Bank Holiday Birding

I managed six visits to the patch over the long weekend. Having scrapped my car earlier in the week, one of these was by bike (and a ladies bike at that); I'm still feeling a bit sore... Anyway, the birding unfolded as follows:

Friday night, and I was just heading out when I received a call from Mark Dawson asking me if I still needed Wheatear for the year at Collingham. Indeed I did. One was on the promontory on the Silt Lagoon, still present when I arrived. Excellent.

Saturday involved morning and afternoon visits. I added Reed and Garden Warbler for the year, and logged a total of 4 Wheatears - yesterday's bird, plus two on the ploughed fields between Mons Pool and Meering, and a fourth at Meering itself. Covering the site by bike in the afternoon was actually quite good, as it allowed more birding time whilst on site, although the 45 minute journey time at each end was less good.

Sunday produced a fly-over Greenshank whilst I was at Parish Field, but little else of note, and Monday saw fly-over Ringed Plover and my first Green Woodpecker for ages (calling near the Silt Lagoon), both whilst I was hacking back some sea buckthorn before it gets too established.

I wrapped Monday up with a quick twitch of Alan Scrimshaw's Long-tailed Duck at Muskham Fishing Lakes (A1 Pits); a super bird. Just a shame the Arctic Terns had departed by the time I got there. None of the latter at Ferry Lane Lake during a quick later afternoon visit, but I'm still well ahead of previous years for Patchwork Challenge, now on 125 species.

Long-tailed Duck at Muskham