Hurrah, some hirundines

The first bird I saw on a visit to Collingham and Besthorpe this afternoon was a Swallow. Excellent! This was followed by another three around the site, and up to 5 Sand Martins. Other notable birds included a silent Willow Warbler busy feeding along the western boundary of Mons Pool, still just one singing Chiffchaff, and 3 Dunlin (2 on Ferry Lane Lake and 1 on the Silt Lagoon), but no Wheatears yet. Another Swallow flew across the A1133 in Langford as I drove back to Newark. 

A dodgy duck

Another early (well, early for me) start at Collingham Pits produced my first site Chiffchaff of the year singing intermittently along Northcroft Lane, but not a huge amount else. I then walked round Girton Pits, which produced a few bits and pieces; including 6 singing Chiffchaffs, a Willow Tit (not singing, but good to know they're still here), and a pair of Whooper Swans on the Sailing Lake. 

Pair of Whoopers at Girton Pits

I also came across an Aythya hybrid, which looked a lot like a regular Tuftie but had a dark grey mantle (with a suggestion of vermiculations visible in the photos I took), a stubby crest, and a green hue to the head. Presumably a Tufted Duck x Scaup..?

Presumed Tufted Duck x Scaup at Girton Pits

This afternoon, a bike ride north out of Newark yielded singing Chiffchaffs at Winthorpe, Holme and next to the works at Langford Lowfields.

Spring has sprung!

Wow. After a bit of a chilly start, it actually felt like spring today, with no wind an temperatures into (low) double-figures! 

Things began at Collingham, with 2 Ringed Plovers, a Redshank and a Green Sandpiper on Northcroft Pond; nearby, Mons Pool held 3 LRPs, a Redshank and a Little Egret. I found out later that Robin Brace had a White Wagtail here too. But no Chiffchaffs or Sand Martins... I rounded things off with a quick and uneventful visit to Girton - hopefully I'll give this site more of a grilling tomorrow.

I then dragged Amy up to Idle Valley NR (with the promise of lunch out) to see the female Long-tailed Duck which has been camped out on Neatholme Pit since mid January; I've been meaning to make the effort to see this bird for ages, as it's a Notts tick for me! Temperatures were positively warm by now, and the general springlike feel in the air was topped off by at least 3 singing Chiffchaffs along Neatholme Lane - my first of the year, at last.

Female Long-tailed Duck at IVNR

After lunch, a walk round Eaton Wood, and part of Gamston Wood, yielded two singing Marsh Tits (one in each wood) got me off the mark with the Notts Birders survey. 

More LRPs

A spin round Collingham tonight produced an impressive 10 Little Ringed Plovers on Mons Pool with 2 Ringed Plovers - a good count for this early in the year. Also 5 Redshank, but not much else; I was hoping maybe for a Marsh Harrier, with one at Langford early today. Also, intriguing reports of a possible Great White Egret at Girton on Sunday, although its not clear exactly where - something to hunt for next weekend. 

LRPs back on the patch

Spending most of the bank holiday weekend in France on a stag do meant my birding was limited to a quick trip out to Collingham Pits and Mons Pool this afternoon. All the Whoopers appeared to have left the field west of Ferry Lane Lake (a flock of 40+ reported yesterday flying north over Normanton-on-Trent may well have been the same birds?), but there was a nice drake Goosander on the lake itself. Best though was a Little Ringed Plover which flew over Ferry Lane Lake calling before heading south towards Langford, with another on Mons Pool (with a pair of Ringed Plovers) - my first summer migrants of the year.

LRP (back right) with two Ringed Plovers at Mons Pool

Even more Whoopers

At Collingham Pits this afternoon, the field to the east of Ferry Lane Lake held 40 Whooper Swans - great to see such a large herd - in the company of 56 Mutes. The farmer's brassica crop must have taken a bit of a battering this winter!

Some of the 40 Whoopers 

Not much else at Collingham, and water levels were up on Mons Pool with the islands submerged, so I tried Meering Marsh (aka Besthorpe North), where I had views of a very smart little male Merlin on the fields to the north. It was also good to see that further works have taken place at this site to make the old Eon Lagoon a bit better.

Male Merlin

The old Eon Lagoon at Meering Marsh

An Arctic weekend

The weather caused me some motivational issues yesterday - snow and a freezing easterly wind meant migrant hunting was, realistically, off the agenda. Some fairly aimless pottering south of Newark culminated in a check of Cotham Flash, itself fairly birdless, but on the field pool beyond there was a good gathering of large gulls. I got a bit closer, and used a haystack for some elevation (and shelter). There were around 100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls present, with similar numbers of Great Black-backs and smaller numbers of Herrings - and a nice 1st winter Caspian Gull (the photos below don't do it justice).

1st W Caspian Gull at Cotham Flash

My viewing location

Today, another check of Cotham Flash failed to relocate yesterday's Caspo, and it was even colder and windier so I soon gave up. An afternoon walk at Collingham Pits then proved to be a good decision, as a Grey Plover was on the Silt Lagoon - a good bird for the Patchwork Challenge yearlist. The 4 Whoopers were still in with the Mute Swans but there wasn't a huge amount else of note present. 

Grey Plover at Collingham Pits