3rd January '09 Clifton Pastures/Barton-in-Fabis

Frost, cold, cloudy, breeze in the afternoon.

Clifton Pastures/Grove/Barton-in-Fabis

On my way to Barton I stopped off at the Larkhills complex, its for the elderly to live in peace in their own micro-world. Just outside the complex is a large mound of topsoil. The Corn Buntings seen in the trees opposite fed on seeds on the mound. A quick shuftie on the Pasture revealed a male Reed Bunting, then it was off to Barton to find the Ruddy Shelduck. My first port of call was the flooded fields south of the village to see the swans and of course duck. Their are quite a lot of resident swans amongst which were 4 Bewicks. The Ruddy was amongst a small group of Egyptian Geese, in the field alongside the A453. From Barton I went down river along the Trent valley skirting the wooded bluffs, my destination Holme Pit. A small pond maintained by Notts Wildlife. My aim here was to catch a glimpse of the Water Rail that had been sighted there.

RUDDY SHELDUCK*, BEWICK SWAN*, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, Siskin, Goldfinch, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Wren, Usual.