't seem to be anything around, but having just left the field through the gate onto Park Drive, a charismatic sound of Springtime caught my attention. A male Cuckoo was singing from the direction of the field I'd just left, and I headed back to look for it. The bird was on the overhead wires and was innitially quite close, but moved over to the Parkside side of the road - still singing on and off. It then moved back over, heading gradually northwards along the wire, calling every so often and eventually settling on the wires above the field to the north of the Horse Paddock. Over the next twenty minutes, I managed some reasonable scope views, using the hedgerow as cover. Another - now definite - patch tick for the morning.

Moving on to Bestwood Quarry a family party of Bullfinch were at the entrance, at least two singing male Common Whitethroat were on the hillside with two or more Linnet showing well. The next patch tick (and really a life tick), was a delayed one, as I didn't confirm the singing male Garden Warbler on the hillside bend until later, when I got a chance to analyse its song. The views - like last year's - were brief, but good enough to rule out the other likely suspects. The recording of the bird's song was the clincher, though.

Happy to have cleared up some lingering patch ticks, I headed back home seeing another five Blackcap on the way - a good site count! The morning couldn't have gotten much better... or could it? Back at the top end of Woodman's Path the workmen that are resurfacing it were starting up for the morning. I heard a woodpecker calling - probably a Great Spotted Woodpecker, but it just didn't seem right... several calls in succession, rather than single calls. I tracked the bird down as it continued to call, and found my luck was in. After pretty much giving up hope of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker this year, I was getting some nice views of one right by the fence gate through to Big Wood School Playing Field. I followed the bird as it moved along the trees at the back of Warren Hill and stopped for a while in each of the dead ones to drum its characteristic sound. A Great Spotted Woodpecker wasn't happy with its presence, and chased it on a bit. It settled for a bit in the large dead oak near to the Ludgate Close entrance to the park, and was drumming several times. I tried to get some shots through the scope, but it had moved out of view to the far side of the tree. Before I managed to relocate it through the scope it was off again, and finally disappeared down into the valley around Hanging Heath. All things considered, it's probably the best morning's birding I've had in the park.

About Ruddy Time

This morning's walk to the Mill Lakes had several highlights and got me an overdue year tick. First off, were two competing male Common Whitethroat at Dawson's Corner - one in the same territory as last year. A pair of Blackcap were at the footbridge entrance to the Mill Lakes, and a male Reed Bunting was perched on a tree top on the Reedbed. Another male Blackcap was at the Peninsula, and eleven newly-fledged Greylag Goose goslings were with their parents on the grass to the north of it. The year tick was a male Ruddy Duck on the middle of the lake - quite late in the year, really.

At the far side of the lake, two of the Grey Heron were on the nests, and a male Gadwall was on the southern end of the lake. Heading back, a pair of Grey Partridge were flushed from the farm track at Dawson's Corner, and a single Barn Swallow flew over the Pit Tip Plantation and down over Farmer Fox's Cow Field.

Free-fall Mating

This morning I worked the Bestwood Quarry area, and on the way there had good views of a Willow Warbler singing from a tree amongst the gorse at Keith's Corner. Plenty of birds were active at the quarry; Bullfinch being the first of note, followed by the flock of Lesser Redpoll feeding in the birch plantation again. When they were feeding on the ground of the hillside a little later on, a Sparrowhawk flew over and flushed them, revealing a total of thirteen birds.

My first Whitethroat of the year was singing from the hillside scrub, a pair of Linnet were close by, and another Willow Warbler was singing from trees in the gorse at the top of the sand bank. On my way home, a pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker were mating in a tree behind the Classroom, and fell out of the tree locked together, managing to free themselves and fly off just before hitting the ground!

Chasing Mammals

This morning's visit to the Mill Lakes didn't produce any scarce migrants like the Pied Flycatcher that was seen nearby the previous day, but I did add Gadwall to the year list - a male and a pair were present. Gadwall tend to be present in small numbers through late autumn and winter, but none wintered here this year. Today's birds will be passing through on their way to a breeding site. A pair of Teal were also still around Mud Island. The only other notable sighting was Sparrowhawk hunting the woodland near Leen Pastures. Other highlights of the morning were a Red Fox being chased by a horse at Dawson's Corner, and four Brown Hare chasing about on the Golf Course.

Migrant Update

On my evening run through the park, two Barn Swallow flew through at the entrance to Bestwood Quarry, and another was roosting under Alexandra Lodge. A Chiffchaff was singing near Keith's Corner, where the Winding House path meets Woodman's Path.

Not Gone Yet

This morning I headed up to Lamin's Lane to find that the Golden Plover were still around. In fact there were between 230 and 240 in the usual fallow field at the corner, and almost all were now in their summer plumage. A couple of pairs of Lapwing were also present, as were pairs of Linnet and Skylark.

At least a dozen Tree Sparrow were on the large feeder again, and a Chiffchaff was bathing in one of the puddles along the lane. Two males and female Yellowhammer were along the hedgerows and overhead wires.

On my way back through the woods I attempted some phonescoping on one of three skulking Jay that were screeching behind Alexandra Lodge.

A Late Winter Surprise

Highlights of the morning were a male Tufted Duck walking about on the Picnic Area with a pair of Mallard at 6am - don't see them out of the water too often! Yet another male Shelduck was on the lake near the Peninsula between 6am and 7am, but it could not be relocated after 7:30am. An odd looking Greylag Goose was amongst the flock - a larger domestic-type hybrid with a white blaze on its bill - similar to that on a White-fronted Goose. Several Chiffchaff were present, as was a singing male Blackcap between the Peninsula and Wooden Footbridge, and another Willow Warbler on the Railway Embankment near the Double Gates.

A male Reed Bunting was singing in the hedgerow at the entrance to Peninsula and attracted the attention of a female. A female and two male Bullfinch were also nearby. From the end of the Peninsula between one and four Snipe were seen lurking on the far bank, but were very elusive. A couple of Kingfisher were calling as they flew around the island to the north, and a Pied Wagtail was on Mud Island.

Heading back to the main site, a female Great Spotted Woodpecker was in one of the oaks next to Broad Valley Stables. A male Kestrel was perched in a silver birch at the entrance to Bestwood Quarry, and flew off over the back of the hillside. The most surprising find of the morning was a rather late group of ten Lesser Redpoll feeding together as they moved through the silver birch plantation. I managed some great scope views, but only got poor record shots. Two Linnet were at the top of the hillside, as was a singing male Yellowhammer, and a Sparrowhawk flew over towards Bramley Wood.

Winter Wren in Spring

There wasn't much out of the ordinary this morning, so I'll keep it brief. At the Mill Lakes, geese were grazing in the adjacent farmer's field, with good numbers of Greylag Goose and Canada Goose to be seen. Chiffchaff are now singing throughout the park, and I counted a respectable eight singing males along my route, with one being part of a nest-building pair. A Willow Warbler (year tick) was singing at the entrance to the Peninsula, then another - or possibly the same - was along the path to the wooden footbridge. A pair of Reed Bunting flew over the disused railway track at the Leen Pastures gate, and I got a phonescoped shot of a singing male Wren along the newly-surfaced cycle path alongside the farmer's field.

At Parkside Pasture, a Kestrel was perched on some overhead wires, and a male Yellowhammer was singing nearby. A single Stock Dove was in a tree by Alexandra Lodge, and a Nuthatch was calling along the footpath behind Warren Hill.

Larks and Linnets at Lamin's Lane

Out to Lamin's Lane again this morning. A single Mistle Thrush was in the woodland opposite Woodside Liveries, and a pair of Mallard had taken up residence in the newly-formed mud pond in the grounds of Woodside Liveries. Two male Pheasant were in the first field, but there was no sign of any females.

No sign of any Golden Plover in the fallow field now, but a few Lapwing were around, mainly flying over from the fields closer to Mansfield Road. A singing male Skylark went up from the corner of the field right above where I'd set the scope up, and later came down to join a female in the field just meters away from me. I did my best for some footage and the odd photo. A pair of Linnet flew in to join them, but eluded my attempts at getting any footage. I got some nice views of one perched on the hedgerow though. On my walk back to the park I caught sight of a male Yellowhammer also feeding at the edge of the field on Lamin's Lane.

Heading back into the park, I walked through the Warren Hill Heath area and was treated to a Chiffchaff calling from one silver birch and a lovely sunlit Treecreeper on another. Woodpeckers ended the morning, with two Green Woodpecker calling around the Triangle, and two Great Spotted Woodpecker: one at Warren Hill Heath, and another drumming at the Triangle.

A Fox in the Valley

A quick walk over the Pit Tip and around the nearby Woodland produced some of the best views I've ever had of Skylark. At least twelve were present, including four pairs and some birds in the open, very close to the Pit Tip paths. One or two Meadow Pipit were also present, and another three Canada Goose flew over to the north at sunrise.

Three singing male Chiffchaff were again between Shopping Trolley Pond and the Sidings, surprisingly close together. A pair of Jay were by the pond, two Goldcrest were in a large yew in the Warren Hill valley, and a Coal Tit was at the bottom of Hanging Heath. The valley also produced prolonged views of a Red Fox, watching me as it sat in a clump of grass. It wasn't too bothered by the camera, either.

From the top of Hanging Heath, another pair of Jay were foraging on woodland floor, and three Great Spotted Woodpecker were drumming together around the valley. On my evening run, I noted a pre-roost gathering of around forty Carrion Crow on the eastern side of the Pit Tip Top's circular path.