The Drake Garganey still present on the Tween pond, Attenborough.
Other inhabitants of the shingle islets this evening....

Little Ringed Plover on the 'scrape'.

One of the resident, noisy Magpies that have a nest in a Hawthorn on my street.

Attenborough Tween Pond. Drake Garganey. While I watched it spent time resting and preening on an islet or swimming out into open water, upending. Its head seemed to be under water for more time than it was above water! Quite an active little duck. He swam to a shingle 'islet' for a preen, then tucked bill in scapulars and slept. A  group of 4 Ringed Plovers arrived and briefly kept him company. Very strong, buffeting wind and hot sun.

Preening Garganey

Garganey and Ringed Plovers

Turtle Dove at Besthorpe Nature Reserve. Ive drawn it with neck inflated as it purred from an Ash tree. Beautiful, evocative sound of summer. Also on the gravel pits were a good number of Shelduck pairs.

Redstart at Lathkill Dale. I heard at least 4 birds while I was there but only had good views of this one as it kept to a small patch of scrub.

Some other more familiar residents of this beautiful place....

Woodpigeon on our front lawn.

Long Eaton Windsurfing Pit. Flocks of Swallows and Sand Martins forced to fly low in the horrible, cold, showery weather would sometimes perch on dead branches of Hawthorns in the rain. As I walked down the track at the side of the pit the air seethed with birds but all too quickly the spectacle was over and the flock dispersed.

Pied Flycatchers and Redstart at Errwood reservoir. Tricky to draw as they were fast and wouldnt sit still and when they did pose a passer-by more often than not stopped to ask what I was looking at scaring the model away - frustrating!

Birds seen on an afternoon visit to Attenborough including Stock Dove, Ruff and Redshank, Winchat (female) and Arctic Tern (note the short legs and all red beak - it was also whiter underwing in flight)