A night in Nottingham
On Saturday, I left Northumberland with my family to visit my grandpa in Nottingham. The journey went quickly without many bird spots - there were the obvious Buzzards and Kestrels but little else. We arrived in Nottingham around two, and after we had settled in I decided to take a trip down the road to the National Watersports Centre, where a Spotted Sandpiper had been seen for the past couple of weeks.
When I arrived at the Watersports Centre, the first birds I saw were a group of Tufted Duck at the edge of the lake. Amongst them was a pale bird, which, after a quick check with my binoculars, I discovered to be a Long-tailed Duck.
I had never seen one before and decided to spend some time watching it to get to know the species, hoping that it would help me find one on my coming trip to the Northumberland coast. It was a great bird to see, coming very close at times!
I then walked up the rowing lake, passing other birders who told me where to look for the Spotted Sandpiper. When I reached the spot (at the end of the slalom course) there was already a group of birders there, who kindly pointed it out for me. It was feeding happily on the far side of the course - I could see it's legs were long and yellow, it's tail was short and the bill was pinkish. Soon the other birders left, and I was alone with the sandpiper. It flew across the course onto the grass only a few meters in front of me - here I could make out the unmarked tertials.
After feeding on the grass for a minute or so, it flew past me and onto the shore of the main rowing lake. When it was flying I could see the shorter white wing-bar, which didn't reach the bird's bod. On the shore it came very close to me, which gave me a great opportunity to have a look at all the ID features (which I discuss in my latest Waterbird Wednesday). I took some photos on the bird, which, admittedly, aren't the best, but at least they show the main features.
After feeding on the shore, the bird flew back across the slalom course, where I left it feeding happily. I returned the next morning in the hope of getting sharper shots in the better light, but, despite many people looking, it wasn't found (it was relocated later in the day). However, the Long-tailed Duck was still present, giving excellent views down to a few meters to anyone who stopped to watch it.
I then walked to Skylarks, a nearby nature reserve, where I saw Goldeneye, Pochards and Shovelers - along with other things - before cold and hunger got the better of me and returned to my grandpa's house.
If anyone is planning on visiting the Spotted Sandpiper, the area I saw it on Saturday is the end on the slalom (labeled the "rapids", the twisty course behind the regatta lake) and it was relocated at the far end of the regatta lake on Sunday. The Long-tailed Duck was on the regatta lake near the main building.
