Singing Goldcrest

This morning I recorded four Willow Warbler territories on the Pit Tip Top - two new, and two known. Around fifty Starling were feeding on the Pit Tip Grassland, with birds making regular visits from direction of Front Line and nearby housing estates. I suspect they are returning to nesting sites with food. Highlight of the morning was a singing male Goldcrest in the Woodland.

Tawny Morning

Highlight of the morning was my first decent sighting of a Tawny Owl in Lodge Gardens. A few Blackbird were alarm calling, and a Song Thrush joined in two. Just as I'd come to the conclusion it must be a Tawny Owl, it flew out of a tree being chased by the thrushes. The chase went from tree to tree, before the owl settled near the top of a tall holly-like tree, in a spot that permitted a reasonably good view of the bird. Nothing much else to note. Four Nuthatch, a couple of Great Spotted Woodpecker, and Skylark, Meadow Pipit and a Brown Hare on the Pit Tip Top.

Nest-building Nuthatches

A quick woodland walk this morning produced a couple of drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, two singing male Blackcap, a singing male Willow Warbler, and a pair of Nuthatch preparing a nest hole, by padding the inside of an oversized entrance hold with mud.

Hirundinidae Arrival

The main highlights today were the new arrivals, with a pair of Common Whitethroat at Dawson's Corner being the only new warbler, and all three hirundines hawking insects over the Mill Lakes. Sand Martin and Barn Swallow were the more numberous, with one or two House Martin thrown in too. Other than those, a single juvenile Cormorant was on a tree stump offshore of Mallard Island, a single Common Snipe was seen by Mud Island when it was flushed by a dog. A Sparrowhawk was being mobbed by a corvid at Mill Lakes, with another seen soaring high above Bluebell Hollow towards the end of the morning.

More Movers

A very respectable 47 species recorded during this morning's walk to the Mill Lakes, Leen Pastures, and Bestwood Quarry. A male and female Gadwall were still present with on Mill Lakes, with a solid count of nine Teal. A single Little Grebe was at the south end, and the Great Crested Grebe pair were doing their courtship dance again. At least two Common Snipe were by Mud Island, and a Treecreeper gathering nesting material at Leen Pastures.

Return migrants were represented by four Blackcap, over ten Chiffchaff, five Willow Warbler, and the first Barn Swallow of the year was a single over Leen Pastures, with further birds over the lake and Moor Road later.

A pair of Sparrowhawk were seen displaying over the woodland from the Quarry, and around ten Linnet were seen on the banks. A single male Siskin was on the peanut feeder of the garden between Hatton and Gerard Close Entrances - obviously a late returner.

Pole Position

This morning's highlights from a trip to the Mill Lakes and Bestwood Quarry were 3 Gadwall, 5 Teal, a Kestrel perched on flag pole on the Golf Course, a Common Snipe near Mud Island, 2 Blackcap, 10+ Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, a Leen Pastures Coal Tit, 3 Nuthatch, and a pair of Bullfinch.