Nature features

On Friday 28 November, at 13.15, I was scanning a reed bed at Attenborough Nature Reserve, when a tawny owl called from some islands behind me. I had a brief look but didn't see it.

On returning to the reed bed I noticed a small flock of reed buntings and two blue tits foraging in the reed tops. I was looking through them when some movement caught my eye.

Picture

Expecting nothing more than another blue tit I was stunned when a masked head appeared from behind a reed. I realised straight away it was an adult penduline tit and was desperate to get a picture of it.

I managed a couple of record shots before it disappeared from view. I rang several local birders and the news went out. It showed well to about 15 people on Friday before the light faded.

Fortunately, Friday night was foggy, so there was a good chance it would still be present the next day. Saturday morning saw a large crowd gathered.

The bird had been seen at first light, then showed fleetingly in the main reed bed, before flying onto a small pond in the wheatear field and showing well on bulrushes. Over 100 people saw it before it eventually flew off midday.

Records

It constitutes the second record for Nottinghamshire, and incredibly, the second record for the reserve, after Chris Mills' bird on 23 October 1994.

Prior to 1986, there had been only 11 records of penduline tit in Britain, but it is now an annually occurring rarity, mainly on the south coast. Inland records are very rare, with only seven occurances before this one.

Penduline tit is resident in southern Europe, and is spreading rapidly westwards, but as yet, there are no confirmed breeding records from Britain.

Attenborough

Attenborough Nature Reserve is a large complex of mature gravel pits with diverse habitats.

There is an ongoing habitat creation and management programme by the Notts Wildlife Trust that is already paying dividends.

The creation of the Clifton Pit reed bed in 2000 has attracted such reed bed specialities as bittern and bearded tit as well as other scarce and rare birds including great white egret, little egret and wood sandpiper.

It also provides vital nesting sites for reed and sedge warbler and reed bunting.