Clumber & Thoresby Parks,Boxing Day 2023.

Following a good forecast today saw Tracey and myself heading out for the day,to a couple of favourite destinations just over the county border in Nottinghamshire.

We arrived fairly early at Clumber and decided to start the day in proper fashion with a full english,a great start to any day!.

After enjoying our brekkie,we set off on the circular walk around the Great Lake.

A search for Hawfinches around the Chapel drew a blank unfortunately.

The main focus of birds today was the Great Lake,with a couple of thousand or so Black-headed Gulls,a few hundred Common,Gulls,16 Herring,17 Lesser black-backed Gulls and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

From Clumber Bridge the lovely sight of 2 Great-white Egret,were a new species for me here and also from this vantage point were 20 Goosander.

After visiting this lovely place we headed over the short distance to Thoresby Hall/Park to again look for Hawfinches,but again drew a blank unfortunately.

One sighting that was of note was the large amount of Mistletoe growing in the trees,the most i have seen anywhere for a long time.

The following are a few photos from our day.

The Chapel Of St.Mary The Virgin,Clumber Park.

The Courtyard,Clumber Park.

Lovely Views Of The Great Lake.

Clumber Bridge From Where We Watched The Great-white Egrets And Goosanders.

The Interior Of St.Mary The Virgin Chapel.

Thoresby Hall.

Mistletoe,Thoresby Park.

Winter Reflections,Thoresby Park.

Black-throated Cracker......Sunday 17th December 2023.

After hearing that a superb male Black-throated Thrush had been found at Tophill Low,a free day today after the previous days patch visit,saw me heading over there and meeting up with Tim For the day.

After an easy drive over the Humber and into the home county,it wasn't long before i was driving along the approach road to Tophill.

A quick stop en-route to look at the Whooper Swan flock feeding in the flooded fields near Watton,saw a good count of 45 birds being present along with 45 Pink-footed Geese and at least 500 Greylags.

After meeting up with Tim and getting our permits for the day,we got our kit together and headed over to O reservoir to look for the Siberian visitor.

Plenty of scanning and several Blackbirds,Fieldfares and Redwings later,a movement just up from a feeding Blackbird saw me finding the target as he fed inside a Hawthorn.

It was pretty windy to say the least,with a blustery south westerly wind and i'm sure that is why he wasn't feeding on the exposed front of the bushes.

We carried on watching this beautiful bird,with occasional disappearances into the thick of the bushes and when he dropped down onto the ground out of view,but with patience we gained some lovely views.

He did move out in the open on a couple of occasions as he was feeding on Hawthorn and Rosehips and did drop down to drink at a small pool under the hedge he was feeding in,giving some superb views,what a cracking bird.

This is my fourth sighting of the species after a female at Newholm near Whitby in North Yorkshire in January 2010,a female at Adwick Washlands in West Yorkshire in January 2017 and a First Winter male,Grimsby,Lincolnshire in January 2020.

The species breeds in Eastern european Russia,to north-central Siberia and North-west Mongolia and winters from Iraq to  Arabia and across southern Asia,so is a considerable way from its usual wintering range.

After enjoying the stunning Thrush we had a look on Watton nature reserve nearby and got some decent views of the male Smew,before he went for a fly around the area,my second in as many weeks and overhead a Knot flew west with Golden Plovers and Lapwing.

Also nearby was the wintering Red-necked Grebe,still on its temporary home of O reservoir and was watched sleeping on today's visit.

A quick look on South Marsh,saw us seeing a pair of Marsh Harriers,but little else.

Finally a visit to D Reservoir before Tim had to travel home and it wasn't long before we were watching the Red-crested Pochards,with 5 present today,3 males and 2 females,with a female Marsh Harrier flying south.

As i packed my kit away a Tawny Owl called in the car park,a nice end to the visit.

Male Black-throated Thrush,Showing How The Bird Was Sitting Just In Cover At Times.

Some Phone-scoped Images.

Local Patch Update......Sunday 10th,Saturday 16th and Sunday 24th December 2023.

 Sunday 10th 

An early morning start today before dawn surveying Owls,saw a good count,with 4 calling male Tawny Owls and the pair of Little Owls calling to each other,a cracking start to the day.

After it got light a good look around Winter's saw a few Ducks present in the form of 2 Drake Pochard and the first winter Drake Goldeneye still,with 8 Little grebe visible.

Also was the amazing sight of at least 35000 Starlings leaving their roost at Killingholme Haven scattering in all directions as they spread out over the area to feed for the day.

The Marshes was were my main focus was again today though,with some decent numbers of birds present again.

As on previous visits,Goose numbers were still pretty good,with 170 Greylag,7 Barnacle Geese,23 Canada Geese and 25 Pinks,with Ducks included a single Shelduck,19 Shoveler,467 Wigeon,2 female Pintail and 128 Teal.

Waders were also represented well,with at least 1 Oystercatcher present still,465 Lapwing,20 Curlew,52 Redshank and 4 Ruff.

Apart from a single juvenile Marsh Harrier hunting the Skitter pools,that was as exciting as it got today.

Saturday 16th

A tough day today due to the incessant wind and dull conditions saw some nice birds being seen though.

I planned to walk up to Goxhill and began the visit by grilling Winter's main lake first.

A few notables here included 5 Pochard(4 drakes and a female),12 Tufted Duck,8 Little Grebe and the lone Coot still.

The Marshes were again alive with birds and included 343 Greylag,7 Barnacle Geese,35 Canada Geese now,425 Wigeon,127 Teal,480 Lapwing,62 Dunlin and the lovely sight of 165 Black-tailed Godwit.

The Skitter got some good coverage today as i passed by,with the best sighting going to the lovely Female Hen Harrier watched hunting the pools briefly before she headed inland.

Other birds here included 500 Golden Plover,73 Avocet,2 Turnstone,2 Common Buzzard,35 Stock Dove,a Great-spotted Woodpecker and 3 Stonechat.

After covering the Skitter,i headed inland along the Beck up to Goxhill and along Chapel Field Road,then East Marsh Road and up to Goxhill Haven.

A few nice birds included a Mistle Thrush at Chapel Farm and the best count so far this winter of 431 Fieldfare in several flocks,all moving west.

A good count of Pink-footed Geese saw 1935 birds feeding on a grass pasture adjacent to Dawson City.A good search through them revealed no surprises unfortunately.

The Goxhill Haven area held some decent numbers of Waders as the tide dropped off and included a single Oystercatcher,200 Lapwing,45 Curlew,6 Turnstone,155 Dunlin,4 Knot and 66 Ringed Plover.

It was also great to see 3 Marsh Harrier in the area,an adult male,2nd calendar year male and an adult female.

As i made it back to the Marshes at East Halton a lovely Short-eared Owl flew in off the Humber and onto the grassland,my first sighting for a while.

As i reached Winter's for the second time today,another scan of the main lake revealed,unbelievably,first winter male Scaup,with the Aythya flock.

It certainly wasn't present in the morning and was a very nice surprise as i thought i had missed out on the species this year on the patch.It also became species number 160 for the local patch year.

A look on the Marshes for Owls revealed another nice surprise in the form of a lovely Russian White-fronted Goose feeding in amongst the local Greylags,my fifth bird on here this autumn/winter period.

To end the visit,one of the most spectacular sunsets was seen,a superb end to the day.

Christmas Eve

An early start to proceedings today surveying Owls again,had me recording 3 calling male Tawnies,with the added bonus of 2 barking Foxes.

As it got light a scan of the main lake at Winter's saw 17 Tufted Duck,a cracking Drake Pintail,47 Mallard,31 Gadwall and 2 Goldeneye being seen.

The Marshes had a good number of birds present again today and included the Russian White-front still with the Greylag flock,7 Barnacle Geese,38 Pinks,27 Canada Geese,at least 600 Wigeon,200 Teal,65 Curlew,65 Black-tailed Godwit and 7 Ruff.

There were also at least 1200 Lapwing in the area,but they were constantly being flushed and after a while it became apparent why,as i saw a Merlin and then 2 Peregrines,the latter giving some superb views as they sparred over the Marshes.

It was tough going and after a while i dumped the scope in the car and walked with my binos and camera instead.

A nice surprise along Marsh Lane was a Cetti's Warbler singing in a new area for the patch.

It was really great to have got my Swaros back today after their service,i really have missed them and it  really makes it apparent when i didn't have them.It's the subtle things that make them so good,like the Purple sheen on Rooks in flight,they just are superb!.

Another nice surprise at the Skitter as i walked along the Beck,was a Green Sandpiper.

It flew out of the Beck and onto the Skitter pools,a good record for here at this time of year.

The rest of the visit was cut short as it just got windier and i began to get a tad peed off with it to be fair,so i wandered back to the car and headed home.

Well another great series of visits here and now on 160 species for the year,i wonder if i will add any more species before the year is out.

Dawn At Winter's On The 10th.

Early Morning Near Winter's On The 16th.

Dawson City,A Poor Shadow Of What Was Once A Superb Reserve.

East Halton Marshes,16th.

Distant Phone-scoped Shot Of The 1st Winter Drake Scaup,16th.

Distant Phone-scoped Shot Of The Russian White-fronted Goose As I Found It On The 16th.

An Amazing Sunset Over East Halton On The 16th.

Covenham Reservoir Saturday 2nd December 2023.

Due to thick,freezing fog locally and the offer of some nice birds,i headed over to Covenham Reservoir today,the following is what i saw.

After initially thinking i had made a mistake heading out towards Covenham,due to patchy fog,i made it along Barton Street and it suddenly cleared to bright blue skies and sunshine,what a contrast!.

After getting plenty of layers on and the birding kit together i walked up the slope from the car park to the yacht club.

Literally the first bird i clapped eyes on was the wintering juvenile Great-northern Diver,what a great start.

I watched through the scope as it fed at some distance,never coming really close and constantly diving,so i only got some poor phone scoped clips.

As i was watching the Diver a wader flew in below me and it was the reported Purple Sandpiper.

It proceeded to give some fantastic views as it fed along the banks of the Res,as they more often than not do,usually being a confiding species.

This species is usually found wintering along our rocky coastlines,but occasionally they do turn up inland like this bird,what a little cracker and unlike the Diver i got some superb video of the bird.

After enjoying the Purp i walked along the west bank of the Res,past the yacht club building to see the next two goodies fly in.

The first was the wintering juvenile Shag which was watched fishing and gave some nice views,a pretty decent inland record,but the second was a species i hadn't seen for a few years,a gorgeous Smew and a Drake.

I watched as the 'White Nun' gave some super views feeding alongside his Goldeneye and Tuftie buddies,what a lovely species these are.

White Nun is the old english name given to the species by Wildfowlers.

After all this activity from the sites star birds,i settled to scan through the commoner species achieving some good counts which included 85 Cormorant,37 Shoveler,71 Gadwall,45 Wigeon,21 Pochard,128 Tufted Duck and 38 Goldeneye.

Also overhead,338 Pink-footed Geese flew north

A single Drake Goosander was also noted along with 82 Great-crested and 6 Little Grebes.

As i neared the southern end of the Res,the familiar sound of cronking Ravens was heard and i watched as the resident pair flew past giving some cracking views.They really are brilliant birds and are a personal favourite.

A little further on and more scanning saw me seeing the final goodie of the visit,a female Scaup in amongst its commoner relatives.

The bird showed nicely,albeit into the sun,but a nice species to see and pretty scarce these days unfortunately.

Well what a cracking visit today and well worth braving the icy roads for and really nice to visit the site again after such a long time.

Drake Smew With A Drake Goldeneye.

Juvenile Shag.

The Western Bank Of The Reservoir.

Local Patching Update - Sunday 19th & 26th November - Sunday 3rd December 2023.

Sunday 19th November

An early start today arriving before first light to check for Owl's,paid dividends,with 3 calling male Tawny Owls,2 in the Redhouse Wood area and 1 at The Grange,with a bonus Woodcock seen near The Grange also made for a great start to the day.

As it got light another lovely sighting went to a Barn Owl hunting along Marsh Lane as i got my kit together,the first I've seen for a good while on the patch.

After getting my pack up in the rucksack and some warm clothes on a quick scan of the main lake at Winter's saw the lovely female Long-tailed Duck still here.

Other birds here included 3 Goldeneye,12 Little Grebe,9 Tufties and a flock of 5 Brambling which flew west towards East Halton village.

A look on the marshes saw some great numbers of birds again,with 5 Barnacle Geese present,2 Oystercatcher a nice surprise,4 Ruff,approx. 480 Wigeon,185 Curlew,67 Mallard,450 Lapwing,4 Cattle Egret still and 38 Black-tailed Godwit.

The latter Black-wits had a colour-ringed bird in amongst them which had been ringed on the 1st September 2019 at Snettisham in Norfolk and one of which i have seen on one occasion before here in September 2022.It has the combinations of an orange ring on the left leg,with yellow - white-white on the right leg.

A search around the cottage and gardens/plantation area resulted in 3 Cetti's Warblers being recorded,4 Tree Sparrow and half a dozen each of Redwing and Blackbirds.

I then decided to walk along the floodbank up to the Skitter to see what was around as the tide was rising.

A good tramp around the Skitter Pools revealed at least 6 Water Pipits and 4 Rock Pipits,but no Jack Snipe unfortunately and only low numbers of Snipe,but 2 pairs of Stonechat were logged here.

Nothing much along Goxhill Marsh was recorded apart from another pair of Stonechat and as the tide dropped off,22 Goldeneye on the Humber,600 Golden Plover,a Peregrine,305 Curlew,650 Pink-footed Geese and 24 Bar-tailed Godwit entered the notes.

As i wandered back towards Winter's a cracking Merlin was watched hunting along the Humber floodbank chasing Waders before heading onto the marshes,a great bird to see on any visit.

Before leaving for home more views of the 4 Cattle Egrets and a lovely Short-eared Owl made for a great ending to the visit.

Sunday 26th November

A meet up with Suzanne today,saw us having a pretty decent day to be fair,with some great numbers of wintering birds.

To start with we spent a good amount of time looking on the main lake at Winter's with some nice birds present here today which included a single Great-crested Grebe,2 Drake Pochard,the Female Long-tailed Duck still present,a lovely Drake Goosander which made a brief visit and 2 Goldeneye.

A single Tree Sparrow was seen near the cottage along with 20 Redwing and 5 Blackbird.

The marshes held some good numbers of birds today with a whopping count of 69 Barnacle Geese being seen.This comprised of now 7 birds with the Greylag flock and a further 62 which flew north,the latter could be part of an arrival on the east coast or wandering feral birds.

Other species here included a record count of Curlew for the site of 332 birds,a superb sight!,also here were a pair of Stonechat,juvenile Marsh Harrier,3 Ruff and 35 Redshank.It also looks like the Cattle Egrets have moved on as there was no sign today.

The Skitter area saw a single Snow Bunting being seen and heard as it flew over towards Winter's,but could not be relocated unfortunately and a cracking adult male Marsh Harrier,2 Rock Pipit and 29 Avocet.

On the Humber here,a single Drake Common Scoter was seen with a further 5 females flying along the Humber south towards Killingholme.

Sunday 3rd December

A freezing visit today with snow overnight and dull conditions all day saw some difficult conditions for birding.

All was not lost though with some really good counts again from the marshes which included 7 Barnacle Geese,a Grey Plover,2 Knot(Both new site species),550 Lapwing,Turnstone,183 Dunlin,80 Black-tailed Godwit and 154 Golden Plover.

Winter's had some nice birds which included 53 Shoveler,44 Gadwall,41 Teal,250 Wigeon,53 Mallard 3 Goldeneye and 6 Pochard.Unfortunately,the Long-tailed Duck has now moved on after it's 3 week stay.Around the bushes here were 13 Blackbird,14 Redwing,Song Thrush and Goldcrest.

A walk up along Marsh Lane,Jericho Lane and along Skitter Road saw a few nice sightings and counts of birds which included a superb count of 131 Stock Dove along Marsh Lane as well as 21 Yellowhammer,both really great to see and 2 female Stonechat and a couple of Tree Sparrow.

A good number of Corvids at The Grange included a Jay,45 Jackdaw and 55 Rook.

The Skitter area provided a few nice birds also and included a Grey Heron,Little egret,1300 Dunlin and 37 Avocet.

As i made it back to Winter's for the second time today,i noticed 3 Cattle Egret following the Cattle around on the marshes,new birds maybe,or perhaps the previous birds returning?.

As i reached the car park area at Winter's,a quick look on the marshes near the entrance proved an excellent decision as a stonking female Hen Harrier flew towards me and proceeded to give some superb views as it hunted the rough field next to Winter's.

What a cracking bird and end to the visit,species number 159 for the patch this year.

Colour-ringed Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit From East Halton Marshes On The 19th November.