The End of 2007

A short walk around the woodland with my daughter produced a single Nuthatch and three Goldcrest, at the top of Ted Heath, and a Green Woodpecker calling by the Triangle to finish off the year.

A Foggy and Frosty Morning

The morning started well, with a group of three Reed Bunting feeding along the path and hedgerow of the Pit Tip Top that borders the small conservation area alongside Front Line. The two females were quite showy, and the male more elusive. A single Green Woodpecker was on a fence post at the western side of Pit Tip Plantation, and an adult Pied Wagtail was feeding on the icy path there too.

At the Mill Lakes a single adult Mute Swan was with six juveniles on the Leen by the Reedbed and Vehicle Bridge. A vast amount of the lake was frozen and circa 170 Black-headed Gull were on the ice at the southern end, with another 60 at the north end (a personal site record). A Grey Heron was on Tern Island, and just two Pochard could be seen through the fog. A flock of ten Long-tailed Tit feeding in alder trees between Dipping Ponds and Peninsula contained at least one Siskin. The feeding station at Leen Pastures was empty, but produced brief views of a Water Rail along the railway embankment, which only stood out because there was nothing else moving in the area.

Highlight of the morning was a single Tree Sparrow in the hedgerow that runs alongside the farmer's field at the back of Broad Valley Stables' Horse Paddock, since there are no recent records of them in the park or near this location. The two other locations for nearby records are both over a kilometre away. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was also seen here, flying over in the direction of the Mill Lakes.

Before stopping by the rangers' station for a chat, I noted two Coal Tit on the feeders at Alexandra Lodge as well as the typical species. Heading home, I bumped into some friends from the park's "Friends of" group, and spoke briefly about Goldcrest calls, all of ten seconds before hearing and locating a single Goldcrest in a yew at Khalsa Wood! Two Nuthatch were together in the large trees directly above the path between the Three Ponds and the Triangle, loads of Chaffinch and ten Collared Dove were in trees around the back fence to Big Wood School Field, and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker at the back of Warren Hill finished off the morning.

Winter Quarry Walk

This afternoon was the organized winter walk around Bestwood Quarry for the newly-formed Friends of Bestwood Country Park group. It was a good excuse to get some birding in, whilst finding out more about the quarry area of the park.

On the Pit Tip there was a mixed finch flock of around twenty Siskin and ten Goldfinch feeding in alder down western edge of main plantation, they've been present since Tuesday am, at least. Two Green Woodpecker were feeding in Farmer Fox's Cow Fields, and a single Jay was in the sidings.

The quarry sightings were mainly flyovers consisting of several groups of 2-6 Lesser Black-backed Gull over in all directions (including four juveniles in one party of six), two Mallard were over towards Mill Lakes, as were two Mute Swan. On the ground a family party of four Bullfinch were on the hillside bend and another Jay was in the plantation at the top. An adult Red Fox was also present, showing well as it descended into the valley.

Heading back through the woodland produced another two Jay screeching away along main drive, and numerous Goldcrest were heard calling from yew trees along there too. Highlight of the walk was a Tawny Owl heard calling from conifers along 2nd valley just off main drive. Not bad for an afternoon visit.

Close Encounter with a Sparrowhawk

A morning walk around the Mill Lakes produced just one Grey Heron along the near bank, a single Great Crested Grebe, and two Little Grebe at the north end of the lake around the small island made up of an exposed tree root. Three Common Snipe and a Grey Wagtail were on Mud Island and the Pochard group numbered nine in the middle of the lake. The Siskin flock was at the Leen Pastures, with around forty birds present.

Heading back along the Sustrans path near to Reedbed, a female Reed Bunting was in the bramble and flew off towards Reedbed with two other probables. Two Greenfinch were at Dawson's Corner, and a Green Woodpecker was at the western side of the Pit Tip Plantation. Also present here was a flock of forty or so finches feeding in the alder, composed mainly of Siskin. As I watched them move from tree to tree a Sparrowhawk flew straight past at waist height and within reach! It was carrying some blackbird-sized prey back from the Rise Park gardens and into the western side of the main Pit Tip Plantation. Before leaving I also noted a gathering of eight Magpie on the Pit Tip Top.

Siskin Flock

A morning visit to the Mill Lakes before work produced a family party of Mute Swan at the north end of the lake, with two adults and four juveniles. At least some of the geese had returned, but these were just singles and couples of Canada Goose, numbering nine in total. At least one Common Snipe was hiding on Mud Island, and singles of Common Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull were over the water.

A single Willow Tit was on the Leen Pastures Feeding Station, which was dominated by eight or so Chaffinch. A finch flock of around 50-70 birds was seen briefly flying towards the lake from the trees around the feeding station, and I followed in search of what were probably Siskin. Back down the far side of the lake, I connected with the confirmed Siskin flock of 50+ birds feeding in some birch at the water's edge. Below them, I also got some nice footage of a Wren.

Siskins are In

A couple of Meadow Pipit were all that was to be seen on the Pit Tip Top at dawn. Arriving at the Mill Lakes I headed down to the Vehicle Bridge just behind Norman, who helpfully pointed out several singles, twos, and threes of Siskin feeding in the alders along the path to the Peninsula. Three Cormorant were on and around Tern Island, and a single Little Grebe was just south of the Peninsula. Good numbers of Teal were all around the lake, and three or more Shoveler were also present near the Greylag Island.

We met up with Ralph, and a single Mistle Thrush was in a tree by main entrance. There was another thrush too - a smaller one - possibly a Redwing, but too distant to clinch an ID. We headed out onto the Peninsula to look for Common Snipe; a couple were on the far bank and one on Mud Island, but Norman got us onto the Water Rail walking along the water's edge of the north west bank. Julie arrived and we examined the gulls. Two Common Gull were on the water amongst sixty plus Black-headed Gull, and a flock of fifteen Goldfinch went over to the far side of the lake.

As we walked around clockwise, a male Kestrel was perched in the trees backing on to the Dipping Ponds, and two Grey Heron were together in trees on one of the islands. There were still no geese to be seen. A distant Sparrowhawk was being mobbed by a crow over the lake, and the Pochard group at the south west side numbered seventeen - a personal highest count.

Heading up to the Leen Pastures a single Lesser Black-backed Gull went over, as did a Grey Wagtail. We'd heard a Willow Tit near the Peninsula earlier, but had good views of one on the feeding station.

There were good numbers of Blackbird, feeding on the ground around the edges of Broad Valley Stables' Horse Paddock, and another male Kestrel was on a fence post by the entrance to Bestwood Quarry. I chatted to the rangers for a bit, who'd been seeing off some rouge paintballers from the quarry, and got a nice male Bullfinch there too. On my way out of the park, a single Goldcrest was in a yew at back of Warren Hill. In all, a good morning that produced a respectable total of 41 species, and added a relatively easy patch tick in the form of the Siskin.

A Quick Autumn Walk

A quick walk around the Pit Tip and adjacent woodland before work didn't produce any of the scarcer finches, but was enjoyable, all the same. I started out by looking for a gull roost in Big Wood School's Paying Field, but nothing to be seen. Heading down into the woods below Ted Heath produced an obvious Nuthatch feeding in a bare tree, but this was my first record in this specific area. A group of seven or more Goldcrest were feeding around yews in Ted Heath, and they were joined by a mixed tit flock.

On the Pit Tip Top two Skylark were flushed by dog walker, and seven Meadow Pipit flushed from the main ride. A Cormorant was seen in the distance flying east from the direction of the Mill Lakes, and a Green Woodpecker flew from the Pit Tip Grassland into a tree on western edge of woodland.