Welcome to the Website of the Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers

This page will be updated on a daily basis, to provide a convenient news service to scarce & rare birds found within the County Nottinghamshire.

The Sightings page and @Nottsbirders Twitter feed are intended to alert birders to scarcer species that they might be interested in seeing within the County.

Records of more common species are still very important, but should preferably be submitted to the county Recorder Andy Hall. These records will then be added to the Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers data-base, to be included in the monthly Newsletter and Annual Reports.

None of these reports have been verified or checked by the Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers' Records Committee.

Records of certain species will not appear here during the breeding season - but please send in your reports regardless.

Please report your Latest Sightings to: nottsbirders@gmail.com or @NottsBirders on the Twitter feed.

Click Here to Access Archived Sightings 2014

Sunday 31st August

Attenborough Nature Reserve - Wood Sandpiper [late pm, on Clifton Pit from Tower Hide].

Kilvington - 2 Whinchat, Common Redstart, Hobby, juv Peregrine juv and 2 Little Egret.

Cotham Flash - 3 Whinchat, c250 House Martin [around the Gypsum works].

Nuthall - c70-80 House Martins [heading SW this evening plus several smaller groups following].

RSPB Langford Lowfields - 1 juv Marsh Harrier, Hobby, 2 Greenshank, 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe, 12 Little Egret & 14 Yellow Wagtail.

Besthorpe NWT - [Mons Pool this pm] singles of Ruff, Dunlin, Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank, 2 green sandpiper, 4 little egret & kingfisher.

Holme Pierrepont - 2 Whinchat

Netherfield Lagoons - 3 Whinchat [near the Wader Scrape] and Garganey still.

Budby - 4 Yellow Wagtail [near the village] and 3 Spotted Flycatcher [on the Common].

Hoveringham - Common Sandpiper and 3 Common Redstart [Hoveringham Pastures].

Clifton Grove/Barton-in-Fabis - 3 Raven [over Branshill, towards Clifton Wood], 4 Hobby [over Branshill Wood], 2 Peregrine, Northern Wheatear [Barton riverside fields] and 5 Yellow Wagtail [near Cottages Flash].

Newark - 1 Common Swift and c50 Swallow.

Bentinck Pit Tip - Whinchat and Common Sandpiper

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - [6.00 -8.30am] 1 Spotted Redshank, 3 Green Sandpiper, , Marsh Harrier, Little Egret, c40 Red-crested Pochard, blackcap and chiffchaff

Saturday 30th August

Newington - [Hagg Lane] Osprey south, Marsh Harrier, 8 Ruff, Greenshank, 19 Little Egret.

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 4 Garganey [Clifton Pit, late afternoon] and Yellow-legged Gull on Tween.

Wollaton - Spotted Flycatcher [corner of Woodyard Lane/Russel Drive].

Clifton Grove/Barton-in-Fabis - 2 Raven [this morning over Clifton Wood/Branshill Wood] also 7 Hobby in the area early afternoon.

Collingham Pits - Common Redstart [on western boundary of Mons Pool, this morning].

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - 3 Spotted Redshank [Tiln North,S/east corner till 10-15am, Then flew low west towards Walters lane/farm].

Friday 29th August

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 2 Black Tern [Coneries, early evening], Garganey [Clifton Pit] and Spotted Flycatcher [ behind the Church].

Hoveringham - Little Stint [Still on the island on the Railway Pit at midday].

Newstead and Annesley Country Park - Whinchat [on pit top this am] and Whimbrel over SW.

Netherfield Lagoons - Garganey [still present on the Wader Scrape], Hobby [chasing Swallows by the railway bridge] and Green Sandpiper [On the Ouse Dyke].

Thursday 28th August

Hoveringham - 2 Black Tern [on the Railway Pit, midday], Little Stint [Railway Pit, on island at 17.10].

RSPB Langford Lowfields - Greenshank and Dunlin [viewable from either the public footpath or near the Beach Hut], still good numbers of hirundines and Common Swift moving over the reserve]

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - 5 Ruff, 3 Yellow legged Gull, 1 Green Sand, c26 Red crested Pochard, 2 Common Tern, Peregrine.

Netherfield Lagoons - Bittern [seen in the Haven, late afternoon]

Skegby trail - 2 Spotted flycatcher [07.40]

Wednesday 27th August

Collingham Pits - 1 Ruff, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Dunlin, 5 Eurasian Curlew, 1 Common Sandpiper and 3 Green Sandpiper.

Newstead and Annesley Country Park - Honey Buzzard [west over pit top, 11.50]

Spalford - 3 Caspian Gull [adult & 2, 1st s, with one bearing a yellow ring, 14.45], 8 Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Swifts over, Hobby through south, Common & Green Sandpiper and a single Greenshank at Spalford Pit.

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - 4 Ruff, 4+ Little Egret, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Red-crested Pochard (f), 3+ Marsh Harrier [1 male, 1 female and 3 separate Cream Crown sightings].

RSPB Langford Lowfields - 2 Hobby and good numbers of Yellow Wagtail going over.

Netherfield Lagoons - 2 Greenshank [on the wader scrape this afternoon], Hobby [chasing hirundines near the railway bridge].

Idle Washlands - Hagg Lane, Ruff, c350 Lapwing, 3 Little Egret, Lesser Whitethroat, c30 Linnet, 2 Yellowhammer and numerous numbers of hirundines

Tuesday 26th August

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 2 Garganey [still present on Clifton Pit, 17.30].

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - Knot [Neatholme Fen, present at 8:40am at least], Marsh Harrier [Chainbridge NR Scrape, immature male this morning].

Idle Washlands - Turtle Dove [Slaynes Lane].

Spalford - possible juv Baltic Gull in pig field between Spalford/Wigsley at 14.10 then flew west, also 5 Yellow-legged Gull.

South Muskham - 5 Common Tern and Little Egret.

Newark Sugar Factory - Eurasian Curlew, 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Grey Wagtail, 7 Common Swift, 1 Hobby, 2 Common Snipe and 1 Yellow Wagtail.

Hucknall - 1 Common Swift.

Monday 25th August

Bentinck Pit Top - Common Redstart and Common Sandpiper, [still present].

Besthorpe NWT - Turtle Dove and Greenshank [ Meering Marsh,early pm].

Clifton Grove - 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warbler [Rough Wood hedgerow].

Collingham Pits - Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, 5 Green Sandpiper, 3 Curlew, 1 Snipe and 1 Ringed Plover.

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - 100+ Sand Martin and 1 Little Egret [roosting in hawthorn at southern edge of Tiln North, Restoration Area], 4 Green Sandpiper [Hayton Common], Greenshank [calling, Neatholme Scrape] also 4+ Swift, c300+ Sand Martin, c50+ House Martin, c20+ Swallow, Turtle Dove [Chainbridge Lane, on wires by Walters Lane junction].

Sunday 24th August

Bentinck Pit Top - Common Redstart and Common Sandpiper.

Bennerley Marsh - Whinchat [16:00].

Clifton Grove - 2 Spotted Flycatcher [Hedgerow below Branshill, 10.30], 5 Yellow Wagtail, Hobby [over Barton Flash] and 2 Red-crested Pochard [Holme Pit].

RSPB Langford Lowfields - 1 Northern Wheatear, 2 Hobby, 2 Little Egret, Willow Tit and Clouded Yellow.

Newstead and Annesley Country Park - 1 Yellow Wagtail SE, 4 Common Swift SE & 1 Tree Pipit SW.

Holme Pierrepont - Marsh Harrier [over A52 Pit 09.20-09.30, then flew NW].

Beckingham Marsh - 3 Peregrine, Hobby and Norther Wheatear.

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - immature male Marsh Harrier [Tiln North, in afternoon hunting edge of lake, then flew on to Clayworth Common and was joined by another female. Hobby [Clayworth Common], 4 Common Swift [lingering Chainbridge Wood]

Saturday 23rd August

RSPB Langford Lowfields - Glossy Ibis [RBA report, 17.00, but no further details].

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 2 Garganey [Clifton Pit, this morning], 2 Dunlin and 3 Ruff [Clifton Pit, 18.30] and Spotted Flycatcher [on the river path, 17,40].

Clifton Grove - 5 Northern Wheatear [4 on Branshill, 1 near Beeston Weir], Red-crested Pochard [fem, still Holme Pit], c25 Yellow Wagtail.

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - immature/juvenile Marsh Harrier [Bunker Wood, hunting over field on opposite side of river].

Hucknall - Bullfinch [5, in private garden].

Beeston Canal - 2 Mandarin Duck [Still, on the canal, between boots and stone bridge].

Friday 22nd August

Kilvington West Lake - 19 Common Shelduck [flight only], 2 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Ringed Plover, 5 Common Redshank, 2 Common Sandpiper.

Barton-in-Fabis - Little Ringed Plover [Cottages Flash], 6 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Peregrine and 8 Grey Partridge.

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 2 Spotted Flycatcher [still, behind the Church Yard], 2 Dunlin and 2 Garganey [Clifton Pit].

Idle Washlands - 1 Ruff, 10 Snipe and 11 Little Egret [Hagg Lane] . 4 Whinchat, 1 Marsh Harrier and 1 Leveret [Slaynes Lane].

RSPB Langford Lowfields - 2 Greenshank, good numbers of hirundines and swifts. First Clouded Yellows of this week.

Beeston Canal - 2 Mandarin Duck [on the canal, between boots and stone bridge].

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - Juvenile Marsh Harrier [mobbed by two Sparrowhawk, Neatholme Fen]. First-summer male Marsh Harrier [Cross Lane Marsh], 2 Marsh Harrier [Juvenile and immature male?, Tiln North, Restoration Area], 3 Greenshank [Tiln North], Juvenile Black-necked Grebe [Neatholme Pit] and 20 Yellow Wagtail [Blaco Fields].

Thursday 21st August

Collingham Pits - 2 Yellow-legged Gull [ad + 2CY, in gull roost], 1 Greenshank, & 10 Little Egrets [flew over to roost].

Besthorpe NWT - [Mons Pool] 3 Curlew, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Little Egret and single Common Swift.

Budby Common - 8 + Spotted Flycatcher this afternoon .

Netherfield Lagoons - Bittern and Garganey [on the slurry Lagoon, early pm].

RSPB Langford Lowfields - Juvenile Cuckoo and still large numbers of swifts and hirundines over.

Gonalston - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker [on garden feeder again this am].

Skegby - single Common Swift.

Cotgrave - 4 Common Swift and Peregrine [Bingham Rd].

Wednesday 20th August

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - 3 Ruff, c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Yellow-legged Gull, 3 Common Tern, 2 Little Egret, 7 Common Snipe and 4 Yellow Wagtail.

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 2 Spotted Flycatcher [behind the Church Yard], also Dunlin and Grey Wagtail.

RSPB Langford Lowfields - Bittern [Phase 2].

Cotgrave - 7 Common Swift.

Hucknall - Tree Sparrow [single bird in a private garden].

Tuesday 19th August

Clifton Grove - 3 Tree Pipit [Branshill/Rough Wood hedgerow, then flew west].

Attenborough Nature Reserve - Spotted Flycatcher [flycatching from willows near the church] and 3 Green Sandpiper [Beeston Pond].

Besthorpe NWT - [Mons Pool] 1 Dunlin, 1 Common Snipe, 1 Common Greenshank, 7 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Kingfisher

Collingham Lakes - 1 Common Sandpiper.

Newark - 10 swift.

Compton Acres - Common Redstart.

RSPB Langford Lowfields - Marsh Harrier.

Monday 18th August

Collingham Pits - ad Yellow-legged Gull [roosted with c100 LBB gulls], 4 Little Egret, Common Sandpiper, Common Swift.

Besthorpe NWT - 2 Dunlin, 7 Redshank, 3 Curlew, 2 Green Sandpiper, 4 Little Egret, 6 Common Tern, Kingfisher [all Mons Pool] also 2 Common Swift.

Holme Pierrepont - Common Swift [c25 Blotts Pit this evening] also 2 Hobby

Misson - Barn Owl and Little Owl [Slaynes Lane] and 3 Green Sandpiper [in Quarry east of lane, 19.00].

Newark - 1 Common Swift

Sunday 17th August

Newark Sugar Factory - 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, juv Common Shelduck and 6 Eurasian Teal.

Newstead and Annesley Country Park - 3 Common Scoter [on Middle Lagoon, at 12.49 to 14.49 at least], 11 Black-tailed Godwit [flew south] and 3 Clouded Yellow.

Clifton Grove - Hobby [Branshill] and female Red-crested Pochard [Holme Pit].

Netherfield Lagoons - Garganey [on the Slurry] and Hobby [this morning by the railway bridge].

Saturday 16th August

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 3 Garganey [on Clifton Pit this evening].

Collingham Pits - 2 Turtle Dove, 1 Curlew, 1 Green Sandpiper & 4 Common Terns.

Netherfield Lagoons - Marsh Harrier [female/Juv flew through late afternoon].

Budby Pumping Station - Juv Common Cuckoo.

Clifton Grove - 5 Hobby [Holme Pit, late afternoon], also fem Red-crested Pochard.

Barton-in-Fabis - 3 Corn Bunting [Manor Rd], 8 Yellow Wagtail [under cattle, riverside fields].

Friday 15th August

Attenborough Nature Reserve - Juv Mediterranean Gull and adult Yellow-legged Gull [Tween this evening].

RSPB Langford Lowfield - Marsh Harrier [male, 16.00] and 2 Little Egret.

Besthorpe NWT - Great White Egret [again on Mons Pool], also 10 Green Sandpiper and 5 Little Egret.

Stokeham - 2 Red Kite [over church on Main Street, 10.52].

Newstead and Annesley Country Park - Whinchat this morning.

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - 2 sub-adult male Marsh Harrier flew south over Chainbridge NR Scrape (East) and then south east over Chainbridge Pit at 8:30am. Little Ringed Plover and 2 Red-crested Pochard [Tiln North]. Single Curlew flew over Neatholme Lane this morning. 2 Ruff, 3 Little Egret, 1 Turtle Dove on wires [Neatholme Fen]. 2 Lesser Whitethroat, and Turtle Dove [The Willows, Clayworth Copse].

Thursday 14th August

Gonalston - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker [on garden feeder twice early evening].

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - Common Redstart [East of Neatholme lane footbridge this evening].

Besthorpe NWT - Great White Egret [again on Mons Pool, still present this evening at 20.00], Hobby flew over carrying prey, 100 + Lapwing came into roost.

Attenborough Nature Reserve - Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover
[Church Pond, Corner mud adjacent to rail crossing], adult Yellow Legged Gull [Sailing Lake], 2 Garganey , Redshank and Common Sandpiper [Clifton Pit].

Huthwaite - Willow Tit and Green Woodpecker [Nunn Brook].

RSPB Langford Lowfields - Common Greenshank [over, phase 1]

Wednesday 13th August

Misson - Wood Sandpiper, 3 Whinchat and 2 Yellow Wagtail [Slaynes Lane].

Besthorpe NWT - Great White Egret [South of Trent Lane on Mons Pool, viewed from footpath between hide and river]. Hobby, Dunlin, 2 Common Snipe, Common Greenshank, 5 Green Sandpiper [all Mons Pool], Common Snipe, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper and Turtle Dove [Meering]. 6 Common Greenshank [ silt lagoon].

Collingham Lakes - Little Ringed Plover, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Common Cuckoo [juvenile].

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 2 Garganey and adult Yellow-legged Gull.[still present on Clifton Pit, 09.00] also Mediterranean Gull [Juv, on Church Pond this evening].

RSPB Langford Lowfields - Ringed Plover [from beach hut], Common Greenshank and large numbers of Common Swift moving over this morning.

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - Avocet, Little Egret [Tiln North], 4 Green Sandpiper, 2 Ruff [Walters Pit], 6 Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, 5 Snipe [Chainbridge Scrape].

Gonalston - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker [on garden feeder & bird bath, 08.12].

Tuesday 12th August

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 2 Garganey, 35 Black-tailed Godwit and 4 Common Sandpiper [all Clifton Pit this evening], Ringed Plover [Church Pond].

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - 1 Turtle Dove, c25 Black-tailed Godwit , 6+ Common Tern 1 Ruff , 3+ Little Egret, 1 Yellow Legged Gull, c250 Lesser black-Backed Gull & 1 Common Buzzard.

Carlton - Northern Wheatear [Carlton Cemetery 08.45].

Misson - Whinchat [Slaynes Lane, 07.35].

Clifton - Ringtail Harrier sp [Quartering over fields 07.30 at side of the A453, then drifted upriver].

Skegby Trail - Mandarin [2 adults and 6 juveniles]

Monday 11th August

Attenborough Nature Reserve - Garganey [2, possibly 3 on Clifton Pit, this evening], also Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper & Ringed Plover.

Misson - Wood Sandpiper [Slaynes Lane].

Barton-in-Fabis - Turtle Dove [one in a private garden], Green Sandpiper, Oystercatcher & 12 Yellow Wagtail, late evening [Cottages Flash].

Kilvington Lakes - 6 Little Egret, Little Ringed Plover, 12 Ringed Plover, Dunlin, 10 Common Redshank, 4 Common Sandpiper.

Sunday 10th August

Newark Sugar Factory -2 Eurasian Curlew, 1 Common Snipe, 1 Greenshank, 3 Green Sandpiper and 2 Common Sandpiper.

IdleWashlands - [Newington/Misson] - 4 Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, 12 Snipe, c70 Lapwing, 6 Little Egret.

South Muskham - 24 Common Tern.

Besthorpe NWT - Greenshank [this PM at Meering Marsh] also female Mandarin and single Common Snipe.

Barton-in-Fabis - Green Sandpiper, Little Egret and 7 Yellow Wagtail [Cottages Flash] and Peregrine over.

Saturday 9th August

Welbeck Raptor Point - 1 Honey Buzzard [male, 15.25]

Collingham Pits - Mandarin [on Mons Pool this pm], also Green Sandpiper and c200 Lapwing.

Barton-in-Fabis - Hobby and 5 Yellow Wagtail.

Friday 8th August

Ravenshead - Osprey [sitting half way up a pylon, in field close to Ravenshead/Newstead Abbey].

Thursday 7th August

Welbeck Raptor Point - 3 Honey Buzzard [up together], 2 Hobby, 1 Marsh Harrier , c.6 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel.

Besthorpe NWT - [Meering] 1 Turtle Dove, 6 Little Egret, Mandarin Duck [female], 1 Common Snipe. [Mons Pool] 1 Turtle Dove.

Wednesday 6th August

Edwalton - Turtle Dove [flying over A52 next to Edwalton Golf Course 14.00].

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - 2 Turtle Dove [Clayworth Copse], juv Black-necked Grebe [Neatholme Pit], 4 Little Egret, 2 Green Sandpiper, Ruff, 4 Snipe, 3 Yellow-legged Gull [Neatholme Fen].

Barton-in-Fabis - Northern Wheatear also a good site count of 16 Yellow Wagtail feeding under the Cattle on the riverside fields.

Attenborough Nature Reserve - Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover and 3 Common Sandpiper. The reported Scaup yesterday evening is now thought likely to be a Hybrid, due to having white undertail covets.

Gedling Pit Top - 2 Green Sandpiper.

Welbeck Raptor Watchpoint - Honey Buzzard [just east of the Welbeck Raptor Watchpoint this afternoon, directly over monument 13.17].

Tuesday 5th August

Attenborough Nature Reserve - Scaup type Hybrid [eclipse drake, Tween Pond and visitor centre car park this evening] also Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover and 3 Common Sandpiper [all Church Pond].

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - Marsh Harrier [cream crown], c4 Little Egret, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Snipe, 9 Common Tern, c300 Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 Yellow-legged Gull and 2 Yellow Wagtail.

Newstead and Annesley Country Park - Marsh Harrier [juv, flew NW at 08.50]

Newark Sugar Factory - 12 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 81 Mallard, 3 Northern Shovelar and 5 Common Shelduck.

South Muskham - 22 Common Tern.

Skegby trail - 06.00-07.30. Goldfinch [50+ on seed heads] Yellowhammer, Grey Partridge Barn Owl and calling Tawny Owl.

Monday 4th August

Netherfield Lagoons - Garganey [Slurry Lagoon]. Water Rail [a small juvenile on the Slurry Lagoon ], Common Sandpiper [on the Wader Scrape], Mediterranean Gull [Juv, on the Slurry Lagoon late afternoon].

Langford Lowfields RSPB - Marsh Harrier [flew over to the south], 8 Common Buzzard [all in the air together] also 1 Clouded Yellow and 1 Purple Hairstreak.

Newstead and Annesley Country Park - Wood Sandpiper [present again all day on the bottom lagoon].

Clipstone Forest - 1 Hobby.

Sunday 3rd August

Newstead and Annesley Country Park - Wood Sandpiper [present all day, on the bottom lagoon].

Besthorpe NWT - Whinchat [this evening at Meering Marsh in NE corner of Eon Lagoon], Cuckoo [juv, feeding on the track on the corner of the Silt Lagoon]

Carburton Lake - Red Kite

Collingham Lakes -1 Common Scoter [drake on Ferry Lane Lake this am].

Hucknall - Grey Wagtail [stream near town centre]

Saturday 2nd August

Besthorpe NWT - Turtle Dove and 2 Common Snipe at Meering Marsh this evening.

Budby Pumping Station - Honey Buzzard, Hobby and Peregrine.

Attenborough Nature Reserve - 2 Raven [flew over the reserve this morning towards Branshill Wood, Barton-in-Fabis].

Clifton Grove - Common Redstart [male, Clifton Wood near Holme Pit this morning], also female Goosander on Beeston Weir.

Friday 1st August

Attenborough Nature Reserve - Black-tailed Godwit, Green Sandpiper and 3 Oystercatcher [all Beeston Pond]. Yellow-legged Gull [moulting adult on Sailing Lake, this evening].

Besthorpe NWT - 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Turtle Dove [Meering], 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Green Sandpiper [Mons Pool].

Collingham Lakes - 1 Little Ringed Plover [juv.], 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Flycatcher.

Idle Valley Nature Reserve - Caspian Gull [adult, on Neatholme Fen], also 4 Yellow-legged Gull, Black-necked Grebe [Juv, on Neatholme Pit and 2 Turtle Dove [Clayworth Common].

Many thanks to:

Mervyn Bartle, Graham Beeley, Chris Bell, Phil Burnham, Carl Cornish, Nick Crouch, Michael Blount, Robin Brace, Paul Buxton, Les Fisher, Jacqueline Jones, Spencer Lawrence, Andy Mason, Paul Morris, Raymond Purkiss, Simon Roberts, Alan Scrimshaw, Mick Tring, Lillian Walker, John Wilson.

Lound Bird Club, Langford Lowfields RSPB.