Needle in a haystack - the search for a golden plover

Many thanks to volunteer John for his account of a morning's birding at the reserve.

Along the zigzag we had the pleasure of seeing three bullfinches feeding in bright sunshine while a couple of greenfinch wheezed their spring song. Much of the way round was accompanied by the persistent song of several song thrushes and the general volume of birdsong was quite noticeable.

Song thrush by Anne Harwood.

From the t-junction to Redstart corner we saw several meadow pipit on fence posts - very obliging , and at least twenty redwing dotted around. A few fieldfare " chacked" their way over and another bullfinch fed quietly in the birches. Towards Winpenny a kestrel was on guard duty atop a dead elm and the first of several flocks of starling flew over. The South Brooks was a mass of chatty starling, probably a thousand altogether but it was hard to spot anything else there. In the distance, and you know what that means, a ruff was busy feeding amongst the sedentary lapwing . As the tractor sped across the brooks we had the mass flypast of lapwing and two ruff as well as a black cloud of starling.

Starling by Chris Prince

The North Brooks held even more lapwing, all lounging around facing west. Word had it that there was a golden plover amongst them. That was fighting talk so the scan started and after a while success. There amongst a large group of lapwing was a  light brown, short-billed, small-headed, slightly dumpy golden plover. I'd hardly got the scope focussed before something spooked all the birds. You can guess what I thought of that. When they all settled I tried my luck again and perhaps I should have bought a lottery ticket today as I found it  - and it was nearer. This time the ladies and one or two others at the Hanger managed to see it as well.

As we checked the ponds we counted eleven black-tailed godwits and found an avocet in the middle of the water shining brightly and visible without the scope. It must have just flown in as no-one we passed earlier had mentioned it - unless they were all playing silly devils with me.

After that excitement the walk back was uneventful until on the zigzag two large birds high up caught the eye.

Buzzard by Graham Osborne

The buzzard was soon identified while the other bird quickly disappeared behind the Poplar tree  but not before it's cronking call gave it away. A raven - a nice finish to a most pleasant morning.