Blackmoorfoot Club Trip

I went to a local birding spot today (Saturday)... a place I have been before and not seen much. But today was different, today I was with a few members of the local bird club incluing the recognised expert of the area... and boy did the number of species I see shoot up. It just goes to show what a little experienced guidance can do for you.

Potato Lane
Potato Lane is basically a couple of hundred yards from the Blackmoorfoot reservoir that gives excellent views of a farmer's field of just the right consistency for many birds. I've been told to keep an eye out for Skylark, Meadow Pipt, Stonechat and Dotterel.

The birds I did see however were Lapwing (about 10), Golden Plover (about 30), Wheatear (2 female, 1 male hopping on and off a dry stone wall) and a Little Owl who was hiding away in an alcove of another wall.

Orange Wood
This small wood sits beside the reservoir and didn't offer much today although the birds we did see were Kestrel (at the edge of the wood), Great Tit, Blue Tit, Pheasant (in a field beyond the wood), Jay and Long Tailed Tit and we could hear Robin and Blue Tit.

The Reservoir (from the inlet and/or hide)
Mallard, Tufted Duck (3 male, 2 female), Golden Eye (2 male, 1 female), Great Crested Grebe (3), Goosander (3), Teal (8) Herring Gull (1), Lesser Black Backed Gull (2), Black Headed Gull (numerous), Common Gull (numerous) and Goldcrest (dotting around at the side of the hide).

A tip I learned about the reservoir itself is that the birds tend to stay on the NW side on windier days... the bit you can't get a good look at without access to the locked hide... and a Kingfisher often perches just outside the hide too... I will have to enquire as to how to gain a key.

All in it all it was a fabulous 2 hours.