When You Wait Ages for a Bus...

A dawn walk to the Mill Lakes proved very productive, adding seven patch ticks including three that I should have had a long while ago. Just after 5:30am, I set off over the Pit Tip, where I'd expected to be the only sole in sight, but to my surprise there were two dome tents pitched on the top... still nobody to be seen though - and barely any birds either. However, the Skylark were up before me, and at least three were singing away quite loudly. I got onto one of them before moving on to the far side of the Plantation and down the hill... nothing else but crows around at that time.

At the cut through to Dawson's Corner I could see the bridge was still down, but the stream was dry and nothing was stopping me from walking through or jumping over the ditch. As soon as I came out on the far side I was instantly drawn to one of the small shrubs which held my first Whitethroat - a singing male - showing very well and enabling me to get some footage for the record. Heading on towards the western entrance I picked up another singing male on the tall hedge at the far side. This time, not so obliging for footage. This area seems to be a great spot for warblers, so I'll try to make more of it in the summer. I think there's potential for some good footage on an early morning, with some patience.

At the Mill Lakes I headed to the Reedbed first. Scanning over the reeds produced nothing at first, but then some movement near one of the small trees in the middle caught my eye. Two Willow/Marsh Tit were flicking about between the reeds and the tree. They weren't around or still enough for me to determine the presence of any wing bar, but based on likelihood at the Mill Lakes I opted for probable Willow Tit, putting the apparently shiny black caps down to being breeding plumage.

Back out at the lake, two Grey Heron were flying around - I think being mobbed by a crow. A single Cormorant flew over to the north and I spent some time scanning the water. Very little seemed to be around today. I started to make my way around anti-clockwise when I bumped into Ralph. We walked back towards the Reedbed, stopping off to glimpse one of the Grey Heron nests, which held at least three young.

There was nothing to be seen at the Reedbed now, but heading over the Vehicle Bridge and up the far side, Ralph put me on to a male Reed Bunting on the far bank. We took the back route, it being apparently better for warblers, and this was proved correct. Aside from a pair of Jay, Ralph heard a Blackcap, and a few Chiffchaff were singing their name. At the north end of the lake two Lesser Black-backed Gull (another patch tick) flew over to the north.

I'd been telling Ralph about some of the "easy" patch birds, which had so far eluded me: Mistle Thrush, Pied Wagtail and Stock Dove. He'd seen the former already this morning, just before meeting me, on the grassy area between the Willow Carr and the Main Entrance near to where they're suspected to breed. We headed there to wait for the others and sure enough along comes a Mistle Thrush a few minutes later. After Norman and Julie arrived, we stood around chatting for a bit, which turned out well for me when a brightly-coloured male Yellowhammer landed in a nearby willow tree. We had some good views and, I got some good footage, before hearing that they were quite unusual for that area - so another nice patch tick for me.

On the way to the Leen Pastures I had a Song Thrush in a tree on the Railway Embankment by the first rail bridge and the others heard a singing male Blackcap near the inlet pipe, which appeared for me to patch tick it after a minute or so. Further up the ride we all got a single Barn Swallow, and two Jay were around (probably the same two seen earlier).

At the Leen Pastures, the feeders were empty and nothing was around, so I popped up to the Railway Line. After seeing very little, I was about to climb down when the others were coming up... Norman had heard a Lesser Whitethroat singing along the embankment, so we all went for a look. Despite hearing a few, none were positively seen. Julie had two Linnet that flushed out over the Golf Course, and I probably got onto one before it disappeared, but not well enough for a patch tick. Everyone put me onto a Stock Dove flying out over the Golf Course (and another one later, too), getting another "easy" tick for me, and a little later I finally got a Pied Wagtail too.

At the point the Railway Line crosses the Leen, Ralph and I spotted a male Kestrel sat on the bridge, which moved away as we approached, only for Ralph to relocate mating with a female on the TV ariel of a nearby house! Both birds were looking quite bulky to me and seemingly more impressive than usual.

It was getting quite late - at least for me - I'd been out for four hours, so I decided to head back. The others came too and Julie got a LBJ warbler at the side of the track - probably a Chiffchaff (we'd heard them around here earlier), but it'd disappeared before we got good views.

After departing from the group, I headed back along the side lane getting another Willow Tit and getting more Canada Goose and Greylag Goose in the adjacent field. Whilst walking through the paddock at Broadvalley Stables I got another Pied Wagtail (what do they say about waiting ages for a bus?) and a Goldfinch. In Big Wood I picked up a single Nuthatch just before Alexandra Lodge. I stopped by to drop off my payment for the bird report and mentioned the Whitethroats to Steve, but I didn't have time to stop and chat, and he looked busy anyway. On the final stretch I didn't stop to look for anything, but got a single Jay to finish the morning, and made it home before 10am for a late breakfast.

First Singing Warbler

This evening I had a quick walk along the side of the Pit Tip Top and almost immediately came across a warbler singing at the top of a tree. From the little I know of warblers, I presumed it was a Willow Warbler from its similarity to a Chiffchaff, but with pink/light coloured legs. However, capturing some footage and - more importantly - its song, helped to confirm this.

The rest of the walk was rather mundane, unless filming a Bat with the infra-red counts. A few Long-tailed Tit were in the trees where Farmer Fox's Cow Field meets Big Wood, and at least one Pheasant was heard calling (but not seen) from Parkside Pasture.

Last of the (Common) Crows

What seemed to be a really unproductive evening walk in the wood, produced two patch ticks, but nothing to get excited about. I'd planned to go out over the Pit Tip Top, but as I got close, I could hear some idiot on a motorbike, so I gave it a miss and headed down into the woods. A single Jay was close to the entrance again and, as I descended towards Shopping Trolley Pond, a group of four were flying over towards the Pit Tip Plantation. A little further down I caught a glimpse of a Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler, calling in the trees by the hand rail. I could make out the dark eye stripe, but its feet were hidden, so on call I put it as probable Chiffchaff. At least one Skylark was heard singing over the Pit Tip in the background.

The idiot on the motorbike seemed to be going along all the main pathways, thus ruining any chance I had of seeing much, but a long-awaited patch tick came in the form of a Jackdaw in the horse paddock. Several groups of between two and four were feeding throughout the field - seemingly on horse manure! I'm sure I've seen them around here previously, but have always overlooked them in the past. A Song Thrush was singing away at the entrance of the Khalsa Wood, but I didn't manage to see with it in the failing light.

Around Alexandra Lodge the crows were coming in to roost and making quite a bit of noise. My second patch tick was a Spring migrant that had left before I began birding here last year. I watched a single Barn Swallow circle the lodge three times in an attempt to catch its super. Heading back up the track around the newly-fenced Calluna Clearing I caught a brief glimpse of a large brown bird that flew low from a perching position, but it was too dark to make out what it was - possibly a Sparrowhawk. My first Bat of the year was seen just as I was leaving the park, but the only thing I know about Bats is that they're hard to identify, so I won't even begin to try! In all, I saw less than ten different species this evening, but my patch list has hit 70, so I'm not complaining.

Pheasants Everywhere!

This evening I took a late walk up to Lamin's Lane in the hope of an Owl. I've heard there's a Little Owl here and probably Tawny Owl too, if the three nest boxes are anything to go by. The area certainly seems right for them. As I entered the woods a Jay caught sight of me and flew down into Ted Heath, but conveniently landed on an open branch, allowing me a nice view - amazing colours, particularly at this time of year.

The woods were relatively quiet this evening, with nothing but the absolutely common birds to be seen, save for a Song Thrush in Big Wood School Field and another around the Three Ponds. At the start of Lamin's Lane, yet another Song Thrush was showcasing his varied vocals from the large tree that overhangs the main track. A Kestrel caught my eye, hovering over the back of Bestwood Quarry in search of supper, and two further sightings later were probably the same bird; with one over Lamin's Plantation [sic] and the other over towards Mansfield Road.

There was no activity around any of the three Owl boxes, but the number of Pheasant around made me feel a little ashamed it took me so long to patch tick them - they were everywhere! They were calling in one field, then in the next, running about through the hedges. Judging from the frequency and location of the calls and sightings I'd say there had to have been 10-20, in all. One male was parading a group of three females in the fallow field, another two males were "fighting" it out in the plantation, and at dusk one was on top of a large heap of manure calling for some female attention.

I saw one bird that I failed to identify, which flew low over the edge of the fallow field after a nearby gunshot. Using the hedge as cover, it then lifted up over the hedge at the far side. The bird looked greyish brown in the fading light, it was roughly Lapwing-sized, but shaped similar to a Nightjar. Its flight was a combination of wingbeats and glides, with pointed wings and a slightly fanned tail, reminiscent to a female Kestrel. At the time I thought it might be a Cuckoo, but I don't think it's very likely, as I don't think they've started to arrive yet. Chances are, it was something more common - perhaps even a female Pheasant.

No sign of the Golden Plover today, but three Lapwing were sat in the ploughed field, remaining still at all times. Maybe it was the nearby shooting that was going on all evening - new to me, but they're probably used to it by now. As the light faded, I kept my eyes peeled for Owls, but there were no obvious signs. The woods were bright enough to find my way home easily, but all the birds were already gone.

A Pair of Peckers

I took my little girl for a quick late-afternoon walk in the woods... well, I was walking and she was being pushed on her trike, which ain't too quiet! Not expecting much, sometimes does wonders, but today it didn't. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker were nicely lit in the late afternoon sun, though. Also of note was a single Goldcrest in and around the yew trees on Woodman's path.

The Fox and the Crow

A quick evening walk into the woods and out onto the Pit Tip at dusk produced very little. It was a bit late on really. Only the typical small birds were around in the woods, although I'm pretty sure I heard a Pheasant calling. As I climbed the path back up to Hanging Heath a Sparrowhawk flew out of the woods, heading in the direction of the Pit Tip.

As I was leaving the woods, a Song Thrush was singing in the tops of trees where I typically hear one. I managed some brief views before it flew away to the scrub at the edge of the Pit Tip. It was almost dusk and there was barely any activity, but before turning around to walk home, I picked up a Skylark ascending over the Pit Tip Grassland whilst I was watching some Carrion Crow go to roost. A couple of Carrion Crow in the trees were causing a commotion as I neared the woods on my way back. It was pretty dark, but I could just make out another on the ground flapping about. It looked as if it was in distress, and I watched it get lower and lower to the ground. Moving closer, I realized it was being pulled head first into a hole - probably by a local Fox. It appeared to be an adult, so I was quite surprised that it was taken by a Fox. Eventually it stopped flapping about, and all I could see was its tail poking out of the hole.

Shelducks at Dawn

I'd planned my only March trip to the Mill Lakes on the last weekend of March in order to take advantage of the early sunrise. Despite the the clocks going forwards at 1am on Sunday, that was my day of choice - mainly due to being busy with work on the Saturday! Dawn was around 6:20am, so I was up an hour earlier to get myself sorted and down to the Mill Lakes in good time.

Walking down there in the pitch black helped me get there quickly, because I couldn't really see anything on the walk down. A few roosting Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon in the trees behind Top Valley and Rise Park, but that's about it... no owls to be seen or heard! I arrived at the Mill Lakes just as dawn was breaking; if there was a dawn chorus, I couldn't hear it for the noise the geese were making. I could barely see anything on the lake except silhouettes, which made for some interesting ID challenges, because I don't recall having ever seen wildfowl on the water in silhouette before. I did make out what I thought were several Greylag Goose and Canada Goose, though.

As I walked around the lake the light began to improve, and by the time I got to the Peninsula I could start to make out some of the birds with better-contrasting plumage. Three ducks roosting in the water to the south of Mud Island caught my eye. The white markings they were showing was suggesting Shelduck to me, but despite seeing some previous reports of Shelduck here, I'd never recorded them myself. As the light improved I thought I had a small wader on the edge of Mud Island - probably a Snipe, but I couldn't be sure. The light had improved enough for me to see the three Shelduck more clearly so I got the camera out and filmed them as they were starting to move away. In fact, they were moving toward me, allowing: better views, sexing of two males and a female, and some reasonably close footage. All three headed right past the end of the Peninsula and towards the southern end of the lake.

Pleased with the footage, I headed on towards the northern end, sighting two drake Teal by the near-side bank. I took a small detour onto the outer path to check out the adjacent field that was filling up with geese. There was a noticeable increase in numbers compared to what I typically see (i.e. one or two Greylag Goose and ten to twenty Canada Goose) and I don't usually see them in the field either. This morning there were around eight to ten Greylag Goose and thirty to forty Canada Goose, with many of the latter flying off to the north just after dawn. This included a small V-shaped skein numbering about ten, which passed low over my head as I reached the Double Gates.

Just beyond the bridge, on my way to the Leen Pastures, two Willow Tit were calling in the nearby trees and easily close enough to make out the pale wing panel - probably the best views I've had of them here. I opted for the route along the water's edge today, but it produced nothing but uprooted trees blocking the path. Coming out of the trees to the gate I met another birder that I'd not met previously. It turned out to be Norman's friend Ralph, whose local patch lists I'd seen on Surfbirds. He was restocking the feeding station and asked me to join him.

Whilst filling up the feeders, Ralph told me about what he'd seen around the area. He mentioned the owl boxes I'd recently seen from the Railway Line, and that Tawny Owl had bred in them over the past couple of years. Hopefully they'll do the same this year - I've yet to see one anywhere! He also showed me the second field, which held more water than the first. This field was apparently good for Snipe, and sure enough we flushed a couple. I caught sight of one flying off to the north, and Ralph had another less than a minute later. He also got a Green Woodpecker and single Cormorant flying over.

As we walked back to the lake discussing some of our notable sightings, Ralph pointed out a few Lesser Redpoll in the trees that overhang the path. He mentioned that he was meeting Norman and another birder Julie, who I'd not met before. Back at the lake, the Shelduck were long-gone, and Mud Island was looking pretty stark - not much cover for anything. We walked on to the Peninsula, seeing more Lesser Redpoll on the way. Julie arrived whilst we were on the Peninsula, and after introductions and a quick look around, Norman arrived as we walked back to the main path.

All the way down the eastern side of the lake produced small groups of Lesser Redpoll, with some very colourful males - possibly at the end of their moult. Another Cormorant was on the post by Tern Island and I spotted a Bullfinch at the top of the trees that mark the eastern edge of the site. In the middle of the Reedbed, a single male Reed Bunting was perched at the top of a small tree - my first for the year.

Leaving the Reedbed boardwalk, Julie spotted a Grey Wagtail (patch tick) under the bridge which flew off almost straight away. A few minutes later we relocated it in the reeds on the far bank showing well, but I'd mistakenly picked up another small bird hidden deeper in the cover of the reeds nearby. Ralph had it as a warbler and when it popped out to show itself, everyone agreed it was a Chiffchaff - two patch ticks within a minute! The dark eye stripe and pale super were clear, but the dark legs clinched it.

Chiffchaff [the greeny-yellow blob just left and below the centre!]

Before heading around the western side of the lake, two Grey Heron flew in from the SSE. The walk along the western side didn't produce anything of note, but the Heron nests were quite impressive to see, and it looked like there might have been an adult squatted down on one. Heading back up to the Leen Pastures produced another Willow Tit on the table of the feeding station, and I climbed the embankment to the Railway Line to see a Skylark descending on to the Golf Course. Walking back, Ralph left us at the bridge, and I left Julie and Norman at the main entrance to the Mill Lakes.

The next notable sightings weren't until I'd reached the feeding station by Alexandra Lodge where two Coal Tit were seen on the feeder, along with Blue Tit and Great Tit. I decided to stop at the rangers' office and enquire about the annual bird report that the others had been talking about. I was in luck, as Steve (the ranger who 's a birder and ringer that does the report) was in the office. He invited me in for a chat and I mentioned some of my sightings to him, which probably would have gone in the report had I known about it in time. Most notably:

• Peregrine at the Mill Lakes (no other records of Peregrine in 2006);
• Clouded Yellow (butterfly) at the Mill Lakes (not recorded at the Mill Lakes, at least in 2006);
• Weasel behind at the back of Bestwood Quarry (only a few records and they were elsewhere).

My high count of Green Woodpecker on the Pit Tip might also have made it in. Anyway, I picked up a copy of the report and thanked Steve for the chat, promising to get my sightings in to him for this year on a relatively-monthly basis. I'm sure this morning's Shelduck will make it in!

Heading back through Big Wood didn't produce anything of note - it was late on and busy with joggers and dog walkers. A quick look for gulls and Pied Wagtail in the school was unsuccessful, but a flock of about ten Black-headed Gull were over the wood. Before heading home I had a quick look on the Pit Tip, which produced a singing Skylark and a wonderfully well-lit female Green Woodpecker. A great morning with 42 species recorded, 3 patch ticks, 1 year tick and some great company.