A day in the field

Today was one of those slightly hazy early spring days; warm and pretty perfect. After an absence of a couple of weeks, the butterflies were back, with plenty of Brimstones around, and smaller numbers of Small Torts and Peacocks. I spent all morning at Collingham Pits, covering the whole site and doing a complete count for Birdtrack, notching up 70 species (72% of my patch yearlist thus far); I missed Sparrowhawk, and yesterday's Pochard and Green Sand were absent, so it could easily have been a few more. However, Grey Wagtail was new for the year (taking my 2014 Patchwork Challenge list to 89), and other good bits 'n pieces included a total of 8 Sand Martins, 7 singing Chiffies, a singing Blackcap, a Lesser Redpoll, 3 Egyptian Geese, 2 Oycs, single Ringed Plover and Curlew, 3 LRP's, 4 Goosander, and a Peregrine (which almost took my head off as it swooshed past just a few metres above ground level). Oh,and the Glossy Ibis, showing well along the southern side of Ferry Lane Lake - it's nice having a resident rarity.

Grey Wag

After lunch I headed for Girton Pits, there were plenty more singing Chiffies and another Blackcap, a Green Sand, a total of 37 Shelduck (of which 35 where on Spalford Pit, 5 Sand Martins, and a high-flying Short-eared Owl which came across the Trent and flew east through the site, being harassed by Crows. John Ellis had singing Willow Tit and Willow Warbler here yesterday, but neither was in evidence today. I'm going to have another go for Willow Tit tomorrow. I wrapped things up at Besthorpe, where c.30 Fieldfares were hanging around on the western side of Besthorpe Meadow.