Cuckoo Twitch

After hearing about the Cuckoo seen on the Pit Tip the previous morning, it had to be worth a try, having had no other records this year. A couple of gulls were moving over the Pit Tip with two single Black-headed Gull moving low over to the west, and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull also over to the west. Walking over the main ride over the crown of the Pit Tip Top a relatively large bird flushed from the ride, and flew low over the grassland before disappearing to view towards the main Pit Tip Plantation. Despite the brief views, it was definitely a Cuckoo, and the orange/buff plumage I noted suggests it was a female or juvenile. Also of note was a single male Pheasant heard calling from the middle of the Pit Tip Grassland

Family Walk at Mill Lakes

A late morning walk with the family to the Mill Lakes on a very bright and arm morning produced plenty of opportunities for the kids to see some of this year's young. A family of Carrion Crow - an adult with four juveniles - were feeding on the Picnic Area as we arrived. At the end of the Peninsula, a group of Canada Goose had at least three yojng, and two adopted juvenile Greylag Goose with them. The Mute Swan family arrived to see if we had any food - the pair having three young. I counted at least seventy Canada Goose - impressive numbers. A single male Teal was by Mud Island, and an adult Great Crested Grebe was seen on the nest, as was a Coot. Other birds of note were a single Grey Heron in the trees on the opposite bank to the Dipping Ponds, a male Bullfinch, and the ever-present male Garden Warbler singing from its usual tree on Willow Island.

Batting by the Home Side

An evening walk to the Mill Lakes produced very little, as it was so late by the time I arrived. There had been a thunderstorm earlier in the evening, and good numbers of Common Swift were hawking insects over the lake. Little Owl was seen in the usual location, and no less than nine Mistle Thrush were feeding in Broad Valley's East Paddock and gathering on the overhead wires. Around the Miller's End area of the Pit Tip, three Pipistrelle bat were seen following a regular route alongside the edge of the woodland - predictable enough for the odd photo.

Cygnet Arrival

This morning was my first walk in over a week. Both Common Whitethroat and Willow Warbler were still holding territory at two locations on the Pit Tip. Good numbers of the larger wildfowl were present at the Mill Lakes with around forty Greylag Goose, and sixty Canada Goose on the lake. The single Mute Swan has been joined by another two adults - one with four cygnets. Singles of Gadwall, Teal, and Ruddy Duck were at the north end. A single Sand Martin was hawking insects over the lake, a pair of Coot were with two larger young, and another adult was still on its nest. Singles of Reed Warbler and Garden Warbler were heard singing.

A pair of Mistle Thrush were in the Spinney Field with a group of Starling. The Little Owl was seen again on a fence post, and then on the hedgerow. A male Kestrel was perched near the entrance to the Quarry, a Great Spotted Woodpecker was still drumming around the Old Rectory, and a male Barn Swallow was singing from the wires there too.

Quarrying Butterflies

My daughter has been asking to see what the quarry looks like since the end of last summer, and I've been waiting for a bit of good weather for us both to walk there. This morning we walked there and enjoyed seeing lots of butterflies, including good numbers of Common Blue, and the odd Speckled Wood on the woodland walk there. She has taken a few decent photos on her digital camera ready to go in her Nature Diary. We walked to the very back of the quarry to admire the view, which she was very impressed by. She saw her first Green Woodpecker - two in fact - and a pair of Linnet, but wasn't quite fast enough to catch the shy pink birds (Jay).

Patch Double Twitch

Last night there was a report of two good birds from the park. Both would be patch ticks for me. The first was of two Yellow Wagtail, and the second of a Little Owl. I set off early to try and relocate them before work. The first notable sighting came from near the Adventure Playground, where I could see a group of five Lesser Black-backed Gull flying high over Parkside Pasture/Broad Valley at approximately 6am.

On reaching the reported location there was no sign of any wagtail species, so I checked the nearby field too, before returning to the original location. I heard a wagtail flight call, and only just managed to locate it before it disappeared. I looked pale buff in the early morning light, but the call was similar to Pied Wagtail, so no luck there. As I approached the northern corner of the field, a small stocky bird flew up from the grass onto the fence post. It was the Little Owl.

I approached cautiously, and managed to get some record shots, before it flew up onto a nearby electricity pylon. This provided me with a much better view, and allowed me to get much closer. After watching me for several minutes, the bird flew over into a nearby Oak, allowing a nice flight view. When I left the area, I could see the bird return to the pylon to scour the ground for food again.

Before heading home, I had a quick look around Bestwood Quarry, seeing a few warblers, a Green Woodpecker, a pair of Bullfinch, a male Linnet, and a handful of photogenic butterflies. On leaving the area I picked up a single Black-headed Gull in summer plumage flying west over Broad Valley towards Mill Lakes. Now Yellow Wagtail takes the place of Little Owl on my list of patch bogey birds.

Guided Walk - Spring 2009

This morning I gave a guided walk around the Mill Lakes for the Friends of Bestwood Country Park. At the Pit Tip Plantation a single Common Tern flew over heading NE at 6am, and a Brown Hare was by the Small Conservation Area. At the lake, a single Shelduck remained, and the Ruddy Duck pair were still present. Before the guided walk I did my usual route and stocked up the feeding station in hope of attracting some Willow Tit for the guided group to see. The clear blue skies and sunshine had plenty of warblers singing, including a couple of Reed Warbler on the Reedbed, and Garden Warbler in its usual Willow Island spot, plus one singing on the Peninsula. A pair of Grey Partridge were on the Golf Course with three more Brown Hare. Whilst waiting for the group to arrive a Pied Wagtail was feeding in the grass around the notice board.

Only two people turned up for the walk, so we didn't follow the whole of the intended route, missing out the Leen Pastures stretch. The Shelduck had departed, but the most of the other birds stuck around to be seen and heard by the group. At the Heron Viewpoint we were treated to a group of large fish swimming very close to the bank in the shallows and giving some great views. Other wildlife of note, was a migrant Painted Lady butterfly before the group arrived, and a Striped Millipede as we walked back home via the main site.