Patch gold!

A few months ago, Glossy Ibis was a major county bird; now, everyone in Notts has seen one. Nevertheless, I had that thrill of excitement which comes with finding a rare bird when I located a Glossy Ibis at Collingham Pits this afternoon, happily feeding on a muddy area at the western end of Ferry Lane Lake. A top quality patch bird. After grabbing a few photos (having learnt from the last time I found a rare bird at Collingham) I phoned it into Bird Information; as I gave the details, it transpired that the bird had just appeared online, reported 5 minutes earlier - although it hadn't appeared in my Twitter feed. I couldn't see anyone else, but clearly there was another birder on site! A few minutes later Jason Reece pulled up in his car - he had called into the site on the way home, and had found the bird from the double gates further round (out of sight from my position), maybe 5 or 10 minutes before me. He generously suggested this was an independent co-find; whether it is or not is important (for me), as it's the difference between 4 points and 12 points in Patchwork Challenge! Based on self-found rules, it's a self-find, but I may seek clarification from the Patchwork Challenge organisers... But well done Jason!

Just after Jason left, John Ellis arrived, and became the only person to have seen all the modern records of this species in Notts, assuming that the fly-over at Holme Pierrepont a while back related to the Lowdham bird, which is still present (although now hanging out at Gonalston). There is no doubt the bird at Collingham today is a different individual, being an adult with a nice metallic green glint to its wings, and showing fine white streaking on the head. The Lowdham/Gonalston bird is a youngster, which when I saw it last week was showing contrast between its glossy mantle and brown wings (see here); and furthermore, was reported as still being present today - so two birds present concurrently in the county! This bird becomes the 4th or 5th county record depending on how the Holme Pierrepont record is treated.

Elsewhere around the site, highlights included my first singing Chiffchaff of the year at Mons Pool, as well as 4 Oystercatchers, 2 Redshank, a Snipe, 3 Whooper Swans, 2 Little Egrets and a couple of Little Owls. There was no sign of the Ibis just before 5 as I left the site, but whether it had moved off elsewhere or gone to roost nearby isn't clear.