Ramblings of a Ancient Tenor

Those of you that saw my comments on Penny's posts will know that I am a rabid tenor who enjoys his natural surroundings. (In my own defence I do try not to pass on my rabid condition to either humans or animals).

Since the start of the original lockdown, my pal (who, to protect the innocent, will be known as C) and I have been almost daily visitors to The Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) reserve called Skylarks in Holme Pierrepoint which is approximately 2 miles from my home. Both C and I are in our 70s and have underlying conditions which might cause problems if we catch Covid. For that reason we are always careful to socially distance and take all necessary precautions. We do that anyway but we don't travel to the hide together, we both cycle and I alternate with walking. The times that we arrive at the hide coincide.

I rely on C to give guidance on bird identification (he has been birdwatching seriously for many years). We also pick up tips from other birders that we meet.

An example of what I mean is that on an early visit to Old Moor RSPB site, I remarked to C how many starlings there were in an area. One of the locals chimed in and said "...they're not starlings, they're Barnsley Buntings..." in a very broad Barnsley accent. Ever since then I refer to them as Barnsley Buntings.

For the last few days there has been a large raptor (bird of prey) at Skylarks. We had observed it sitting on a post but, even with high powered scopes, we could only get a silhouette view and couldn't decide whether it was a Marsh Harrier or a Buzzard, so we decided to call it a new species a "Marsh Buzzard". Yesterday it flew low over the wetlands disturbing all the other wildlife and identified itself as a Marsh Harrier.

I enjoy identifying the birds that we see there but that is not the most important thing. There is a peace about being with them - listening to their song (with the possible exception of the very raucous black headed gulls who sound like the tenor section in full flight) and watching them fly, dive and preen. Even the squabbles during the breeding season. The change of plumage through the seasons can be quite dramatic and lead to some very strange identifications. For the most part it is the usual species one expects to find on an inland lake: Coot, Mallard, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Heron, Gulls, Swans, Cormorants and Geese. There are also the regular migrants like Wigeon and Teal.

Over and above those we often find Little, Great and Cattle Egret which until recently were occasional vagrants from Europe. Spoonbills have started to turn up too.

If you are interested to see birds, when next you go for a walk, take a pair of binoculars with you. There are lots of sites in Notts managed by the NWT and RSPB. They are great places for a walk and you never know what you might see.