A glimpse of the future

I had my first visit to Collingham Pits since the floods a few weeks ago, and saw what the Main Pit and Ferry Lane Farm Pit may look like in a few years time once quarrying has been completed; the water levels were incredibly high, with the two pits joined together - and clearly the water had been almost 2 metres higher judging from the tide line around the top of the bank. There were decent numbers of duck on the 'lake' - several hundred each of Wigeon, Teal and Tufted Duck, smaller numbers of Mallard and Gadwall, and 23 Goldeneye, 5 Shoveler, 2 Pintail (male and female) and a redhead Goosander.

Main Pit and Ferry Lane Farm Pit

Elsewhere at Collingham, Wharf Cottage Pit and Triangle Pit were also a single waterbody, with more wildfowl including a drake Pintail. The Silt Lagoon looked like it always does, and held single Redshank and Little Egret. Mons Pool didn't hold much at all, but a Curlew flew over and there was a herd of 45 Mute Swans in one of the fields to the east.

I finish my trip at Girton, first having a look at Smithy Marsh; this was still looking good and was covered birds when I first arrived, including at least 500 Golden Plover and a couple of hundred Lapwing. These were then all flushed off, and initially I couldn't work out why - but then spied not one, but two Peregrines sat in the field. As they were clearly preventing anything coming back again, I had a quick look at the Sailing Lake (in advance of doing my WeBS count there tomorrow), and picked out a Pink-footed Goose from amongst the Greylags and Canadas.

Peregrine on Smithy Marsh

Pink-footed Goose (with Greylags and Canadas) at Girton Pits