September 2026:

It was wonderful to return to Straws Bridge, affectionately known as ‘Swan Lake’ in Ilkeston, for our first bird-watching event following the long summer break. We even started the morning with another visit to The Bottle Kiln, well worth a visit.  Though our gathering was quite small—consisting of Jean Taylor, Paul Martinez, John Kennedy, Robert Downing and Sally Lord—the intimate size of the group in no way reflected the sheer abundance of feathered wildlife waiting for us.

The nature reserve felt beautifully alive as we set out along the waterside paths to both spot and listen. Over the course of the morning, we encountered an impressive variety of birds, some observed closely in person as they drifted on the lake, and others identified by their distinct, familiar calls echoing through the surrounding trees. The absolute highlight of the trip, however, was witnessing a massive, spectacular flock of Canada geese gracefully gliding into land right before us. The sights and sounds of them sweeping over the water perfectly captured the spirit of the season. The Mandarin ducks were also a highlight for us too.

It proved to be a thoroughly rewarding Friday morning excursion, reminding us all of how much we missed these peaceful outdoor outings. It was truly the perfect way to kick off our brand-new season of bird watching adventures together.

These are the birds we saw, some in person and some only listen to:

• Moor hen
• Swan family with large babies
• Heron
• Great crest grebe
• Mallard duck
• Mandarin duck
• Brown rat
• Vole
• Robin
• Squirrel
• Coot
• Jackdaw
• Dunlin
• Great spotted Woodpecker

Not seen but heard:

• Osprey
• Common chiff chaff
• Dunnock
• Cetti Warbler
• Lots of Canadian geese
• Eurasian wren
• European robin
• King Fisher aka a blue paper bag

Sally Lord