21-11-10, Whitemoor Haye.

A good night out on Friday night led to me resting for the day yesterday so I was fresh this morning. Unfortunately I had to go to work in the morning for a couple of hours but I managed to get round Whitemoor first thing. Birds noted were Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Wren, Robin, Dunnock, Tree Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Pheasant, Blackbird, Starling, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Lapwing, Chaffinch, Grey Partridge, Canada Geese, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Redwing, Merlin, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Great Black-backed Gull, 279 Mute Swans, a single Whooper Swan, Grey Heron, Greylag Geese, Black-headed Gull, Great Tit, Yellowhammer, Buzzard, Green Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, Cormorant and Fieldfare. It was getting on a bit so I didnt have time to have a good look over the lake, just a quick glance and I noted Mallard, Pochard, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe and Goldeneye. Not a bad haul.

21-11-10, Whitemoor Haye.

Back from work and it was back to Whitemoor to check out the pool. Birds noted were Wigeon, Mallard, Pochard, Redshank, Goldeneye, Teal, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Black-headed Gull and Blackbird. I then decided to have another look at the swans and added Grey Partridge, Kestrel, Buzzard, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Carrion Crow, Wood Pigeon, Dunnock, Chaffinch, 286 Mute Swans, Magpie and Starlings. No Whooper swan in sight but there are several hollows in the field so proberbly in one of those.

21-11-10, Willington GP.

I had a good reason for coming here and this will become apparent later. Also some Bewick's Swans and a Cetti's Warbler had been present recently. I walked up to the top platform and then back before a small walk around the pond near the train track. Birds noted were Black-headed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting, Robin, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Cormorant, Shoveler, Canada Geese, Goosander, Lapwing, Redwing, Long-tailed Tit, Dunnock, Mute Swan, Magpie, Goldeneye, Wigeon, Moorhen, Carrion Crow, Wren, Goldfinch, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Fieldfare, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Green Woodpecker. I would have gone to the canal scrape but I wanted to get to Foremark reservoir for the gull roost and was running out of time.

21-11-10, Foremark Reservoir.

A Laughing Gull was reported last night at Foremark so there was only one place to be late afternoon. After a managed to get through the broken entrance gate, I joined the quite large group of birders hoping to see the latest American gull to grace Foremark, after the Franklin's Gull only a month earlier. Birds noted were Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Grey Heron, Great Black-backed Gull, Cormorant, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Fieldfare, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Blue Tit, Redwing, Wren, Dunnock, Little Grebe and Carrion Crow. No Laughing Gull but I kept myself busy trying to find the present Yellow-legged Gulls but they are impossible (for me anyway) when they are on the water. There was also a couple of Caspian Gulls around, one of which I got onto but I was not sure of its id myself so not noted. I had no problem with the Common Gulls which I think are the prettiest birds out of the gulls. Home time now and back to the gull book to get learning.