Decent day on the patch

I sacrificed a weekend ringing waders in Norfolk, for a weekend spent at home getting a few bits done, as well as wanting to get out and do some proper birding round Holme Pierrepont. On saturday I was down there at 8:15 to walk the dog, and had a pleasant stroll around the watersports centre and finger ponds. There were loads of birds singing, but no spring migrants. The only highlight were a pair of Shelduck in the flooded fields near the viaducts, and for the first time in weekes there were no egrets there.

After dropping the dog at home and feeding her, I had a coffee and then got on my bike and headed back down with my scope to check out the A52 pit and Blotts. A look in from the gate next to the A52 resulted in a redhead Smew, only the second i've seen this winter, and a nice surprise. Not much else of note, although I counted just under 500 Wigeon on the far bank.

I cycled round to Blott's country club and parked the bike up there, before wandering clockwise round Blott's pit. There wasn't a great deal on the water, as much of the wildfowl has departed, though a few Goldeneye remain. I added Jay to the year-list, with a couple squawking around in the woods to the south of Blott's. On the banks of the wet-grassland I noted a Curlew, my first for the site. This is another one of those species which has eluded me for ages on the patch, despite being recorded several times a year. In fact, I have barely seen any in the county, aside from some up at Collingham and Besthorpe on a few occasions, so I was actually pretty chuffed with this! 4 Oystercatcher were also nice, but I did feel a little short changed at the lack of any sand martins or ringed plover!

Patch tick!