Whoopers at Linacre

Yesterday morning I got a text from Kathy, a member of the Chesterfield RSPB Group and regular WeBS counter at Linacre, letting me know that she had seen a herd of approximately 15 Whooper Swans on the middle reservoir at Linacre when she arrived. She said there were still 5 present when she left. I dropped everything, including the hoover, and drove straight down. When I got there there the 5 birds were still present and I was very pleased to see them, as they were my first at Linacre since 2008. As a group, we've only had 2 records (33 flying over and 27 on the reservoirs in March 2008 and 4 flying over in 2013), so any sightings are well received.

Whooper Swans

On the way back to the car I spotted a Song Thrush on the wall by the car park, which was my first of the year.

Other year ticks from yesterday and today are House Sparrow and Lesser Redpoll which were seen in the garden today (along with a Nuthatch, my first garden record for over a year, but not a year tick). All good records for the BTO's Garden Birdwatch Scheme. I also saw Kestrel and Sparrowhawk whilst driving to Castleton this afternoon, and Feral Pigeon, which I forgot to add on the other day!

Year List update:
65 -Whooper Swan
66 - Song Thrush
67 - House Sparrow
68 - Lesser Redpoll
69 -Kestrel
70 -Sparrowhawk
71 - Feral Pigeon