I have never really explored the Midlands and what it has to offer in terms of nature and historical sites so I first took the opportunity to visit Clumber Park in August 2022 and then Attenborough Nature Reserve, Budby Common in August 2023.
Clumber Park is a historic country park run by the National Trust not far from the South Yorkshire border. I am a National Trust member so I did not have to pay for the parking. I had a wander around the gardens and then decided to walk around the lake which seemed to be a never ending 3.5 miles. It was a nice day and the main birding highlights were Little Egrets and Common Terns. The main surprise on the southside of the lake was the heathland which was in full bloom. Not for from here was Sherwood Forest where Honey Buzzards nested secretly. Could one pass over? It did not. I wondered if Woodlark and Nightjar were present here?
The second trip to Nottinghamshire I started off by arriving at Attenborough Nature Reserve, which is on the south side the city of Nottingham, along the Trent River. It is run by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and was opened by David Attenborough in 1966. Some Wildlife Trust Reserves allow members from other local wildlife trust areas to enter or park for free. Attenborough does not allow this but it costs only £3 to park here all day. Gravel pits, woodland, scrub, reedbed and wet willow woodland known as the Delta Sanctuary were the main habitats found on the reserve. I had a good wander around all the the trails and the reserve is very scenic. I managed to see Great Egret, Marsh Harrier, Common Terns, lots of Swans and a very probable Nightingale around the reserve. I missed the flock of Black Tailed Godwits which briefly visited but flew off and a Hobby. I was a bit disappointed with the Delta Sanctuary as part of the path around it was closed and it was somewhat overgrown and like most of the reserve Himalayan Balsam was taking over. A stop at the cafe for a cappuccino and a biscoff blondie was thoroughly enjoyed.
Next I made my way to Budby Common for a quick wander around this heathland. It was very close to the RSPB Sherwood Forest centre. I parked up and saw that there were signs warning me of naturists around the Common. The heathland was in bloom and I managed to see a Woodlark, Tree Pipit, Yellowhammer, Green Woodpecker. It was a nice walk with only a couple of people around. Thankfully they were all fully clothed. I luckily did not see any naturists. Sadly I saw no Nightjar too but during the day that was a bit optimistic. I shot off to the Wellbeck Raptor watch Point to see what that was all about. There were a couple of locals there but sadly no Honey Buzzard or Goshawk - surprise surprise!
The first 28 photos are from the Clumber Park trip and from the Mute Swan and onwards start Attenborough Nature Reserve and Budby Common.
