Willington Gravel Pits by Evie Miller

Lapwing by Jill Pakenham

The other day I went birding at Willington Gravel Pits in Derbyshire with my family and Simon Roddis (a great birder we have met through Twitter). Willington is my local nature reserve and it is always a favourite place to go birding in my opinion. We were also keen to try the new hide which has recently been completed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

I took our new scope which my family received for Christmas, it was our first time using it and I absolutely loved it. The scope is an Opticron and is the MM3 60 GA ED/45. We were so excited about it, we forgot to take a photo! It worked really well and gave really clear views of the birds on the wetlands. It is great for us because it's a nice simple scope to use and light to carry.

Kingfisher by Edmund Fellowes

There were plenty of species to see, such as Wigeon, Teal, Pochard, Lapwing, Redwing, Fieldfare, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Willow Tit and Great Crested Grebe. We also heard Water Rail and several Cetti's Warbler.

At the new hide we had a great view of a Kingfisher there catching from the large shoals of fish you could see. And thanks to the scope we had amazing views of the species, the colours appeared really bright and beautiful.

Evie Miller, @Ev1e_miller