4th – Several Gatekeeper butterflies seen around the circuit, the first sighting of the year in Findern, 2 Essex Skipper butterflies seen N of Stanhope Wood, another first sighting of the year, 1 Brown Hawker dragonfly seen in Cote Close, 1 male Yellowhammer singing N of Hicklin’s Bridge.
19th – Raven heard calling over Hillside garden
23rd – Green woodpecker seen on Priory Way
31st – 2 Green Woodpeckers in back garden Aults Close. Juvenile Sparrowhawk seen in a garden in Hillside
June 2018
1st – 1 Little Grebe, pair of Mute Swan with 6 Cygnets, a pair of Tufted Duck,1 female Coot with 8 very small young, several Banded Demoiselle, hundreds of Common Blue Damselfly (pairing and egg laying), 20-30 Spotted Chaser (some also egg laying) and 2+ Emperor Dragonfly all seen on Mercia Marina Pond, 1 Sparrowhawk seen with a small bird in its talons over Hicklin’s Farm on Heath Lane, 1 female Kestrel seen and the junction of Heath Lane and Findern Lane, 1 Green Woodpecker heard calling south of Mercia Marina Pond.
2nd – 1 Red-eyed Damselfly seen on Mercia Marina Pond
6th – Pair of Linnet seen canal side East of Nadee and 1 Reed Warbler heard singing at the railway pools (between the white bridge and the railway bridge opposite the Marina entrance), 1 Green Woodpecker and a pair of Bullfinch seen in garden Aults Close
9th – 1 Red Kite seen flying SE over Hillside garden
13th baby Badger seen Priory Way
15th – Great Spotted Woodpecker on bird feeder in back garden Aults Close. 1 Grey Heron seen over the canal East of Nadee, 1 male Yellowhammer heard singing North of Hicklin’s Bridge, 1 Meadow Brown butterfly and 1 Ringlet butterfly seen in the damp field West of Hicklin’s Bridge – the first sighting this year for both butterflies
22nd – Hedgehog seen crossing Heath Lane 11 pm
28th – Couple of White Letter Hairstreak butterflies seen by the 2 small elms just past Clovermead on Common Piece Lane. Small Skipper butterfly seen in Cote Close Bird Sanctuary, Emerald Damselfly seen canalside between Hicklin’s Bridge and the railway bridge, female Pheasant seen in Cardales Meadow, dead Mole seen on the steps leading down to the causeway Stanhope Wood wet area
May 2018
1st – 1 male Kestrel seen west of Watson’s Bridge, 1 Peregrine seen Willington Power Station cooling towers, 1 Green Woodpecker heard calling south of Nadee, 1 Lesser Whitethroat heard singing Cote Close Bird Sanctuary, 1 Common Whitethroat seen by the railway line SE of Stanhope Wood (first sighting this year), pair of Bullfinch seen near Hicklin’s Bridge, pair of Yellowhammer seen north of Hicklin’s Bridge, 1 male Reed Bunting seen Stanhope Wood reed bed.
5th – All the following were seen or heard during our Dawn Chorus walk around the canal circuit this morning between 5am and 7am:
Blackbird, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Robin, House Sparrow, Wren, Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Wood Pigeon, Jackdaw, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Canada Geese, Song Thrush, Collared Dove, Reed Bunting, Blackcap (male and female), Skylark, Yellowhammer, Buzzard, Mallard, Moorhen, Chaffinch, Long-tailed Tit, Swan (pair, one sitting on the nest), Heron, Coot and last but not least the harbinger of summer the Swallow.
27th – 1 Lapwing seen in field NE of Hicklin’s Bridge, 10+ House Martin seen over Porter’s Lane, pair of Linnet seen canal side E of Nadee, pair of Reed Bunting seen near Watson’s Bridge.
30th – 1 Little Grebe seen on Mercia Marina Pond, 1 Sparrowhawk seen over Hicklin’s Farm on Heath Lane, 5+ Sand Martin seen over Mercia Marina Pond
April 2018
1st – Bullfinch seen on bird feeder Aults Close – now a regular visitor
4th – 16 Stock Dove seen in stubble field SW of Watson’s Bridge, Green Woodpecker heard calling from a garden on Hillside, Pair of Yellowhammer seen N of Hicklin’s Bridge, Pair of Reed Bunting seen at the treatment works
5th – 1 Teal seen in floodwater Blakemere Farm, Bakeacre Lane, Pair of Lapwing seen in field N of Bakeacre Lane
5th – 2 Chiffchaff heard Heath Lane over the A50, 1 Green Woodpecker heard in Common Plantation opposite the cattery Willington Road. 1 Brimstone butterfly seen Heath Lane allotments, 1 in a garden on Aults Close, 1 in Stanhope Wood wet area and 1 in Stanhope Hole Conservation area. 1 Small Tortoiseshell butterfly seen in Cardales Meadow.
6th – Pair of Little Grebe seen on Mercia Marina Pond, 13 Tufted Duck seen at Mercia Marina
8th – its Spring! 3 Swallows seen over Heath Farm, Heath Lane
8th – 1 Swallow seen flying NW over Hillside garden, first sighting this year, also from a garden on Hillside 2 Tawny Owl heard calling at 10.30 pm
19th – 6 Blackcap heard singing around the canal circuit and 1 Treecreeper seen at the treatment works. Also seen around the circuit were 4 Brimstone, 2 Peacock and 2 Small Tortoiseshell butterflies
23rd – 1 Kestrel seen from Watson’s Bridge, 5 Lesser Black-backed gulls seen feeding in ploughed field SW of Watson’s Bridge, 1 Linnet seen east of Nadee (first sighting this year)
26th – 1 Sparrowhawk seen flying W up Hillside, 1 Lesser Whitethroat singing in Cote Close (first this year), 1 Treecreeper seen at the Ballast Hole Pond, Pair of Linnet seen nest building between Nadee and the white footbridge (Potlocks Bridge), Hawthorn in flower seen adjacent to Stanhope Hole Conservation Area entrance gate (first sighting this year)
29th – 1 Peregrine seen on the cooling towers at Willington Power Station, 2 Stock Dove seen east of King George V playing field, 1 Bullfinch seen east of the treatment works, 2 male Yellowhammer seen singing north of Hicklin’s Bridge, Yellow Archangel in flower Common Piece Lane opp Clovermead
March 2018
1st – 2 Fieldfare seen in a garden on Hillside, 2 Redwing seen in a garden on Doles Lane.
2nd – Several Fieldfare seen feeding in a garden on Aults Close.
3rd – Garden on Hillside, a pair of Field Fares taking crab apples directly off the tree. They were joined shortly after by a pair of long tailed tits in the magnolia
5th – 1 Water Rail and 1 Grey Wagtail seen at the treatment works, 1 Water Rail seen in the reed bed Stanhope Wood, c15 Fieldfare, 3+ Song Thrush and 30 Redwing seen opposite Clovermead Kennels Common Piece Lane, 6+ Yellowhammer and 18+ Reed Bunting seen NE of Hicklin’s Bridge, pair of Reed Bunting seen in the reed bed Stanhope Wood.
10th – spring is here. The first lot of frogspawn was seen in a garden pond at a house on Aults Close
9th – 3 Lapwing and 2 Stock Dove seen in field N of Bakeacre Lane, 2 Mistle Thrush seen Blakemere Farm, Bakeacre Lane
13th – 16 Teal seen on floodwater Bakeacre Lane
14th –1 Cormorant seen south of Mercia Marina pond, 4 Tufted Duck seen on Mercia Marina Pond, 1 male Kestrel seen west of Watson’s Bridge, 5 Bullfinch seen A50 embankment north of the treatment works, 1 male Reed Bunting seen on bird feeder in garden on Hillside.
18th – Several Fieldfare seen on green area between Aults Close and Wren Park Close
19th – 1 Meadow Pipit and 1 Chiffchaff seen at the treatment works
21st Wow, it must be spring – two Red Admiral butterflies in the garden this morning. One fIuttered over and the other spent quite some time feeding on the flowers of the mahonia.
22nd – 1 Gadwall seen on Mercia Marina Pond, the first sighting this week, 1 Peregrine seen on the cooling towers Willington Power Station, 1 Chiffchaff seen canal side S of the treatment works (first song this year) and 1 Treecreeper seen at the Ballast Hole Pond, 1 male Bullfinch seen in tree in front garden Aults Close
25th
2 Brimstone butterflies seen Heath Lane junction with Willington Road and another one in All Saints Churchyard.
February 2018
1st – 12 Gadwall seen on Mercia Marina Pond, 1 Skylark heard singing NE of Hicklin’s Bridge, 1 Grey Wagtail and 50+ Pied Wagtail seen at the treatment works, 1 Fieldfare seen in the horse paddock N of Crow Park Way (very scarce this winter), 3 Song Thrush (2 singing) hard around the circuit, 2 Mistle Thrush and 2 Redwing seen in the horse paddock N of Crow Park Way, 1 Jay seen N of Willington Road opposite the Cattery.
5th -1 Meadow Pipit and 1 Goldcrest seen at the treatment works. 4 Bullfinch seen on the A50 embankment N of the treatment works. 1 Black Swan seen on the canal between the Nadee and the treatment works.
7th – 4 Yellowhammer and 2 Reed Bunting seen NE of Hicklin’s Bridge, the first sighting for several weeks.
14th – 20+ Teal and 1 female Kestrel seen in flooded field Blakemere Farm, Bakeacre Lane
15th – 1 male Kestrel seen west of Watson’s Bridge, 2 overwintering Chiffchaff seen at Severn Trent treatment works, pair of Bullfinch seen near Findern Primary School
22nd – 5 Tufted Duck seen on Mercia Marina Pond, the first sighting for several months
25th – 1 Lapwing seen from a garden on Hillside flying SW, 5 Stock Dove seen in stubble field SW of Watson’s Bridge, 100+ Redwing seen in a field SW of Common Piece Lane
27th -1 solitary Redwing seen rooting in the undergrowth by the Derby bound shelter Heath Lane.
28th – 1 Reed Bunting seen feeding on garden bird table Aults Close.
January 2018
1st – Several Pied Wagtails seen in a garden on Castle Hill. 1 Buzzard seen being harassed by 14 Magpies over Heath Lane. 1 Eurasian Nuthatch has become a regular visitor to a garden on Longlands Lane, first seen just before Christmas.
2nd – c60 Pied Wagtail seen at the treatment works.
3rd – 10 Gadwall seen at Mercia Marina Pond, 1 Grey Wagtail seen at the treatment works and 3 Bullfinch seen A50 embankment north of the treatment works.
10th – 1 Coal tit and 4 Long-tailed tit seen in a garden on Hillside.
11th – 1 Tawny heard calling at 0315 am. Small Tortoiseshell butterfly seen in a house on Common Piece Lane and released.
12th – 1 Kestrel seen Willington Road.
29th – Treecreeper seen near the treatment works
31st – Black Swan seen on the canal near the railway bridge.
