So yesterday it was a Common Redstart on the patch, which I was pleased with. But it got better today... having had a late morning walk round the patch after treating myself to a lie-in (no early morning Crag Martining for me), we had a late lunch in the garden (for the first time this year). Towards the end, I spied a bird sat up on a neighbours roof. I was against the light but looked interesting, and what's more it was quivering its tail. I dashed indoors for my bins, and had my suspicions confirmed - a Black Redstart. Not only a garden tick, but a Notts tick!
I returned inside for my scope and camera, but when I got back outside the bird had moved position and I could only see its head poking out from behind a chimney pot. I fired up my camera neverthless, but by now it had disappeared from sight and I failed to get a shot. I waited for it to reappear, but it didn't and an hour and a half later there was still no sign of it. I reported it as a female, but I guess it could easily have been a first summer male; it had a bit of a pale wing panel forming a line along its secondaries, but my views were too brief to make out whether there were any different generations of feathers in the wing coverts.
Back to this morning, and a nice wonder around Collingham Pits again failed to produce Yellow Wagtail, House Martin or Wheatear, but a Black-tailed Godwit was on Mons Pool, along with a Dunlin and the first Ringed Plover for a while. There was no sign though of the Red-breasted Merganser that was reported here late yesterday, but there were plenty of butterflies, however, including my first Orange-tips, Green-veined Whites and Speckled Woods of the year, good numbers of Brimstones, and quite a few Peacocks and Small Torts too.
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