Not had an update in a while due to work commitments, I’ve been to Poland again but no time for birding.
I did have time in my weekend to visit Bennerley and Erewash Meadows. First Bennerley on the Saturday evening – in search of the SEO. Kestrel was the first bird I saw, hunting over the fields and it hung around most of the day.
I decided to hunt for Snipe in the fields by Erewash and ideally wanted a close photo but only managed to flush one bird (Snipe), whatever else was there was proving very difficult to move. So I settled for another walk around, not going down to the Viaduct or main marsh. A Barn Owl (a year tick) was active by the Erewash, but no sign of the SEO.
I was joined by another birder and as we stood watching a BOP was over the marsh area where I had been looking for Snipe, it obviously was having more luck finding them and was going for it ducking and diving in a dogfight with a Snipe. Eventually it gave up but it gave good views and appeared to be a Peregrine (too big for a Merlin) – the bad light made it difficult to be sure. My companion also had a Shelduck flying along the Erewash but I failed to get on it.
DaveJ came along then and as we chatted the Barn Owl appeared again, giving a good, though distant chance of video which I’ll add to my YouTube page, and gave brilliant close views later, a lovely bird and my first for a while. We then had a few confusing minutes as calls started in the field close to us, how far away the bird (If it was a bird) was was difficult to accertain but it appeared to be moving in the undergrowth near us – were two birds facing each other off? Eventually on returning home we identified the calls as Grey Partridge - are they getting fiesty before breeding season?
Finally, as we returned home we had a Woodcock flash across our path.
The next morning I planned to go to Matlock Forest to try and tick Crossbill, but I woke to a blanket of snow. Having got dressed then I decided to try Erewash Meadows instead – though the drive there was dicy to say the least (the gritter still wasn’t out and A610 was covered in snow).
The walk around was fiarly uneventful, I wanted to get up to the Top Copse for a photo of Woodcock – which I thought might be easier in the snow – I’ve been flushing them there lately. However, as I went to turn in then I was overtaken by a jogger and so decided to wait to see if he flushed it. Which he did. One flew over towards Brinsley Flash just as he went through.
Lots of the normal birds, but nothing else and so I tried for the Water Rail at the Feeders at Aldercar Flash. Standing with my camera by the tree, just out of sight, I was amazed by how close the birds come. Redwing, Willow Tit, Dunnock, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit all flew feeding on the feeders and I got good photos before my target bird appeared. It stayed in the marsh, not daring to come too close, but I had nice views.
