Winter Firsts

My last visit of the month proved to be a successful morning, coinciding with the first frost of the winter, and covering the usual route of Pit Tip, Mill Lakes and Bestwood Quarry. At dawn a female Green Woodpecker was in the western Pit Tip Plantation, and three Cormorant were seen flying high to the south over the Mill Lakes. A single juvenile Herring Gull went over Dawson's Corner to the south with a small flock of Black-headed Gull, and a male Pheasant was on the path between Orchard Corner and Dawson's Corner. Small numbers of Redwing were all around the park today, including Dawson's Corner.

At the Mill Lakes the main Siskin flock - about fifty birds - was around the Reedbed area today. The Shoveler pair were again present with another female or first winter at the far bank, along with a Kingfisher. An obvious visual migration of Woodpigeon had three consecutive parties of around a hundred flying south, high over the Picnic Area at 7:45am. Two more Cormorant were fishing off Tern Island. A single Common Snipe - my first of the winter - was sat on the southern point of Mud Island, and a got a few half-decent phonescope shots just before my friend Norman turned up. We had a walk down the near side of the lake and picked up three Little Grebe fishing together around the island close to the Willow Carr, and two female or first-winter male Pochard between Tern Island and the Dipping Ponds, before heading back.

Parting company with Norman at the entrance to Bestwood Quarry, I had a quick walk around, but most of the notable sights were around the entrance; except a female Sparrowhawk perched on a fence post that I failed to phonescope (by about half a second) as it flew off. Around the entrance, feeding in the hedgerows were plenty of Redwing, three Yellowhammer, Chaffich, Goldfinch, a group of about ten Greenfinch, and a single Goldcrest was showing well by the gate. As I was leaving, a male Kestrel flew from the Quarry over to Parkside Pasture, and the morning was finished off by a female Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in a tree by the Hatton Close entrance. The cold weather has its advantages!