RSPB Middleton Lakes :: 26 February 2022

I met up with Kev for our now regular Saturday morning birding trip, opting this time for RSPB Middleton Lakes - I'd seen a reported sighting of lesser spotted woodpecker and a photo. As I'd never seen one and dipped them at this site before, it was worth a try. Previous visits had coincided with the car park opening but this time we arrived a bit earlier parking up at 7.20am.

We stopped at the trees opposite the car park and started our vigil – initially we were left watching grey herons over, often carrying sticks for their nests (the site traditionally has a substantial heronry). Mixed tits, finches and drumming great spotted woodpecker all passed through and we decided to give it some time before moving into the main part of the reserve. We'd met a chap in the car park who said that he'd been lucky with this species the previous year and that it had greeted him many times on his arrival - we thought he might be exaggerating. We continued scanning and soon he approached - as he joined us Kev spotted a lesser spotted woodpecker in the trees to the rear and began trying to explain where to look, through the branches. After a minute the bird moved forward and eventually onto a branch in full view - what a small beautiful little bird. A woman had joined beside us, and Kev tried to help her onto the bird as it started drumming. It’s stay was all too brief, but we had great views. The bird left high into the leftmost treetop, and I tried another photo there but from a greater distance.

The bird then departed to the trees by the entrance to Middleton Hall and was lost. The chap we'd talked to made to leave and we joked that we'd call him when we next wanted to see the bird - it had indeed appeared to greet him! Well, our day was already made, and we were chuffed with our lifer. We stopped back at the car for a swig of coffee to celebrate and then set out onto the reserve proper.

Through the trees and by the feeders we encountered nuthatch, tits, siskin, song thrush, redwing and just a single goldcrest. Nothing to write home about but we were still buzzing from our LSW encounter.

We reached Fisher's Mill Pool and noted the growing black-headed gull numbers - we scanned through the birds, but none were Mediterranean (we'd seen one had been reported on Dosthill Lake a couple of days earlier). We reached the screens overlooking Jubilee Wetlands South and noted a variety of ducks and lapwing but soon made our way round to the Wetlands North.

We stopped as Kev picked out a wader in a pool and he set up a scope. It turned out to be one of a pair of dunlins, with a single redshank - despite the distance I took some record shots. Minutes later we connected with an avocet that had been feeding behind a bank - apparently it must have arrived overnight as it hadn't been there the previous evening - they have a small breeding population here. The arrival date is the same as the first that arriving a year earlier.

Soon we stopped to chat to one of the regulars and he said that he'd managed to pick out a drake pintail and that it might be visible from where we stood. Sure enough, it was out there but again distant. Cetti's warbler called from the reeds but just wouldn't show.

We made for the Wetlands hide and, on the way, saw goldeneye out on Dosthill Lake. From the hide we added raven, three Egyptian geese, and a pair of goosander. We also saw a scene of carnage as a little egret fished along the edge of the river - it seemed to be successful in catching a fish with every strike - a terminator.

We headed for the car as the morning was turning to afternoon. We stopped on the bridge across the canal to see if we could see any additional species but with only a reed warbler to show for it. A pair of mallards perched on the side of the bridge - despite being a common and overlooked species, their feather detail is still stunning.

Home then for lunch after a great morning's birding and with a lifer too.