Saturday evening was very windy and over cast, not auspicious for an evening watching bats. However, twelve people met at 20.30 by the iron gates, complete with binoculars, torches and bat detectors, and we made our way onto the site, seeing a fox on the way. We had at least an hour to spend before sunset and the emergence of the bats, so the plan was to see what other crepuscular wildlife was about. We made our way to the Causeway to listen for the already departed Nightingale (just in case) and then made our way round to the north east corner of the Deep Pit, by the bench, to look out for the Barn Owl. On the way we saw lots of small groups (probably family parties) of Starlings, dropping into one patch of the Slurry Lagoon reed bed. The top of the nearby pylon was covered with Starlings and groups detatched themselves to glide down to the reed bed and dive in.

We waited for some time but there was no sign of the Barn Owl, but we did see a Rabbit. The wind was not dropping but the Swifts were hunting over the site, some swooping very close to us, and we looked out for a Noctule amongst them, as I have seen them in the past. As we waited, a hawkeyed Alan Edge said, “A badger !” and, to everybodies amazement, a Badger came up the bank from the Gravel Pits, ambled across the path and, when it saw us, bounded into the Deep Pit. That was my first sighting of a Badger on the site and the highlight of the evening.

The light was beginning to go so we made our way to the river, by the railway bridge, and switched on the bat detectors. Almost at once what was probably a Daubenton’s Bat was picked up, but it flew away and wasn’t picked up again. Instead the deafening clicks of a Noctule were heard and some managed to see it above the bridge against the last of the light in the sky. On past visits, in calmer weather, the air above the river has been full of swarms of flying insects, but tonight the wind had either blown them away or put them off coming out, so there was little to entice the bats. We waited a bit longer but only picked up the Noctule or Noctules and so decided to try our luck in the comparative shelter along the Lower Path. By the Irish Bridge we detected Common Pipistrelles and again by the Car Park, inside the metal gates. Steve Wilkinson managed to shine his torch on some so that everybody heard the call on the bat boxes and saw the eratic nature of its flight as it flew in a circuit above us.

At about 22.30 we left the site, everybody very pleased with the sighting of the Badger. We had in fact seen more species of mammal in one visit than any of us are normally privileged to do, so the evening was a definate success.

The addition of fresh  gravel and raking over the tern platforms took place on Wednesday afternoon 6th April after poor weather caused the postponement from 4th April.

Although the day was bright and sunny there was still a fairly fresh south-westerly breeze as Pete Smith accompanied by Dave Gartside and Rob Woodward set about the launch of our new boat on the south-eastern side of the Deep Water Pit, watched from a safe distance by Pam, Archie, Darren and  Alan.

Since Pete could not see where he was going, Dave stood at the water’s edge giving hand signals like a policeman on point duty. In spite of this, Pete finally reached  the  tern platform in the teeth of the breeze. Observers on the bank top could see that he was not able to maintain contact with  the platform and that he was soon back on the shore, quicker than he went. After a discussion, Dave appealed to the watchers for a, preferably, small and lightweight volunteer to go out with Pete on a second attempt. He had hardly finished speaking when Archie was over the fence like a two-year old.

Owing to certain dimensional problems it was found that it was necessary to row the boat backwards and to tie the oars to the rollocks with gaffer tape to give them some chance of a safe return. Upon reaching the platform disaster was narrowly averted when both of the crew leaned to one side to hold on to it, causing a shift to that side of the two sacks of gravel. There  was only about a centimetre of freeboard between them and an unplanned bath!

The attention to the platforms was  completed and it was noted that the second platform seemed to have dragged it’s anchor which was probably the cause of the slope. The three Common Terns which had already arrived from Africa were left in peace to resume their quarrel over possession with the Black-headed Gulls and the Cormorants.

Finally there was a discussion about the report, from the boat crew, concerning some knocking sounds on the bottom of the boat. This remains a mystery and it was suggested that further investigation of the Deep Water Pit was required.

The contractors are on site at the moment, putting in a dipping platform in the Small Gravel Pit. They are also making a safe path down to the pit and will be excavating a small Dragonfly Pool nearby.

Karen Bennett who is Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s Education and Community Manager has asked us to let you know that Attenborough Nature Centre are holding short one day wildlife i.d. courses as well as half day walk and talks. More information can be found on their Web Site.

All of your sightings are potentially important and significant. Please don’t assume that we know it is there or that somebody else will report it. We would rather have it reported several times than not at all. And its not just birds that we want records of. If you see an interesting plant, mammal or insect we would like to hear about that too. The accompanying map has a grid so that you can pinpoint your findings with a grid reference.

Click here to download the map (Right click and ‘Save target/link as’ to download the file).