Red Legged Partridge - Alectoris rufa
Before Tucklesholme was made into a quarry it used to be a field with tall grasses and I don't know what it was like for Red Legged Partridge and how many there were, so the creation of the quarry would have had an effect on the numbers of partridge red and grey, but there still is fields at the far north end of the site but I haven't seen any partridge there yet. The only record I have is from 4/5/15 were three bird were flushed from the concert path at the southern end of the site in the scrub (J.P M.P). This bird is a very noteworthy bird at Tucklesholme and I would be really glad if you send your sightings in if have seen any yourself.
Common Pheasant - Phasianus colchicus
A common bird over the site can usually be seen flying in to cover of been flush from the side of paths.
GREBES and DIVERS
So far there has only been one species that has occur from this section which is the Little Grebe, but there still is a chance for others for example Black Necked Grebe is a regular migrating visitor to Branston GP which is only on the other side of the A38 so I'm not surprised if one had turned up at Tucklesholme.
Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis
The Little Grebe isn't an uncommon bird at Tucklesholme, usually can be heard up and down the site mostly is seen favouring the river Trent and can be usually be seen in groups of two to four birds.
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Common Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo
The Cormorant is a common bird over Tucklesholme, it is more often seen flying over the site in large number than it is seen on any of the pits, but some birds do dropping on the way to where ever they are going probably to a large area with more lakes and water.
[Common Bittern - Botaurus stellaris]
The reason why I have put this bird in brackets is because as you know Tucklesholme will one day be a full functioning wetland reserve with large reed beds, call it the Staffordshire's version of 'Lakenheath'. The whole reason why this transformation of Tucklesholme is to try and bring back breading Bitterns back into Staffordshire, because in the late 1800s the areas that Bitterns used to breed in was drained out to use for farmland which had a huge effect on the population of Bitterns in Staffordshire causing it to decline hugely. So this is why there is a massive effort to try and bring these great 'booming' birds back into Staffordshire. so one day the brackets will be taken away and replaced with yearly record of breading Bittern!!
Little Egret - Egretta garzetta
The Little Egret used to be a very rare bird to Britain and a very noteworthy bird, with the first breading birds in the UK down in the south, but now the Little Egret is a very common bird in the UK. I'm not very old so I don't have the first record for Little Egret at Tucklesholme but I can assure you that you wont have trouble find an egret either on the river or on one of the two pits.
Great Egret - Casmerodius albus
The Great White Egret is an scarce species to Staffordshire, but is an annual migration visitor to the Staffs. Not many records at Tucklesholme but in 2016 a few bird were knocking around so on a November evening one bird was present on the 12/11/16 and was accompanied by a little egret on the main pit. it was first see flying around at the back of the main pit but disappeared, so I sent my eye on the pit for the last time and there it was.
One day I think that the birds will become as common as the Little Egret because of its increasing occurrence to the UK.
Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea
The most common of the Heron species over the site and usually seen on one of the two pits. Tucklesholme does very well for Grey Heron because on the other side of the road there is the North Barton Pit which in the evenings I have witnessed a very large Grey Heron roost with about 40 - 50 birds which roost in the trees over at the back by the main lake.
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