Early February

I started this month bemoaning February, as I thought of it as a relatively rubbish time of year for birding. The same old winter birds, not much in the way of rare or scarce birds and the inevitable longing for spring. However I've been out birding quite a bit, more than usual actually and I've had some pretty productive days.

I went to Clifton on the 1st and this lived up to my expectations, as despite good weather conditions, there wasn't a lot about, certainly not much to write about, but since then I've had some good trips out. I had a great day at attenborough on the 7th, managing a very respectable 48 species. Even the Delta hide, which can be quiet this time of year, was particularly busy with a nice selection of wildfowl including a good number of Wigeon, some Little Grebe and other common ducks, as well as some Reed Buntings and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. The bird table in the delta was busy too and included a reliable as usual Marsh Tit. One single Siskin was noted on the bund too. The highlight of the day was 10 Bullfinch in the trees along the wet marsh path, and 5 Snipe on the flooded wet grassland behind the tower hide. a flock of 50 or so Fieldfare was also noted over the river atop a tree on the fields at Clifton. I actually returned to the reserve with Michelle on Monday too, with my scope, so I could get a better look at the Snipe and to see if there were any Jack Snipe about, but there were only 3 Common Snipe that I could see. 300 or so Lapwing were wheeling in the skies above clifton pit too, which was spectacular. It was also very cold so we didn't stay long. 

On the 9th I had the morning off work so headed to Holme Pierrepont to see what was about. I covered the grassland and Blotts pit to the south of the watersports centre, a place I've only recently discovered since bird ringing there in the summer. This area has been secured by the wildlife trust now so it will be interesting to see how it develops. I'm planning on exploring this area more often now, potentially making it my official 'patch', as it is a brilliant area for migrants and can be good for rare birds too. I have an area list for the whole of Holme Pierrepont that I've been building on during my irregular visits in the past couple of years and it currently stands at 97, including some brilliant birds such as Red Kite, Bittern, Smew and Raven; so I'd like to add to it and potentially get some more decent birds in the process. The day I visited provided some good birding for only a brief visit, and I managed about 35 species including 64 Pink-footed Geese overhead, 2 female Smew and excellent views of green woodpeckers. I also heard a Cetti's Warbler, my first of the year but by no means the first for the area (I ringed one here in september). There were also around 300 Wigeon on Blott's Pit, and a further flock of around 150 flying near the a52 pit.

Cetti's Warbler Ringed by me in sept.
(Photo courtesy of G.Goddard)
http://southnottsringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/

To top the birding off I went to Netherfield Lagoons on Tuesday for the first time in months, as Michelle went shopping (Haha :) ) in the retail park nearby, giving me the chance to have a quick walk round the reserve. The actual reserve was relatively quiet compared to other winter visits, though there were good numbers of Teal in the reeds, as well as several Pochard and Shoveler along with a lone male Goldeneye. a nice flock of 25 or so Goldfinch was nice to see too. The most productive area was on the path into the reserve running alongside the Ouse Dyke. a couple of Grey Wagtails were feeding in the stream and I managed to get some nice shots of these, and some Wrens and Goldcrests were feeding down low on the Bank right on the waters edge. a couple of Little Egret were also present on the fields adjacent to the path.