Late Show

 Alan Shorrock and I did some local stuff today beginning at Willowbrook Industrial Estate. With the weather looking and feeling more like February than April I began to wonder if ditching the thermals might have been a tad premature! Not much to report from here, there were two herds of Fallow Deer and a song flighting Meadow Pipit but little else. We didn't hang around too long before moving on to near Spanhoe Airfield.

Swallow and Egyptian Goose

Once again we struggled to find much of note, a single Redpoll provided the only highlight. Walking down towards Harringworth Lodge Lake we noted a pair of Shelducks flying past. At the lake itself Redpolls again provided the highlight with at least twelve present in the area. Non bird things of interest included Willow Emerald egg laying scars on willows overhanging the water and there was also some frog spawn to look at as well. Giving up we moved on to Blatherwycke Lake where things picked up a little...but only just!

Black Swan

Shozzer picked out a couple of Swallows over the water which were my first of the year, they later landed in one of the trees sharing the branches with a Fieldfare. There were still quite a few winter thrushes in the area which was no surprise given the weather. Other good birds around the lake included a Kingfisher and five Egyptian Geese though it's clear there has been an exodus of wildfowl recently. This exodus was also apparent at nearby Deene Lake where the escaped White-cheeked Pintail and four Black Swans joined five Shelduck on the water. A small group of hirundines moved through, there were at least eight Swallows and a couple of Sand Martins which headed off eastwards after a few minutes. Birds though had to take a back seat however when a trio of Otters were noted close to the dam. We watched them for a couple of minutes before they became aware of us and moved off. It was a case of leaving the best till last as we left soon afterwards.

Otters