A Dull Day at the Mill Lakes

A house full of mums and children isn't an ideal environment to be writing a thesis in, so I took the afternoon off for a walk to the Mill Lakes via the Pit Tip. The weather looked quite promising with some sunny spells at the start of the afternoon, but this would change later on as it became overcast with patches of light rain.

The Pit Tip was pretty much deserted in terms of people, but the birds were hiding too. The first Meadow Pipit I've seen in a while looked very green in the odd winter sunlight. It perched on top of a fence post at the top of Farmer Fox's Cow Field for a good while, but not long enough for a clumsy DigiBin photo. A couple of Jay were screeching and flying about the Pit Tip Plantation, and a single Green Woodpecker was at the far side, reducing its chances of being seen. A single Sparrowhawk was hunting high above the Pit Tip Top, and at Dawson's Corner heading towards the Substrans, plenty of Redwing were babbling away as usual. Further along the Substrans, a pair of Bullfinch were showing well.

Arriving at the Mill Lakes, a single Grey Heron was near the bridge, which I saw again later roosting in one of the trees on an island. I counted circa 150 Black-headed Gull, which was my highest count to date. At the north end of the lake a group of Teal (5 male and 3 female) were around the Mud Island, which also showed at least four of the elusive Common Snipe.

Heading on to the Leen Pastures didn't prove too productive, with barely anything more than a single Willow Tit at the feeding station table. Perhaps due to the fact that both of the two feeders were empty, but more likely due to the dull rainy weather that the day was ending with. In all, 33 species was a reasonable number for a few hours, which included a few additions to my year list so I can't complain.

Pink-footed Goose from the Garden

A skein of 30-40 Pink-footed Goose were seeing flying NNW over the Pit Tip area from my house. Read more about it here.

A Great Way to Start the Year

A couple of the experienced birders who cover this patch have informed me of the best areas to locate the ever present, but ever elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. I'd also read on some web page that the best area was around Bestwood Lodge. That's about a 15-minute walk from where I live, or 60 minutes as the birder walks. Since Lesser Pecker would be a life tick for me, I decided the night before to make it my target bird for the year. After a little bedtime reading on what to look out for (a la my Collins field guide), I hit the sack.

In the morning I left the house just after 9am, planning to cover the lodge area in search of my target bird. I'd picked up on a Great Spotted Woodpecker almost immediately behind Warren Hill, and the usual three tits and finches*. A single Goldcrest was high up in one of the trees, as was a Nuthatch.

Before going much further, a small black and white bird flew nearby me just past the Triangle and within sight of the Three Ponds. Amazingly, I'd found my first Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (a male) within 15 minutes of leaving the house and without getting even half-way to the lodge. Unusually for me, I had the video camera ready to go with a scarce bird hanging around for me to film it [see right]. I managed a few minutes of footage whilst hiding behind a nearby tree and it seemed quite happy to stick around the area, regardless of several dog walkers passing close by. Despite getting quite a bit of footage, various branches seemed to prevent the camera focussing on the actual bird, and only a few frames were reasonable enough for stills. Only after filming it for a while did I hear it drumming, but I'd lost sight of it by that point.

When I decided to move on (the woody was sticking around), I followed a Great Spotted Woodpecker for a few minutes. As I headed back to the path, with the aim of heading to an area of farmers' fields, another birder who I'd not met before came along with his dog. I told him about the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and we spent about 20 minutes trying to relocate it as he'd not seen one in a few years, but we had no luck. We only heard it drumming a couple of times. In the meantime I'd picked up at least one other Nuthatch.

I walked on around the park with the birder I'd met for the remainder of the walk. He was telling me all about the local RSPB group and some of the other local birders, which I'd already met or heard of, allowing me to put names to faces. On the way home, I spent a few minutes watching two Treecreeper conduct an in-flight chase of each other in spirals around a tree trunk - very entertaining. Also, I picked out a rather odd looking Long-tailed Tit, which had no tail feathers!

In the afternoon I headed down to the Mill Lakes via the Pit Tip to add some more birds to the reasonably good list from the morning. This began with two Green Woodpecker on fence posts of the Pit Tip Plantation, making a hat-trick of woodpecker species for the day. Dawson's Corner lived up to its reputation in producing Redwing, and the Substrans path to the lakes showed a good-sized group of House Sparrow on the fence of the industrial park.

There was no sign of the usual Greylag Goose in its usual spot, nor any Grey Heron either (probably too late in the day). I did manage a Wren in the bushes that overhang the water by the bridge though (a bird I'd missed from my morning walk). Walking anti-clockwise, a pair of Bullfinch were in the trees surrounding the Dipping Ponds, but they weren't keen on being filmed. The first viewing area didn't show much at all, as there were no Cormorant or Grey Heron around, only the usual ducks. However, the number of Tufted Duck seemed to have increased recently (now circa 30).

At the Peninsula I found the Greylag Goose (well, maybe the usual one), but it was now in a pair! I checked the view to see two Great Crested Grebe and then another showed up to make it three, as I'd picked up an odd looking duck/goose coming towards the peninsula from the far side. A few drake Teal were on the far side with one female. The odd bird turned out to be an Egyptian Goose (a patch tick!) and decided to join a group of Mallard and Coot. After a bit of clumsy footage [see capture] it was time to move on.

The water was looking quite muddy today and the level was quite high. The Mud Island was pretty flooded and there was no sign of the Snipe (or anything else) there today. I headed up to the Leen Pastures without seeing anything of interest on the way.

The Water Meadow, was living up to its name, as much of the field was flooded. The feeder at the feeding station was hanging below the table; it looked as if the branch holding it had been broken in the recent strong winds. Plenty of birds were still feeding there though, with good numbers of Blue Tit, Great Tit and Chaffinch on the table and a single Robin. A Sparrowhawk was battling with the wind coming from the direction of the Golf Course and heading east. I decided to try the views from the Railway Line, which proved quite productive.

Sitting on the edge of the Railway Embankment just past the feeder, I had reasonable views of the area and picked out another pair of Bullfinch and a small group of Lesser Redpoll in amongst the Chaffinch and Goldfinch. Just before starting back a pair of Willow Tit appeared, but disappeared just as quickly when the camera was turned on.

The brisk walk back from here took about 35 minutes (that has to be a record!), but before leaving the Mill Lakes I managed to find a pair of Little Grebe on the far side of the lake and three Cormorant were flying south overhead. Despite the falling light, I managed better views of the Redwing Dawson's Corner. One thing of note today was that some birds certainly seemed to be showing a stronger breeding plumage; most notably the Great Crested Grebe, Willow Tit and Bullfinch, where the females also seemed to be darker. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has to be the bird of the day, due to it being an absolute life tick and giving such good views. However, the Egyptian Goose was also notable, as were many of the scarcer birds showing strong colouring. Aside from the life and patch ticks, a total of 43 species is my best record to date.

* Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Chaffinch

Waders - At Last!

Bright with a gentle breeze was perfect weather for a morning walk. I set off early down the Pit Tip lane before dawn, seeing very little, except Blackbird, Magpie and Carrion Crow. Along the bottom was a singing Robin and at Dawson's Corner a Kestrel was hunting in the overgrowth (probably a male). There were plenty of probable Redwing too, but the light wasn't good enough to tell yet. Along the Sustrans path a single Song Thrush was singing.

At the Mill Lakes the Greylag Goose was in its usual spot with a Great Crested Grebe. Taking the anti-clockwise path, no Cormorant were around today, but a Grey Heron was in the reeds on the far side. A couple of Rabbit were around the Dipping Ponds, probably as it was still early. The Pochard flock was split in two and no sign of the recent Ruddy Duck amongst it. Several Teal were also around the far bank with a few Gadwall. A Song Thrush was singing and showing quite well around the Willow Carr.

The Peninsula didn't show too much today, a juvenile Great Crested Grebe and many Tufted Duck. Walking up towards the bridge, I stopped to get good views of the Mud Island to check for the reported Snipe. After seeing a few movements and setting the camera up, I caught sight of the Kingfisher again; flying from the river and clockwise around the shore of the lake. I'd spotted a couple of movements on the edge of the mud, which turned out to be Snipe, but the footage was poor.

I met a local birder who I'd seen before, but not talked to (other than a quick hello). I asked him if he'd seen anything and we got talking about the site and what could be seen and where. Norman (that was his name) had been coming to the site since he was a kid (I think) and remembered it before it was a lake (just a large reedbed on the river Leen). He told me about all the birds that used to breed in and around the site and gave me a few hints on where to find birds such as Pheasant, Grey Partridge and some plover species. We walked back down to the peninsula where he thought we might get a better chance at seeing the Snipe, but no luck on that score. However, he did pick out a Common Gull from the flock of Black-headed Gull, which was a site first - I think they'll arrive in greater numbers soon though. He also told me about his friend Ralph, which turns out to be the guy I found listed on Surfbirds for his Mill Lakes patch list. Ralph had apparently set up a feeding station at the Water Meadow, which I later found. After speaking with Norman, I went back to look for the Snipe and head up to the Water Meadow. Just as the sun was up high enough to hit the mud flat island the Snipe started to come out. At most I picked out six together, but there were probably more in the undergrowth.

Common Snipe

I headed up to the Water Meadow along the side of the river seeing a pair of Wren in the scrub of the wood. A pair of Goldfinch were up in the trees with some Blue Tit and Great Tit. No sign of any Long-tailed Tit all day today, but I did spend most of my time looking at the Snipe. A single Bullfinch could be seen high up in a tree (through the branches) as I approached the Water Meadow gate, and there seemed to be good numbers of birds around. The new feeding station seemed to be doing its job well, as a couple of Willow Tit were feeding there. Also a single Goldcrest was showing well in the trees by the rail track.

Willow Tit [honestly!]

On the way back from the Water Meadow I met a couple who were watching the lake from the west side. It seemed as if they didn't know the site or what to see there too well, so I let them know about the Snipe, which they seemed very interested in. Just after leaving them I met yet another birder who seemed more experienced, but was relatively new to the site. We chatted as we walked back around and over the bridge. He'd been a member of Ogston Bird Club (Derbyshire) and was now living nearby. He mentioned that he'd been to Goosedale quite a bit and some farm nearby, maybe it was Westhouse Farm or Grange Farm?

On the way back plenty of Rook were in the fields at the bottom of the Pit Top and a Sparrowhawk (probable male) was being mobbed by a crow above the Pit Top. On the path between the narrow conservation areas, a female Reed Bunting (probably first winter) flew straight in front of me and landed on the hedgerow fence. It disappeared into the hedge, but stopped long enough for me to get some footage. For me, this was a pretty good sighting, as I've only seen them once before and that was at the Mill Lakes - a more likely habitat.

Female Reed Bunting

I decided to walk around the main conservation area with the hope of adding a Green Woodpecker or Skylark to the list, but nothing new was to be seen. It was around this point that the sole came off my walking boot, making it both noisy and a pain to walk. However, I did catch sight of a probable Kestrel on the way back into The Warren, although from the silhouette the tail looked unusually long. Just before leaving the park I caught sight of a Sparrowhawk (probably male) sitting in a tree by the exit (in the garden of the bungalow), and managed to get some close footage before it flew away.

Female Sparrowhawk

A great day by my standards, with 38 species recorded and two additions to my patch list in the form of Snipe and Common Gull. It was also nice to meet so many other birders on this relatively small patch.

Plenty of Goldcrests

Today was overcast, and I took a short walk in the woods. Behind the houses in Warren Hill. I saw a Jay in the path and a group of Chaffinch at the edge of Big Wood School Field. Two Great Spotted Woodpecker were in the trees there: the first was probably a female with its black head stripe, but the view was not so great; and the second was a male. A few Coal Tit were seen in the hedges that border the park on the way to the Three Ponds.

I headed on towards the Three Ponds and found more Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Nuthatch. Also, a couple of Goldcrest were at the main gravel track area. I walked down the track and up First Valley which showed more Goldcrest, but I had trouble getting close enough for decent footage [as you can see]. In total, I recorded 18 species in the woods, which isn't too bad.

Glad I Went Back

Today I went back to the Mill Lakes to try and track down the Ruddy Duck again. I didn't spend much time recording on the way down there, but the Green Woodpecker was at the top of the very same tree on the Pit Tip. A large flock of House Sparrow (circa 20) were in a tree backing on to a garden in Rise Park, and a Sparrowhawk was over the fields near Dawson's Corner.

I went straight to the place where the Ruddy Duck was seen on Wednesday, but didn't see it. Not many Pochard were there either, so it might have been elsewhere or at the other side of the island. A single Cormorant was at Tern Island and a Grey Heron could be seen in a patch of reeds at the far side. I headed further around in the anti-clockwise direction trying to track down the Ruddy Duck and picked out more drake Teal.

The trees around the swamp and picnic area had the usual Goldfinch flocks, but bird of the day came in the form of a Lesser Redpoll flock, being life tick for me. At first a few birds were seen in a tree by the lake near the sign, and later a larger flock were on the Peninsula. The flock consisted of both male and female with one bird seen with a very pink breast in the V-shape, which I thought might have been a Linnet at the time, although it was probably just a strongly coloured male. I think it's time to become more acquainted with these finch species which seem to elude me! I noted on at least some of the birds a black bib, red forehead, single (or dominant) paler wing bar and streaking on the sides of the breast - definitely Lesser Redpoll. I got some footage, but it doesn't show anything other than silhouettes against the bright sky.

A typical pair of Bullfinch were in the hedge at the Leen Pastures and heading back I managed to relocate the single Ruddy Duck - probably a winter male. For a relatively quick visit, 35 species is a nice total for me, especially with the Lesser Redpoll life tick.

Ruddy difficult to ID

The weather was overcast with strong winds, so there was a chance everything would be hiding away. On entering the park I saw a single Greenfinch in a Goldfinch flock, and walked along the back of the Pit Tip seeing Blue Tit, Great Tit and a single Coal Tit. A Green Woodpecker was perched at the top of one of the small trees on the edge of the woodland, and I also saw a single Jay here. I followed the lane around the Pit Tip down to see plenty of Blackbird in the hedges and Rook in the fields. At Dawson's Corner were plenty of Redwing, a Song Thrush, and a flyover from a Cormorant.

I arrived at the Mill Lakes to see that a new fence had been put up by the Vehicle Bridge to prevent anyone walking down the river path which gives views over the Reedbed. On the near side the Reedbed Boardwalk had been cleared, but it doesn't give very good views. The single Greylag Goose was in its usual spot, and I decided to take the anti-clockwise path for once.

A pair of Bullfinch were in the trees/hedges, but the views weren't good. Whilst trying to get some better views I managed the best footage yet of a flock of Long-tailed Tit, which literally surrounded me at one point, coming as close as 2m away. I disturbed a couple of Cormorant around the next corner, and they flew off towards Tern Island. I also got some better footage of Teal here, but they didn't hang around for long. I counted five or more males and at least one female.

Heading up to the Leen Pastures didn't produce much today. Some kids on bikes were around, so that probably scared everything off before I got there. Another pair of Bullfinch were in the hedge that borders the meadow and a probable Goldfinch too. There were some birds calling on the railway siding, but they were well hidden from view.

Heading back down the east side of the lake showed the usual pair of Great Crested Grebe and whilst looking for other usual species, I came across the elusive Little Grebe south of the Peninsula. The group of Pochard was mostly male, but at least one female was visible. Mixed in with them was an odd looking cream-coloured duck, which proved difficult to identify as (or at least confirm my suspicions that it was) a winter male Ruddy Duck - a patch first, surprisingly.

On the way back to the bridge, a single male Chaffinch was around the small marsh pool and a Sparrowhawk was chasing some Woodpigeon around. This brought the day's total to 35 species, including a patch tick in the form of the Ruddy Duck.