Birding bits in August

My birding during August has continued to be fairly low key. Saturday morning patch visits with the little one have been a feature, but are typically rather brief and superficial, and I have failed to manage many visits at any other times without an impatient 9 month old. 

As a result, hopes of a Redstart, Spotted Fly or Whinchat, or a decent wader, have faded, and I've had to make do with generally low numbers of common passage waders at Mons, interspersed with the odd other highlights- a 2cy Med Gull which lingered at Meering before flying upriver on the 12th, a Whimbrel calling over Mons on the 16th, a Grey Wag south on the 25th (new for Patchwork Challenge in 2018), and a Garganey on Mons on the 27th. 

The highlight of breeding bird activity has been the successful fledging of three Common Terns from the new tern raft on Mons Pool - build it and they will come! These young are still hanging around with their parents. 

Elsewhere, I've managed a few visits to Cotham Landfill, generally on the way into work - the highlight there was an adult (or possibly 4cy) Caspian Gull on 20th. Work took me north on 21st, and a quick look at Hagg Lane Flash near Newington produced 2 Ruff, a Greenshank and a Dunlin, and 52 Little Egrets - a local had had 63 there that morning, and I know there was count of 70+ made a few days later. Pretty amazing given the status of this species not so very long ago... A visit to the new visitor centre at Sherwood Forest was generally unremarkable, save for a party of four Woodcock - at least 2 juvs, and one or two adults. I can't remember ever having seen a family party before. 

Finally, birding from the garden has produced a couple of garden ticks - Hobby and Yellow Wag. The Swifts departed promptly and en masse, with 120 in a high-flying screaming flock being present on the 2nd, and then just the odd one or two in subsequent days. Having purchased a Swift box at the Birdfair, I hope maybe to have a pair nesting on my house in the coming years...

The week gone

The last week on the patch has been fairly uneventful. The waders have dried up (although the habitat at Mons pool hasn't - it's still looking good for a Sanderling or Temminck's Stint...), and the Turtle Doves haven't reappeared - yet (will they this year?). After Sunday's visit I took advantage of the good weather, and went looking for Grizzled Skippers around Kilvington Lakes and Flawborough Footpath, with some success. One spot, on the disused railway line running between the North and East Lakes at Kilvington held around 9 individuals, with small numbers elsewhere. I also encountered two Dingy Skippers on my travels; I think this is the only location in Notts where both Grizzled and Dingy Skipper fly together - at least naturally (i.e. they haven't been released). 

Grizzled Skipper

As I approached Kilvington in my car, I almost wrote off a large bird to the west as a gull. However, it soon became apparent that it was in fact an Osprey, cruising south. I sped round to the parking spot next to the viewing screen in anticipation of the bird flying past, but after a bit of scanning realised the bird was heading north now, being harassed by one of the local Buzzards, which was a bit of a shame.

Osprey (left...)

Yesterday (Monday) a site visit in the north of the county allowed me to return via Girton Pits to do my WeBS count. Best was of course the now-resident Cattle Egret, looking very smart and actually fairly close among the sheep next to North Pit. 

Cattle Egret at Girton Pits

Whilst there, news broke of what sounds rather like an Iberian Chiffchaff at Spalford Warren - just a stone's throw away. A quick call to county recorder Andy Hall for any further details (like where exactly it had been seen) revealed that the report actually related to a sighting from 3 weeks previous, and that the observer had been back recently and not found the bird. And with the only clue to the birds location being that it appeared to have been in a cherry tree, I decided to carry on with my WeBS... but I might go and have a look tomorrow (even though it's got to be a long shot now). See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heZq60SmHmA. Very frustrating that this bird didn't decide to stop 2 miles short at Besthorpe or Collingham Pits!

Chat show

An errand for work took me to Collingham village this afternoon, which fortuitously allowed a couple of hours on patch this evening without the ordeal of having to get around/out of Newark in peak traffic. As I approached Collingham, the first of several windy, sleety squalls blew through, the second of which hit whilst I was at Mons Pool. I decided to check the sprayed-off field immediately north of Mons, next to the Trent, as I have been doing over the last couple of weeks. Today I hit it lucky, with first a super little male Whinchat, and then 2 Wheatears. Both new species for the year on patch, presumably downed by the weather, given that I have seen the sum total of zero in this field prior to today.

Whinchat

Wheatears

There were also hundreds and hundreds of hirundines at Collingham most feeding low over Ferry Lane Lake. I always struggle to estimate numbers in this sort of situation, but I'd guess there were at least 500 individuals, mainly Sand Martins, but also reasonable numbers of House Martins and Swallows. Two Yellow Wags continued a theme of this species being thin on the ground locally so far this spring. 

Back to the weekend, and the highlight was a Ring Ouzel that Mark D found in the sheep field at the northern end of Langford Lowfields - the same field that has also held Redstart and Cattle Egret so far this spring! The most interesting thing in my sheep field at Collingham (south of Ferry Lane Lake, and actually part of the same holding) is a deceased sheep. Mark also tracked the aforementioned Cattle Egret down at Girton Pits, in the sheep field at North Pit, which necessitated a second off-patch foray on Saturday!

Ring Ouzel

Cattle Egret

Collingham failed to produce any Ouzels or Redstarts, but 2 reeling Groppers were new for the year (with another this evening reeling from the opposite bank of the Trent at Mons), as were 3 Reed Warblers. 

Cattle Egret at Mons Pool

I almost decided not to go out birding last night; I’d been to the patch three times over the weekend, and was aiming to go again today (Tuesday). However, having got an earlier bus home and had some food nice and promptly, I decided I had nothing to lose from going to Collingham – after all, I need a Wheatear for Patchwork Challenge.

No Wheatears were to be found, but the first sizable gathering of Sand Martins of the year, around 35, was over Ferry Lane Lake. On to Mons Pool, where I walked up the western side of the reserve, flushing a Little Egret from the pond near the path. A scan of the wader scrape didn’t produce anything, and I noticed what I assumed was the same egret stood on the mud in the north-west corner of the site. However, something about it looked a bit odd, and through bins, I quickly realised that it wasn’t just a hunched up Little Egret – it had pale greyish legs, black feet, and a yellow bill. A Cattle Egret!

I called a couple of people and tweeted the news out, before getting some record shots. After just a few minutes, it had a fly around, perching up on one of the posts around the reed plots along the northern side of the site. It remained there for a couple more minutes, before flying round the southern side of the heronry island, then turning back north over the island and appearing to drop in amongst the trees to the middle. If I’d arrived at Mons Pool just 10 minute later I would’ve missed it.

I couldn’t relocate the bird in roost (although a few Little Egrets could just be seen), and nor could Mark Dawson, who’d arrived. Mark managed to get the bird leaving roost at 0640 this morning, when it flew south-west. Next stop Langford Lowfields?

This is presumably the bird that was photo’d at Lound the day before, although with the numbers at large in the country at the moment, who knows. A first for the patch, and a self-found tick too – I don’t get many of them in Notts. 

Mixed success

I had a quick look at the patch on the way back across from Edwinstowe after work this evening. This proved to be a good call; I'd just seen a message about an Osprey earlier at Langford, and as I arrived at Mons Pool, there, sat on the small post in front of the new viewing screen, was an Osprey. Fantastic! This makes up for missing the bird last week. 

I walked up the side of Mons Pool for a better look, coming across a Great White Egret stood out in the middle. This is the second patch GWE this year, and judging from the size and shape of the smudge at the tip of the bill, a different bird. It also gives me finders points for Patchwork Challenge, which I didn't get for the previous bird (which had first been found at Langford).

A quick scan of Mons didn't reveal anything else, so I headed home for supper. I'd only just started eating when I had a tweet from Dave Read about a Temminck's Stint... at Mons Pool. Doh! I headed straight back out, but the bird had departed by the time I arrived - although it sounds like it may have dropped back in (with two Ringed Plover), so a check first thing tomorrow is on order.

A patch second

Saturday proved to be an excellent day on the patch. As well as the Wood Sand that was still present, a juv Med Gull flew up the Trent, then circled round and flew south over Mons Pool; this was presumably one of the two juv birds that Mark Dawson had seen on the Silt Lagoon earlier in the week. In addition, a 2s Caspian Gull was on the mud in front of the viewing screens. 

2s Caspian Gull

I then headed round to Ferry Lane Lake, via the co-op, eating my sandwiches in the car. I time this well, as shortly after beginning to scan the site, a Great White Egret flew over north - this bird had been found earlier in the morning at Langford. I bombed back round to Mons Pool, with John Ellis, and we located the bird in the spot where the Caspian Gull had been. This is just the second record for the patch. Interestingly, it looks like it may've been a bird present at RSPB Conwy for 10 days (departing that site on the Thursday) - both birds showed a distinct black smudge at the tip of the upper mandible. 

Great White Egret

The following day, the Wood Sand was still present, along with 3 Dunlin, but the GWE had departed.

A Great little trip out

I had 50 minutes spare whilst in Wellow this morning, and decided to head into Sherwood for some quick birding. I'd already decided that either Budby Pumping Station Flash or Welbeck Lake would be my destination, but didn't make my mind up on which until I got to the double roundabouts at Budby; Welbeck it was, in the hope of a Mandarin or two.

This proved to be the correct decision. Having pulled up at the lay-by with the feeders, I began scanning, and there by the side of the lake with the Grey Herons was a Great White Egret. Fantastic! No Mandarins though, perhaps not helped by the low water levels. 

A GWE had been seen at Welbeck back on 15th of January, with presumably the same bird on 1st and 2nd in Clumber Park. I think one was seen in South Yorkshire after the Welbeck sighting, and of course one was seen at Kilvington on 4th Feb and then at Langford Lowfields on 4th and 5th Feb. Is this just the one bird touring around?

Egrets, I've had a few.

Earlier in the week (Wednesday I think) I paid two visits to fields next to the A46, just north of Bingham, in search of a Cattle Egret that had been reported there. Unfortunately, this bird wasn't seen after the initial report; I managed a visit over lunch before a site meeting, and another on the way home; during the latter, an egret stalking around in a grass field had me going for a split-second as I drove past, but it was a Little; I see one in this area most days from the bus, fishing in the nearby balancing pond. A shame this bird didn't stick, as I didn't see the 2008 bird, so this would've been a county tick. 

Today, the only birding I could manage (due to hockey) was a look at the gull roost at Collingham this evening, where I met Rich Challands and his mate - Rich was after a Yellow-legegd Gull for his Notts yearlist. We duly located a nice adult, with a second, less straight-forward gull then appearing. I'm fairly sure this was a 4th winter Caspian Gull, but couldn't quite nail it in the field - I was unprepared for a quick wing-flap and missed the wing pattern, which I would like to have seen. I'll have another look tomorrow night. A second YLG appeared just as it got too dark to do much else with the gulls. 

The mid summer doldrums

Its that time of year on the patch where its slow going on the birding front... However, I enjoyed a leisurely 6 hours on the patch this afternoon, finding a few interesting bits and pieces, including a female Gadwall with 4 ducklings on Mons Pool (not an annual breeder) and my first young Little Egret of the year (which had evidently escaped the ringers earlier in the year). Nearby, a single Turtle Dove was purring near the works, and a Curlew flew east over the site - the first for a while.

Meering was pretty quite, but I enjoyed my fish and chips listening to a purring Turtle Dove, which was then joined by a second purring bird and a third individual. I've not had two purring birds at this site before; could the second individual be an unpaired bird from Collingham Pits or Girton trying to find a mate?

Modest numbers of butterflies were on the wing, but included my first Small Skippers (3), Red Admirals (2) and Ringlet (1) of the year, plus a Painted Lady. Various parts of the site were looking splendid with swathes of bird's-foot trefoil humming with little bees (red-tailed bumblebees I think). I found a big new patch of Southern Marsh Orchids at Meering (80+), along with at least one Common Spotted Orchid and several big hybrids, and saw three foxes (including a vixen with a cub) and a couple of brown hares. 

So all in all, a very pleasant day, only spoilt by noting excessive verge cutting around the site, and on the Notified Road Verge on Westfield Lane which had been mown, destroying the flowering wild clary (which inly grow at a handful of sites in Notts). Grrr. 

Patch tick GWE

Having missed my patch's first Great White Egret about thre weeks ago when I was in Madeira, I was pleased to get a text from Steve Dunn today about a GWE (presumably the same one) having just been reported at Mons Pool by RBA. He got it for his Notts yearlist fairly swiftly, gripping me off with some nice pictures. Fortunately it lingered until this evening, still at Mons Pool, twice being chased by a Grey Heron before flying off at 1845, and appearing to go to roost on Heron Island. It appeared to be an adult, with the vestiges of its breeding plumes visible.

Aside from the GWE, the site hosted 1 Ruff, 1 Greenshank, 7 Curlew, 2 Common Sands and a Green Sand. However, things were not helped by some shooters on the river, taking pot shots at overflying geese (getting two) and ducks (missing three) and causing lots of disturbance. I spoke to one of them and he was actually a nice chap and we shared some common ground; but I hope they don't make this a regular thing. On the passerine front, a few Meadow Pipits flew over, as did a couple of flurries of Swallows, with groups of 50 and 70 heading S/SE. 

Man vs egrets

I joined Jim Lennon and Adrian Blackburn of North Notts Ringing Group today on a Little Egret ringing session at Mons Pool. We arrived at 10am, and they were still going when I made my excuses just after 3pm. There were 16 of us in all, with three tree climbers all kitted up in harnesses and hard hats. People had come from far and wide to help, including Essex and County Durham. Kieran and Harry were two of the Durham contingent, young birders and ringers. The former was the lucky lad who timed his BB-funded stay on Fair Isle last summer with the appearance of the Swinhoe’s Petrels! 

Climbing the first tree

Processing the first batch of Egrets

The ringing was slow going, as the Egrets (unlike the young herons, apparently) leave their nest (which are small and rather pigeon-like) and start clambering around in the tops of the big hawthorns as soon as they're approached by the climbers; trying to catch them then proved very, very tricky, as they were surprisingly agile, using legs, wings and bill to scramble around. Some proved just too hard to capture!

Checking a ring

Processing some more

A gratuitous cute Egret picture

Little Egret on the left, Grey Heron on the right

I ringed one bird, with a metal BTO ring on its right leg and a blue darvic ring on the left; my bird was AF, and I’m looking forward to seeing if I can find this individual around Collingham later in the year.

Me and AF

Another gratuitous cute Little Egret picture

Needless to say, I didn't see much else bird wise, although I happened to glance up through a hole in the canopy just as yesterday’s Red Kite drifted lowly overhead.