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.