Maximum numbers had booked on this rightly, popular trip and with the weather being incredibly warm, with little wind, hopes were high that we would break the previous record of 44 species of bird identified.  Indeed, the evening started well with linnets and a Yellow Wagtail spotted on our way to the ford near to Hardwick Village. At or near the ford, a Cetti’s warbler was heard and there were a few Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings whizzing around to keep us entertained.
At about 9 p.m. we drove to the area where we hoped to see the Nightjars and we’d only been there a few moments when the first Woodcock flew overhead.  Ten minutes later, while it was still quite light, we heard the first Nightjar churring.  It seemed to be coming from close to the top of some nearby pine trees and this was confirmed a moment later when someone spotted it perched on a branch.  We stayed in the same spot until about 10:20 p.m. getting frequent sightings of flying Woodcock with a maximum of 4 at any one time.  We also had excellent, close sightings of a male Nightjar, displaying to the female with wing clapping and yelping cries.
The last species to be identified was a cuckoo, which rather surprisingly was still calling after 10 p.m.  Total species seen/heard was 44 so the record remains.

Six members attended this meet on a gorgeous sunny day marred a little by a rather strong wind.  The target species was the Nightingale but when we arrived at ‘Nightingale Corner’ it was to find that the bird had just departed.  Ten minutes later there was still no sign and with the majority of the party never having seen one before and expectations being high, the trip leader wondered if his best course of action was to sneak off unseen and thus avoid a potential lynching party.
Hoping to find Nightingales further on, we set off round Coot Lake and fortunately were soon distracted by hearing and then getting fleeting glimpses of Lesser Whitethroats.  Added to this were good sightings of Blackcaps and Garden Warblers as well as a fabulous surround sound serenade from these warblers.
Having done a full circuit of the lake, half the group decided to take a walk round the northerly half of the reserve while the other half returned to the favourite Nightingale spotting place, determined to see the bird.  The walkers eventually returned pleased as punch with their sighting, albeit brief, of a Hobby.  However, their triumphalism proved to be short-lived as the others, with ear to ear grins, had both seen and heard a Nightingale.

Green-veined White

Green-veined White

After lunch the Nightingaless group went back hoping to see the elusive bird and this time were quickly rewarded with a 10 minute serenade from this little brown job as well as the opportunity to see it between the tangle of branches.

After this success, we decided to drop into RSPB Langford Lowfields reserve on our way back.  The highlight here was, without doubt, being able to sit on a bench beside the reed bed, in sunshine, watching up to four Hobbies hawking for dragonflies. And finally, the icing on the birding cake was our sighting of a Whimbrel on one of the islands.
A great day on two excellent reserves with 55 species of bird identified.

Three members had arrived in the Old Moor car park by the appointed time of 9:30am and, under the direction of Jeff Davies, duly set off with a target of finding sixty species. The sun shone warmly all day, but with a cold edge to a freshening wind we were glad of the promise of many hides to visit. Alas, these turned out to be colder than being out in the open!

Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Common Snipe, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Little Grebe, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pochard, Reed Bunting, Robin, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Shoveller, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, and Yellowhammer came to 53 species.

The target was therefore easily surpassed by the addition of Speckled Wood, Orange-tip and Peacock butterflies, a large maurauding Carp, a docile Terrapin and several species of plant in bloom (Cowslip, Coltsfoot, Gorse, Broom…)