We all met up at Slack’s coach garage at the appointed time and it was nice to see a very near full coachload! The weather wasn’t the best with rain and wind forecast but clearing later in the day.

The journey was smooth and steady with a brief stop at a service station and took approximately 2 ½ hrs. The first bird we saw even before we got off the bus was a surprise, A cockatiel! Obviously someone’s pet that had escaped and found its way there.
The weather as it now seems usual for our trips defied all the odds and remained mainly dry and the wind was actually warm and not at all unpleasant. We left the visitors centre and made our way en mass around the cliff tops. We had a very good 5 hrs to study the cliffs including a stop for lunch and saw 30 different species in total. We don’t expect many at such a site so that was actually quite an impressive number. Stuart was on fine form as ever pointing out different birds and providing specialist knowledge for example correcting myself when I spotted a couple of pigeons tucked in a crack and told me they were actually rock doves and explained that they mated with ordinary pigeons and there were now very few true rock doves left.

The journey home was a mirror image of the journey out and ended at Slack’s garage in unfortunately a downpour!

All in all another great trip out so I am sure all those who attended will join me in thanking Dorothy for her time and effort in making the day a memorable one.

Bird list: Fulmar, Gannet, Cormorant, Grey Partridge, Pheasant, Herring Gull, G B B Gull, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin, Rock Dove, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Dunnock, Blackbird, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting, Common Crane, Cockateil.

The day started a bit cold and misty and due to good planning everyone was picked up and whisked uneventfully to Frampton in around 2 ½ hrs.

While everyone was sorting out their coats and footwear the keen ones were already setting up their scopes and spotting in the field next to the car park, calling out to Dorothy to note down what they were seeing.

The RSPB site at Frampton is a large coastal wetland reserve with a large reed bed and fresh water scrapes. There is a visitor centre where you can buy snacks and hot and cold drinks and chat to the RSPB guides and find out “what’s about”.

We spent the first 1/2hr in the visitor centre before moving out to scan the reed beds. There are 3 good hides which we availed ourselves of and some of the high lights were sighting a Jack Snipe and a Long Billed Dowicher also a great aerial display by a flock of Finches late in the afternoon.

A few laughs were had over the light hearted argument as to whether a particular group of Godwits we were looking at were black tailed or bar tailed or indeed a mixture of the two!

The weather held out and a very pleasant sunny day was enjoyed with 52 different species being recorded by Dorothy.

A well deserved thank you goes to Dorothy for her organisational skills and to Stuart Slack who as ever called out the different species and pointed us all at their locations.

Species Seen:

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Our first outdoor visit of the season was to Willington Gravel Pits, a former sand and gravel quarry situated in the Trent Valley. A Derbyshire Wildlife Trust site that has a variety of habitats and so a haven for wildlife.

The day was fine though a little muddy underfoot in places due to rain the day before but still an easily accessible site with several good viewing platforms and a relatively new hide at the end of the lane.

Perhaps not as many waders around that we had hoped to see but still an interesting day with a couple of warblers still around and nice to see the usually elusive Water Rail.

The full list of birds seen…….

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